himself building there a church in 597 in honour of St Andrew. It thus
became a spiritual as well as a material fortress. Of its fate after
the Battle of Hastings we know little, but it submitted without
resistance and came into the hands of that Odo of Bayeaux who gave so
much trouble to William Rufus.

It is now that we see Rochester suddenly appear in its true greatness.
Odo, expelled by William, had on the Conqueror's death returned and
successfully obtained of Rufus his estates, among them the Castle of
Rochester, which he had built. In 1088, however, he was once more in
rebellion against the Crown on behalf of the Conqueror's eldest
brother, Robert of Normandy. Rufus struck him first at Pevensey, which
was the Norman gate of England. He took it but unwisely released Odo,
on his oath to give up Rochester Castle and leave the country.
Rochester was then in the hands of Eustace of Boulogne, sworn friend
of Duke Robert, and when Odo appeared with the King's Guard before the
Castle, demanding its surrender, he, understanding everything,
captured his own lord and the king's guard also and brought them in.
Rufus then turned to his English subjects and demanded their
assistance, for his Barons were then, as they have invariably been
throughout English history, against the Crown, which truly represented
and defended the people. They flocked to the Royal Standard, and after
six weeks' siege, plague and famine ravaging the garrison, Odo
surrendered and was imprisoned at Tonbridge, and later expelled the
kingdom. As this great rascal Bishop came out of Rochester Castle,
the English youths sang out "Rope and Cord! Rope and Cord for the
traitor Bishop." But Odo was too near to the king.

That was the first time we know of in which Rochester stood like the
gage of England; the second was in the Barons' wars. When King John,