PASE: Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Domesday
[Image: Excerpt from the Domesday
Book]
[Image: Durham Liber Vitae,
folio 38r (extract)]
Leofgifu
Author: DWP
Editorial Status: unknown
Discussion of the name
Leofgifu is an Old English feminine name comprising the elements lēof ‘dear’ and gifu ‘gift’.
There are five entries in the PASE corpus, of whom of whom Leofgifu 1-3 occur in pre-Domesday contexts (cf. seven such occurrences in Searle 1897: 327-8); Leofgifu 4 is a catch-all for occurrences in DB; and Leofgifu 5 is the TRE abbess of Shaftesbury, profiled below. Despite this apparently low frequency, however, women are generally under-reported in pre-Conquest sources and the elements lēof and gifu are common in the formation of other OE personal names. The PASE corpus and the distribution of estates recorded or inferred as held TRE by women called Leofgifu in DB suggest that this name was fairly common but was used mainly in the southern and eastern counties.
Bibliography
Searle 1897: W. G. Searle, Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum: A List of Anglo-Saxon Proper Names from the Time of Beda to that of King John (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1897)
von Feilitzen 1937: Olof von Feilitzen, The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, Nomina Germanica 3 (Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells, 1937)
Forms of the name
Spellings in Domesday Book: Leuefa, Leueua, Leueue
Forms in modern scholarship:
von Feilitzen head forms: Leofgifu
Phillimore edition: Leofeva
Alecto edition: Leofgifu
Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB
List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB
Holder 1066
| Shire | Phil. ref. | Vill | Holder 1066 DB Spelling | Holder 1066 | Lord 1066 | Tenant-in-Chief 1086 | 1086 subtenant | Fiscal value | 1066 value | 1086 value | Holder 1066 ID conf. | Show on map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex | 8a,1 | Felpham | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 21.00 | 10.00 | 20.00 | A | Map | |
| Berkshire | 15,2 | Reading | Leueua | Leofgifu, abbess of Reading | Edward, king | Gausbert, abbot of Battle | - | 8.00 | 9.00 | 11.00 | C | Map |
| Wiltshire | 12,2 | Tisbury | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 16.00 | 30.00 | 30.00 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,3 | Donhead | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 33.00 | 22.00 | 22.00 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,4 | Bradford on Avon | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 42.00 | 60.00 | 60.00 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,4 | Alvestone | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,5 | Liddington | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 38.00 | 18.00 | 22.00 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,6 | Dinton | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 18.00 | 18.00 | 18.00 | - | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,1 | Sixpenny Handley | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 16.00 | 9.60 | 9.60 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,2 | Hinton St Mary | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 8.00 | 8.00 | 10.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,4 | Fontmell Magna | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 15.00 | 10.00 | 15.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,5 | Compton Abbas | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,6 | Melbury Abbas | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 10.00 | 9.00 | 13.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,7 | Iwerne Minster | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 18.00 | 10.00 | 14.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,8 | Tarrant Hinton | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 10.00 | 6.00 | 10.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,10 | Kingston | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 14.75 | 16.00 | 23.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,10 | Wareham | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | William, king | - | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,12 | Stoke Wake | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 5.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,13 | Mapperton | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 11.00 | 1.50 | 5.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 49,1 | Blandford St Mary | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Blandford' | - | Aiulf the sheriff | - | 1.50 | 1.00 | 1.50 | E | Map |
| Somerset | 14,1 | Abbas Combe | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | 5.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | A | Map | |
| Hertfordshire | 34,12 | Lilley | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Lilley' | Harold, earl | Geoffrey de Bec | - | 4.13 | 5.78 | 4.13 | B | Map |
| Hertfordshire | 37,21 | Little Berkhamsted | Leuefa | Leofgifu, widow, 'of Little Berkhamsted' | - | Hardwin de Scales | - | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | C | Map |
| Huntingdonshire | D2 | Huntingdon | Leueue | Leofgifu, wife of Ælfric the sheriff | - | - | - | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | D | Map |
| Lincolnshire | 68,48 | Nettleton | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Nettleton' | - | Leofgifu 'of Nettleton' | - | 0.63 | 1.00 | 0.25 | A | Map |
| Essex | 23,29 | Bures | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Bures' | - | Richard fitzGilbert | - | 0.33 | 1.50 | 1.50 | E | Map |
| Suffolk | 16,20 | Coddenham | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Finesford' | Wulfric, abbot of Ely | Odo, bishop of Bayeux | - | 0.08 | 0.20 | 0.20 | E | Map |
| Suffolk | 21,70 | Finesford | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Finesford' | Wulfric, abbot of Ely | Simeon, abbot of Ely | - | 0.33 | 0.30 | 0.30 | E | Map |
| Suffolk | 32,9 | Charsfield | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Charsfield' | Healfdene 'of Thorington' | Geoffrey de Mandeville | - | 0.25 | 0.50 | 0.50 | E | Map |
| Hertfordshire | 1,6 | Kings Waldon | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Lilley' | Harold, earl | William, king | - | 1.00 | 10.00 | 8.00 | B | Map |
| Hertfordshire | 1,12 | Wellbury | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Lilley' | Harold, earl | William, king | 1 sokeman | 1.00 | 3.00 | 1.33 | B | Map |
| Dorset | 19,1 | Sixpenny Handley | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | 2 free Englishmen | 4.00 | 2.40 | 2.40 | A | Map | |
| Bedfordshire | 23,17 | Aspley Guise | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Aspley' | Waltheof, earl | Hugh de Beauchamp | Acard d'Ivry | 10.00 | 10.00 | 8.00 | D | Map |
| Dorset | 19,11 | Farnham | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Aiulf | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,2 | Tisbury | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Aubrey 'of Tisbury' | 2.00 | 3.25 | 3.25 | A | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,2 | Tisbury | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Edward of Salisbury | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | B4 | Shaftesbury | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | William, king | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | 0.00 | 3.25 | 3.25 | A | Map | |
| Cambridgeshire | 14,25 | Croydon | Leueue | Leofgifu 'of Arrington' | Eadgifu the fair | Alan, count | Fulcwig 'of Arrington' | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | A | Map |
| Cambridgeshire | 14,45 | Arrington | Leueue | Leofgifu 'of Arrington' | Eadgifu the fair | Alan, count | Fulcwig 'of Arrington' | 0.50 | 1.00 | 0.50 | A | Map |
| Wiltshire | 12,2 | Tisbury | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Gunfrid Mauduit | 3.00 | 4.88 | 4.88 | A | Map | |
| Dorset | 19,9 | Fifehead St Quintin | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Ketil 'of Kington' | 5.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | A | Map | |
| Berkshire | 42,1 | South Denchworth | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Denchworth' | - | Robert of Stafford | Laurence 'of Denchworth' | 6.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | D | Map |
| Bedfordshire | 53,8 | Bletsoe | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Aspley' | Edward, king | Judith, countess | Osbern de Breuil | 2.50 | 3.00 | 3.00 | D | Map |
| Essex | 28,15 | Kelvedon Hatch | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Kelvedon' | - | Hamon the steward | Ralph de Marcy | 1.38 | 1.50 | 1.75 | E | Map |
| Kent | 5,97 | Wateringbury | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Wateringbury' | Edward, king | Odo, bishop of Bayeux | Ralph fitzTurold | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 | D | Map |
| Suffolk | 16,48 | Aspall | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Finesford' | Wulfric, abbot of Ely | Odo, bishop of Bayeux | Roger Bigod | 0.17 | 0.20 | 0.20 | E | Map |
| Essex | 33,4 | Woodham Walter | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Woodham' | - | Ralph Baynard | Theodric Pointel | 7.00 | 8.00 | 7.00 | D | Map |
| Wiltshire | 12,2 | Tisbury | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Thurstan the chamberlain | 3.00 | 4.88 | 4.88 | A | Map | |
| Suffolk | 15,3 | Toppesfield | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Toppesfield' | Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury | Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury | unnamed monks of Christ Church, Canterbury, in 1086 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 | E | Map |
| Essex | 18,24 | Aldham | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Aldham' | - | Odo, bishop of Bayeux | unnamed wife of Aubrey de Vere | 0.96 | 1.50 | 3.00 | E | Map |
| Dorset | 19,11 | Farnham | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | unnamed wife of Hugh fitzGrip | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | A | Map | |
| Sussex | 9,84 | Henhurst | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Henhurst' | - | Robert, count of Eu | William 'the man of Robert, count of Eu' | 0.50 | 1.00 | 1.00 | C | Map |
| Dorset | 19,10 | Kingston | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | - | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | William de Briouze | 0.25 | 0.00 | 0.00 | A | Map | |
| Total | 371.51 | 337.49 | 380.67 |
Lord 1066
| Shire | Phil. ref. | Vill | Lord 1066 DB Spelling | Holder 1066 | Lord 1066 | Tenant-in-Chief 1086 | 1086 subtenant | Fiscal value | 1066 value | 1086 value | Lord 1066 ID conf. | Show on map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | 12,3 | Donhead | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | 1 thegn | 1.00 | 1.43 | 1.43 | B | Map | ||
| Wiltshire | 12,6 | Dinton | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Gunfrid Mauduit | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | B | Map | ||
| Dorset | 55,21 | Farnham | Alwine 'of Farnham' | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | unnamed wife of Hugh fitzGrip | Ilbert 'of Farnham' | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | B | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,1 | Beechingstoke | Hearding son of Eadnoth | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Thurstan the chamberlain | 5.00 | 3.00 | 5.00 | B | Map | |
| Wiltshire | 12,3 | Donhead | Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury | Eulalia, abbess of Shaftesbury | Thurstan the chamberlain | 6.00 | 8.57 | 8.57 | B | Map | ||
| Total | 14.50 | 15.50 | 17.50 |
Tenant-in-Chief 1086 demesne estates (no subtenants)
| Shire | Phil. ref. | Vill | TIC DB Spelling | Holder 1066 | Lord 1066 | Tenant-in-Chief 1086 | 1086 subtenant | Fiscal value | 1066 value | 1086 value | TIC ID conf. | Show on map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warwickshire | 43,1 | Salford Priors | Leveve | Godgifu, wife of Earl Leofric | - | Leofgifu the nun | - | 3.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 | - | Map |
| Lincolnshire | 68,48 | Nettleton | Leueua | Leofgifu 'of Nettleton' | - | Leofgifu 'of Nettleton' | - | 0.63 | 1.00 | 0.25 | - | Map |
| Suffolk | 74,13 | Claydon | Leueua | - | - | Leofgifu 'of Claydon' | - | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.07 | D | Map |
| Total | 3.67 | 3.00 | 6.32 |
Subtenant in 1086
| Shire | Phil. ref. | Vill | Subtenant DB Spelling | Holder 1066 | Lord 1066 | Tenant-in-Chief 1086 | 1086 subtenant | Fiscal value | 1066 value | 1086 value | Subtenant ID conf. | Show on map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warwickshire | 17,47 | Little Lawford | Leueua | Alwine the sheriff | - | Thorkil of Warwick | Leofgifu 'of Little Lawford' | 2.00 | 1.00 | 0.53 | - | Map |
| Oxfordshire | B10 | Oxford | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu 'of Oxford' | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.30 | - | Map |
| Oxfordshire | B10 | Oxford | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu 'of Oxford' | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.00 | - | Map |
| Somerset | 2,7 | Taunton | Leueua | Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury | Walkelin, bishop of Winchester | Leofgifu 'of Taunton' | 2.00 | 1.00 | 2.00 | - | Map | |
| Berkshire | B6 | Wallingford | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu 'of Wallingford' | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | - | Map |
| Essex | B3a | Colchester | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu, burgess 'of Colchester' | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | Map |
| Essex | B3a | Colchester | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu, burgess 'of Colchester' | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | Map |
| Essex | B3a | Colchester | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu, burgess 'of Colchester' | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | Map |
| Essex | B3a | Colchester | Leffiuf | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu, burgess 'of Colchester' | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | Map |
| Essex | B3a | Colchester | Leueua | - | - | William, king | Leofgifu, burgess 'of Colchester' | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | - | Map |
| Total | 4.14 | 2.04 | 2.84 |
People of this name
- Leofgifu 5 Leofgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 6 Leofgifu, abbess of Reading, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 7 Leofgifu ‘of Nettleton’, fl. 1066x1086
- Leofgifu 8 Leofgifu ‘of Arrington’ (Cambridgeshire), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 9 Leofgifu ‘of Lilley’ (Hertfordshire), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 10 Leofgifu ‘of Woodham’ (Essex), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 11 Leofgifu ‘of Aspley’ (Bedfordshire), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 12 Leofgifu ‘of Blandford’ (Dorset), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 13 Leofgifu ‘of Denchworth’ (Berkshire), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 14 Leofgifu ‘of Toppesfield’ (Essex), fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 15 Leofgifu ‘wife of Ælfric the Sheriff’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 16 Leofgifu, widow, ‘of Little Berkhamsted’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 17 Leofgifu ‘of Aldham’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 18 Leofgifu ‘of Kelvedon’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 19 Leofgifu ‘of Wateringbury’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 20 Leofgifu ‘of Henhurst’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 21 Leofgifu ‘of Finesford’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 22 Leofgifu ‘of Charsfield’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 23 Leofgifu ‘of Bures’, fl. 1066
- Leofgifu 24 Leofgifu ‘of Claydon’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 25 Leofgifu the nun, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 26 Leofgifu ‘of Nettleton’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 27 Leofgifu ‘of Little Lawford’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 28 Leofgifu ‘of Taunton’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 29 Leofgifu ‘of Oxford’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 30 Leofgifu, burgess ‘of Colchester’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 31 Leofgifu ‘of Wallingford’, fl. 1086
- Leofgifu 32 ‘of Huntefelde’ (Suffolk), fl. 1086
Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
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