Lady Godiva
Leo van de Pas
apology for that. However, I spotted one
remark and I would like to question that.
Without going into details I would like
to give what I have on Lady Godiva, and
please tell me what is wrong or add if you
can.
Leofric, Earl of Mercia. From 1005 he
was known as thegn and, from 1026, "dux" and,
by 1032, was Earl of Mercia. He founded
the church of Coventry. On 30 October 1057
he passed away at Bromley, County Stafford.
He was very wise, before God and before
the world, in what availed all this nation.
He was buried at Coventry and his son Alfgar
succeeded to his authority.
Leofric was married to Lady Godiva, a religious
benefactress who---according to tradition when
her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia, imposed
a heavy tax on the townsfolk of Coventry
(1040)---obtained its remission by riding
naked through the market place. The story
occurs in Roger of Wendover (1235). Some
writers assert that Lady Godiva ordered all
to remain indoors, which they did except for
the famous Peeping Tom, but he is a later
addition to the story.
An explanation of the Lady Godiva story could well be the survival of a
Celtic pagan celebration in honour of the goddess-spirit, Epona. To
celebrate the passage of the Moon
across the night sky and, at the same time, the change from winter to
spring, a tradition of a naked lady with long hair riding on a white
horse had survived. Quite possibly Leofric,
Earl of Mercia, had dared his wife, Godiva,
to take the local girl's place in the procession.
The son of Leofric and Godiva :
Alfgar "the Saxon", Earl of Mercia,
died circa 1059/1062 was married to
Elfgifu, daughter of Sigeferth and
Ealdgyth. In 1055, he was forced to seek
the protection of Gruffyd in Wales, in
that year Gruffyd and Alfgar burned down
St.Aethelbert's minster and all the town
of Hereford.
In 1058 Alfgar, without having given
reason, was outlawed, and went to Ireland
and Wales where he got himself a great band
and then travelled to Hereford. After a violent
battle Alfgar was reinstated and given back
all that had earlier been taken from him.
Alfgar and Elfgifu are the parents of :
1.Edwin
2.Morcar
3.Ealdgyth of Mercia
married (1) circa 1056
Gruffyd ap Llywelyn, King of Deheubarth
1044-1063, son of Llywelyn ap Seiswill,
King of Deheubarth and Gwynedd, and
Angharad of Wales
As a youth he was slow and listless but
grew into a courageous and ambitious leader
who won Gwynedd and Powyss by battle in 1039
and defeated the Mercians. He contested with
Gruffyd, son of Rhydderch ab Iestyn, over
Deheubarth; but by 1055 he was king of all
Wales. About 1065 he married Ealdgyth, daughter
of Alfgar, Earl of Mercia, and they became
the parents of three children.
There was a lengthy struggle with Harold Godwinson and, when Harold
attacked his court at Rhuddlan through the treachery of his own men,
Gruffydd ap Llywellyn was killed in 1063. His widow then married Harold
Gowdinson who, as King Harold II of England, in turn was killed in 1066 in
the battle of Hastings.
EALDGYTH of Mercia married (2) 1065
Harold II, King of England, son of
Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha, born
circa 1020, killed in battle 14 October 1066
at Hastings.
He was the second son of Earl Godwin and by 1045 was Earl of East Anglia.
In 1053 he succeeded to his father's erldom of Wessex. Hence forward
he was the right-hand man of King Edward the Confessor and directed the
affairs of the kingdom with unusual gentleness and vigour.
His brother Tostig became Earl of the Northumbrians in 1055 and, two
years later, two other brothers were raised to earldoms. Meantime, Harold
frove back the Welsh marauders and added
Herefordshire to his earldom. The death in 1057 of the Aetheling, Edward,
son of Edmund Ironside,
opened up the path for Harold's ambitious hopes of the crown.
He made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1058 and, after his return, completed
his church at Waltham. In 1063, provoked by the fresh incursions of the
Welsh King Gruffyd, he marched
against him, traversed the country, beat the enemy at every point, and gave
the government to the dead king's brothers.
It is impossible to state exactly the date
of Harold's visit to Duke William in Normandy, although it is put at 1064.
Probably Harold did make some kind of oath to William, most likely under
compulsion. It is certain, however, that Harold helped William in a war
with the Bretons.
On his return he married Ealdgyth, Gruffydd's widow, even though Edith
Swan-neck, who had borne him five children, was still alive. In 1065 the
Northumbrians rebelled against Tostig and Harold acquiesced in their choice
of Morcar and Tostig's banishment. In January 1066 King Edward died.
Harold, his nominee, was chosen king and crowned in Westminster Abbey.
Duke William lost no time in preparing for the invasion of England; and
Tostig, after trying the Normans and the Scots, succeeded in drawing Harold
Hardrada, King of Norway, to his side. In September the two reached the
Humber and Harold
marched to meet them. At Stamford Bridge he won a complete victory on 25
September 1066, Tostig and Harold Hardrada being among the slain. But four
days later William landed at Pevensey. Harold marched southwards with the
utmost dispatch and the two armies met at Senlac, about nine miles from
Hastings. From nine in the morning, 14 November 1066, the English fought
stubbornly until nightfall, when the pretended flight of the Normans drew
them from their impregnable position and gave the Normans victory. Harold
himself fell pierced through the eye with an arrow. His body was recognised
by Edith Swan-neck and he was buried at Waltham.
Ealdgyth and Gruffyd had the follow children:
a.Maredudd ap Gruffydd
died in 1070
b.Idwal ap Gruffydd
died 1070
c.Nesta
born circa 1055/1057
married Osbern FitzRichard
daughter :
a.Agnes 'Nesta'
married Bernard de Neufmarche,
Lord of Brecknock, son of Geoffrey
and Ada de Hugleville
parents of :
1.Sibyl de Neufmarche
buried Llanthony Priory, Gloucester
married 1121
Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford
son of Walter of Gloucester and Bertha
died 24 December 1143 buried at
Llanthony Priory, Gloucester
children :
1.Margaret of Gloucester
married Humphrey de Bohun,
son of Humphrey de Bohun "the Great"
and Maud de Saresbury
(children)
2.Bertha of Gloucester
married circa 1150
William de Braose, Lord of Bramber
son of Philip de Braose and Ainor
de Totness
(children)
3.Lucy of Hereford
married Herbert FitzHerbert, son of
Herbert Fitzherbert and Sibyl Corbet
(children)
Ealdgyth and Harold II were the parents of
d.Harold of Wessex
Sources :
Burke's Extinct Peerage, 1866
Burke's Guide to the Royal Family
The Complete Peerage
The Plantagenet ancestry, by Turton
Europaische Stammtafeln (Schwennicke)
The Lineage and Ancestry of HRH Prince
Charles, by Gerald Paget
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
London 1997, editor Michael Swanton
I look forward to remarks.
Best wishes
Leo van de Pas
Malinda Jones
Todd A. Farmerie
>
> The son of Leofric and Godiva :
>
> Alfgar "the Saxon", Earl of Mercia,
> died circa 1059/1062 was married to
> Elfgifu, daughter of Sigeferth and
> Ealdgyth.
What is the basis for this statement. Assuming I have these names
right, Ealdgyth would later become wife of Edmund Ironside, and mother
of the exiled princes. It has been speculated that she was daughter of
an earlier Ealdorman Morcar, and this would provide onomastic continuity
with the younger Ealdorman of that name. Still, I know of no source
that provides any clues either to the parents of Aelfgar's wife, nor
that Sigeferth had a daughter.
taf
Sharp, Ann
An alternative version of Lady Godiva's ride renders the word
"uncovered" rather than "naked" -- she may have made the ride with her hair
uncovered but not the rest of her. Between the weather (probably CHILLY)
and saddle sores on bare skin, "naked" sounds pretty uncomfortable.
A. Sharp
ax...@pge.com
Leofric: "Where were you? Your horse got home two hours ago!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo van de Pas
"The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" translated
and edited by Michael Swanton, there
are a few family trees and in this is
shown that Aelfgar, Earl of East Anglia
1051-1057, Earl of Mercia 1057 was
married to Aelgifu, daughter of Siferth
thegn of the Seven Boroughs (killed in 1015)
and Ealdgyth (daughter of Aelfthryth) who
secondly married Edmund Ironside, King of
England. Aelfthryth (son of Wulfrun) is
a brother of Aelfhelm, Ealdorman of Northumbria
(killed 1006) who in turn was father of Aelgifu
married to Cnut King of England. These
genealogical pages are the last of the book
before the bibliography. I hope you have
a copy otherwise would you like me to photocopy
and post?
Todd A. Farmerie
>
> At 12:24 PM 6/23/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >Leo van de Pas wrote:
> >>
> >> The son of Leofric and Godiva :
> >>
> >> Alfgar "the Saxon", Earl of Mercia,
> >> died circa 1059/1062 was married to
> >> Elfgifu, daughter of Sigeferth and
> >> Ealdgyth.
> >
> >What is the basis for this statement. Assuming I have these names
> >right, Ealdgyth would later become wife of Edmund Ironside, and mother
> >of the exiled princes. It has been speculated that she was daughter of
> >an earlier Ealdorman Morcar, and this would provide onomastic continuity
> >with the younger Ealdorman of that name. Still, I know of no source
> >that provides any clues either to the parents of Aelfgar's wife, nor
> >that Sigeferth had a daughter.
>
> "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" translated
> and edited by Michael Swanton, there
> are a few family trees and in this is
> shown that Aelfgar, Earl of East Anglia
> 1051-1057, Earl of Mercia 1057 was
> married to Aelgifu, daughter of Siferth
> thegn of the Seven Boroughs (killed in 1015)
> and Ealdgyth (daughter of Aelfthryth)
Oops. I left out a generation. The hypothesis is that Ealdgyth was
daughter of Aelfthryth, and maternal granddaughter of Morcar. This is
given in Moriarty's Plantagenet Ancestry, based on an earlier hypothesis
(by Richardson?). However, it does not include her having a daughter by
Sigeferth, or the marriage of that daughter to Aelfgar.
> who
> secondly married Edmund Ironside, King of
> England. Aelfthryth (son of Wulfrun) is
> a brother of Aelfhelm, Ealdorman of Northumbria
> (killed 1006) who in turn was father of Aelgifu
> married to Cnut King of England. These
> genealogical pages are the last of the book
> before the bibliography.
Is any reference given for the chart (unfortunately, most charts are
unreferenced, and authors often slip in little 'pet theories' that
cannot be well documented, but get cited all the same).
taf
Don Stone
>
> An alternative version of Lady Godiva's ride renders the word
> "uncovered" rather than "naked" -- she may have made the ride with her hair
> uncovered but not the rest of her. Between the weather (probably CHILLY)
> and saddle sores on bare skin, "naked" sounds pretty uncomfortable.
Still another version, from Karl Hafele's Die Godivasage und ihre
Behandlung in der Literatur (1929): the legend may have arisen from a
misinterpretation of the statement that Lady Godiva "stripped herself"
(denudata) of her worldy possessions, donating them to Coventry Abbey.
But I agree with VCH Warwick, vol. 8: the City of Coventry and Borough
of Warwick, that it is more likely that the monks of Coventry, unable to
suppress the pagan fertility cult, reoriented it by substituting the
pious Countess Godiva for the fertility goddess who rode naked in an
annual springtime procession.
-- Don Stone
Tristan Tornado
and awesome ( which is very true I swear it, but not as rich or full
or as vibrant as mine).
Just don't get any ideas Malissa, Im still your hero, right ? right ?
right ? well ? huh ? I am still, right ? right ? RIGHT ?
Tristan of the dojo Tornado
(still waitin, Malissa)(I am , right ? huh ? )
(Thanks Leo)
> >The son of Leofric and Godiva :
> >
> >Alfgar "the Saxon", Earl of Mercia,
> >died circa 1059/1062 was married to
> >Elfgifu, daughter of Sigeferth and
> >Best wishes
> >Leo van de Pas
> >
>
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Tristan Tornado
really, I swear it. I just woke up. Im not myself today. I havent had
my coffee yet. I tripped over the vacuum cleaner. My dog ate my
homework. I broke my arm and can't type properly. The clock is
running slow. I had temporary amnesia. I left my drivers licence at
home. I was running because I was on fire not because of the burglar
alarm. It was a case of mistaken indemnity. I was drunk. I was sober
when I wrote Malissa. I can explain. Give me a sec to get it right.
OK. I was sleeping, I woke up and went to get coffee, but tripped
over the vacuum cleaner, broke my arm, hit my head, forgot who I was
and who you were. I went to the hospital, got my stitches and cast,
on the way home was stopped by a nice police officer who wasnt so
nice after I told him I left my licence at home. He made me walk
home. So I was walking and I lit a cigarette, but it fell on my
shirt, caught it on fire. I ran in panic and happened to be near a
jewely store that had just been robbed. Was stopped and questioned.
Then I rolled on the ground, doused the flames, went into a bar and
got slightly drunk. I finally made it home. Got on the computer, read
Leo's beautiful post (I almost cried but it was the alcohol I think).
I saw Malinda's post and I panicked for a minute. I agreed with her
entirely but then I thought maybe she had dumped me, so I hastily
sent off an emergency post and got Malissa's name wrong. NO,no
wait... I MEAN MALINDA. I swear. I can explain..........give me a sec
to think of something..........wait..first a drink.
Tristan ( signing off while I have the chance)
Renia Simmonds
Renia
Renia
Leo van de Pas
>Leo van de Pas wrote:
>>
>> At 12:24 PM 6/23/99 -0400, you wrote:
>> >Leo van de Pas wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Alfgar "the Saxon", Earl of Mercia,
>> >> died circa 1059/1062 was married to
>> >> Elfgifu, daughter of Sigeferth and
>> >> Ealdgyth.
>> >
You make me fear the latter could well
be the case. However, I feel you don't know
this book which is mainly the translation
of 'chronicles' which are placed in year
order. Perhaps (I hope) the genealogical
links are confirmed throughout this book.
This book is a wonderful reference book,
you go to the index and look up where there
are descriptions about whom. I will have a
check on these names and see what I can find.
The bibliography alone is 25 pages.
On the back they (advertise of course)
maintain that "Professor Swanton's translation
is the most complete and faithful reading ever
published."
In the Index they give a name and crossreference
is not a page but a year. The main book is in
order of years. I looked up Aelgifu :
The Worcester Manuscript :
955 Here King Eadred passed away, and he rests
in the Old Minster (footnote, The older of the
two foundations at Winchester, see p.26, note 8).
And Eadwig succeeded to the kingdom of Wessex, and his brother Edgar
succeeded to the kingdom of Mercia, and they were sons of King Edmund
and St.Aegifu (footnote Sanctified as a result of miracles taking place at
her tomb in Shaftesbury).
957.Here Archbishop Wulfstan passed away on
16 December, and he was buried in Oundle; and in the same year Abbot
Dunstan was driven across thesea.
958.Here in this year Archbishop Oda divorced King Eadwig and Aelgifu
because the were related.
Then it goes to another manuscript, but the
previous quoted line tells look at page 119:
965. Here, in this year King Edgar took
Aelftrhryth for his queen; she was the daughter
of Ealdorman Ordgar. (Continued page 121).
This is just a sample of what is recorded,
The publisher is J.M.Dent in London and
I cannot see an ISBN number.
May I end with pinching part of his dedication
....to err may be human, to really louse
things up takes a computer.
Todd A. Farmerie
> be the case. However, I feel you don't know
> this book which is mainly the translation
> of 'chronicles' which are placed in year
> order. Perhaps (I hope) the genealogical
> links are confirmed throughout this book.
If it is just a translation of the chronicle, then I don't think the
information is to be found withing the text (I've looked). He is
clearly relying on the same source as Moriarty for her ancestry, but his
source for a daughter being mother of Edwin and Morcar must either be
his own guess, or that of an uncited source.
taf