The author of some of these may be one Ælfric, later a priest and deacon in the service of Bishop Oswald of Worcester, a strong supporter of Dunstan, and the monastic reform movement. The difficult Latin entry inserted into the Mac Durnan Gospels, which Æthelstan donated to Christ Church, Canterbury, has been ascribed to Koenwald and may be seen as a prelude to the convoluted style of this alliterative group.
The identity of some of these works may be linked to Ælfric, who later served as a priest and deacon under Bishop Oswald's leadership at Worcester. A complex Latin passage in the Mac Durnan Gospels, which Æthelstan presented to Christ Church, Canterbury, has been connected to Koenwald and might be viewed as an early example of the intricate style characteristic of this poetic group.