Eadulf Rus ( fl. 1080) was an 11th-century

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

n noble, and the first recorded 'of Swinton'. He was either the son or grandson of Gospatric (son of

Uhtred the Bold Uhtred of Bamburgh (sometimes Uchtred); died c. 1016), was ruler of Bamburgh and from 1006 to 1016 the ealdorman of Northumbria. He was the son of Waltheof I, ruler of Bamburgh (Bebbanburg), whose family the Eadwulfings had ruled the surrou ...

), possibly the man who soon after Christmas 1064 was allegedly killed on behalf of Tostig, Earl of Northumbria. This murder by Tostig led to a great northern revolt against

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, a revolt that turned both King Edward and

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the C ...

against Tostig and led to the appointment of the Mercian,

Morcar Morcar (or Morkere) ( ang, Mōrcǣr) (died after 1087) was the son of Ælfgār (earl of Mercia) and brother of Ēadwine. He was the earl of Northumbria from 1065 to 1066, when he was replaced by William the Conqueror with Copsi. Dispute with t ...

, as Earl of northern England. Eadulf is primarily remembered for his involvement in the death of

Walcher Walcher (died 14 May 1080) was the bishop of Durham from 1071,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241 a Lotharingian and the first Prince-bishop (appointed by the King, not the Pope). He was the first non-Englishman to hold tha ...

Earl of Northumbria Earl of Northumbria or Ealdorman of Northumbria was a title in the late Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scandinavian and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The ealdordom was a successor of the Norse Kingdom of York. In the seventh century, the Anglo-Saxo ...

and

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

. The sources says that the attack occurred as revenge for the murder of Walcher's English right-hand man, Ligulf. Ligulf had been connected into the Bamburgh kindred marrying, according to the ''

Historia Regum The ''Historia Regum'' ("History of the Kings") is a historical compilation attributed to Symeon of Durham, which presents material going from the death of Bede until 1129. It survives only in one manuscript compiled in Yorkshire in the mid-to-lat ...

'', Ealdgyth daughter of

Ealdred, Earl of Bamburgh Ealdred was an Earl in north-east England from the death of his uncle, Eadwulf Cudel, soon after 1018 until his murder in 1038. He is variously described by historians as Earl of Northumbria,Stenton, p. 390, n. 1 Earl of Bernicia (northern Northumb ...

. The ''

Worcester Chronicle John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is usually held to be the author of the ''Chronicon ex chronicis''. ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' The ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' is a world wide ...

'' and the ''Historia Regum'' allege that the murder of Ligulf was planned by Walcher's chaplain Leobwin after Ligulf had argued with him during one of the earl's councils. It was Walcher's kinsman Gilbert, however, who is alleged to have entered Ligulf's hall, and attacked and killed him. Kapelle thought that, perhaps due to his failure to protect

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

against the Scots in 1079, Walcher's relations with Ligulf broke down, leading to the loss of Ligulf's support and then to hostility. On 14 May 1080 a party of Northumbrian natives attacked that bishop-earl and his household at

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, across the river from the future site of

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

, having arrived to hold discussions.Kapelle, ''Norman Conquest of the North'', p. 140. The discussions were fruitless and Walcher, who was protected with 100 knights, retired to the church there. The Northumbrians set the church on fire, after Leobwin refused to surrender himself.Stevenson, ''Symeon of Durham's History'', p. 152. Walcher was forced out and stabbed with swords. Leobwin was burned to death. ''

De primo Saxonum adventu '' De primo Saxonum adventu '' is a historical work, probably written in Durham during the episcopate of Ranulf Flambard (1099–1128).Rollason (ed.), ''Libellus de Exordio'', p. lxxix. It recounts the coming of the English (called the "Saxons") ...

'' says that the leader was Eadulf, son of Gospatric; the ''Historia Regum'' also names, Eadulf ''cognomento Rus'' as the killer, but claims he was a grandson of Gospatric through another Uhtred.Stevenson, ''Symeon of Durham's History'', p. 143. The '' Libellus de exordio'' says that killer was a man named Waltheof, though this Waltheof may have been Eadulf's brother. According to the ''Historia Regum'' Eadulf was killed soon after the death of Walcher, slain by a woman. His body was buried in the church at

Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...

(now

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

), until Prior Turgot of

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

had it removed a few years later. Eadulf may have had a brother named Dolfin in addition to a brother named Waltheof.According to ''De Primo Saxonum Adventu'' Waltheof was the name of a brother of his; see Rollason (ed.), ''Libellus de Exordio'', p. 214, n. 99.

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References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eadulf Rus 11th-century births 1080s deaths Anglo-Saxon people History of County Durham History of Northumberland People associated with the Scottish Borders 11th-century English people