This account of the destruction of Ely Abbey by the Vikings at the end of the ninth century formed part of an Ely myth, which claimed that there had been a hiatus in monastic life between the achievements of the double monastery (founded in the late seventh century) and the re-establishment of monastic life in the late tenth century by Bishop Æthelwold. Although the Ely sources recognized that a community of priests had existed at Ely Abbey during the mid tenth century, their shortcomings led to the view that the period between 870 and 970 comprised a ‘missing’ century in terms of the correct observance of monastic life. As a result the Ely sources failed to elaborate upon the connections between the community and a number of secular families during the period of refoundation. Yet other narrative sources which were written at an earlier date before being embedded within the Liber Eliensis, as well as existing as independent texts, discuss the patronage of Ely Abbey by tenth-century families, and can be used to analyse the relationship between aristocracy and society during the tenth century.

The realities of the social order in the hinterland of Ely Abbey cannot be understood unless it is appreciated that these independent sources were part of the Ely textual arsenal which was intended to direct attention away from the ‘missing’ century in the abbey's history. Thus, the Libellus Æthelwoldi Episcopi was interested in setting out the achievements of Bishop Æthelwold and Abbot Byrhtnoth (970–996x9) in the refoundation of the Ely community, but in so doing discusses the relationships with lay social groupings. This source provides extensive information on lords and peasants who donated, sold or exchanged estates with Bishop Æthelwold and Abbot Byrhtnoth, with these transactions then being subject to legal disputes on the death of King Edgar.