Godric or Godric the Steward or Godric dapifer (died 1114) was an Englishman around the time of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

. Godric was a native Englishman who was the dapifer, or steward, of the

Earl of East Anglia The Earls of East Anglia were governors of East Anglia during the 11th century. The post was established by Cnut in 1017 and disappeared following Ralph Guader's participation in the failed Revolt of the Earls in 1075. Ealdormen of East Anglia U ...

Ralph de Gael Ralph de Gaël (otherwise Ralph de Guader, Ralph Wader or Radulf Waders or Ralf Waiet or Rodulfo de Waiet; before 1042c. 1100) was the Earl of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk) and Lord of Gaël and Montfort (''Seigneur de Gaël et Montfort'') ...

. Godric may have been a relative of the earl's.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday People'' pp. 219–221 Godric is listed in

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as administering some royal lands in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, some of which were lands formerly held by Ralph before the earl's participation in the

Revolt of the Earls The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest. Cause The revolt was caused by the king's refu ...

and subsequent loss of all his English landholdings.Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 61–62 Godric is also listed in Domesday Book as holding lands in his own right.Green ''Aristocracy'' pp. 96–97 Godric was one of only 13

tenants-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as oppos ...

who were English listed in Domesday Book.Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 240-241 Godric served King

William II of England William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...

as a steward also.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 140 The historian Frank Barlow states that he held the office of

Sheriff of Suffolk This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Suffolk. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The Sheriff was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county ...

,Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 447 but the historian Judith Green only gives him as probably sheriff of Suffolk around 1087.Green ''English Sheriffs'' p. 76 Green also states that Godric may have been

Sheriff of Norfolk The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The High Sheriff of Norfolk was originally the principal law enforcement officer in Norfolk and presided at the assizes and other im ...

at least part of the time between 1091 and 1100.Green ''English Sheriffs'' p. 60 Godric was married to a woman named Ingreda. The marriage had at least one son, named Ralph. Ingreda may have been the daughter of Edwin, whose lands Godric held in 1086. A further bit of evidence pointing to Edwin being Ingreda's father is that Edwin was married to a woman named Ingreda. Charters of

St Benet's Abbey St Benet's Abbey was a medieval monastery of the Order of Saint Benedict, also known as St Benet's at Holme or Hulme. It was situated on the River Bure within the Broads in Norfolk, England. St Benet is a medieval English version of the name of ...

state that Godric's son Ralph had a brother named Eudo and a nephew named Lisewy, but it is not clear how these two individuals were related to Godric. Godric died around 1114.

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