Ealdgifu 3
Ealdgifu ‘of Amersham’ (Bucks.), fl. 1066
Female
DWP
4 of 5
Summary
Ealdgifu 3 was probably the commended lord of Siweard, who held a tiny estate in south Buckinghamshire TRE.Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB
List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB
Lord 1066
| Shire | Phil. ref. | Vill | DB Spelling | Holder 1066 | Lord 1066 | Tenant-in-Chief 1086 | 1086 Subtenant | Fiscal Value | 1066 Value | 1086 Value | Conf. | Show on Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | 12,4 | Amersham | Aldeua | Siward, the man of Ealdgifu | Ealdgifu | Robert, count of Mortain | Almær 'of Hardwick' | 0.50 | 1.00 | 1.00 | D | Map |
| Totals | ||||||||||||
Profile
Ealdgifu 3 is recorded only in the DB entry for a tiny estate of ½ hide at Amersham in south Buckinghamshire, where the TRE holder Siweard was said to have been her man. Since Siweard had the power of alienation over his land he cannot have been Ealdgifu’s dependent tenant, and so she must have been his lord by commendation.It is strange that Ealdgifu 3 did not apparently hold any land of her own, for this raises the question of why Siweard should be commended to her. Yet the only other women of that name certainly recorded in DB were Ealdgifu 4, who held a single hide in west Berkshire in alms, and Ealdgifu 2, who held a large estate in south-east Somerset, and there seem to be no good grounds for identifying Ealdgifu 3 with either of these.
It is possible that the occurrence of her name in DB represents a scribal error for the name Eadgifu or, conversely, that estates entered under the name Eadgifu in fact belonged to Ealdgifu 3 (cf. the confusion regarding Ealdgifu 5). However, no person called Eadgifu had lands in Buckinghamshire that passed to Rober, count of Mortain (Robert 9) after the Conquest, as did Siweard’s estate at Amersham, nor is anyone in the shire called Siweard associated with any TRE lord other than Ealdgifu 3 or Earl Harold (Harold 5).