Life
In 1070, Judith married Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria. They had three children, the eldest daughter, Maud, brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland.
In 1075, Waltheof joined the Revolt of the Earls against William. It was the last serious act of resistance against the Norman conquest of England. Judith betrayed Waltheof to her uncle, who had Waltheof beheaded on 31 May 1076.
After Waltheof's execution Judith was betrothed by William to Simon I of St. Liz, 1st Earl of Northampton. Judith refused to marry Simon and she fled the country to avoid William's anger. He then temporarily confiscated all of Judith's English estates.
Judith founded Elstow Abbey in Bedfordshire around 1078. She also founded churches at Kempston and Hitchin.
She had land-holdings in 10 counties in the Midlands and East Anglia. Her holdings included land at:
- Earls Barton, Northamptonshire
- Great Doddington, Northamptonshire
- Grendon, Northamptonshire
- Merton, Oxfordshire
- Piddington, Oxfordshire
- Potton, Bedfordshire
The parish of Sawtry Judith in Huntingdonshire is named after the Countess.
Read more about this topic: Judith Of Lens
Famous quotes containing the word life:
“And all the great traditions of the Past
They saw reflected in the coming time.
And thus forever with reverted look
The mystic volume of the world they read,
Spelling it backward, like a Hebrew book,
Till life became a Legend of the Dead.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)
“Tomorrow in the offices the year on the stamps will be altered;
Tomorrow new diaries consulted, new calendars stand;
With such small adjustments life will again move forward
Implicating us all; and the voice of the living be heard:
“It is to us that you should turn your straying attention;
Us who need you, and are affected by your fortune;
Us you should love and to whom you should give your word.””
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“Whoever influences the child’s life ought to try to give him a positive view of himself and of his world. The child’s future happiness and his ability to cope with life and relate to others will depend on it.”
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)