Leofric (before 1016–1072) was a medieval
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell. . Probably a native of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, he was educated on the continent. At the time
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 ...
was in exile before his succession to the English throne, Leofric joined his service and returned to England with him. After he became king, Edward rewarded Leofric with lands. Although a 12th-century source claims Leofric held the office of
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
, modern historians agree he never did so.
Edward appointed Leofric as
Bishop of Cornwall
The Bishop of Cornwall was the bishop of a diocese which existed between about 930 and 1050. Nothing is known about bishops in the post-Roman British Kingdom of Cornwall, but by the mid-ninth century Wessex was gaining control over the area, and b ...
and
Bishop of Crediton
The Bishop of Crediton is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Crediton in Devon, England. The title was originally used by the Anglo-Saxons in the 10th and 11th centuries for a diocese covering Devon and Cornwall. It is now ...
in 1046, but because Crediton was a small town, the new bishop secured papal permission to move the
episcopal seat
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
to
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
in 1050. At Exeter, Leofric worked to increase the income and resources of his cathedral, both in lands and in ecclesiastical vestments. He was a
bibliophile
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.
Profile
The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
, and collected many manuscripts; some of these he gave to the cathedral library, including a famous manuscript of poetry, the ''
Exeter Book
The Exeter Book, also known as the Codex Exoniensis or Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, is a large codex of Old English poetry, believed to have been produced in the late tenth century AD. It is one of the four major manuscripts of Old Engli ...
''. Leofric died in 1072; although his remains were moved to the new
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...
which was built after his death, their location is no longer known and the current tomb does not mark his resting place.
Early life
Little is known about Leofric, as his cathedral town was not a centre of historical writing, and he took little part in events outside his diocese. Little notice was taken of his life and activities; only a few charters originated in his household and there is only one listing of gifts to his diocese. No official acts from his episcopate have survived, and there is just a brief death notice in the ''
Leofric Missal
__NOTOC__
The Leofric Missal is an illuminated manuscript, not strictly a conventional missal, from the 10th and 11th century, now in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University where it is catalogued aMS Bodl. 579
Origins and history
The origins ...
'',
[Barlow "Leofric and his Times" ''Norman Conquest and Beyond'' p. 113] although no notice of his death occurs in the contemporary ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
''. He occurs as a witness to royal charters.
[Barlow "Leofric and his Times" ''Norman Conquest and Beyond'' p. 117]
Leofric was probably born in Cornwall, and his parents were English.
[Hindley ''Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons'' p. 239] Because canon law required that a bishop be 30 years old when consecrated, it is likely that Leofric was born before 1016.
[ The medieval chronicler ]Florence of Worcester Florence of Worcester (died 1118), known in Latin as Florentius, was a monk of Worcester, who played some part in the production of the '' Chronicon ex chronicis'', a Latin world chronicle which begins with the creation and ends in 1140.Keynes, "Flo ...
referred to him as a ''Brytonicus'', which presumably meant that he was a native of Cornwall.[Barlow ''English Church'' pp. 83–84] He had a brother, Ordmaer, who acted as his steward and administered the family estates.[Barlow "Leofric (d. 1072)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''] Leofric was educated in Lotharingia
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
,[Barlow ''Feudal Kingdom'' p. 34] and may have been brought up abroad.[Huscroft ''Ruling England'' p. 50] Leofric may have gone into exile either in 1013 when Sweyn Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times King of the English and King of Norway. He was the father of King Harald II of D ...
, the king of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...
invaded England or in 1016, when Sweyn's son Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...
became king of England.[Barlow "Leofric and his Times" ''Norman Conquest and Beyond'' p. 114] His education possibly took place at the church of St Stephen's in Toul
Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
It is a sub-prefecture of the department.
Geography
Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin.
Climate
Toul h ...
,[ where the future Pope ]Leo IX
Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...
was a canon from 1017 to 1024 and bishop after 1027.[
]
Service to Edward the Confessor
Before Edward the Confessor became king of England, he was exiled to the continent. Leofric served as Edward's chaplain,[ although how or when exactly the two met is unknown.][Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 50] The historian Frank Barlow speculates that it may have been at Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
in 1039.[ When Edward returned to England at the invitation of King ]Harthacnut
Harthacnut ( da, Hardeknud; "Tough-knot"; – 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of the English from 1040 to 1042.
Harthacnut was the son of King ...
, Edward's half-brother, Leofric accompanied him, witnessing charters during Harthacnut's lifetime along with Herman
Herman may refer to:
People
* Herman (name), list of people with this name
* Saint Herman (disambiguation)
* Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman
Places in the United States
* Herman, Arkansas
* Herman, Michigan
* Herman, Min ...
who later became Bishop of Sherborne
The Bishop of Sherborne is an episcopal title which takes its name from the market town of Sherborne in Dorset, England. The see of Sherborne was established in around 705 by St Aldhelm, the Abbot of Malmesbury. This see was the mother diocese o ...
.[Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 53] Leofric remained a close supporter and friend of Edward for the king's entire life.[ In 1044, Edward granted him lands at ]Dawlish
Dawlish is an English seaside resort town and civil parish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon, from the county town of Exeter and from the larger resort of Torquay. Its 2011 population of 11,312 was estimated at 13,355 in 2019. It is t ...
in Devon.[Powell and Wallis ''House of Lords'' p. 3]
Although a 12th-century monastic chronicler at Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
called Leofric Edward's chancellor, this is not correct, as Edward had no chancellor at this time.[Barlow "Leofric and his Times" ''Norman Conquest and Beyond'' pp. 115–116] Historians are divided on whether or not Edward ever had an official that could be called a chancellor,[Stafford ''Unification and Conquest'' pp. 148–149] but they are agreed that Leofric did not hold such an office.[Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' pp. 82–83]
Bishop
When Bishop Lyfing
Lyfing (from ''leof'', meaning "darling") is an Anglo-Saxon given name. Notable people bearing this name include:
* Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury (died 1020), advisor to King Ethelred the Unready
* Lyfing of Winchester (died 1047), adviso ...
died in 1046, the king made Leofric Bishop of Cornwall as well as Bishop of Crediton.[Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 215][Barlow ''English Church'' pp. 213–215] The two sees, or bishoprics, held by Lyfing became the see of Exeter
The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Provi ...
in 1050 when Bishop Leofric moved his episcopal seat
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
from Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter and around from the M5 motorway ...
to Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
and combined it with Cornwall.[ The move of the see received the support of Pope Leo IX,][Barlow ''Feudal Kingdom'' p. 32] and dates from 1051.[Walker ''Harold'' p. 25] Although Leofric had been a royal clerk before he became bishop, after his elevation he managed to avoid entanglement in the various disputes taking place between the king and Godwin, Earl of Wessex
Godwin of Wessex ( ang, Godwine; – 15 April 1053) was an English nobleman who became one of the most powerful earls in Kingdom of England, England under the Denmark, Danish king Cnut the Great (King of England from 1016 to 1035) and his succ ...
. Instead he spent his energies on the administration of his diocese, but remained on good terms with the king.[ Leofric's penitential, the ''Leofric Missal'', still survives, and it includes a prayer for a childless king, which probably referred to King Edward.][Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 82]
The abbey church of St. Peter's at Exeter became Leofric's cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
[Knowles, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses'' p. 48] and he was enthroned as Bishop of Exeter there on St Peter's Day in 1050 with King Edward in attendance.[Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 106] The king, and his wife Edith
Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...
took part in the ceremony of enthronement, with both of them leading the bishop to his cathedra
A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...
, or episcopal chair. Edith had dower rights to the town of Exeter, which may explain her presence at the ceremony.[Stafford ''Queen Emma and Queen Edith'' p. 266]
Leofric replaced the monks with canons.[ The new community was given the ]Rule of Chrodegang
Chrodegang ( la, Chrodogangus; german: Chrodegang, Hruotgang;Spellings of his name in (Latin) primary sources are extremely varied: Chrodegangus, Grodegandus, Grodegangus, Grodogangus, Chrodogandus, Krodegandus, Chrodegrangus, Chrotgangus, Ruotga ...
by Leofric,[Blair ''Church in Anglo-Saxon Society'' p. 361 footnote 331 and p. 362] which rule he had probably learned in Lotharingia before his return to England.[ Leofric moved the seat of his see because Crediton was too poor and rural, and Exeter was a city with protective walls and an abandoned church that could be used as the new cathedral.][ Leofric claimed that he found his diocese lacking in episcopal vestments and the other items required for church services, and his surviving list of gifts to the church noted that he gave vestments, crosses, chalices, censers, altar coverings, and other furnishings to the cathedral.][Barlow "Leofric and his Times" ''Norman Conquest and Beyond'' pp. 124–125]
After the move to Exeter, Leofric worked to increase the endowment of the diocese, and especially the cathedral library,[ which he found almost empty upon his arrival. He later claimed that there were only five books owned by the cathedral chapter when he became bishop.][Lloyd "Leofric as Bibliophile" ''Leofric of Exeter'' p. 34] He still remained on good terms with the king, for he was present at Edward's Christmas court in 1065 that saw the consecration of Edward's Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
church at Westminster.[Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' pp. 244–245] No evidence survives that Leofric was employed by the king in any diplomatic missions, nor does Leofric appear to have attended any papal councils or synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
s.[ He was a supporter of the cult of Leo IX, who was proclaimed a saint after Leo's death.][Barlow ''English Church'' p. 307]
Death and legacy
Leofric survived William the Conqueror's 1068 siege of Exeter unscathed,[ although there is no evidence that he was present in the city during the siege. Whether Leofric had originally supported King ]Harold
Harold may refer to:
People
* Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Harold (surname), surname in the English language
* András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold"
Arts a ...
against William or if he supported William from the start is unclear. The fact that he survived William's purge of the native English bishops in 1070 is evidence that he must not have been too outspoken against William.[ Leofric remained bishop until he died on 10 February or 11 February 1072.][Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 246] He was buried in the crypt of his cathedral. When the cathedral was rebuilt, his remains were moved to the new church, but the location of the tomb has been lost. The current tomb only dates from 1568 and does not mark Leofric's resting place.[
During Leofric's bishopric, his cathedral library was the fourth largest in England, and was an important ]scriptorium
Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes.
However, lay scribes and ...
.[ He gave an important manuscript of ]Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
poetry, the ''Exeter Book'', to the cathedral library in 1072.[Fletcher ''Bloodfeud'' p. 11] Contained in the ''Exeter Book'' are a number of poems showing of all the principal types of poems composed in Old English. This manuscript is one of four main sources for modern knowledge of Anglo-Saxon poetry
Old English literature refers to poetry and prose written in Old English in early medieval England, from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066, a period often termed Anglo-Saxon England. The 7th-century work ''Cædmon ...
.[Stenton ''Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 199 and footnotes 1, 2, 3, and 4] Along with the ''Exeter Book'', he also gave a number of other manuscripts and books to the cathedral upon his death.[Dodwell ''Anglo-Saxon Art'' p. 224] Three versions of the donation list drawn up by Leofric survive, which is one of the earliest surviving cathedral library catalogues. The list consists of 31 books used to conduct cathedral services, 24 other ecclesiastical works, and 11 works that were secular. This last group included philosophical works as well as poetry.[Lloyd "Leofric as Bibliophile" ''Leofric of Exeter'' pp. 35–36] The number of manuscripts that he owned and bequeathed to his cathedral was quite large for his time.[ Besides the ''Exeter Book'' and the ''Leofric Missal'', Leofric's own copy of the Rule of Chrodegang also survives, although it is no longer at Exeter. Now it is at ]Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, where it is Corpus Christi College MS 191.[Barlow "Leofric and his Times" ''Norman Conquest and Beyond'' p. 122] Another surviving manuscript from Leofric's collection is a Gospel book
A Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels (Greek: , ''Evangélion'') is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament – normally all four – centering on the life of Jesus of Nazar ...
written in Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
now in the Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
, which was probably acquired by Leofric while he was on the continent, as the manuscript was originally written for a Breton monastery. In all, about 20 of the manuscripts gifted by Leofric can be identified and are still extant, and only two remain at Exeter – including the ''Exeter Book''.[Lloyd "Leofric as Bibliophile" ''Leofric of Exeter'' pp. 37–38]
The notice in his cathedral's records recording his death stated that Leofric was active in his diocese as a preacher, that he built many churches in his bishopric, and was noted as a teacher of his clergy. The historian Frank Barlow describes Leofric as "an able administrator and a progressive force" and one who "exemplifies the foreign prelate at his best".[
]
Notes
Citations
References
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Further reading
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External links
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Digitised images of the Leofric Missal
Early Manuscripts at Oxford University.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leofric
11th-century births
1072 deaths
English chaplains
Catholic chaplains
Bishops of Crediton (ancient)
Bishops of Cornwall
Bishops of Exeter
Medieval Cornish people
11th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
Burials at Exeter Cathedral