c. 1025 – c. 1086
House: Wessex
Edith the Fair, also known as Ealdgȳð Swann hnesce or Edith Swanneck, was born around 1025. She was one of the wealthiest magnates in England before the Norman Conquest and is believed to have been the first wife of King Harold Godwinson. Her name, meaning 'Gentle Swan,' reflects her status and possibly her character.
Edith may have been the mother of several of Harold's children, including Gunhild and Gytha of Wessex. Gytha later married Vladimir II Monomakh, the Grand Prince of Kiev. Edith is also identified by some as the visionary behind the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, known as 'Rychold' or 'Richeldis de Faverches'.
Edith the Fair died around 1086 at the age of about 61. Her identification of Harold's body after the Battle of Hastings ensured his Christian burial at Waltham Abbey.
Death: Died around 1086 at about age 61; buried at Waltham Abbey.
Children: Gunhild, Gytha, Godwin, Edmund, Magnus, Ulf
Marriages: Harold Godwinson
Parents: Thorkell the Tall, a daughter of Æthelred the Unready?