Where Aldhun came from, or who his ancestors were, nobody knows for sure but the likelihood is that his origins include the Viking invaders and settlers that came over to these shores with Ida the Flamebearer.

Aldhun was a wealthy and influential landowner in the Tees area. At some stage in his adult life, he decided to turn his attentions to the church quickly becoming Bishop of Chester le Street and then Durham. It was Aldhun who took the body of St Cuthbert to Durham and with Uhtred, built the first stone cathedral on the present site. Aldhun had been married to a woman who history declined to name but his daughter Ecgfrida was not so ignored.
She was married to none other than Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria and High Reeve of Bamburgh.

Ecgfrida and Uhtred had one son, Aldred, before she was divorced in favour of Sigen, the daughter of Styr, a wealthy Dane of York. There were another two children from this marriage and then Uhtred went on to marry Alfgifu, daughter of the King, Ethelred II, by whom he had a daughter.

At some stage, between 1004 and 1015, Ecgfrida remarried, this time to a local thegn, Kilvert, son of Ligulf and from this marriage she produced a daughter Sigrida. Shortly after Uhtred, her first husband, was politically assassinated in 1016, she was once again divorced, returning to her fathers custody. She spent the rest of her days in a convent, probably quite thankful that she was no longer a political football.

Her son Aldred eventually went on to become Earl of Northumbria and fell victim of a blood feud that had gone on through the generations, since his fathers murder.

Sigrida was married 3 times, one of which was to Eadwulf, the son of her half brothers (Aldred) father (Uhtred) by his second marriage to Sigen. Confused ? I am not surprised but rest assured Sigrida and Edwulf were not actually related.

Edwulf became Earl until he was slain in 1041, by his nieces husband Siward the Great. This marriage, between Sigrida and Edwulf, produced a son Oswulf who became Earl of Bernicia (Northumbria above the Tees) in his own right until he was slain by a robber in 1067.

Sigrida's third marriage was to Arkil, son of Ecgfrith and from here the de Hebden family began to emerge.

Of Arkil and Sigrida's children we only have records of the one.

Gospatric de Rigton was born probably about 1045. Rigton still exists today between Harrogate and Leeds, with the site of the old manor still be visible within the village boundaries.

Whilst Arkil fled to Scotland, during the Northern Rebellion against the Conqueror, becoming progenitor of the House of Lennox and the Clan MacFarlane, his eldest son Gospatric remained in England. With his cousin Waltheof having married the Conquerors niece, perhaps he felt suitably positioned to raise his family and tend his estates without hindrance.
Waltheof, incidentally, was executed by William the Conqueror after being involved in a rebellion. He had the dubious honour of being the only Englishman to be sentenced to death by the conquering king.
Certainly having kinfolk of influence wouldn't have done Gospatric any harm. He married a daughter of Dolphin ( possibly another descendant of Uhtred) and raised four sons - Arkil, Uhtred, Dolphin and Gospatric.

Dolphin, of Appletreewick, Hertlington and Rilston, in his turn, produced three surviving sons, two of which became the ancestors of the Lascelles, Thoresby and Staveley families. The third son was Uctred de Hebden, who received the lands of his grandfather Gospatric and became the first Lord of Hebden, Burnsall and Coniston.
From that day forward there have been Hebdens in that area, some finding their small places in the history books and some fading into total obscurity. The name Hebden remains there to this day.