What is "leofric"

Leofric may refer to:

• Leofric (bishop) (1016–1072), English religious leader
• Leofric (fl. 1070) (fl. 1070), English writer
• Leofric, Earl of Mercia (968–1057), English noble and benefactor of churches
• Alan Ernest Leofric Chorlton (1874-1946), British mechanical engineer and politician
• Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander (1891-1969), British officer and Governor General of Canada

Leofric (before 1016–1072) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. Probably a native of Cornwall, he was educated on the continent. At the time Edward the Confessor was in exile before his succession to the English throne, Leofric joined his service and returned to England with him. After he became king, Edward rewarded Leofric with lands. Although a 12th-century source claims Leofric held the office of chancellor, modern historians agree he never did so.

Edward appointed Leofric as Bishop of Cornwall and Bishop of Crediton in 1046, but because Crediton was a small town, the new bishop secured papal permission to move the episcopal seat to Exeter in 1050. At Exeter, Leofric worked to increase the income and resources of his cathedral, both in lands and in ecclesiastical vestments. He was a bibliophile, and collected many manuscripts; some of these he gave to the cathedral library, including a famous manuscript of poetry, the Exeter Book. Leofric died in 1072; although his remains were moved to the new Exeter Cathedral which was built after his death, their location is no longer known and the current tomb does not mark his resting place.

Leofric ( fl. 1070) was an English cleric and writer who wrote an Old English history of Hereward the Wake.

The author of the Gesta Herewardi claims that Leofric was Hereward's priest and wrote an account of Hereward's life in Old English. The Gestas author then used the Old English work as a source for his Latin Gesta. According to the Gesta, Leofric was a priest at Bourne while Hereward was active with his rebellion. No version of Leofric's work survives.

The number of details in the first part of the Gesta, which is where the Gestas author claimed to use Leofric's work, is an argument for the existence of such a work, whether or not it was actually authored by Leofric.