During the Norman conquest of England following his 1066 victory at Hastings, used Old Sarum (known at the time by variants of "Saresbury" or "Salisbury") as a base of operations. It was within a newly constructed strong fortress on a high hill (originally the Old Sarum Hill Fort) and was surrounded by the massive walls of the new fortress. In 1075, the Council of London translated Herman to Old Sarum as ', "bishop of Seribury". The see was a new foundation, uniting the former dioceses of Sherborne and Ramsbury. (Herman's initial choice for his seat had been at Malmesbury, but this plan had been blocked by the local monks and Earl Godwin.) Its district covered the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, and Berkshire.