Ealdred (or Aldred; died 11 September 1069) was Abbot of Tavistock, Bishop of Worcester, and Archbishop of York in early medieval England. He was related to a number of other ecclesiastics of the period. After becoming a monk at the monastery at Winchester, he was appointed Abbot of Tavistock Abbey in around 1027. In 1046, he was named to the Bishopric of Worcester. Ealdred, besides his episcopal duties, served Edward the Confessor, the King of England, as a diplomat and as a military leader. He worked to bring one of the king's relatives, Edward the Exile, back to England from Hungary to secure an heir for the childless king.
In 1058, he undertook a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the first bishop from England to do so.Barlow Edward the Confessor pp. 208–209 As administrator of the Diocese of Hereford, he was involved in fighting against the Welsh, suffering two defeats at the hands of raiders before securing a settlement with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, a Welsh ruler.
In 1060, Ealdred was elected to the archbishopric of York but had difficulty in obtaining papal approval for his appointment, managing to do so only when he promised not to hold the bishoprics of York and Worcester simultaneously. He helped secure the election of Wulfstan as his successor at Worcester. During his archiepiscopate, he built and embellished churches in his diocese and worked to improve his clergy by holding a synod which published regulations for the priesthood.
Some sources say that following King Edward the Confessor's death in 1066, it was Ealdred who crowned Harold Godwinson as King of England.Hindley Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons p. 335 Ealdred supported Harold as king, but when Harold was defeated at the Battle of Hastings, Ealdred backed Edgar the Ætheling and then endorsed King William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy and a distant relative of King Edward's. Ealdred crowned King William on Christmas Day in 1066. William never quite trusted Ealdred or the other English leaders, and Ealdred had to accompany William back to Normandy in 1067, but he had returned to York by the time of his death in 1069. Ealdred supported the churches and monasteries in his diocese with gifts and building projects.
Early life
Ealdred was probably born in the west of England, and could be related to Lyfing, his predecessor as bishop of Worcester.Lawson "Ealdred" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography His family, from Devonshire, may have been well-to-do.King "Ealdred" Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII p. 124 Another relative was Wilstan or Wulfstan, who under Ealdred's influence became Abbot of Gloucester. Ealdred was a monk in the cathedral chapter at Winchester Cathedral before becoming abbot of Tavistock Abbey about 1027, an office he held until about 1043.Knowles Monastic Order in England p. 72 Even after leaving the abbacy of Tavistock, he continued to hold two properties from the abbey until his death. No contemporary documents relating to Ealdred's time as abbot have been discovered.King "Ealdred" Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII p. 125
Ealdred was made bishop of Worcester in 1046, a position he held until his resignation in 1062.Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 224 He may have acted as suffragan, or subordinate bishop, to his predecessor Lyfing before formally assuming the bishopric,Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 86 as from about 1043 Ealdred witnessed as an episcopus, or bishop, and a charter from 1045 or early 1046 names Sihtric as abbot of Tavistock. Lyfing died on 26 March 1046, and Ealdred became bishop of Worcester shortly after. However, Ealdred did not receive the other two dioceses Lyfing had held, Crediton and Cornwall; King Edward the Confessor (reigned 1043–1066) granted these to Leofric, who combined the two sees at Crediton in 1050.
Bishop and royal advisor
Ealdred was an advisor to King Edward the Confessor and was often involved in the royal government. He was also a military leader, and in 1046 he led an unsuccessful expedition against the Welsh.Huscroft Ruling England p. 49 This was in retaliation for a raid led by the Welsh rulers Gruffydd ap Rhydderch, Rhys ap Rhydderch, and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Ealdred's expedition was betrayed by some Welsh soldiers who were serving with the English, and Ealdred was defeated.Maund Welsh Kings pp. 89–90
In 1050, Ealdred went to Rome "on the king's errand",Huscroft Ruling England p. 50 apparently to secure papal approval to move the seat, or centre, of the bishopric of Crediton to Exeter. It may also have been to secure the release of the king from a vow to go on pilgrimage, if sources from after the Norman Conquest are to be believed. While in Rome, he attended a papal council, along with his fellow English bishop Herman.Smith, et al. "Court and Piety" Catholic Historical Review p. 574 That same year, as Ealdred was returning to England he met Sweyn, a son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and probably absolved Sweyn for having abducted the abbess of Leominster Abbey in 1046.Barlow Godwins p. 55 Through Ealdred's intercession, Sweyn was restored to his earldom, which he had lost after abducting the abbess and murdering his cousin Beorn Estrithson.Rex Harold II p. 37Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 103 Ealdred helped Sweyn not only because Ealdred was a supporter of Earl Godwin's family but because Sweyn's earldom was close to his bishopric. As recently as 1049, Irish raiders had allied with Gruffydd ap Rhydderch of Gwent in raiding along the River Usk. Ealdred unsuccessfully tried to drive off the raiders, but was again routed by the Welsh. This failure underscored Ealdred's need for a strong earl in the area to protect against raids.Mason House of Godwine pp. 57–58 Normally, the bishop of Hereford would have led the defence in the absence of an Earl of Hereford, but in 1049 the incumbent, Æthelstan, was blind, so Ealdred took on the role of defender.King "Ealdred" Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII pp. 126–127
Diplomatic travels
Earl Godwin's rebellion against the king in 1051 came as a blow to Ealdred, who was a supporter of the earl and his family. Ealdred was present at the royal council at London that banished Godwin's family.King "Ealdred" Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII p. 127 Later in 1051, when he was sent to intercept Harold Godwinson and his brothers as they fled England after their father's outlawing, Ealdred "could not, or would not" capture the brothers.Walker Harold pp. 132–133Barlow Edward the Confessor p. 114 The banishment of Ealdred's patron came shortly after the death of Ælfric Puttoc, the Archbishop of York. York and Worcester had long had close ties, and the two sees had often been held in plurality, or at the same time. Ealdred probably wanted to become Archbishop of York after Ælfric's death, but his patron's eclipse led to the king appointing Cynesige, a royal chaplain, instead. In September 1052, though, Godwin returned from exile, and his family was restored to power.Huscroft Ruling England pp. 6–7 By late 1053, Ealdred was once more in royal favour. At some point, he was alleged to have accompanied Swein on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but proof is lacking.Fleming Kings & Lords in Conquest England pp. 79–80
In 1054, King Edward sent Ealdred to Germany to obtain Emperor HenryIII's help in returning Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironside, to England. Edmund (reigned 1016) was an elder half-brother of King Edward the Confessor, and Edmund's son Edward was in Hungary with King AndrewI, having left England as an infant after his father's death and the accession of Cnut as King of England.Huscroft Ruling England p. 8 In this mission Ealdred was somewhat successful and obtained insight into the working of the German church during a stay of a yearWalker Harold p. 76 with HermannII, the Archbishop of Cologne.Barlow Edward the Confessor pp. 215–218 He also was impressed with the buildings he saw, and later incorporated some of the German styles into his own constructions.King "Ealdred" Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII p. 128 The main objective of the mission, however, was to secure the return of Edward; but this failed, mainly because HenryIII's relations with the Hungarians were strained, and the emperor was unable or unwilling to help Ealdred.Mason House of Godwine p. 88 Ealdred was able to discover that Edward was alive, and had a place at the Hungarian court.Rex Harold II p. 126 Although some sources say Ealdred attended the coronation of Emperor HenryIV, this is not possible, as on the date Henry was crowned, Ealdred was in England consecrating an abbot.
Ealdred had returned to England by 1055 and brought with him a copy of the Pontificale Romano-Germanicum, a set of liturgies. An extant copy of this work, currently manuscript Cotton Vitellus E xii, has been identified as a copy owned by Ealdred. It appears likely that the Rule of Chrodegang, a continental set of ordinances for the communal life of secular canons, was introduced into England by Ealdred sometime before 1059. Probably, he brought it back from Germany, possibly in concert with Harold.Rex Harold II p. 77
After Ealdred's return to England he took charge of the sees of HerefordMason House of Godwine p. 94 and Ramsbury. Ealdred also administered Winchcombe Abbey and Gloucester Abbey.Barlow Edward the Confessor pp. 197–199 The authors of the Handbook of British Chronology Third Edition say he was named bishop of Hereford in 1056, holding the see until he resigned it in 1060,Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 217 but other sources say he merely administered the see while it was vacant,Huscroft Ruling England p. 45 or that he was bishop of Hereford from 1055 to 1060.Greenway "Archbishops" Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 6: York
Ealdred became involved with the see of Ramsbury after its bishop, Herman, got into a dispute with King Edward over the movement of the seat of his bishopric to Malmesbury Abbey. Herman wished to move the seat of his see, but Edward refused permission for the move. Ealdred was a close associate of Herman's, and the historian H. R. Loyn called Herman "something of an alter ego" to Ealdred.Loyn English Church p. 61 According to the medieval chronicler John of Worcester, Ealdred was given the see of Ramsbury to administer while Herman remained outside England. Herman returned in 1058 and resumed his bishopric. There is no contemporary documentary evidence of Ealdred's administration of Ramsbury.
Welsh affairs, Jerusalem, and Worcester
The king again employed Ealdred as a diplomat in 1056, when he assisted Earls Harold and Leofric in negotiations with the Welsh. Edward sent Ealdred after the death in battle of Bishop Leofgar of Hereford, who had attacked Gruffydd ap Llywelyn after encouragement from the king. However, Leofgar lost the battle and his life, and Edward had to sue for peace.Maund Welsh Kings pp. 94–95 Although details of the negotiations are lacking, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn swore loyalty to King Edward, but the oath may not have had any obligations on Gruffydd's part to Edward. The exact terms of the submission are not known in total, but Gruffydd was not required to assist Edward in war nor attend Edward's court. Ealdred was rewarded with the administration of the see of Hereford, which he held until 1061, and was appointed Archbishop of York.King "Ealdred" Anglo-Norman Studies XVIII pp. 128–129 The diocese had suffered a serious raid from the Welsh in 1055, and during his administration, Ealdred continued the rebuilding of the cathedral church as well as securing the cathedral chapter's rights. Ealdred was granted the administration so that the area might have someone with experience with the Welsh in charge.