The wapentake of Howdenshire was named after the town, the Bishops of Durham also owning the wapentake. Early history One of the earliest recorded parts of Howden's history's King Edgar of England giving his first wife, Ethelfleda, Howden Manor in 959 AD, the beginnings of a long connection with the royal court of England. In 1080, William the Conqueror gave the town, including its church, which later became the minster, to the Bishop of Durham, who promptly conferred the church upon the monks… (More on Howden)