Although Eadnoth is a central figure in the changes in England around the 1060's, I have not been able to find any documented evidence of lineage to Sven II or Glytha/Gytha de Denmark.  There are a number of documents that identify his importance but no where do they identify his parents or marital status.  Any connections that I give beyond this point must be treated as interesting possibilities and great stories of Viking life. 

Eadnoth is spelled in many different documents in many different ways.  He is described as a Saxon Dapifer, general, a steward, a Constable and a Stallere. His name has been spelled Alnod, Aeldnoth, Elnod, Ednod, and Eadnoth. [Eyton 78] We have little to no information on his parents or marriage.  Since Harding Fitzeadnoth used the title of Prince of Denmark some researchers have justified that he must have been the grandson of a Danish King or Queen such as Gytha but it is possible that if Harding has royalty it may have come from his undocumented mother. 

The prefix of "Fitz" as a portion of the surname is based on the French words fils de which stands for "son of".  It has been Anglicized to Fitz. It was used by Vikings of Normandy, as a similar naming pattern found in Scandinavia.  The first name of the father becomes part of the last name of the son or daughter.   Eadnoth's son Harding should then be Harding Fritzeadnoth. This kind of naming goes on for many generations.  It comes from Normandy where Vikings had settled for generations and then transported to England through battles and marriages.  In fact the name "staller" is a Danish word for a "place-holder". [Barlow 165]

The records are very confusing and missing many normally available facts.  Researchers are using Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English and French records to reconstruct the families and often times using inferences over facts. 

Harald Sigurdsson "Hardrada" meaning "stern counsel", King of Norway c1046-1068, a Danish mercenary and would-be-king of Denmark and England. If Eadnoth is a son of Sven II, Harald "Hardrada" would be his cousin. Harald "Hardrada" was defeated by the English which allowed for peace from Danish raiding for a number of years.  It is not known if Eadnoth was with the English who defeated the Viking Hardrada but Hardrada's death at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire did give Harold Godwinsin a temporary victory.   Edward's unexpected death created a war between Harald II, his heir of choice, and William the Conqueror who, did have a bloodline claim, and who quickly invaded England from Normandy. 

The Anglo-Saxon Chronical stated:

In January of 1066 Edward "the Confessor" dies.  Harold Godwinsin claimed that Edward had nominated him to succeed him as King.  The other claimants to the throne were not accepting of this.  The Viking Harald Sigursson "Hardrada" believed that he had a right and the military prowess to be king and lead a fleet of 300 Viking ships from Norway on an invasion course to York in partnership with Tostig, Harold Godwinsin's dispossessed brother.  Harold  Godwinsin heard of Hardrada's plan to invade England and marched an army north to meet the challenge in September of 1066.  At the same time William Duke of Normandy who did have a bloodline to connection to Edward felt that he should be the lawful king of England. By the time that Harold Godwinsin had arrived in the north "Hardrada" and Tostig had successfully taken York moved out of town toward the Stamford Bridge area.  There the forces met on September 25 and battled for hours, "Hardrada" is killed, taking an arrow through the neck.  The Vikings were reduced to only 30 ships for the retreat. Tostig also dies here. Only three days after the battle at Stamford Bridge William the Duke of Normandy invades England to meet the Harold's weary army at Hastings where Harold is killed.  William goes on to put down any other contenders, pretenders and rebels anywhere in England and becomes William The Conqueror.  Over the next several years the sons of Harold fought for the realm.  William was perhaps more ruthless but also more organized and did unify England and set up a system of taxation based very much on the first ever census through the Domesday Book. Eadnoth is mentioned in the Doomesday Book compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror as having had 30 holdings in Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire before the conquest.  If Eadnoth was involved in the Battle of Stamford Bridge he made a return to Gloustershire by 1068 where Harald Godwinsin's remaining sons, renewed the claim at Somerset.  Here Eadnoth, heading the local militia, is slain while also repulsing the attack.   [wikipedia.com]

Because of his loyalty to Edward as opposed to Harald Godwinsin, Eadnoth apparently lost his right to the land.  Even though he had a son, Harding/Herdinge, his son did not receive this as an inheritance.  It is argued by Freeman that Harding's lack of inheritance may have had more to do with some slight that he did to Godwin or William the Conqueror who followed almost immediately after the Hardrada's Viking attack was repelled.  Eadnoth apparently had held some claim on Saint Mary's abbey.   As in the Domesday Book, "Ednod tenuit T. R. E. Hanc terram abstulit Godwinus comes Sanctae Mariae Wiltunensi, it tunc eam recuperavit Edondus." translated it implies that Eadnoth had a claim to the church land and through the intervention of Godwine it was returned to Eadnoth or his estate.  Eventually Harding does get this property.  [Freeman 757]

Comparatively little is known of this great Saxon general, and nothing at all of his early life and family, except his son Harding fitz Eadnoth. The following research was part of a seven volume series on the Norman invasion published in 1878 by Oxford College written by Edward Freeman.



Although many writers even of the period surrounding the invasions and the Battle of Samford bridge have written about the invasion in terms of English national unity against the Normans or French.  This is not proved in the facts.  Shelley, states that it was unclear even what language spoken in England at that time. It was likely to have been a combination of language groups existing at the same time and place. There were mixed settlements of French, English, Normans and Danes throughout the island. There were settlements of all language groups often fighting desperately to survive in a servile position to the lords and sheriffs of the land.  Rather than rebelling against William and his army many of the villages submitted peace proposals after only the briefest resistance. Their armies often joined with Williams to conquer other territories. 

    His transactions with Aelfwold, Bishop of Sherborne, shows him to have been in an influential position before A. D., 1058. For the next ten years he served as a high officer under Kings Edward, Harold and William the Conqueror.
The mystery remains as to how Eadnoth Fitzharding is the son of Swen II is possible.  We do know that Sven made a number of trips to England as a young man.  He also is known to have had many mistresses as well as five wives.  I have found no confirming documents, so far, that say that Glytha de Denmark was one of them.  Ancient local historians state, "As to the descendants of Harding, it seems in highest degree probable that this Harding was the father of Robert Fitz-Harding of Bristol, the forefather of the second line of the lords of Berkeley.  Local antiquaries call Harding of Bristol, and what not.  The unlikelihood of a son of Swegen Estrithsson being in the service of William never strikes them. On the other hand, nothing is more likely than that a Thegn holding lands in Somerset and Gloucecstershire, but how clearly held a much small amount of land that his father, and who was the peculiar and unwarlike disposition described by William of Malmesbury, should through his lot with the burghers of the great city which lay on the confines of the two shires, and should rise to eminence among them." [Freeman p. 758]

Wm. Malmesbury wrote in Latin:"Vocabatur is Ednodus, domi belloque Anglorum Temporibut juxtus insignis, pater Herdingi qui adhuc superest, magis consuctus linguam in lites acuere quam arma in bello concuture."  translated it states "Was it Ednodus, at home and English at the right time, distinguished by his father Herding is still living, more accustomed to the language of the debates than to sharpen the weapons of war." [Freeman 756]

The Oxford University Dictionary of National Biography has this excerpt about:

Eadnoth the Staller (d. 1068), landowner and administrator, is addressed in a writ of Edward the Confessor, relating to Hampshire and dated between 1053 and 1066 (AS chart., S 1129); his attestation is also found on two spurious charters for 1065 and he was probably at the beginning of his career in the 1060s. Stallers were members of the royal household and Eadnoth is elsewhere identified as the Confessor's steward; he seems also to have served as a royal justice. He continued in the service of Harold II and then of William I until he was killed in 1068 at Bleadon at the head of a force defending Somerset against an invasion by the sons of Harold. His estates, in Berkshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire, passed to Hugh d'Avranches, earl of Chester. He may have held some 65 hides of land in all, but there is some doubt as to whether he should be identified with another of Earl Hugh's predecessors, Alnoth the Staller. The names are distinct, but Alnoth could represent Old English Ealdnoth, and the Domesday scribe occasionally confuses the name elements Eald- and Ead-; alternatively Alnoth and Eadnoth may have been brothers. Eadnoth has been identified as the father of Harding son of Eadnoth, who by 1086 was a substantial landowner in Somerset, probably by virtue of service to the king; he was a royal justice in the time of William II and was still living in the early 1120s. Harding's Somerset lands went to his son, Nicholas of Meriott; another son was Robert fitz Harding, the Bristol burgess and founder of the second house of Berkeley.

[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, ]