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Ordwulf (died after 1005) was the son of
Ordgar Ordgar (died 971) was Ealdorman of Devon in England. He was a great West Country landowner and apparently a close advisor of his son-in-law Edgar the Peaceful, king of England. His daughter Ælfthryth was King Edgar's third wife and was the moth ...
, Ealdorman of Devon (died 971). His sister was Queen Ælfthryth, third wife of King
Edgar Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, r ...
(born 943, died 975; ruled 959-975)'' The Peaceful'' and mother of King Æthelred II (c. 968-1016) ''The Unready'', during whose reign Ordwulf was a major figure. Ordwulf did not succeed his father as
ealdorman Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...
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 usually held to be the author of the ''Chronicon ex chronicis''. ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' The ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' is a world wi ...
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 Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven taluk ...
"'' he encouraged the king to restore the lands and liberties of
Abingdon Abbey Abingdon Abbey ( '' " St Mary's Abbey " '' ) was a Benedictine monastery located in the centre of Abingdon-on-Thames beside the River Thames. The abbey was founded c.675 AD in honour of The Virgin Mary. The Domesday Book of 1086 informs ...
in Oxfordshire. According to
Goscelin Goscelin of Saint-Bertin (or Goscelin of Canterbury, born c. 1040, died in or after 1106) was a Benedictine hagiographical writer. He was a Fleming or Brabantian by birth and became a monk of St Bertin's at Saint-Omer before travelling to Eng ...
, together with his nephew King Æthelred he saw a vision of the king's recently deceased illegitimate half-sister Edith of Wilton (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 n ...
, in the will of Ælfwold III (Bishop of Crediton) (died 1011/1015). Ordwulf married Ælfwynn, who donated some of her Devonshire manors to her husband's foundation Tavistock Abbey including: ''Hame'' ( Abbotsham), ''Werdgete'' (Worthygate, in Parkham parish), ''Orlege'' ( Orleigh) and ''Anri'' ( Annery). Older historians thought that Tavistock Abbey was founded in 961 by
Ordgar Ordgar (died 971) was Ealdorman of Devon in England. He was a great West Country landowner and apparently a close advisor of his son-in-law Edgar the Peaceful, king of England. His daughter Ælfthryth was King Edgar's third wife and was the moth ...
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 ( ang, Æþelræd, ;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 diale ...
, 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.


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