Waltheof, Earl of Dunbar
Encyclopedia
Waltheof Earl
of Lothian
or "Dunbar
" and lord of Beanley
, was a 12th century Anglo
-Scottish
noble. He was the eldest son of Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian
by his Scottish wife Deirdre.
Waltheof's grandfather Gospatric II
died at the Battle of the Standard
in 1138, and Waltheof's father Gospatric III became earl. Richard of Hexham reported that in 1139 the son of Earl Gospatric served as a hostage to King Stephen of England
after the following peace agreement. It is generally believed, although there can be no proof, that this son was the young Waltheof. Exactly how long Waltheof would have stayed as a hostage is not known, but Waltheof's father Gospatric died in 1166 and Waltheof was apparently earl already in 1165. This was probably because Gospatric had retired to Durham as a monk some time before his actual death.
Waltheof's activities as earl included trying to persuade King William of Scotland
not to invade England, which William did anyway in 1174; and arbitrating a dispute between the Abbot of Melrose
and Richard de Morville
. Waltheof married a woman named Alina, possibly Scottish, and by her fathered three children, Patrick
(his successor), Causantín (Constantine) and Helen. He died in 1182, and is styled "Earl of Dunbar" by the Chronicle of Melrose
. He was the first man to be called "earl of Dunbar" rather than "earl of Lothian".
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
of Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
or "Dunbar
Earl of Dunbar
The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom was Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, son of Gospatric,...
" and lord of Beanley
Beanley
Beanley is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is situated to the north-west of Alnwick, near Eglingham.- Governance :Beanley is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed....
, was a 12th century Anglo
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
-Scottish
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
noble. He was the eldest son of Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian
Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian
Gospatric III was a twelfth century Anglo-Celtic noble, who was Earl of Lothian later Earl of Dunbar, and feudal Lord of Beanley....
by his Scottish wife Deirdre.
Waltheof's grandfather Gospatric II
Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian
Gospatric II was Earl of Lothian or Earl of Dunbar in the early 12th century.He was the son of Gospatric I, sometime Earl of Northumbria...
died at the Battle of the Standard
Battle of the Standard
The Battle of the Standard, sometimes called the Battle of Northallerton, in which English forces repelled a Scottish army, took place on 22 August 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire. The Scottish forces were led by King David I of Scotland...
in 1138, and Waltheof's father Gospatric III became earl. Richard of Hexham reported that in 1139 the son of Earl Gospatric served as a hostage to King Stephen of England
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
after the following peace agreement. It is generally believed, although there can be no proof, that this son was the young Waltheof. Exactly how long Waltheof would have stayed as a hostage is not known, but Waltheof's father Gospatric died in 1166 and Waltheof was apparently earl already in 1165. This was probably because Gospatric had retired to Durham as a monk some time before his actual death.
Waltheof's activities as earl included trying to persuade King William of Scotland
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
not to invade England, which William did anyway in 1174; and arbitrating a dispute between the 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 in the Borders region of Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1136 on the patronage of David I , King of Scots, by Cistercian monks from Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire...
and Richard de Morville
Richard de Morville
Richard de Morville , succeeded his father Hugh de Morville as Constable of Scotland and in his Scottish estates and English lands at Bozeat in Northamptonshire, and Rutland, as well as a number of feus of the Honour of Huntingdon....
. Waltheof married a woman named Alina, possibly Scottish, and by her fathered three children, Patrick
Patrick I, Earl of Dunbar
Patrick I , Earl of Dunbar and lord of Beanley, was a 13th century Anglo-Scottish noble.He was the eldest son of Waltheof, Earl of Dunbar and Alina, and succeeded to his father's titles upon the latter's death in 1182....
(his successor), Causantín (Constantine) and Helen. He died in 1182, and is styled "Earl of Dunbar" by the Chronicle of Melrose
Chronicle of Melrose
The Chronicle of Melrose is a medieval chronicle from the Cottonian Manuscript, Faustina B. ix within the British Museum. It was written by unknown authors, though evidence in the writing shows that it most likely was written by the monks at Melrose Abbey. The chronicle begins on the year 735 and...
. He was the first man to be called "earl of Dunbar" rather than "earl of Lothian".