Lady Wulfruna and the origins of Wolverhampton
Created | Updated Aug 5, 2002
Little is truly known of Lady Wulfruna, a figure of great importance to the West Midlands city of Wolverhampton. It is believed by some that she was the sister of King Edgar, who died in 975 AD. She was granted a town charter by King Aethelred the Unready in 985 AD for the settlement ( believed to have existed there in one way or another since 1200 BC ) that would evolve into Wolverhampton and given permission to grant land to others at will. In 995 AD, she is believed to have given away a small area of land for a monastery to be built at the high point of the town, which during the 14th century was replaced by St Peters Church and Gardens, which stands to this day.
Opinion on whether the city is named after Lady Wulfruna is split, the city was once believed to be called Wulfrun Heantun, which concievebly could have developed into the word "Wolverhampton". Others have argued that the literal meaning of the word Wolverhampton is "Town on the Hill", which would suggest that the "Wolver" section is some how derived from an ancient word for Hill, given that Hampton is a corruption of the word "Heantun", a Saxon word for settlement.
Opinion on whether the city is named after Lady Wulfruna is split, the city was once believed to be called Wulfrun Heantun, which concievebly could have developed into the word "Wolverhampton". Others have argued that the literal meaning of the word Wolverhampton is "Town on the Hill", which would suggest that the "Wolver" section is some how derived from an ancient word for Hill, given that Hampton is a corruption of the word "Heantun", a Saxon word for settlement.
