Dolphin (Bodin) Thorfinnsson, Lord of Appletreewick & Bingley

• Dolphin (Bodin) Thorfinnsson of Appletreewick Lord of Bingley, was born about 1040 in Ravelswath, York & died before 1064.

Children

• N.N. Dolfinsdotter;
• Thorfin Dolfinsson
• Swayne or Swain Dolfinsson

"Orkneyinga Saga" would be of Mixed Reliability for the Eleventh Century.

Orkneyinga Saga" would be of mixed reliability for the eleventh century. One notable place in the early eleventh century where the account is confirmed by contemporary evidence is the death of jarl Sigurd at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, as the Irish annals not only give his death in that battle, but give a patronymic which agrees with the Norse accounts. (To my knowledge, this is the earliest item in the "Orkneyinga Saga" which is unambiguously verified by contemporary sources.) On the other hand, to give an example of a significant error, "Orkneyinga Saga" confuses the chronology of two eleventh century Scottish kings, Macbeth and his father Findlaech, switching their order.

If it were statements specifically about the Scottish kings, then I would agree with this. However, the statements I was talking about referred to supposed events involving jarls of Orkney and these Scottish rulers. One test of reliability is how reliable the eventsthemselves are (and not just the list of jarls).

That being said, a closer look indicates that my comment was more relevant to the unreliability of the tenth century than the ninth. Jarl Sigurd (who died at Clontarf in 1014) is said to have had a confrontation with "jarl" Finnleik of Scotland, i.e., Finnlaech mac Ruaidrí, who is called "ri Alban" (king of Scotland) in his 1020 obituary in the Annals of Ulster (although he does not appear on the Scottish king lists). On the other hand, Sigurd's uncle Ljot is earlier said to be a contemporary of "jarl" Macbeth of Scotland, which would be a clear anachronism if this Macbeth is to be identified with Finnlaech's son, who is the only Macbeth known to Scottish history.

It is likely that the Sigurd-Finnlaech story is historical, but the Ljot-Macbeth seems more likely to be an nonhistorical anachronism. (One would have to explain it away as an otherwise unknown Macbeth, but that looks like special pleading to me.) However, as I mentioned above, that would be a problem with the reliability of tenth century events rather than the eleventh.

See other responses in this thread for some general comments. As for the specific matter of an alleged son named Dolfin, the "Orkneyinga Saga" mentions no such son. That does not mean that no such son existed, but the question then becomes: What evidence is there for such a son in the first place?

The evidence for the existence of a son Dolfin is found in several secondary, sources, among which are these three:

Ellis, Alfred S., "Biographical Notes on the Yorkshire Tenants Named in Domesday Book," The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 4:385 states, "Gospatric [son of Arkill] took to wife a daughter of Dolfin, son of Thorfin, and had a son, Gospatric, who "of late ought to have fought with" (his cousin) Waltheof, son of Eilsi of Tees, perhaps about some of those lands of the see of Durham, which bishop Aldun had given his daughter, from whom both were descended." He does cite Ordericus IV.iv and IV.v in this general section, but I do not have access to this and do not know if there is relevant info relating to Dolfin.

Turner, Joseph Horsfall, "Ancient Bingley or Bingley, Its History and Scenery"(Bingley: Thomas Harrison, 1897.), p. 62 states, "Gospatric fitz Arkill married a daughter of Dolfin son of Thorfin..."

Speight, Harry, "Chronicles and Stories of Old Bingley"(London: Elliot Stock, 1898., p. 73 states, "Archil, the father of Gospatric, who lived in the reign of Edward the Confessor, also rebelled against the Conqueror, and was likewise dispossessed. Gospatric took to wife a daughter of Dolphin, son of Thorfin, and ones of his sons was named after him. Gospatric, the elder, was the only Englishman in Yorkshire permitted to keep any of his estates after the survey of England completed by the Conqueror in 1086. Gospatric forfeited the manor of Bingley, but retained many others, including the manor of Holden-in-Craven, which he continued to hold as the king's thane. He must not be confounded with Gospatric, ancestor of the Earls of Dunbar..."

On page 74 of Speight's book is a pedigree chart showing the relationship between Gospatric, Earl of Dunbar and Gospatric, son of Arkil. In addition to Gospatric, Arkil is the father of another Arkil who was the father of Alwyn, ancestor to the Earls of Lennox as noted in "Complete Peerage" VII, p. 586. This chart fills in the early part of the pedigree suggested in CP.

The elder Arkil, son of Uchtred, Earl of Northumbria, is not to be confused with a contemporary Arkil of Ripley, who Ellis identifies as the son of Ulf (Ellis, 4:390).

Gospatric Fitz Arkil had another son named Dolfin, which name does not appear in the family of Gospatric before his supposed marriage with the daughter of Dolfin, son of Thorfin. Gospatric also had a son named Thorfin, presumably named for Thorfin, the son of Sigurd, who later became the Earl of Caithness (cf. CP II: 473).

Dolfin, son of Thorfin, held the manor of Appletreewick. Dolfin, son of Gospatric later held three manors: Appletreewick, Hartlington, and Rilleston. "Ilbert de Laci acquired Dolfin's manor in Bradley" (Ellis, 4:392). This Dolfin also became the ancestor of the family of 'de Hebden', benefactors to Fountains Abbey, as well as the Brodelegh/Bradley family of Bingley & Halifax.

From The Ancient Bingley History and Scenery, by Turner, J. Horsfall (Joseph Horsfall), b. 1845

Page 61

Gospatric, third son of Uchtred, and Earl of Northumberland, was murdered by order of Queen Eadgith in 10G5, for her brother Tostig's sake. He had two kinsmen, cousins, of the same name but exact -relationship unknown. One made peace with the Conqueror, but had to withdraw to Scotland for safety, and became ancestor of the Earls of Dunbar. He was buried at Durham. The other cousin, Gospatric, son of Arkill, a thane or noble, held properties in Domesday Survey. His aged father, the thane, made a treaty of peace with the Conqueror in 1068, but joined his relative Earl Gospatric, Merlesweyn, Edgar Atheling, and others, at York in rebellion, 1069. Arkill fled to Scotland, and his son Gospatric would have been slain had not the King, who had had him as hostage some time, formed an attachment to him. He was the only Anglian who retained any of his possessions in Yorkshire. His mother was Sigfrida, daughter of the Yorkshire thane Kilvert son of Ligulf. Gospatric fitz Arkill married a daughter of Dolfin son of Thorfin, and had sons, Gospatric, Thurstan, Dolfin, Uctred, and Thorfin, all great men in after date, and progenitors of landed proprietors in a smaller degree.

Links

• http://www.bradleyfoundation.org/genealogies/32Gen/tobg36.htm#15867
• https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/normans_19.html
• https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~hwbradley/genealogy/aqwg1866.htm#33016
• http://gflynn.com/FAMILY/Collins/Sarah/Bradley/Broadley/GospatricBr...

Sources

• Who was the ‘Cumbrian’ Earl Gospatric? - https://thewildpeak.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/who-was-the-cumbrian-e...
• Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England By Richard Fletcher - https://books.google.com/books?id=Mz7k0NeveBYC&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&d...
• Wikipedia of Aldhun of Durham - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldhun
• Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England By Richard Fletcher, page 132 - https://books.google.com/books?id=Mz7k0NeveBYC&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&d...
• EADWULF (-murdered 1041). Simeon of Durham names "Aldred, Eadulf and Cospatric" as the three sons of "Uchtred"[354]. Simeon of Durham records that Eadwulf succeeded in Northumbria after his brother Ealdred was murdered but that he was "put to death by Siward"[355]. Named son of Uhtred by Roger of Hoveden, second of the three sons he lists, specifying that he succeeded his brother as Earl of Northumbria [356]. He was betrayed and murdered on the orders of King Harthacnut[357]. m as her second husband, SIGRIDA, [widow] of ARKIL (son of Fridegist), daughter of KILVERT & his wife Ecgfrida. Simeon of Durham's Account of the Siege of Durham records that "Sigrida, the daughter of Kilvert and of Ecgfrida, the daughter of bishop Aldun" (first wife of Eadwulf's father Uhtred) married "Arkil the son of Fridegist, and earl Eadulf, and Arkil the son of Ecgfrith" - https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/s/Uchtred-Buccle...
• A History of Northumberland, in Three Parts: General history of the country By John Hodgson, John Hodgson-Hinde, James Raine, John Collingwood Bruce - https://books.google.com/books?id=D1IGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=...
• Marriage and Murder in Eleventh-century Northumbria: A Study of 'De ...By Christopher J. Morris - https://books.google.com/books?id=Crnv8jaK7hkC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=...
• Fryde et al. 1996, Handbook of British Chronology p. 214
• Fryde et al. 1996, Handbook of British Chronology p. 216
• Fletcher 2003, Bloodfeud p. 70
• a b Rollason 2004, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• a b Stenton 1971, Anglo-Saxon England p. 418 footnote 2
• a b Williams 2003, Æthelred the Unready pp. 72–73
• Fletcher 2003, Bloodfeud pp. 75-
• Gospatric" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
• Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Temp06 (Reliability: 3)
• ORIGINS CLAN DUNBAR - http://www.clandunbar.com/history.htm
• Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Swinton01 (Reliability: 3)
• Crawford, Barbara E. Thorfinn Sigurdson (II) [Þorfinnr Sigurðarson , Þorfinnr inn Ríki (c. 1009–c. 1065). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press (2004), citing, “Thorfinn's own piety is beyond doubt, as is evident from his pilgrimage to Rome. Neither liaisons nor offspring of any union is mentioned other than with his wife, Ingebjorg (Earls' Mother; d. c.1070), daughter of Finn Árnason of Norway, and one of their sons is named, significantly, Paul (the first Christian name in the earldom family).” Thorfinn Sigurdson.
• 23.0 23.1 23.2 Skene, William Forbes. Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alba. Volume III. Land and People. Edinburgh: David Douglas (1886), This edition Paisley PA: Grian Press (2014), loc. 6359, https://a.co/cpEIDLT
• Rampini, Charles. “A History of Moray and Nairn.” Muskegon, MI: Electric Scotland USA LLC (1898), citing, “As for his cousin Duncan…He had hardly succeeded to his grandfather’s throne than we find him in hostilities with…Thorfinn to recover possession by force of arms of the earldom of Caithness and Sutherland or to make Thorfinn pay tribute for it….The Norsemen were…successful; and in the end they gained a decisive victory…The fight was (at) Torfness—Burghead (on) 14th August 1040…led by King Duncan in person…”[https://electricscotland.com/history/moray/nairn01.htm