Waltheof was high-reeve or

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 ...

Bamburgh Bamburgh ( ) is a village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It had a population of 454 in 2001, decreasing to 414 at the 2011 census. The village is notable for the nearby Bamburgh Castle, a castle which was the seat of ...

(

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

994). He was probably the son of Ealdred, and the grandson of Osulf I''De Northumbria post Britannos'' says that Osulf had a son named Ealdred, father of Waltheof of Bamburgh, father of Uhtred of Northumbria; see McGuigan, ′Ælla and the descendants of Ivar′, pp. 25, 33. and was father of Uhtred the Bold,

Ealdorman 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-Saxon ...

. His name is Scandinavian which may imply that he had Viking ancestors. The name 'Waltheof' remained in his family when Earl Siward married his great-granddaughter and named his son Waltheof. This son of Siward became Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, and one of his descendants being Saint

Waltheof of Melrose Waltheof ( – 1159) was a 12th-century English abbot and saint. He was the son of Simon I of St Liz, 1st Earl of Northampton and Maud, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon, thus stepson to David I of Scotland, and the grandson of Waltheof, Earl of N ...

. Additionally, another branch of the family would use the Waltheof name including:

Waltheof of Allerdale Waltheof of Allerdale was an 11th- and 12th-century Anglo-Saxon noble, lord of Allerdale in modern Cumbria. Brother of Dolfin of Carlisle and Gospatric of Dunbar, Waltheof was son of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria.Hamilton, ''Mighty Subjects'', p ...

who was son of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria. Waltheof of Inverkeithing and Dalmeny was son of Cospatric, and grandson of

. Another descendant of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria was

Waltheof, Earl of Dunbar Waltheof (died 1182), Earl of Lothian or "Dunbar" and lord of Beanley, was a 12th-century Anglo- Scottish noble. He was the eldest son of Gospatric III, Earl of Lothian by his Scottish wife Deirdre. Waltheof's grandfather Gospatric II died at t ...

. In 1006

Malcolm II of Scotland Máel Coluim mac Cináeda ( gd, Maol Chaluim mac Choinnich, label=Modern Scottish Gaelic; anglicized Malcolm II; c. 954 – 25 November 1034) was King of Scots from 1005 until his death. He was a son of King Kenneth II; but the name of his moth ...

invaded Northumbria and besieged the newly founded episcopal city of Durham. At that time the Danes were raiding southern England and

King Æthelred King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

was unable to send help to the Northumbrians. Ealdorman Waltheof was too old to fight and remained in his castle at

. Ealdorman Ælfhelm of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

also took no action. Waltheof's son Uhtred, acting for his father, called together an army from Bernicia and Yorkshire and led it against the Scots. The result was a decisive victory for Uhtred. Local women washed the severed heads of the Scots, receiving a payment of a cow for each, and the heads were fixed on stakes to Durham's walls. Uhtred was rewarded by King

Æthelred II Æthelred (; ang, Æþelræd ) or Ethelred () is an Old English personal name (a compound of '' æþele'' and '' ræd'', meaning "noble counsel" or "well-advised") and may refer to: Anglo-Saxon England * Æthelred and Æthelberht, legendary prin ...

with the ealdormanry of Bamburgh even though his father was still alive.

Issue

Waltheof has been identified as the father of two sons, their mother is unknown: * Uhtred the Bold (also spelled Uchtred), Ealdorman of Northumbria; married several times including Ælfgifu, daughter of King Æthelred the Unready * Eadwulf Cudel, Ealdorman of Bamburgh

References

Sources

* Stenton, Sir Frank M. ''Anglo-Saxon England''; 3rd edition.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1971.

External links

* Anglo-Saxon warriors Rulers of Bamburgh 10th-century English people Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{europe-noble-stub