Domne Eafe

Who is Domne Eafe?

Domne Eafe was, according to the Kentish royal legend, a granddaughter of King Eadbald of Kent and the foundress of the double monastery at Minster-in-Thanet during the reign of her cousin King Ecgberht of Kent.

The oldest version of the legend, Stowe 944, is explicit that Eafe and Eormenburg was the same person; others identify Eormenburg as a sister of Eafe's.

Domne Eafe appears as a witness or beneficiary in a number of Kentish charters dating from the late 7th century, under the name "Æbbe", and it is presumed that "Domne Eafe" represents a vernacular corruption of Latin "Domina Æbbe", that is, "Lady Æbbe".