Ælfgifu, Princess of Wessex

was the grandmother of MALDRED OF WINLATON, who was hisself an ancestor of WILLIAM MEDECALFE DE DENT, forefather of David Walker's grandmother, Jane Metcalfe.

Princess Ælfgifu belonged to the ancient royal HOUSE of WESSEX. She was the daughter of ÆTHELRED 'THE UNREADY', KING of ENGLAND by his wife ÆLFGIFU of YORK, daughter of THORED, EARLDORMAN OF YORK, ruler of the southern half of the old Kingdom of Northumbria on behalf of the king of England (fl. 979-992).

It is not quite clear if THORED was the son of either Gunnar or Oslac, northern ealdormen, but historians tend to favour the idea that Thored was son of Gunnar. If he was, he may have attained adulthood by the 960s, when a man of his name raided Westmorland. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 966 recorded the accession of Oslac to the ealdormanry of southern Northumbria: "In this year, Thored, Gunnar's son, harried Westmoringa land, and, in this same year, Oslac succeeded to the office of ealdorman."

Thored's relationship with the English monarchy under ÆTHELRED II seems to have been good as his daughter ÆLFGIFU married the king. Evidence for this is that in the 1150s Ailred of Rievaulx in his De genealogia regum Anglorum wrote that the wife of Æthelred II was the daughter of an ealdorman (comes) called Thored (Thorth). Thored was ealdorman in Northumbria for much of his reign, disappearing from the sources in 992 after being appointed by Æthelred to lead an expedition against the Vikings. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reported under the year 992 the death of Archbishop Oswald and an expedition against a marauding Scandinavian fleet: "In this year the holy Archbishop Oswald left this life and attained the heavenly life, and Ealdorman Æthelwine [of East Anglia] died in the same year. Then the king and all his counsellors decreed that all the ships that were any use should be assembled at London. And the king then entrusted the expedition to the leadership of Ealdorman Ælfric (of Hampshire), Earl Thored and Bishop Ælfstan [.of London or of Rochester.] and Bishop Æscwig [of Dorchester], and they were to try if they could entrap the Danish army anywhere at sea. Then Ealdorman Ælfric sent someone to warn the enemy, and then in the night before the day on which they were to have joined battle, he absconded by night from the army, to his own disgrace, and then the enemy escaped, except that the crew of one ship was slain. And then the Danish army encountered the ships from East Anglia and from London, and they made a great slaughter there and captured the ship, all armed and equipped, on which the ealdorman was." Historians think that Thored was either killed fighting these Scandinavians, or else survived, but became disgraced through defeat or treachery.

Thored's granddaughter, Princess Ælfgifu of Wessex was married to UHTRED OF BAMBURGH, EARL OF NORTHUMBRIA. She was his third wife by who he had at least one daughter called ÆTHELREDA, who was married to MALDRED OF ALLERDALE, regent of Strathclyde.

Ælfgifu's father, ÆTHELRED 'THE UNREADY', or ÆTHELRED II (c. 968 – 23. April 1016), was King of England, 978–1013 and 1014–1016. He was buried in old St Paul's Cathedral, London. Æthelred was the son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth, daughter of Earldorman Ordgar and a Princess out of the House of Wessex. The 'Chronicle of Florence of Worcester' said he was "[A] youth of graceful manners, handsome countenance, and fine person..." The 'Gunnlaugr Saga of Gunnlaugr the Scald' added that he was "[A] tall, handsome man, elegant in manners, beautiful in countenance, and interesting in his deportment."

He was only about ten years old (no more than thirteen) when his half-brother Edward was murdered. Æthelred was not personally suspected of participation, but as the murder was committed at Corfe Castle by the attendants of Ælfthryth, it made it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the military raids by Danes, especially as the legend of St Edward the Martyr grew.

From 991 onwards, Æthelred paid tribute, or Danegeld, to the Danish King. In 1002, Æthelred ordered a massacre of Danish settlers. In 1003, King Sweyn invaded England, and in 1013, Æthelred fled to Normandy and was replaced by Sweyn, who was also King of Denmark. Æthelred returned as king, however, after Sweyn died in 1014.

Æthelred married first Ælfgifu of York in about 985. Their known children were:

Æthelstan Ætheling (died 1014)
Ecgberht Ætheling (died c. 1005)
Edmund Ironside (died 1016)
Eadred Ætheling (died before 1013)
Eadwig Ætheling (executed by Cnut 1017)
Edgar Ætheling (died c. 1008)
Eadgyth or Edith (married Eadric Streona)
ÆLFGIFU (married EARL UCTRED OF NORTHUMBRIA)
Wulfhilda (married Ulfcytel Snillingr)
Abbess of Wherwell Abbey

In 1002 Æthelred married Emma of Normandy, sister of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. Their children were:

Edward the Confessor (died 1066)
Ælfred Ætheling (died 1036–7)
Goda of England (married 1. Drogo of Mantes and 2. Eustace II, Count of Boulogne)