Saints and Sunrises: An Anglo-Saxon Timeline
- Thread starter Bolt451
- Start date
687: Cuthbert's reforms
Excerpts from a history of Angland
By Bede of Jarway
BOOK III
CCuthbert, Archbishop of Lindisfarne, as portrayed in artwork at Eorforwic Abbey
CHAPTER XI: CUTHBERT, ARCHBISHOP OF LINDISFARNE CONFIRMS AND ESTABLISHES THE ORDER OF PRESEDENCE IN THE ANGLISH CHURCH AND ALSO DECLARES OSWINE AND OSWALD ANGLISH SAINTS (687 AD)
In the second year of his term as Archbishop of Lindisfarne Abbey, Cuthbert, who was formerly Bishop of Eorforwic, laid down in writing the fixed order of precedence for the Anglish church, which had until this point be based upon tradition and unspoken law. This humble servant of the church shall outline it as follows as per the notes and rules of the now at time of writing (730AD) Sainted Cuthbert. He divided the church into two great regions, each controlled by an archbishop, with each having multiple bishoprics below them, centred on the great monasteries of the nation. At this point many monasteries already had bishops but Cuthbert laid this out in ink and in history
The senior role is the Archbishop of LINDISFARNE. Head of the Anglish Church and central point of the community of God within the isle in which the Anglish peoples live. Under him is each of the Archbishops, who in turn have their areas split into bishoprics. Each bishop serves as the authority over their region as well as abbot of the specific monastery. He is also Archbishop of Northumbria as far south as former Lindsay and as far north into the Pictish and Scots lands as the Anglish church spreads, which grows ever further even at the writing of this book
Under him are the
Bishop of DUNHOLM, Senior of the Northumbrian realm of Bernicia.
In turn under him are the suffragan Bishops of HEXHAM and MONKWEARMOUTH-JARWAY,
The Bishop of EORFORWIC, Senior Bishop of Northumbrian realm of Deira
Under him are the suffragan Bishops of WHITBY, RIPON and BEVERLEY
The Bishop of LINDUN, Senior Bishop of the Northumbrian realm of Lindsay
The bishop of LICHFIELD, senior bishop of the Kingdom of Mercia
Under him are the suffragan Bishops of HEREFORD, TAMWORIG and REPTON,
Bishop of WITHORN, Archbishop of the Picts (1)
Under him are the Suffragan Bishops of Coldingham and Melrose
Second only to the Holy Isle is the Archbishop of GLASTONBURY, Archbishop of the Kingdom of Wessex, the Kingdoms of Sussex, Kent, Essex and East Anglia and the peoples of Wales who like the peoples of the North, are also still receiving the holy word of the Anglish church
Directly Under him are the Bishops of SULIS, GLECASTER and BUCKFAST
The bishop of REDLASHAM, senior bishop of the Kingdom of the East Angles.
Under him is the suffragan Bishop of ELY
The bishop of CANTERBURY, senior bishop of Kent
Under him is the suffragan Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of COLCHESTER, senior bishop of Essex
Under him is the suffragan the Bishops of LAUDENWIC
The Bishop of SELSEY, Bishop of Sussex
Under him is the Suffragan Bishop of CISCAESTER (2)
In autumn of that year this order was confirmed and ratified by each bishop mentioned within at the Synod of Lichfield.
At that time, Cuthbert proposed the canonisation of several noted members of the church, the Northumbrian kings Oswald and Oswine and Cuthbert’s predecessor, Eata, formerly of Hexham. This was agreed at the above mentioned Synod of Lichfield and it should be noted that although these three men were later declared saints of the Roman church, Cuthbert made these three men saints without papal approval. This was as a sign that the Anglish church is a force and authority unto itself within the family of god.
By Bede of Jarway
BOOK III
CCuthbert, Archbishop of Lindisfarne, as portrayed in artwork at Eorforwic Abbey
CHAPTER XI: CUTHBERT, ARCHBISHOP OF LINDISFARNE CONFIRMS AND ESTABLISHES THE ORDER OF PRESEDENCE IN THE ANGLISH CHURCH AND ALSO DECLARES OSWINE AND OSWALD ANGLISH SAINTS (687 AD)
In the second year of his term as Archbishop of Lindisfarne Abbey, Cuthbert, who was formerly Bishop of Eorforwic, laid down in writing the fixed order of precedence for the Anglish church, which had until this point be based upon tradition and unspoken law. This humble servant of the church shall outline it as follows as per the notes and rules of the now at time of writing (730AD) Sainted Cuthbert. He divided the church into two great regions, each controlled by an archbishop, with each having multiple bishoprics below them, centred on the great monasteries of the nation. At this point many monasteries already had bishops but Cuthbert laid this out in ink and in history
The senior role is the Archbishop of LINDISFARNE. Head of the Anglish Church and central point of the community of God within the isle in which the Anglish peoples live. Under him is each of the Archbishops, who in turn have their areas split into bishoprics. Each bishop serves as the authority over their region as well as abbot of the specific monastery. He is also Archbishop of Northumbria as far south as former Lindsay and as far north into the Pictish and Scots lands as the Anglish church spreads, which grows ever further even at the writing of this book
Under him are the
Bishop of DUNHOLM, Senior of the Northumbrian realm of Bernicia.
In turn under him are the suffragan Bishops of HEXHAM and MONKWEARMOUTH-JARWAY,
The Bishop of EORFORWIC, Senior Bishop of Northumbrian realm of Deira
Under him are the suffragan Bishops of WHITBY, RIPON and BEVERLEY
The Bishop of LINDUN, Senior Bishop of the Northumbrian realm of Lindsay
The bishop of LICHFIELD, senior bishop of the Kingdom of Mercia
Under him are the suffragan Bishops of HEREFORD, TAMWORIG and REPTON,
Bishop of WITHORN, Archbishop of the Picts (1)
Under him are the Suffragan Bishops of Coldingham and Melrose
Second only to the Holy Isle is the Archbishop of GLASTONBURY, Archbishop of the Kingdom of Wessex, the Kingdoms of Sussex, Kent, Essex and East Anglia and the peoples of Wales who like the peoples of the North, are also still receiving the holy word of the Anglish church
Directly Under him are the Bishops of SULIS, GLECASTER and BUCKFAST
The bishop of REDLASHAM, senior bishop of the Kingdom of the East Angles.
Under him is the suffragan Bishop of ELY
The bishop of CANTERBURY, senior bishop of Kent
Under him is the suffragan Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of COLCHESTER, senior bishop of Essex
Under him is the suffragan the Bishops of LAUDENWIC
The Bishop of SELSEY, Bishop of Sussex
Under him is the Suffragan Bishop of CISCAESTER (2)
In autumn of that year this order was confirmed and ratified by each bishop mentioned within at the Synod of Lichfield.
At that time, Cuthbert proposed the canonisation of several noted members of the church, the Northumbrian kings Oswald and Oswine and Cuthbert’s predecessor, Eata, formerly of Hexham. This was agreed at the above mentioned Synod of Lichfield and it should be noted that although these three men were later declared saints of the Roman church, Cuthbert made these three men saints without papal approval. This was as a sign that the Anglish church is a force and authority unto itself within the family of god.
- Thanks to Alex Richards for this suggestion
- OTL Chichester
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690-694 Aethelfrith and Cynedreth
Excerpt from “A Backpackers Guide to Angland”
2009, Global Child Press
Dunholm Castle should not be confused with Dunholm castle. The smaller stone and wood structure is some mile away from the larger, more recent and well known structure. The older castle in question was built in 679 by king Ecgfrith and finished under his son Aethelfrits2.4h by 690. It is a common story, though mostly conjecture to have been proposed by Prince Aedwine as a way of keeping Ecgfrith from the court at the then capital of Bamburgh and so to cement his own power. It was around this time that Dunholm Abbey and the surrounding monastery was built and can be found about a mile away from the castle (see page 83) and the proximity to the Abbey made the castle a popular residence for both Ecgfrith and his son Aethelfrith who were both highly spiritual. The prosperity of the abbey and it being the home of a bishophric is probably due to the king’s patronage.
The castle became centre of Northumbria when in 707 Osred, son of Aedwine and also regent of Northumbria, moved the capital to the more central and accessible town of Dunholm. This would mark the start of the “Dunholm period” of Anglish history, which would last for almost a century and a half
The castle would later decline when the royal castle was moved elsewhere upon the death of Aethelred the Great. It would later become tradition to move the royal residence with the death of each king. The castle fell into ruins but since the 1980s has been restored to look like it did in Aethelfrith’s reign and has a good interactive tour, gift shop and café with locally sourced traditional meals.
Excerpts from A History of Britain
By Bede of Jarway
Book III
CHAPTER XIII : KING AETHELFRITH OF NORTHUMBRIA TRAVELS TO LINDESFARNE TO BE MARRIED TO CYNEDRYTH, SISTER OF KING WULFGAR OF MERCIA (690AD)
Seeking to bring the two kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia Aethelfrith of Northumbria, son of Ecgfrith and Nephew of regent Aedwine was married to Cynedryth, first child of Wulfhere of Mercia and sister of Wulfgar, King of Mercia. The marriage was carried out by Eadfrith, Archbishop of Lindisfarne and head of the Anglish Church who was previously Bishop of Whitby. The two then returned to the royal residence at nearby Bamburgh. The two would later have a son, Eanfrith. Who would become king of Angland.
CHAPTER XIV: WULFGAR OF MERCIA DIES AND A WAR BEGINS OVER HIS SUCCESSION (694AD)
In 694 AD a crisis of succession befell the kingdom of Mercia when in a twist of fate, Wulfgar, King of Mercia fell from his horse. In going so, he broke his leg and brought upon an infection to his body. Wulfgar was taken unto the lord without an heir as all his children had been taken from him at young ages. There came a split within the peoples of Mercia in where their loyalties lay. Some pledged to Cynedryth, sister of the king and as mentioned before, wife of Aethelfrith of Mercia. Others could not declare themselves to a woman nor a different kingdoms king and instead pledged their loyalty to Paedwyn a distant cousin of Wulfgar and a descendent of the old king Penda. With this split, war raged across Mercia between the two factions. Though clearly god had plans for the child of Cynedryth and Aethelfrith for by 696AD they prevailed and captured the rebel Paedwyn’s last stronghold of Hereford.
Upon the Queen’s victory it was decreed that Aethelfrith and Cynedryth’s child would be king of both Northumbria and Mercia and bear the title “King of the Anglish” and as it shall be discussed later this came to pass with Eanfrith’s ascension to the throne in 709 AD.
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Alex Richards
Donor
OK, I'm having a bit of difficulty with the geography in Durham. Clearly the Castle and Monastery aren't both in the same place as their OTL counterparts if there's a mile between them, so where abouts are we looking?
Tbh, I improvised, I don't know Durham that well, I'll look into it and make a map overlay for you
705ish: The History Boys. I
Hope you don't mind the short posts atm, my attention span on painkillers is rubbish
Excerpt from Transcript of “The History Boys”
Series 4, Episode 3
Host Wulfric Baeker is walking across a field. Diggers and other construction equipment can be seen in the background. He is wearing a thick padded plastic coat and rubberised boots
WB: Day Two here at Stowburn in South Deira and Athelstan has found a find that seems out of place. Athelstan, I understand this threw you off your path a bit?
Baker walks over to a trench, a man stands up, he’s wearing durafabric shorts, a vest and a wide brimmed hat. Compared to Baker’s national pronunciation, his voice is distinctly Westian.
CAPTION: Professor Athelstan Hardin, University of Bricstow
Prof. Athelstan Hardin: That’s right Wulf, we’re obviously looking for Northumbrian finds of the early eigth century and we’ve found several finds but this was something different.
He holds up a small pendant. Its lettering its quite different and style distinct from other finds seen on the show although it has familiar elements like a cross and a figure with a halo, either a saint or Christ.
AH: This pendant has actually found its way all the way from Norway. Which I wouldn’t give a second thought if this were century or two later but this was found with other items dating from the late seventh century long before any significant Viking contact. Its even several decades before the first major Viking raids.
WB: Do you think there’s a chance Viking raids started earlier than we thought?
AH: Well, Morwenna’s got a theory on that.
Another person walks into camera, a woman in a fleeced jacket with wavey brown hair.
CAPTION: MORWENNA BRIGG, FINDS EXPERT
Morwenna Brigg: We did wonder that at first, Wulf. However short of the odd killed raider, early Viking attacks didn’t leave much in the way of physical evidence other than arrow heads and property damage. Besides, this is clearly a Christian religious icon when the Vikings were almost entirely pagan. We have a theory. Although its less common today, the Anglish church for many centuries practiced penance by exile, that is, they would repent their sins by leaving their homeland and in a lot of cases, spread the word of god. It is very possible that someone living in Stowburn had previously been in exile for a fixed number of years, fixed by a monk or perhaps even an abbot or bishop and had travelled to Scandinavia. While he was there he might’ve encountered or maybe even established a Christian community, that is however mere conjecture. So when his penance was spent he returned to Stowburn with this icon of a saint, or more likely Christ as a memento of his journey and a reminder of the exile he served.,
WB: And we can date that to the end of the 7th, start of the 8th centuries?
AH: We found with several coins.
AH shows WB several coins of different sizes and markings. AH points out two figures visible on a coin
AH: This first one is a Scilling which is similar to several found across both Northumbria and Mercia. The two figures on the coin are Athelfrith and Cynedryth, the king and Queen of Northumbria and
MB: Aethelfrith was technically the last king of Northumbria, with the unification of Northumbria and Mercia brought about by their marriage it was declared that their son would be dubbed king of the Anglish,
AH shows another coin, with a head in profile on, there is faint writing around the side.
AH: In fact, we can see that king here. It reads in Latin “Eanfrith, king of the Anglish”
WB: Brilliant, so its probably around the start of Eanfrith’s reign?
AH: Probably, though possibly a bit later
WB: Fantastic.
Excerpt from Transcript of “The History Boys”
Series 4, Episode 3
Host Wulfric Baeker is walking across a field. Diggers and other construction equipment can be seen in the background. He is wearing a thick padded plastic coat and rubberised boots
WB: Day Two here at Stowburn in South Deira and Athelstan has found a find that seems out of place. Athelstan, I understand this threw you off your path a bit?
Baker walks over to a trench, a man stands up, he’s wearing durafabric shorts, a vest and a wide brimmed hat. Compared to Baker’s national pronunciation, his voice is distinctly Westian.
CAPTION: Professor Athelstan Hardin, University of Bricstow
Prof. Athelstan Hardin: That’s right Wulf, we’re obviously looking for Northumbrian finds of the early eigth century and we’ve found several finds but this was something different.
He holds up a small pendant. Its lettering its quite different and style distinct from other finds seen on the show although it has familiar elements like a cross and a figure with a halo, either a saint or Christ.
AH: This pendant has actually found its way all the way from Norway. Which I wouldn’t give a second thought if this were century or two later but this was found with other items dating from the late seventh century long before any significant Viking contact. Its even several decades before the first major Viking raids.
WB: Do you think there’s a chance Viking raids started earlier than we thought?
AH: Well, Morwenna’s got a theory on that.
Another person walks into camera, a woman in a fleeced jacket with wavey brown hair.
CAPTION: MORWENNA BRIGG, FINDS EXPERT
Morwenna Brigg: We did wonder that at first, Wulf. However short of the odd killed raider, early Viking attacks didn’t leave much in the way of physical evidence other than arrow heads and property damage. Besides, this is clearly a Christian religious icon when the Vikings were almost entirely pagan. We have a theory. Although its less common today, the Anglish church for many centuries practiced penance by exile, that is, they would repent their sins by leaving their homeland and in a lot of cases, spread the word of god. It is very possible that someone living in Stowburn had previously been in exile for a fixed number of years, fixed by a monk or perhaps even an abbot or bishop and had travelled to Scandinavia. While he was there he might’ve encountered or maybe even established a Christian community, that is however mere conjecture. So when his penance was spent he returned to Stowburn with this icon of a saint, or more likely Christ as a memento of his journey and a reminder of the exile he served.,
WB: And we can date that to the end of the 7th, start of the 8th centuries?
AH: We found with several coins.
AH shows WB several coins of different sizes and markings. AH points out two figures visible on a coin
AH: This first one is a Scilling which is similar to several found across both Northumbria and Mercia. The two figures on the coin are Athelfrith and Cynedryth, the king and Queen of Northumbria and
MB: Aethelfrith was technically the last king of Northumbria, with the unification of Northumbria and Mercia brought about by their marriage it was declared that their son would be dubbed king of the Anglish,
AH shows another coin, with a head in profile on, there is faint writing around the side.
AH: In fact, we can see that king here. It reads in Latin “Eanfrith, king of the Anglish”
WB: Brilliant, so its probably around the start of Eanfrith’s reign?
AH: Probably, though possibly a bit later
WB: Fantastic.
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Alex Richards
Donor
Alt-Time Team is something I've never seen before and now find myself wondering why.
its a common occurrence in our house. I can't promise I won't use it again
Alex Richards
Donor
I've been a subscriber to Current Archaeology since the age of 8, mostly due to Time Team.
I'll go along with that. Loving the English (Angelish? Angelcynn[ish]?) alternative first names.
I wasn't sure about them, im using Anglo-Saxon first names and that suggests a lack of outside influence for 1300 years. Which would be hard to achieve
I've said English so far, I might change it to Anglish, does that work?
Oh, btw, with Durham/Dunholm @Alex Richards the entire town has a very different history, and I think the monastery was established earlier, as was the (first) castle. I'll get back to you on that one. I don't know if I can find layouts of pre-anglo saxon Durham
Alex Richards
Donor
Alt Antiques Roadshow is also a possibility
You might want to take a look at about 0:45 here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p036096r
At least using Anglo-Saxon first names emphasises that we're in a different universe. In practice there would have been outside influences and random sound shifts, almost certainly different to those that happened in OTL. Really you'd need a J. R. R. Tolkien to do it justice, and they don't come along too oftenI wasn't sure about them, im using Anglo-Saxon first names and that suggests a lack of outside influence for 1300 years. Which would be hard to achieve
(Hopefully you won't take a potentially unfavourable comparison to JRRT as an insult...)
At least using Anglo-Saxon first names emphasises that we're in a different universe. In practice there would have been outside influences and random sound shifts, almost certainly different to those that happened in OTL. Really you'd need a J. R. R. Tolkien to do it justice, and they don't come along too often
(Hopefully you won't take a potentially unfavourable comparison to JRRT as an insult...)
no I don't mind that!
I'm not tolkein definitely , I'm improvising a lot of the names here and I don't have the skills to do it properly . so I hope it still sounds okay.
As someone else whose main timeline is focusing on late antiquity/early middle ages, I have to show support anyone else writing in the same period I would adore your input on my few posts in the Amalingian Empire timeline dealing with the spread (or lack there of) of Christianity in ATL-Britain. Keep up the great work, this is so cool!
I would adore your input on my few posts in the Amalingian Empire timeline dealing with the spread (or lack there of) of Christianity in ATL-Britain. Keep up the great work, this is so cool! As someone else whose main timeline is focusing on late antiquity/early middle ages, I have to show support anyone else writing in the same period
Will do, its hardly an area of expertise (I had to read up even to do this ) but I'll have a read through