Henry of Blois unsuccessful. However, on 1 March 1139, during the reign of his brother Stephen, Henry obtained a commission as papal legate, which gave him higher rank than Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, making him the most powerful figure in the English Church during the troubled times of the so-called "Anarchy". Thus, when his brother was unavailable, Henry of Blois was the most powerful, and possibly the wealthiest, man in England. Stephen of Blois was crowned King of England in 1135, but the relations between the two brothers were not always peaceful. After the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, Henry found
Blois family house standing in of historic parkland, dating from the 16th century. Lady Catherine Grey, sister of Lady Jane Grey, was imprisoned at Cockfield Hall in 1567 to recover from her privations in the Tower of London but died shortly after her arrival and was buried in the Cockfield Chapel in Yoxford church. The family remain patrons of Blythburgh church, and the current head of the Blois family is still major landowner in north-east Suffolk. Sir Charles Blois however no longer owns Cockfield Hall. Although the family have lived in the region for several decades they were not given the estate