Elftred 'the Englishman' - ancestor of the Curwens of Workington & de

Dear Listers,=0A =0AI recently have been siftng through some of last years =

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ing some of the current discussions about Eldred, and the Curwen family, et=
c=2E and thought I would share what information I have compiled for Elftred=
or Eldred , ancestor of the Curwens of Workington & de Lancasters of Kenda=
l=2E My research information is gathered from the various published source=
s as cited.

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cording to different dialects and languages, was the father of three sons, =
Gilbert=86, Ketel and William. Beyond this nothing is known of him either i=
n legend or in history. We can only surmise that he was a man of considerab=
le position as the possessions of his two elder sons, held in part as over-=
lords in part as mesne lords extended widely over Cumberland,Westmorland an=
d Furness. Moreover his grandson was of such a social position that he was =
able to marry the daughter of Gospatric, the great Earl of Northumbria and =
of Dunbar." Source, 'History of the Ancient House of Curwen,' by JF Curwen,=
published 1928, pg. 7.

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a name that for a time in the thirteenth century became de Currewenne, then=
fell back to Culwen and finally settled into Curwen in the end of the fift=
eenth century - was one Elftred, a man with a plainly English name, of whom=
no prominent actions are recorded, either in legend or in history. The fai=
r conclusion from this is that he was not one of those men who by superior =
abilities of some sort rise from lowliness to great possessions, and the al=
ternative is that he belonged to some family already in position." "The var=
ious spellings of the name are Eldred, Eldreth, Eltred, Eltreth, Elred, and=
Heltred, besides Elftred which I [Frederick W. Ragg] have adopted simply b=
ecause that is the earliest form in which I have found it in an original do=
cument, see, Transactions, CWAAS, N.S. Vol. 1909, pg. 239." Source, Transac=
tions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1914, 'de Culwen', by Rev. Frederick W. Ragg=
, pgs. 343,

archives, and reading some of the current discussions about Eldred, and the=
Curwen family, etc. and thought I would share what information I have comp=
iled for Elftred or Eldred , ancestor of the Curwens of Workington & de Lan=
casters of Kendal. My research information is gathered from the various pu=
blished sources as cited.=0A =0A"Elftred, a purely English [Anglo-Saxon] na=
me having various spellings according to different dialects and languages, =
was the father of three sons, Gilbert=86, Ketel and William. Beyond this no=
thing is known of him either in legend or in history. We can only surmise t=
hat he was a man of considerable position as the possessions of his two eld=
er sons, held in part as over-lords in part as mesne lords extended widely =
over Cumberland,Westmorland and Furness. Moreover his grandson was of such =
a social position that he was able to marry the daughter of Gospatric, the =
great Earl of Northumbria and of Dunbar." Source, 'History of the Ancient H=
ouse of Curwen,' by JF Curwen, published 1928, pg. 7.=0A =0A"The common anc=
estor of the two families of de Lancaster and de Culwen - a name that for a=
time in the thirteenth century became de Currewenne, then fell back to Cul=
wen and finally settled into Curwen in the end of the fifteenth century - w=
as one Elftred, a man with a plainly English name, of whom no prominent act=
ions are recorded, either in legend or in history. The fair conclusion from=
this is that he was not one of those men who by superior abilities of some=
sort rise from lowliness to great possessions, and the alternative is that=
he belonged to some family already in position." "The various spellings of=
the name are Eldred, Eldreth, Eltred, Eltreth, Elred, and Heltred, besides=
Elftred which I [Frederick W. Ragg] have adopted simply because that is th=
e earliest form in which I have found it in an original document, see, Tran=
sactions, CWAAS, N.S. Vol. 1909, pg. 239." Source, Transactions, CWAAS, New=
Series, Vol. 1914, 'de Culwen', by Rev. Frederick W. Ragg, pgs. 343,
345. =0A =0AThere appeared a close relationship between Gospatric, Earl of=

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Elftred 'the Englishman' (also called Eldred, the Thane, see 'Ancestral Ro=
ots,' Frederick Lewis Weis, published 2004, pgs. 43, 94), specifically, Elf=
tred (or Eldred) had held Milburn in Westmorland under Gospatric, Earl of D=
unbar, with the lordship being continued through Elftred's descendants, the=
de Lancaster family of Kendal (Milburn in Westmorland was traditionally en=
glish land which was holden to the house of Dunbar until their lordship was=
deprived of the said manor in 1314).

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wo men, specifically, "In the lands of Roger of Poictou in the West Riding =
of Yorkshire, Gospatric and Eldred had held Federby of 3 carucates as two m=
anors and Gospatric was then holding them of Count Alan." Source, Transacti=
ons CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1914, 'de Culwen', pg. 345.

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le house of Dunbar*. Source, Transactions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1962, 'T=
he Parentage of William de Lancaster, Lord of Kendal', by George Washington=
, pg. 99; and also supposed 'the thane' of Culwen in Galloway; "according t=
o Denton [John Denton, MS History of Cumberland c. 1603] these Galloway lan=
ds [Culwen] were "granted" (probably meaning confirmed) to Eldred's descend=
ants [Thomas de Wyrkington and the subsequent Curwen family of Workington] =
by Roland, Lord [Earl] of Galloway at the end of the 12 century." Source, T=
ransactions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1961, 'Strickland and Neville', by Geo=
rge Washington, pg. 76, facing pg. 78 pedigree chart. Note: The names of Ea=
rl Gospatric's maternal grandparents do suggest connection with the name of=
Elftred, specifically, "=C6lfgifu" and "Uchtred."

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n-law of Eldred rather than his son. Sources: DOMESDAY DESCENDANTS Vol. II;=
by K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, published 2002, page 539; also, "The parentage of=
William de Lancaster, lord of Kendal," by George Washington, in Transactio=
ns of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiq. & Arch. Soc. New Series, Vol. 196=
2 : pg. 96.

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bois] "had an only daughter, nobly espoused" (the Duchess of Cleveland's Ba=
ttle Abbey Roll, III, 345). Source, Transactions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1=
962, 'The Parentage of William de Lancaster, Lord of Kendal', by George Was=
hington, pgs. 96, 97. (Eldred 'the Englishman' married Ivo de Taillebois' d=
aughter Beatrice from whom descended the de Lancaster family, barons of Ken=
dal in Westmorland. Source: DOMESDAY DESCENDANTS Vol. II; by K. S. B. Keats=
-Rohan, published 2002, page 1121.)

Dunbar and Elftred 'the Englishman' (also called Eldred, the Thane, see 'A=
ncestral Roots,' Frederick Lewis Weis, published 2004, pgs. 43, 94), specif=
ically, Elftred (or Eldred) had held Milburn in Westmorland under Gospatric=
, Earl of Dunbar, with the lordship being continued through Elftred's desce=
ndants, the de Lancaster family of Kendal (Milburn in Westmorland was tradi=
tionally english land which was holden to the house of Dunbar until their l=
ordship was deprived of the said manor in 1314). =0A =0AAlso of note, the f=
ollowing statement infers a joint tenure between the two men, specifically,=
"In the lands of Roger of Poictou in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Gospatr=
ic and Eldred had held Federby of 3 carucates as two manors and Gospatric w=
as then holding them of Count Alan." Source, Transactions CWAAS, New Series=
, Vol. 1914, 'de Culwen', pg. 345.=0A =0ASpeculation is that Eldred was pos=
sibly a younger scion branch of the noble house of Dunbar*. Source, Transac=
tions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1962, 'The Parentage of William de Lancaster=
, Lord of Kendal', by George Washington, pg. 99; and also supposed 'the tha=
ne' of Culwen in Galloway; "according to Denton [John Denton, MS History of=
Cumberland c. 1603] these Galloway lands [Culwen] were "granted" (probably=
meaning confirmed) to Eldred's descendants [Thomas de Wyrkington and the s=
ubsequent Curwen family of Workington] by Roland, Lord [Earl] of Galloway a=
t the end of the 12 century." Source, Transactions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol.=
1961, 'Strickland and Neville', by George Washington, pg. 76, facing pg. 7=
8 pedigree chart. Note: The names of Earl Gospatric's maternal grandparents=
do suggest connection with the name of Elftred, specifically, "=C6lfgifu" =
and "Uchtred." =0A =0A=86 Gilbert is now accepted by modern day genealogist=
s as being the son-in-law of Eldred rather than his son. Sources: DOMESDAY =
DESCENDANTS Vol. II; by K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, published 2002, page 539; als=
o, "The parentage of William de Lancaster, lord of Kendal," by George Washi=
ngton, in Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiq. & Arch. Soc. =
New Series, Vol. 1962 : pg. 96.=0A =0A*According to the late twelfth centur=
y writer Peter of Blois, Ivo [Taillebois] "had an only daughter, nobly espo=
used" (the Duchess of Cleveland's Battle Abbey Roll, III, 345). Source, Tra=
nsactions, CWAAS, New Series, Vol. 1962, 'The Parentage of William de Lanca=
ster, Lord of Kendal', by George Washington, pgs. 96, 97. (Eldred 'the Engl=
ishman' married Ivo de Taillebois' daughter Beatrice from whom descended th=
e de Lancaster family, barons of Kendal in Westmorland. Source: DOMESDAY DE=
SCENDANTS Vol. II; by K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, published 2002, page 1121.) =0A=
=0ATimothy J. Cartmell=0A=0A