At the time Edward the Confessor was in exile before his succession to the English throne, Leofric joined his service and returned to England with him.
Although a 12th-century source claims Leofric held the office of chancellor, modern historians agree he never did so.
At Exeter, Leofric worked to increase the income and resources of his cathedral, both in lands and in ecclesiastical vestments.
Leofric died in 1072; although his remains were moved to the new Exeter Cathedral which was built after his death, their location is no longer known and the current tomb does not mark his resting place.
[8] His education possibly took place at the church of St Stephen's in Toul,[5] where the future Pope Leo IX was a canon from 1017 to 1024 and bishop after 1027.
[10] Leofric remained a close supporter and friend of Edward for the king's entire life.
[13] Historians are divided on whether or not Edward ever had an official that could be called a chancellor,[14] but they are agreed that Leofric did not hold such an office.
[19] Although Leofric had been a royal clerk before he became bishop, after his elevation he managed to avoid entanglement in the various disputes taking place between the king and Godwin, Earl of Wessex.
[21] The king, and his wife Edith took part in the ceremony of enthronement, with both of them leading the bishop to his cathedra, or episcopal chair.
[13] Leofric moved the seat of his see because Crediton was too poor and rural, and Exeter was a city with protective walls and an abandoned church that could be used as the new cathedral.
[17] Leofric claimed that he found his diocese lacking in episcopal vestments and the other items required for church services, and his surviving list of gifts to the church noted that he gave vestments, crosses, chalices, censers, altar coverings, and other furnishings to the cathedral.
[24] After the move to Exeter, Leofric worked to increase the endowment of the diocese, and especially the cathedral library,[5] which he found almost empty upon his arrival.
The historian Frank Barlow describes Leofric as "an able administrator and a progressive force" and one who "exemplifies the foreign prelate at his best".