Leofric, Abbot of Peterborough

"Hedda Stone" Anglo-Saxon sculpture from Medeshamstede

Leofric, nephew of Earl Leofric, was Abbot of Peterborough from 1057 to 1066. Medeshamstede was the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period. Leofric Endowed the monastery of Peterborough and it became known as 'Golden Borough'. According to the Peterborough Chronicle Leofric held not only the monastery of Peterborough but also those of Crowland, Burton, Coventry and Thorney.

Elsin ruled as Abbot of Peterborough for longer than any other abbot of the house; he died in 1055, having been superior for half a century. He was succeeded by Ernwin, a monk of Peterborough, who resigned in the second year of his rule. Leofric at once succeeded, and held office until the Norman invasion, dying on 30 October, 1066. Leofric had been with the English army, but sickening in the early part of the hastings campaign, he returned to Peterborough, and there died amid the greatest regret of both monks and laity, for he was much beloved.