Ælfwaru (died 27 February 1007) was an
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
noblewoman, who bequeathed her lands to churches such as
Ely Ely or ELY may refer to:
Places Ireland
* Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely
* Ely Place, Dublin, a street
United Kingdom
* Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England
** Ely Cathedral
** Ely Rural District, a ...
, and
Ramsey.
Chroniclers, writing in the 12th century, transcribed such bequests, from the original
cyrographs. Ælfwaru's cyrograph has not survived. Ælfwaru's father,
Æthelstan Mannessune, had two sons:
Eadnoth
Eadnoth the Younger or Eadnoth I was a medieval monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester. From a prominent family of priests in the Fens, he was related to Oswald, Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York and foun ...
, and Godric; and two daughters: Ælfwaru, and Ælfwyn.
Lineage
Her lineage is unknown. However, modern historians have constructed a plausible family tree. Ælfwaru is believed to be one of two daughters to
Æthelstan Mannessune (d. 986), the other being Ælfwyn, abbess of
Chatteris
Chatteris is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, situated in The Fens between Huntingdon, March and Ely. The town is in the North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency.
The parish of Cha ...
. If this is the case, Ælfwaru's brothers were St
Eadnoth
Eadnoth the Younger or Eadnoth I was a medieval monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester. From a prominent family of priests in the Fens, he was related to Oswald, Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York and foun ...
the martyr (d. 1016), first abbot of
Ramsey, and Godric (d.1013).
[Brooks (ed.) p. 51]
Death
Ælfwaru is believed to have died on, or at least her
obituary recorded for, 27 February.
[MS Cambridge, Trinity College O. 2.1
] ''Liber Benefactorum Ecclesiae Ramesiensis'' records the year, 1007
[Ramsey Cartulary iii 167] Thus 27 February 1007.
Legacy
It is recorded within one chronicle, ''
Liber Eliensis
The ''Liber Eliensis'' is a 12th-century English chronicle and history, written in Latin. Composed in three books, it was written at Ely Abbey on the island of Ely in the fenlands of eastern Cambridgeshire. Ely Abbey became the cathedral of a ...
'', that Ælfwaru granted to
Ely Abbey the lands of
Bridgham,
Hingham,
Weeting
Weeting is a village in Norfolk, England. The population can be found in the civil parish of Weeting-with-Broomhill.
The village's name means 'wet place'.
Weeting St Mary Church
Its church, St. Mary, stands close to the ruins of Weeting ...
,
Rattlesden,
Mundford
Mundford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated at the intersection of two major routes, the A134 Colchester to King's Lynn road and the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road, about north west of Thetford. ...
,
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24, ...
, and fisheries around those marshes. Ælfwaru also granted the lands of
Over
Over may refer to:
Places
*Over, Cambridgeshire, England
*Over, Cheshire, England
*Over, South Gloucestershire, England
*Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England
**Over Bridge
*Over, Seevetal, Germany
Music
Albums
* ''Over'' (album), by Pete ...
and
Barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley ...
to
Chatteris
Chatteris is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, situated in The Fens between Huntingdon, March and Ely. The town is in the North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency.
The parish of Cha ...
nunnery, where her sister was abbess. The fisheries mentioned here are interesting. They link the Ælfwaru mentioned in ''Liber Eliensis'', with the Ælfwaru, daughter of
Æthelstan Mannessune, whose
cyrograph is documented in ''Liber Benefactorum Ecclesiae Ramesiensis''.
If this is indeed the same Ælfwaru, then her father bequeathed lands to his children, including a fishery, which he shared out between his unnamed wife, his sons, and his two daughters.
The name Ælfwaru is made out of two parts;
old English (OE) ''
Ælf-'' and ''-waru''. ''Ælf-'' means Elf- or magical being and ''-waru'' (singular; ''-wara'' plural) means guardian of (a particular place) by profession.
[OED ''affix'' Elf- (OE) Ælf- and ''suffix'' -ware (OE) -waru]
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
External links
* ; also
British History OnlineVCH:Ælfwaru
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aelfwaru
10th-century English people
11th-century English people
Anglo-Saxon people
People from Ely, Cambridgeshire
1007 deaths
Year of birth unknown