In January occurred an event of considerable significance for Archdeacon Thurgot. A conspiracy against the king led by some nobles brought about the arrest of the earl of Northumbria. Tainted by association, Bishop William was ordered to appear at the Christmas court, but, stressed, he fell ill on arrival. He received the last sacraments on 1 January 1096 and died the next day. His body was borne on a litter from Windsor to Durham drawn by horses. The journey took a fortnight. On his deathbed, Bishop William declared that his corruptible body ‘should in no wise be laid in the same building as the incorrupt body of Saint Cuthbert’. Thurgot ordered a solemn ceremony for the man he had grown to admire and respect, ordering a burial in the chapter house, beside Bishop Walcher. The bishop was l
