| Notes |
- Murdered by Thursband
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Uhtred or Uchtred (d 1016), Earl of Northumbria, was son of Waltheof theelder, earl of Northumbria, who had been deprived of the government ofDeira (Yorkshire), the southern part of the earldom. Uhtred helpedEaldhun or Aldhun, bishop of Durham, when in 995 he moved his see fromChester-le-Street, to prepare the site for his new church. He married thebishop's daughter Ecgfrida, and received with her six estates belongingto the bishopric, on condition that as long as he lived he should keepher in honourable wedlock. When in 1006 the Scots invaded Northumbriaunder their king Malcolm II (d 1034), and besieged Durham, Waltheof, whowas old and unfit for war, shut himself up in Bamborough; but Uhtred, whowas a valiant warrior, went to the relief of his father-in-law thebishop, defeated the Scots, and slew a great number of them. Ethelred II(986-1016), on hearing of Uhtred's success, gave him his father'searldom, adding to his the government of Deira. Uhtred then sent back thebishop's daughter, restoring the estates of the church that he hadreceived with her, and married Sigen, the daughter of a rich citizen,probably of York or Durham, named Styr Ulfson, receiving her on conditionthat he would slay her father's deadly enemy, Thurbrand. He did notfulfil this condition and seems to have parted with Sigen also; for as hewas of great service to the king in war, Ethelred gave him his daughterElgiva or Aelfgifu to wife. When Sweyn, king of Denmard, sailed into theHumber in 1013, Uhtred promptly submitted to him; but when Canute askedhis aid in 1015 he returned, it is said, a lofty refusal, declaring thatso long as he lived he would keep faithful to Ethelred, his lord andfather-in-law. He joined forces with the king's son Edmund in 1016, andtogether they ravaged the shires that refused to help them against theDanes. Finding however, that Canute was threatening York, Uhtred hastenednorthwards, and was forced to submit to the Danish king and give himhostages. Canute bade him come to him at a place called Wiheal (probablyWighill, near Tadcaster), and instructed or allowed his enemy Thurbrandto slay him there. As Uhtred was entering into the presence of the king abody of armed men of Canute's retinue emerged from behind a curtain andslew him and forty thegns who accompanied him, and cut off their heads.He was succeeded in his earldom by Canute's brother-in-law Eric, and onEric's banishment; the earldom came to Uhtred's brother, Eadwulf Cutel,who had probably ruled the northern part of it under Eric.
By Ecgfrida, Uhtred had a son named Ealdred (or Aldred), who succeededhis uncle, Eadwulf Cutel, in Bernicia, the northern part of Northumbria,slew his father's murder Thurbrand, and was himself slain by Thurbrand'sson Carl; he left five daughters, one of whom, named Elfleda, became thewife of Earl Siward and the mother of Earl Waltheof. By Ethelred'sdaughter Elgiva, Uhtred had a daughter named Aldgyth or Eadgyth, whomarried Maldred, and became the mother of Goaspatric (or Cospatric), earlof Northumberland. He also had two other sons - Eadwulf, who succeededhis brother Ealdred as earl in Bernicia and was slain by Siward, andGospatric. His wife, Ecgfrida, married again after he had repudiated her,and had a daughter named Sigrid, who had three husbands, one of thembeing this last-named Eadwulf, the son of her mother's husband. Ecgfridawas again repudiated, returned to her father, became a nun and died, andwas buried at Durham. [Dictionary of National Biography XX:16-17]
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Abt 0961 - 1016 (55 years)