Thurbrand the Hold
Encyclopedia
Thurbrand nicknamed "the Hold", was a Northumbria
n magnate in the early 11th-century. Perhaps based in Holderness
and East Yorkshire
, Thurbrand was recorded as the killer of Uhtred the Bold, Earl of Northumbria
. The killing appears to have been part of the war between Sweyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great against the English king Æthelred the Unready, Uhtred being the latter's chief Northumbrian supporter. Thurbrand may also have attested a charter of 1009 and given a horse to Æthelred's son Æthelstan Ætheling
. The killing is the first known act, if it did not initiate, a bloodfeud between Thurbrand's family and Uhtred going into the time of Earl Waltheof. It is possible that Holderness took its name because of Thurbrand's presence or ownership of the peninsula.
Thurbrand's floruit
lay in the reigns of Æthelred (978–1016), Sweyn Forkbeard (1013–1014) and Cnut (1016–1035). The Historia Regum
and Chronicle of John of Worcester
say that Thurbrand was a "Danish nobleman" (nobilo et Danico viro) His title, that of "Hold", derives from an office said by the Norðleoda laga ("Law of the North People") to have been equal in wergild to a royal high-reeve
, above a thegn
but below an ealdorman
. There is a strong possibility that Thurbrand ruled Holderness
(see below).
In a charter of 1009, recording King Æthelred's grant of land in Derbyshire
to a thegn named Morcar, the 26th thegn on the witness list is named Thurbrand (Þurbrand). In the will of Æthelstan Ætheling
, dating to 1014, a Þurbrand is said to have given the ætheling a horse. It is possible that either or both are Thurbrand the Hold.
According to the late 11th- or early 12th-century Durham tract called De Obsessione Dunelmi
, Thurbrand was the "leading enemy" of Styr son of Ulf. The same source says that Styr was a "wealthy citizen", perhaps of the city of York
, and he was notable according to the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
and the Libellus de Exordio
for giving Darlington
and other lands to the church of Durham. De Obsessionee says that the Earl of the Northumbrians Uhtred the Bold married Styr's daughter Sige on the condition that he would kill Thurbrand, becoming a "a kind of contract killer" [Fletcher]. It becomes apparent however that Uhtred failed to carry out his task—although it is presumed he tried—as Thurbrand lives to slay Uhtred.
versions C D and E, John of Worcester's Chronicle and the Historia Regum add that one of the nobles killed with Uhtred was Thurcytel son of Nafena. The sources indicate that Cnut had been behind the killing, following it up with the appointment of Eric of Hlathir as earl.
The killing has been dated to 1016, as this is the year it falls under in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Chronicle of John of Worcester and the Historia Regum. Historian A. A. M. Duncan has argued that this date is unreliable. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, reflecting closely the source for the Historia Regum and the Worcester Chronicle on this entry, does not say that Uhtred died in this year, merely adding as an aside that Uhtred and Thurcytel were later killed despite having submitted to Cnut in this year. The location of this killing is given as Wiheal. This has been identified as Wighill, a place just north-west of the Roman road north of Tadcaster
but south of York. This identity however is far from secure, an alleged weak point being that the early spellings of Wighill (e.g. Wichele) do not resemble De Obsessiones Wiheal very closely. Another possibility is Worrall
near Sheffield, spelled Wihala and Wihale in the Domesday Book
.
, whose land was taken by Berengar de Tosny after the Norman conquest of Northumbria. As some of Thurbrand's descendents, Cnut in particular, held land in the East Yorkshire
peninsula of Holderness
, it has been suggested that Thurbrand may have been the hold from whom the peninsula its name, "Cape of the Hold".
Ealdred was killed by Carl, and two of Carl's sons in turn were killed by Ealdred's grandson Earl Waltheof. The multi-generational feud allegedly behind all these killings are the subject of Richard A. Fletcher
's Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England, published in 2002 by Penguin Books
. Fletcher's fellow historian William E. Kapelle
had argued that these events do not signify a pre-existing bloodfeud at all. Kapelle thought that the dispute between Uhtred and Thurbrand was a result of Uhtred's attempt to control Yorkshire, and this led to the later bloodfeud. Fletcher rejected the Kapelle's arguments, claiming that Kapelle misunderstood the context and created a false distinction between social and political conflict. William M. Aird and other historians have held that Thurbrand represented a "Scandinavian party", and Uhtred an "Wessex faction", while the dispute in general is taken as evidence of tension between ["English"] Northumbria north and ["Danish"] Northumbria south of the river Tees
.
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n magnate in the early 11th-century. Perhaps based in Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...
and East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
, Thurbrand was recorded as the killer of Uhtred the Bold, Earl of Northumbria
Earl of Northumbria
Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Anglo-Danish, late Anglo-Saxon, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. The earldom of Northumbria was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia. Under the Norse kingdom of York, there were earls of...
. The killing appears to have been part of the war between Sweyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great against the English king Æthelred the Unready, Uhtred being the latter's chief Northumbrian supporter. Thurbrand may also have attested a charter of 1009 and given a horse to Æthelred's son Æthelstan Ætheling
Æthelstan Ætheling
Æthelstan Ætheling , early or mid 980s to 25 June 1014, was the eldest son of King Æthelred the Unready by his first wife Ælfgifu and the heir apparent to the kingdom until his death. He made his first appearance as a witness to a charter of his father in 993...
. The killing is the first known act, if it did not initiate, a bloodfeud between Thurbrand's family and Uhtred going into the time of Earl Waltheof. It is possible that Holderness took its name because of Thurbrand's presence or ownership of the peninsula.
Background
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
lay in the reigns of Æthelred (978–1016), Sweyn Forkbeard (1013–1014) and Cnut (1016–1035). The Historia Regum
Historia Regum
The Historia Regum is a historical compilation attributed to Symeon of Durham, which presents material going from the death of Bede until 1129. It survives only in one manuscript compiled in Yorkshire in the mid-to-late 12th century, though the material is earlier...
and Chronicle of John of Worcester
John of Worcester
John of Worcester was an English monk and chronicler. He is usually held to be the author of the Chronicon ex chronicis.-Chronicon ex chronicis:...
say that Thurbrand was a "Danish nobleman" (nobilo et Danico viro) His title, that of "Hold", derives from an office said by the Norðleoda laga ("Law of the North People") to have been equal in wergild to a royal high-reeve
High-reeve
High-reeve was a title taken by some English magnates during the 10th and 11th-centuries, and is particularly associated with the rulers of Bamburgh. It was not however only used by rulers of Bamburgh...
, above a thegn
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
but below an ealdorman
Ealdorman
An ealdorman is the term used for a high-ranking royal official and prior magistrate of an Anglo-Saxon shire or group of shires from about the ninth century to the time of King Cnut...
. There is a strong possibility that Thurbrand ruled Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...
(see below).
In a charter of 1009, recording King Æthelred's grant of land in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
to a thegn named Morcar, the 26th thegn on the witness list is named Thurbrand (Þurbrand). In the will of Æthelstan Ætheling
Æthelstan Ætheling
Æthelstan Ætheling , early or mid 980s to 25 June 1014, was the eldest son of King Æthelred the Unready by his first wife Ælfgifu and the heir apparent to the kingdom until his death. He made his first appearance as a witness to a charter of his father in 993...
, dating to 1014, a Þurbrand is said to have given the ætheling a horse. It is possible that either or both are Thurbrand the Hold.
According to the late 11th- or early 12th-century Durham tract called De Obsessione Dunelmi
De obsessione Dunelmi
De obsessione Dunelmi , is a historical work written in the north of England during the Anglo-Norman period, almost certainly at Durham, and probably in either the late 11th- or early 12th-century.-Provenance:...
, Thurbrand was the "leading enemy" of Styr son of Ulf. The same source says that Styr was a "wealthy citizen", perhaps of the city of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and he was notable according to the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
The Historia de Sancto Cuthberto is a historical compilation finished some time after 1031. It is an account of the history of the bishopric of St Cuthbert—based successively at Lindisfarne, Norham, Chester-le-Street and finally Durham—from the life of St Cuthbert himself onwards. The latest event...
and the Libellus de Exordio
Libellus de exordio
The Libellus de exordio atque procursu istius, hoc est Dunhelmensis, ecclesie , in short Libellus de exordio, is a historical work of marked literary character composed and compiled in the early 12th-century and traditionally attributed to Symeon of Durham...
for giving Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
and other lands to the church of Durham. De Obsessionee says that the Earl of the Northumbrians Uhtred the Bold married Styr's daughter Sige on the condition that he would kill Thurbrand, becoming a "a kind of contract killer" [Fletcher]. It becomes apparent however that Uhtred failed to carry out his task—although it is presumed he tried—as Thurbrand lives to slay Uhtred.
Killing of Uhtred
De Obsessione relates that Uhtred had taken King Æthelred's daughter Ælfgifu as his new wife, perhaps as part of a deal made by the king in order to ensure Uhtred's loyalty against Sweyn Forkbeard and Cnut or else as a reward for loyalty already proven. De Obsessione goes on to describe Earl Uhtred's death at the hands of Thurbrand:After King Æthelred's death, when Cnut had laid hands upon the whole kingdom of England, he sent to the earl ordering him to come to him as his new lord. He did so, having accepted safe conduct for his journey and return. On the appointed day, he entered the king's presence at Wiheal to discuss terms of peace; through the treachery of a powerful king's thegn, Thurbrand, known as "Hold", the king's soldiers who had hidden behind a curtain spread across the width of the hall, suddenly sprang out in mail and slaughtered the earl and forty of his chief men who had entered with him.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
versions C D and E, John of Worcester's Chronicle and the Historia Regum add that one of the nobles killed with Uhtred was Thurcytel son of Nafena. The sources indicate that Cnut had been behind the killing, following it up with the appointment of Eric of Hlathir as earl.
The killing has been dated to 1016, as this is the year it falls under in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Chronicle of John of Worcester and the Historia Regum. Historian A. A. M. Duncan has argued that this date is unreliable. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, reflecting closely the source for the Historia Regum and the Worcester Chronicle on this entry, does not say that Uhtred died in this year, merely adding as an aside that Uhtred and Thurcytel were later killed despite having submitted to Cnut in this year. The location of this killing is given as Wiheal. This has been identified as Wighill, a place just north-west of the Roman road north of Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
but south of York. This identity however is far from secure, an alleged weak point being that the early spellings of Wighill (e.g. Wichele) do not resemble De Obsessiones Wiheal very closely. Another possibility is Worrall
Worrall
Worrall is a small rural village within the boundary of the City of Sheffield. It stands in an elevated position at a height of approximately 230 metres and is 6.5 km north west of the city centre. The village has an area of 233 hectares and a population of 1,306 in 2006...
near Sheffield, spelled Wihala and Wihale in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
.
Death and legacy
If De Obsessione is to be believed, Thurbrand met his death at the hands of Uhtred's son, Ealdred. This is thought to have occurred around 1024. One son of Thurbrand is known, Carl. Carl was known to have had four sons; two of them, Cnut and Sumarlithr, are known definitely by name, and the eldest is thought to have been Thurbrand of SettringtonSettrington
Settrington is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It once had a railway station that lay on the Malton and Driffield Railway.-History:...
, whose land was taken by Berengar de Tosny after the Norman conquest of Northumbria. As some of Thurbrand's descendents, Cnut in particular, held land in the East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
peninsula of Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...
, it has been suggested that Thurbrand may have been the hold from whom the peninsula its name, "Cape of the Hold".
Ealdred was killed by Carl, and two of Carl's sons in turn were killed by Ealdred's grandson Earl Waltheof. The multi-generational feud allegedly behind all these killings are the subject of Richard A. Fletcher
Richard A. Fletcher
Richard A. Fletcher was a historian who specialized in the medieval period. He was Professor of History at the University of York and one of the outstanding talents in English and Spanish medieval scholarship....
's Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England, published in 2002 by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
. Fletcher's fellow historian William E. Kapelle
William E. Kapelle
William E. Kapelle is a medieval historian at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He received his B.A at the University of Kansas in 1965, and completed his M.A. there five years later...
had argued that these events do not signify a pre-existing bloodfeud at all. Kapelle thought that the dispute between Uhtred and Thurbrand was a result of Uhtred's attempt to control Yorkshire, and this led to the later bloodfeud. Fletcher rejected the Kapelle's arguments, claiming that Kapelle misunderstood the context and created a false distinction between social and political conflict. William M. Aird and other historians have held that Thurbrand represented a "Scandinavian party", and Uhtred an "Wessex faction", while the dispute in general is taken as evidence of tension between ["English"] Northumbria north and ["Danish"] Northumbria south of the river Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
.