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Waltheof (1050-31 May 1076), Earl of Northumbria
Earl of Northumbria

Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Danish people, late Anglo-Saxon England, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The earldom of Northumbria was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia....
 and last of the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading tribes in the south and east of Great Britain starting from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, lasting until the Norman conquest of England of 1066....
 earl
Earl

Earl was the Anglo-Saxons form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning "chieftain" and referring especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead....
s. He was the only English aristocrat to be formally executed during the reign of William I
William I of England

William I , better known as William the Conqueror , was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and English monarchy from later 1066 to his death. William is sometimes also referred to as "William II" in relation to his position as the second Duke of Normandy of that name....
. He was reputed for his physical strength but was weak and unreliable in character.

as the second son of Siward, Earl of Northumbria
Siward, Earl of Northumbria

Siward the Dane , was an England nobleman in the eleventh century, and the earl of Northumbria. Siward probably arrived in England with King Canute the Great and that Canute invested the title and position of Earl of York onto him in 1031....
. His mother was Aelfflaed, daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia
Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia

Ealdred was Earl of Bernicia from 1020/25 until his murder in 1038. He was the son of Uchtred the Bold, who was murdered by Thurbrand the Hold in 1016 with the connivance of Canute the Great....
, son of Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria
Uchtred the Bold

Uchtred , called the Bold, was the earl of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016, when he was assassinated. He was the son of Waltheof of Bernicia, earl of Bernicia, whose ancient family had ruled from the castle of Bamburgh on the Northumbrian coast since the late ninth century....
. In 1054, Waltheof’s brother, Osbearn, who was much older than him, was killed in battle, making Waltheof his father’s heir.






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Waltheof (1050-31 May 1076), Earl of Northumbria
Earl of Northumbria

Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Danish people, late Anglo-Saxon England, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The earldom of Northumbria was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia....
 and last of the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading tribes in the south and east of Great Britain starting from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, lasting until the Norman conquest of England of 1066....
 earl
Earl

Earl was the Anglo-Saxons form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning "chieftain" and referring especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead....
s. He was the only English aristocrat to be formally executed during the reign of William I
William I of England

William I , better known as William the Conqueror , was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and English monarchy from later 1066 to his death. William is sometimes also referred to as "William II" in relation to his position as the second Duke of Normandy of that name....
. He was reputed for his physical strength but was weak and unreliable in character.

Early life

He was the second son of Siward, Earl of Northumbria
Siward, Earl of Northumbria

Siward the Dane , was an England nobleman in the eleventh century, and the earl of Northumbria. Siward probably arrived in England with King Canute the Great and that Canute invested the title and position of Earl of York onto him in 1031....
. His mother was Aelfflaed, daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia
Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia

Ealdred was Earl of Bernicia from 1020/25 until his murder in 1038. He was the son of Uchtred the Bold, who was murdered by Thurbrand the Hold in 1016 with the connivance of Canute the Great....
, son of Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria
Uchtred the Bold

Uchtred , called the Bold, was the earl of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016, when he was assassinated. He was the son of Waltheof of Bernicia, earl of Bernicia, whose ancient family had ruled from the castle of Bamburgh on the Northumbrian coast since the late ninth century....
. In 1054, Waltheof’s brother, Osbearn, who was much older than him, was killed in battle, making Waltheof his father’s heir. Siward himself died in 1055, and Waltheof being far too young to succeed as Earl of Northumbria, King Edward
Edward the Confessor

Saint Edward the Confessor , son of Ethelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxons List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of England and the last of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 until his death....
 appointed Tostig Godwinson
Tostig Godwinson

Tostig Godwinson was an Anglo-Saxons earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold II of England, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon List of monarchs of England....
 to the earldom.

He was said to be devout and charitable and was probably educated for a monastic life. In fact, around 1065 he became an earl, governing Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is a landlocked Counties of England in the England East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the United Kingdom Census 2001....
 and Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire

Huntingdonshire is a Non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Historic counties of England it was a Counties of England in its own right....
. Following the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Normans victory in the Norman Conquest of England. It was fought between the Norman army of William I of England, and the English people army led by Harold Godwinson....
 he submitted to William and was allowed to keep his pre-Conquest title and possessions. He remained at William’s court until 1068.

First revolt

When Sweyn II
Sweyn II of Denmark

Sweyn II Estridsson Ulfsson. was the King of Denmark from 1047 until his death. He was the son of Ulf Jarl and Estrid Margarete Svendsdatter, daughter of Sweyn I of Denmark and sister of Canute the Great....
 invaded Northern England
Northern England

Northern England, the North, the North of England, or the North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line....
 in 1069 Waltheof and Edgar Ætheling
Edgar Ætheling

Edgar ?theling, also known as Edgar the Outlaw was the last male member of the West Saxon royal house of Cerdic of Wessex....
 joined the Danes and took part in the attack on York
York

York is a walled city, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire and River Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city status in the United Kingdom is noted for its rich heritage and it has played an important role throughout much of its almost 2,000 year existence....
. He would again make a fresh submission to William after the departure of the invaders in 1070. He was restored to his earldom, and went on to marry William's niece, Judith of Lens
Judith of Lens

Countess Judith , was a niece of William I of England. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens....
. In 1072, he was appointed Earl of Northampton
Earl of Northampton

Earl of Northampton is a title that has been created five times....
.

The Domesday Book
Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror....
 mentions Waltheof ("Walleff"); "'In Hallam
Hallam

Hallam can mean:...
 ("Halun"), one manor with its sixteen hamlets, there are twenty-nine carucates [~14 km²] to be taxed. There Earl Waltheof had an "Aula" [hall or court]. There may have been about twenty ploughs. This land Roger de Busli holds of the Countess Judith." (Hallam, or Hallamshire
Hallamshire

Hallamshire is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire, England, in the current city of Sheffield.The origin of the name is uncertain....
, is now part of the city of Sheffield
Sheffield

Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. It is so named because of its origins in a field on the River Sheaf that runs through the city....
.

In 1072, William expelled Gospatric
Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria

Gospatric or Cospatric , , was Earl of Northumbria, or of Bernicia, and later lord of sizable estates around Dunbar. While his ancestry is uncertain, his descendants held the Earl of Dunbar, later known as the Earl of March, in south-east Scotland until 1435....
 from the earldom of Northumbria. Gospatric was Waltheof’s cousin and had taken part in the attack on York with him, but like Waltheof, had been pardoned by William. Gospatric fled into exile and William appointed Waltheof as the new earl.

Waltheof had many enemies in the north. Amongst them were members of a family who had killed Waltheof’s maternal great-grandfather, Uchtred the Bold
Uchtred the Bold

Uchtred , called the Bold, was the earl of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016, when he was assassinated. He was the son of Waltheof of Bernicia, earl of Bernicia, whose ancient family had ruled from the castle of Bamburgh on the Northumbrian coast since the late ninth century....
, and his grandfather Ealdred
Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia

Ealdred was Earl of Bernicia from 1020/25 until his murder in 1038. He was the son of Uchtred the Bold, who was murdered by Thurbrand the Hold in 1016 with the connivance of Canute the Great....
. This was part of a long-running blood feud. In 1074, Waltheof moved against the family by sending his retainers to ambush them, succeeding in killing the two eldest of four brothers.

Second revolt and death

In 1075 Waltheof joined the Revolt of the Earls
Revolt of the Earls

The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England . It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest....
 against William. His motives for taking part in the revolt are unclear, as is the depth of his involvement. However he repented, confessing his guilt first to Archbishop Lanfranc
Lanfranc

Lanfranc was Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Lombards by extraction....
, and then in person to William, who was at the time in Normandy
Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
. He returned to England with William but was arrested, brought twice before the king's court and sentenced to death.

He spent almost a year in confinement before being beheaded on May 31,1076 at St. Giles's Hill, near Winchester
Winchester

Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen, Hampshire....
. He was said to have spent the months of his captivity in prayer and fasting. Many people believed in his innocence and were surprised when the execution was carried out. His body was initially thrown in a ditch, but was later retrieved and was buried in the chapter house of Croyland Abbey
Croyland Abbey

Crowland Abbey is a Church of England parish church, formerly an abbey church in Crowland in the England county of Lincolnshire.History...
.

Cult of martyrdom

In 1092, after a fire in the chapter house, the abbot had Waltheof’s body moved to a prominent place in the abbey church. When the coffin was opened, it is reported that the corpse was found to be intact with the severed head re-joined to the trunk. This was regarded as a miracle, and the abbey, which had a financial interest in the matter began to publicise it. As a result, pilgrims began to visit Waltheof’s tomb.

After a few years healing miracles were reputed to occur in the vicinity of Waltheof’s tomb, often involving the restoration of the pilgrim’s lost sight.

Family and children

In 1070 he married Judith of Lens
Judith of Lens

Countess Judith , was a niece of William I of England. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens....
, daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens
Lambert II, Count of Lens

Lambert II, Count of Lens , was a France nobleman.He was the son of Eustace I of Boulogne and of Maud de Leuven . He married Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale, daughter of Robert II, Duke of Normandy....
 and Adelaide of Normandy
Adelaide of Normandy

Adelaide of Normandy was the sister or half-sister of William the Conqueror.She was the daughter of Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy....
, Countess of Aumale
Aumale

Aumale is a communes of the Seine-Maritime d?partement and chief town of a cantons of France in the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
. They had three daughters, the eldest of whom, Maud
Maud, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon

Maud of Northumbria , countess for the Earl of Huntingdon, was the daughter of Waltheof II, Earl of Northumbria and Judith of Lens, the last of the major Anglo-Saxons earls to remain powerful after the Norman conquest of England in 1066....
, brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland

David I or Dabhidh Mac Maol Chaluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later List of monarchs of Scotland . The youngest son of Maol Chaluim Mac Donnchaidh and Saint Margaret of Scotland, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093....
, and another of whom, Adelise, married the Anglo-Norman noble Raoul III of Tosny
Raoul III of Tosny

Raoul III of Tosny , seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman of the house of Tosny....
.

One of Waltheof's grandsons was Waltheof
Waltheof

Waltheof was a 12th century English abbot and saint. He was the son of Simon I of St Liz, 1st Earl of Northampton and Maud, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon, thus stepson to David I of Scotland, and the grandson of Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northampton....
 (d. 1159), abbot of Melrose
Abbot of Melrose

The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose, Scottish Borders in the Scottish Borders of Scotland....
.

In popular culture

  • Waltheof was portrayed by actor Marcus Gilbert
    Marcus Gilbert

    Marcus Gilbert is a British actor, known for his roles in Jilly Cooper's Riders and Evil Dead 3 - Army of Darkness. Since 1984 he has appeared in films, some of which are, A Hazard of Hearts , A Ghost in Monte Carlo , Biggles , Rambo III and Legacy , and on television and in commercials....
     in the TV drama Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990).
  • Waltheof is the subject of Juliet Dymoke's 1970 historical novel "Of the Ring of Earls"
  • Waltheof is a major character in Elizabeth Chadwick's 2002 historical novel "The Winter Mantle"