Alfric

Alfric (AILFRIC, ALVRIC, ALVRED, ELFRIC, or ALERIC), an English prelate, lived in the beginning of the 11th century, and was brought up in the school established at Winchester by the bishop St. Ethelwold. In 987 he was appointed by St. Elphegus to govern the abbey of Cerne, in Dorsetshire; afterwards he became abbot of Medehampton (or Peterborough), eventually bishop of Worcester, and in 1023 archbishop of York. He obtained from king Ethelred many privileges for his order, and died in 1050. On account of his great knowledge he was called "the grammarian," and his sermons were so highly esteemed that they were translated into Saxon, and read publicly in the churches. He is often confounded with Aelfric of Canterbury (A.D. 996-1006), Aelfric of Abingdon (963-1005), Elfric of York (1023-1051), Alfric Bota the Anglo- Saxon scholar (1lth century), Alfric of Hereford (941), Alfric of Bamsbury or (?) Malmsbury (942), and Alfric of Westminister (956). See Cave, Historia Literaria, 2, 108; Rose, New General Biographical Dict., s.v.