Ordwulf or Ordulf (died after 1005) was the son of Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon (died 971). His sister was Queen Ælfthryth, third wife of King

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of ''wikt:en:ead, ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''Gar (spear), gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Midd ...

(born 943, died 975; ruled 959-975)'' The Peaceful'' and mother of King

Æthelred II Æthelred (; ) or Ethelred () is an Old English personal name (a compound of ''wiktionary:æþele, æþele'' and ''wiktionary:ræd, ræd'', meaning "noble counsel" or "well-advised") and may refer to: Anglo-Saxon England * Æthelred and Æthelbe ...

(c. 968-1016) ''The Unready'', during whose reign Ordwulf was a major figure. Ordwulf did not succeed his father as

ealdorman Ealdorman ( , )"ealdorman"
''Collins English Dictionary''. was an office in the Government ...

but was however described by the chronicler

John of Worcester John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is now usually held to be the author of the . Works John of Worcester's principal work was the (Latin for "Chronicle from Chronicles") or ...

as '' Dumnoniae Primus'', that is "First in Devon". This suggests he may have held the office of "High Reeve of Devon", and was possibly reeve of the royal manor of Lifton in Devon, which also included lands in East Cornwall. He attested diplomas from 980 and in 993 was referred to as one of the king's chief counsellors. He frequently attested with ''Brihtwold'', another royal kinsman. Together with Æthelmar and Wulfgeat the king's ''"beloved thane"'' he encouraged the king to restore the lands and liberties of

Abingdon Abbey Abingdon Abbey (formally Abbey of Saint Mary) was a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Abingdon-on-Thames in the modern county of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. Situated near to the River Thames, it was founded in 675 AD and was ...

in Oxfordshire. According to Goscelin, together with his nephew King Æthelred he saw a vision of the king's recently deceased illegitimate half-sister

Edith of Wilton Edith of Wilton ( – ) was an English saint, nun and member of the community at Wilton Abbey, and the daughter of Edgar, King of England (r. 959–975) and Wulfthryth of Wilton, Saint Wulfthryth. Edith's parents might have been married and Edg ...

(961-984)(Saint Edith) which led to the translation of her relics thirteen years after her death. He received a bequest of two valuable books, '' Hrabanus'' and a

martyrology A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

, in the will of

Ælfwold III (Bishop of Crediton) __NOTOC__ Ælfwold (or Ælfweald or Aelfwold) was a medieval Bishop of Crediton. Ælfwold was elected to Crediton in 1008. He died between 1011 and 1015.Powicke ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 219 Citations References * External link ...

(died 1011/1015). Ordwulf married Ælfwynn, who donated some of her Devonshire manors to her husband's foundation

Tavistock Abbey Tavistock Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Mary, the mother of Jesus, Saint Mary and Saint Rumon, is a ruined Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey in Tavistock, Devon. The Abbey was surrendered in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monaste ...

including: ''Hame'' (

Abbotsham Abbotsham (pronounced Abbotsham) is a village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. In 2001 its population was 434 increasing at the 2011 census to 489. Amenities Abbotsham no longer has a Post Office and General Store but remai ...

), ''Werdgete'' (Worthygate, in

Parkham Parkham is a small village, civil parish and former manor situated 5 miles south-west of the town of Bideford in north Devon, England. The parish, which lies within the Kenwith ward in the Torridge district, is surrounded clockwise from the n ...

parish), ''Orlege'' ( Orleigh) and ''Anri'' ( Annery). Older historians thought that

was founded in 961 by Ordgar but the modern consensus is that it was wholly the foundation of Ordwulf in 974; in 981 the charter of confirmation was granted by King

Æthelred the Unready Æthelred II (,Different spellings of this king's name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or "Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the original Old English form . Compare the modern dialect word . ; ; 966 � ...

, Ordwulf's nephew. Ordwulf disappears as a witness in surviving charters after 1005, but is recorded as still living at that date. He retired as a monk to his foundation of Tavistock Abbey.Williams, 2003, p. 38; p. 177, note 136.

References

External links

* {{PASE, 15318, Ordwulf 4 10th-century English people 11th-century English people History of Devon