suburbs. The Londoners, terrified by the flames, and later cut off
from help from the north by the Conqueror's besieging army, opened
their gates and surrendered without striking a blow. In return,
William, shortly after his coronation, granted the city a charter, by
which he guaranteed to the inhabitants the liberties which they had
enjoyed under Edward the Confessor (S65).

That document may still be seen among the records in the Guildhall, in
London.[2] It is a narrow strip of parchment not the length of a
man's hand. It contains a few lines in English, to which William's
royal seal was appended. It has indeed been said on high authority
that the King also signed the charter with a cross; but no trace of it
appears on the parchment. The truth seems to be that he who wielded
the sword with such terrible efficiency disdained handling the pen
(S154).

[2] See Constitutional Documents in the Appendix, p. xxxiii.

108. The Coronation; William returns to Normandy.

On the following Christmas Day (1066) William was anointed and crowned
in Westminster Abbey. His accession to the throne marked the union of
England and Normandy (S191). (See map facing p. 54). He assumed the
title of "King of the English," which had been used by Edward the
Confessor and by Harold. The title "King of England" did not fully
and finally come into use until John's accession, more than a hundred
and thirty years later. William did not remain in London, but made
Winchester, in the south of England, his capital. In the spring
(1067) he sailed for Normandy, where he had left his queen, Matilda,
to govern in his absence.