Herefrith of Lincolnshire (died 875) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lincoln during the late 9th century AD. After failing to be elected Ealdorman of Lincolnshire at a shiremoot in 875, he rebelled against the newly-elected Ealdorman Hunwald of Lincolnshire, but he was killed at the Battle of Ancaster.
Biography[]
Herefrith worshipped in a small parish in the village of Louth, Lincolnshire in the Diocese of Lindsey before becoming a Roman Catholic priest and the Bishop of Lincoln; his true motive was to bring the Order of the Ancients' teachings to a wider view as a member of the Church of Rome. He worked closely with Ealdorman Hundbeorht of Lincolnshire and became a friend of his son Hunwald, but, as Hundbeorht lay dying in 875 AD and the shire devolved into anarchy, Herefrith collaborated with the Order in a plot to usurp power over the shire. Herefrith had a group of loyal soldiers spirit Hundbeorht away from the hospice where he was being healed, taking him to Bolingbroke Castle, where Hundbeorht ultimately died. Herefrith had Hundbeorht's body hidden in the crypt by Galwyna; meanwhile, he assumed control of the day-to-day matters of state from Lincoln while refusing to hold a shiremoot due to persisting hopes that Hundbeorht would return in the near future. Herefrith also secretly exiled Hunwald, with his soldiers telling Hunwald that he was considered an immediate threat to his father because of his purported ambition to become Ealdorman during his father's lifetime. Herefrith's plans were complicated when the Norse Viking warrior Eivor helped Hunwald return to Lincoln, and Herefrith - while initially hostile and xenophobic towards the Norseman - later acted as a helpful ally and tried to court Eivor's support for the shiremoot election for the ealdormanship after Hundbeorht's death became an open secret in Lincoln.
Death[]
Herefrith's dead body
At the ensuing shiremoot, however, the 12-man electorate was caught in a three-way tie between Hunwald, Herefrith, and Aelfgar of Gainsborough, forcing Eivor to break the deadlock. Eivor stood by his new friend Hunwald and cast the deciding vote in his favor, causing an angry Herefrith to storm out of the room. He then sent soldiers into the room to massacre the nobles in attendance, shouting "For the glory of the Ancients! Leave none alive!" before shutting the doors. Eivor helped to kill all of the assassins, and he became aware from Herefrith's last words that he was a member of the Order of the Ancients. Shortly after, Herefrith holed up at the fortress of Ancaster, where he had several of his men hanged while descending into paranoia. He was soon besieged by Hunwald's army, and he cowered in the chapel. Eivor chased him from the chapel to a cliffside, where Eivor shot Herefrith in the throat with an arrow before finishing him off with his hidden blade. Herefrith's betrayal, rebellion, and death brought great shame to the Church in Mercia.