Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: Edith
• FSID: GW75-Y9L

Family/Spouse: de Bukenhall, Sir Thorold. Thorold was born in 949 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died in 1041 in Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Mercia, England; Countess of Mercia
• FSID: LKPY-T6N

Notes:

Also known as Godgifu or God's Gift.

Only had one child Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia.

https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-1-436580281-2-1852/godiva-godgifugodgyfu-of-mercia-born-countess-of-mercia-in-myheritage-family-trees

Godiva, Countess of Mercia (/ɡəˈdaɪvə/; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English Godgifu, was an English noblewoman who, according to a legend dating at least to the 13th century, rode naked – covered only in her long hair – through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband imposed on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.

Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. They had one known son, Aelfgar.[2][3][4][5][6]

Godiva's name occurs in charters and the Domesday survey, though the spelling varies. The Old English name Godgifu or Godgyfu meant "gift of God"; Godiva was the Latinised form. Since the name was a popular one, there are contemporaries of the same name.[6][7]

If she is the same Godiva who appears in the history of Ely Abbey, the Liber Eliensis, written at the end of the 12th century, then she was a widow when Leofric married her. Both Leofric and Godiva were generous benefactors to religious houses. In 1043 Leofric founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry[8] on the site of a nunnery destroyed by the Danes in 1016. Writing in the 12th century, Roger of Wendover credits Godiva as the persuasive force behind this act. In the 1050s, her name is coupled with that of her husband on a grant of land to the monastery of St. Mary, Worcester and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire.[9][10][11] She and her husband are commemorated as benefactors of other monasteries at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham.[12] She gave Coventry a number of works in precious metal by the famous goldsmith Mannig and bequeathed a necklace valued at 100 marks of silver.[13] Another necklace went to Evesham, to be hung around the figure of the Virgin accompanying the life-size gold and silver rood she and her husband gave, and St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London received a gold-fringed chasuble.[14] She and her husband were among the most munificent of the several large Anglo-Saxon donors of the last decades before the Norman Conquest; the early Norman bishops made short work of their gifts, carrying them off to Normandy or melting them down for bullion.[15]

19th-century equestrian statue of the legendary ride, by John Thomas, Maidstone Museum, Kent. The manor of Woolhope in Herefordshire, along with four others, was given to the cathedral at Hereford before the Norman Conquest by the benefactresses Wulviva and Godiva – usually held to be this Godiva and her sister. The church there has a 20th-century stained glass window representing them.[16]

Her signature, Ego Godiva Comitissa diu istud desideravi [I, The Countess Godiva, have desired this for a long time], appears on a charter purportedly given by Thorold of Bucknall to the Benedictine monastery of Spalding. However, this charter is considered spurious by many historians.[17] Even so, it is possible that Thorold, who appears in the Domesday Book as sheriff of Lincolnshire, was her brother. (See Lucy of Bolingbroke.)

After Leofric's death in 1057, his widow lived on until sometime between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and 1086. She is mentioned in the Domesday survey as one of the few Anglo-Saxons and the only woman to remain a major landholder shortly after the conquest. By the time of this great survey in 1086, Godiva had died, but her former lands are listed, although now held by others.[18] Thus, Godiva apparently died between 1066 and 1086.[7]

The place where Godiva was buried has been a matter of debate. According to the Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham, or Evesham Chronicle, she was buried at the Church of the Blessed Trinity at Evesham, which is no longer standing. According to the account in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "There is no reason to doubt that she was buried with her husband at Coventry, despite the assertion of the Evesham chronicle that she lay in Holy Trinity, Evesham."[7]

William Dugdale (1656) says that a window with representations of Leofric and Godiva was placed in Trinity Church, Coventry, about the time of Richard

Godiva married de Mercia, Sir Leofric III in 999 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. Leofric (son of of Mercia, Sir Leofwine III and of Mercia, Lady Alwara) was born on 14 May 968 in Chester, Cheshire, England; died on 31 Aug 1057 in Bromley, Staffordshire, England; was buried after 31 Aug 1057 in St Marys Priory and Cathedral, Coventry, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LZ8J-9XT
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1051 and 1052, East Anglia, Norfolk, England; Earl of East Anglia
• Appointments / Titles: Apr 1053, Kingdom of Wessex (England); Earl

Notes:

Ælfgar (died c. 1060) was the son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, by his famous mother Godgifu (Lady Godiva). He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on the latter's death in 1057. He gained the additional title of Earl of East Anglia, but also was exiled for a time.

Ælfgar married Aelfgify, sister of William Malet, Lord of Eye.
They had 4 children:
- Burgheard, died returning from Rome 1060, buried at Reims
- Edwin, Earl of Mercia
- Morcar, Earl of Northumbria
- Ealdgyth, married (1st) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales (2nd) Harold Godwinson, King of England.
--------------------------------------------------------------
from www.geni.com

Ælfgar
Also Known As: "Algar III Earl of Mercia", "Aelfgar", "Alfagar of Mercia"
Birthdate: circa 1002 (57)
Birthplace: Mercia, England
Death: between 1059 and 1063 (53-65)
Mercia, England
Place of Burial: Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Immediate Family:
Son of Leofric III, earl of Mercia and Lady Godiva
Husband of Ælfgifu
Father of Ealdgyth; Eadwyne, Duke of Mercia; Morcar, Earl of Northumbria and Burgheard
Occupation: Earl of East Anglia and Mercia, Earl of Mercia, King of Mercia

Aelfgar, Earl (d 1062), was the son of Leofric of Mercia and his wife Godgifu, the 'Lady Godiva' of legend. Bitter jealousy existed between the ancient Mercian house and the new and successful family of Godwine. When, in 1051, Godwine and his sons gathered their forces against the king and his foreign favourites, Aelfgar and Leofric were among the party which stood by Eadward at Gloucester, and on the outlawry of Harold his earldom of East Anglia was given to Aelfgar. The new earl ruled well, and the next year, on the restoration of Godwine's house, cheerfully surrendered the government to Harold. On the death of Godwine in 1053, the West Saxon earldom was given to Harold, and East Anglia was again committed to Aelfgar. In 1055, at the Witenagemont held in London, Aelfgar was accused of treason, and was outlawed 'for little or no fault at all,' according to all the Chronicle writers, save one. The Canterbury writer, however, who was a strong partisan of Harold, says that Aelfgar owned his guilt, though he did so unawares. He fled to Ireland and engaged eighteen ships of the Northmen. He crossed to Wales and made alliance with Gruffydd of North Wales. With Gruffydd and a large host of Welshmen, Aelfgar and his Norse mercenaries invaded Herefordshire. Ralph, the king's nephew, the earl of the shire, met the invaders with an army composed both of Frenchmen and English. He foolishly compelled his English force to go to battle on horseback, contrary to their custom. He and his Frenchmen fled first, and the battle was lost. Aelfgar and his allies entered Hereford. They sacked and burnt the minster and the city, slaying some and taking many captive. To check this invasion the whole force of the kingdom was gathered under Earl Harold and Aelfgar and his allies were chased into South Wales. In 1055 Aelfgar made peace with Harold, was reconciled to the king and restored to his earldom. On the death of Leofric, in 1057, Aelfgar received his father's earldom of Mercia. The position of his new earldom as regards Wales and Ireland encouraged his restlessness, and the weakness and instability of King Eadward the Confessor made rebellion no serious matter. It was probably while the only force capable of maintaining order in the kingdom was removed by the pilgrimage of Harold, that Aelfgar was, in 1058, outlawed for the second time. His old allies were ready to help him. Gruffydd and a fleet of the Northmen, which seems to have been cruising about on the look-out for employment, enabled him to set his outlawry at defiance and to retain his earldom with the strong hand. IN one good deed Aelfgar and Harold acted together. On the surrender of the see of Worcester by Archbishop Aldred in 1062, both the earls joined in recommending Wulfstan for the bishopric. Soon afterwards, probably in the same year, Aelfgar died. His wife's name was Aelfigifu. He left two sons, Eadwine and Morkere, who played a conspicuous part in English history. A charter of the abbey of ST Remigius at Rheims records that Aelfgar gave Lapley to that house for the good of the soul of a son of his named Burchard, who was buried there. His daughter, Aldgyth, married her father's ally Gruffydd, and, after the deaths of Aelfgar and Gruffydd, married as her second husband Harold, her father's old enemy. [Dictionary of National Biography I:148-149]

Aelfgar, of age 1051, d. shortly after 1062, Earl of East Anglia 1053, Earl of Mercia 1057, banished 1058; m. Aelfgifu, by whom 3 known sons: Eadwine, Morkere, and Burchard, whose issue are unknown, and a daughter Aldgyth [as well as Edith or Aldgyth]. [Ancestral Roots, Line 176a-3]

______________________________

Earl of East Anglia 1053; Earl of Mercia 1057.

From Gen-Med Archives, June 19, 1999; author: Leo van de Pas:

"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."

Bet. 1051-1052 in East Anglia, Norfolk, England; When the Godwins were exiled from England in 1051 Ælfgar was given the Earldom of East Anglia, which had been that of Harold Godwinson. When Harold returned in 1052, the property was restored to him..

Apr 1053; Harold became Earl of Wessex after his fathers death April 1053, and the earldom of East Anglia returned to Ælfgar.

1058; Ælfgar was exiled by King Edward in 1055 but was reinstated later the same year.

Ælfgar married Mallet, ÆlfgifuEngland. Ælfgifu (daughter of of Northumbria, Morcar and of Northumbria, Ealdgyth) was born in 997 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died in 1092 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was buried in 1092 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: 9CW5-JNL
• Appointments / Titles: 1054; Queen Consort of England; Queen Consort of Wales

Notes:

05 Aug 1063 in Snowdonia, Wales; After escaping a surprise attack by the forces of Harold Godwinson in 1062, Gruffydd lost his head to Harold's brother in Snowdonia on 5 August 1063.

Jan 1066 in London, England; Ealdgyth married for a 2nd time to Harold Godwinson (King of England). The marriage was likely politically motivated and is believed to have occurred shortly before or after he became king in January 1066.

14 Oct 1066 in Hastings, Sussex, England; Ealdgyth's second husband, King Harold Godwinson, died on 14 October 1066 in the Battle of Hastings against William the Conqueror

14 Oct 1066 in Cheshire, England; At the news of Harold's death, Ealdgyth's brothers went to London to fetch her and immediately sent her to Chester for shelter. It is unknown what happened to her thereafter.

NOT THE SAME AS EDITH SWANNECK: Ealdgyth was the wife of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and 2nd wife of Harold Godwinson, while Edith Swanneck was the mistress/consort of Harold Godwinson BEFORE his marriage to Ealdgyth

1041 Capture of Wife of Hywel
Some historians hold that Gruffydd had a liaison with the wife of Hywel ab Edwin, taken as part of "the spoils of war" in 1041.
Wolcott states that in 1041 that during a battle with King Hywel ap Edwin of Deheubarth, Gruffudd ap Llewelyn seized Hywel's wife. The 3 principal versions of the Brut differ as to what Gruffudd had in mind when he took the lady.
- Took her for his own, i.e. took her for a mistress;
- Took her as his own wife
- Took her and controlled her. This version might describe his simply taking the lady hostage, a common occurrence in warfare during that era. Since we believe he already had a wife, and knew the lady was a daughter of Earl Leofric we suspect she was taken as a bargaining chip in the event Mercia interfered with his plans to take Deheubarth and, indeed, all of Wales.

Edith or Ealdgyth, was the daughter of Aelfgar, who became Earl of East Anglia in 1053 and Earl of Mercia in 1057, dying shortly after 1062.
Wolcott emphasizes that while many suppose that Aeldgyth was the same lady Gruffudd had taken from Hywel in 1041, the chronology does not fit. The lady widowed in 1063 bore 2 sons to Harold before 1066, but the lady taken from Hywel would have been in her mid or late 40's by then.
First Marriage to Gruffudd
Gruffudd married, first, about 1057, as her first husband, Edith (or Ealdgyth Ealgyth Aldgyth), daughter of Aelfgar (of Elgar), King of Mercia, son of Leofric, son of Leofwine, the earl of Mercia who died before 1032. Her grandmother was Lady Godiva.
Edith married, about 1057, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn.

After his first wife Nest died, probably in childbirth, Gruffudd married Ealdgyth about 1055 . The marriage of Gruffudd and Eadgyth would have been about 1055 when Gruffudd and Aelfgar were known to be allies.
The number of Ealdgyth's children with Gruffydd is also in some dispute. While Nesta is her daughter, there is some uncertainty about the mother of Maredudd and Idwal.
m.1(c. 1050 or 1056/7) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn of Wales (d. 1063).[2] Issue: 1 proven:

(unproven) Maredudd "Meredith" ap Gruffydd (d. 1068 or later; or 1070).
(unproven) Idwal ap Gruffydd (d. 1068 or 1070).
Nesta.
m. Osbern FitzRichard
Per https://www.geni.com/people/Ealdgyth/6000000000115658521, Ealdgyth was butied in Spalding, Lincoln, England

Ealdgyth married ap Llywelyn, Gruffydd in 1054 in Rhuddlan, Flintshire, Wales. Gruffydd (son of ap Seisyll, King Llewelyn and verch Maredudd, Queen Angharad) was born in 1007 in Flynn on-Fair, St. Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales; died on 5 Aug 1063 in Bannockburn, Stirlingshire, Scotland; was buried after 5 Aug 1063 in Abbey-Cwmhir, Radnorshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]