The preceding chapter is the only one so far to have employed a chronological approach; otherwise government has been studied chiefly from the angles of the way it operated and the way its servants were recruited and rewarded. This approach has been dictated by the nature of the subject and by the lack of precise dating for some of the developments under discussion. Nevertheless the chronological framework is important, and at a stage when all the evidence has been discussion. in details., the various strands may be pulled together to establish the timing of the most important developments.

The general impression of the pace of governmental developments is that there were periodic bursts of activity and an increasing tempo over the reign as a whole. During the early years of the reign there seems to have been little radical innovation, albeit some changes in personnel and a major financial effort as the king fought to overcome his brother. Henry's return to England in 1108, after defeating his brother and imposing his rule on Normandy, marked the start of a period of administrative activity. Reform of the expenses of the royal household was put in hand and an attempt was made to remedy the poor quality of the coinage. In 1110 the money had to be found to meet the cost of Matilda's dowry. A special tax was taken, revenues from the counties were channelled through the hands of a few experienced sheriffs, and a new accounting device seems to have been employed at the central court of audit.