Sexwulf
Encyclopedia
Seaxwulf was the founding abbot
of the Mercia
n monastery
of Medeshamstede
, and an early medieval bishop of Mercia
. Very little is known of him beyond these details, drawn from sources such as Bede
's Ecclesiastical History
. Some further information was written down in the 12th century at Peterborough Abbey
, as Medeshamstede was known by that time. This suggests that he began his career as a nobleman, and that he may have had royal connections outside Mercia
.
Seaxwulf's earliest appearance is in the Latinised
form "Sexwlfus", in Stephen of Ripon's Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
, or "Life of St. Wilfrid", of the early 8th century. As is common with proper noun
s, this name is found in numerous different forms in medieval writings; but it is most commonly rendered into modern English as "Saxwulf" or "Sexwulf". An Old English
name, it means "dagger wolf", or possibly "Saxon wolf".
It is not known when or where Seaxwulf was born, but Bede
identifies him as founder and first abbot of Medeshamstede
, later known as Peterborough Abbey, in a context dateable prior to the mid 670s. Bede also describes him as bishop "of Lindsey
, [and] also of the Mercia
ns and Middle Angles
". He was consecrated as bishop, with his episcopal seat, or "see
", at Lichfield
, before 676 AD; he died about 692. During his episcopate, Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury
split the diocese into several smaller bishoprics. In 676, Seaxwulf gave refuge to Bishop Putta of Rochester
. In a similar development, Seaxwulf's near contemporary Stephen of Ripon mentions St. Wilfrid's
period of exile in Mercia
, "amid the profound respect of that bishopric which the most reverend Bishop [Seaxwulf] had formerly ruled".
:
Hugh Candidus
, a 12th century chronicler of Peterborough, described Seaxwulf as a "man of great power", and a man "zealous and [religious], and well skilled in the things of this world, and also in the affairs of the [Church]." Another biographical reference to Seaxwulf is in a charter
of King Æthelred of Mercia. This charter is a late 11th or early 12th century forgery, written for Peterborough Abbey – meaning that it nonetheless existed there before Hugh Candidus wrote his chronicle – but it is of historical interest for some of the locally important information which it contains. It describes Seaxwulf as a recently orphaned foreigner, and this biographical detail is not found in any other known, surviving source.
Blair's "reasonable conjecture" suggests in effect that Seaxwulf may have been a member of local royalty, since Bede records the existence of a prince of the Gyrwas
. Meanwhile Dorothy Whitelock
believed that Seaxwulf had probably been educated in East Anglia
, given the heathen state of Mercia prior to the mid 7th century. Also, while East Anglia had been under sustained attack from Mercia through much of the 7th century up to Seaxwulf's time, his contemporary King Æthelhere of East Anglia is seen as a "Mercian dependent". Thus the entire region in which Seaxwulf operated was, at the time, under Mercian domination. The following details suggest a possible milieu within which Seaxwulf operated.
Given his subsequent elevation to the Mercian bishopric, clearly Seaxwulf was successful in his work at Medeshamstede, "one of the greatest monasteries of the Mercian kingdom". This success, and the reported shelter given by Seaxwulf to Bishop Putta of Rochester
, also indicate a close political relationship between Seaxwulf and the Mercian King Æthelred: Putta had abandoned his see at Rochester when, according to Bede, King Æthelred had destroyed it.
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
n monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Medeshamstede
Medeshamstede
Medeshamstede was the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period. It was the site of a monastery founded around the middle of the 7th century, which was an important feature in the kingdom of Mercia from the outset. Little is known of its founder and first abbot, Sexwulf, though he was himself...
, and an early medieval bishop of Mercia
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
. Very little is known of him beyond these details, drawn from sources such as Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Ecclesiastical History
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
. Some further information was written down in the 12th century at Peterborough Abbey
Peterborough Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, whose statues look down from the...
, as Medeshamstede was known by that time. This suggests that he began his career as a nobleman, and that he may have had royal connections outside Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
.
Seaxwulf's earliest appearance is in the Latinised
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
form "Sexwlfus", in Stephen of Ripon's Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
The Vita Sancti Wilfrithi or Life of St Wilfrid is an early 8th-century hagiographic text recounting the life of the Northumbrian bishop, Wilfrid. Although a hagiography, it has few miracles, while its main concerns are with the politics of the Northumbrian church and the history of the...
, or "Life of St. Wilfrid", of the early 8th century. As is common with proper noun
Proper noun
A proper noun or proper name is a noun representing a unique entity , as distinguished from a common noun, which represents a class of entities —for example, city, planet, person or corporation)...
s, this name is found in numerous different forms in medieval writings; but it is most commonly rendered into modern English as "Saxwulf" or "Sexwulf". An Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
name, it means "dagger wolf", or possibly "Saxon wolf".
History
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
identifies him as founder and first abbot of Medeshamstede
Medeshamstede
Medeshamstede was the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period. It was the site of a monastery founded around the middle of the 7th century, which was an important feature in the kingdom of Mercia from the outset. Little is known of its founder and first abbot, Sexwulf, though he was himself...
, later known as Peterborough Abbey, in a context dateable prior to the mid 670s. Bede also describes him as bishop "of Lindsey
Kingdom of Lindsey
Lindsey or Linnuis is the name of a petty Anglo-Saxon kingdom, absorbed into Northumbria in the 7th century.It lay between the Humber and the Wash, forming its inland boundaries from the course of the Witham and Trent rivers , and the Foss Dyke between...
, [and] also of the Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
ns and Middle Angles
Middle Angles
The Middle Angles were an important ethnic or cultural group within the larger kingdom of Mercia in England in the Anglo-Saxon period.-Origins and territory:...
". He was consecrated as bishop, with his episcopal seat, or "see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
", at Lichfield
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
, before 676 AD; he died about 692. During his episcopate, Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury
Theodore of Tarsus
Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury, best known for his reform of the English Church and establishment of a school in Canterbury....
split the diocese into several smaller bishoprics. In 676, Seaxwulf gave refuge to Bishop Putta of Rochester
Putta (bishop of Hereford)
Putta was a medieval Bishop of Rochester and probably the first Bishop of Hereford. Some modern historians say that the two Puttas were separate individuals....
. In a similar development, Seaxwulf's near contemporary Stephen of Ripon mentions St. Wilfrid's
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
period of exile in Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
, "amid the profound respect of that bishopric which the most reverend Bishop [Seaxwulf] had formerly ruled".
Identity and status
Beyond the details recording Seaxwulf's foundation and abbacy of Medeshamstede, and his episcopacy in Mercia, there are scattered references suggesting that Seaxwulf had previously been an important nobleman, and that he played a similarly important role as abbot, and later as bishop. John Blair has summarised what is known of Seaxwulf, in his entry for the Dictionary of National BiographyDictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
:
Hugh Candidus
Hugh Candidus
Hugh Candidus was a monk of the Benedictine monastery at Peterborough, who wrote a Medieval Latin account of its history, from its foundation as Medeshamstede in the mid 7th century up to the mid 12th century.-Life:...
, a 12th century chronicler of Peterborough, described Seaxwulf as a "man of great power", and a man "zealous and [religious], and well skilled in the things of this world, and also in the affairs of the [Church]." Another biographical reference to Seaxwulf is in a charter
Anglo-Saxon Charters
Anglo-Saxon charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege. The earliest surviving charters were drawn up in the 670s; the oldest surviving charters granted land to the Church, but from the eighth century surviving...
of King Æthelred of Mercia. This charter is a late 11th or early 12th century forgery, written for Peterborough Abbey – meaning that it nonetheless existed there before Hugh Candidus wrote his chronicle – but it is of historical interest for some of the locally important information which it contains. It describes Seaxwulf as a recently orphaned foreigner, and this biographical detail is not found in any other known, surviving source.
Blair's "reasonable conjecture" suggests in effect that Seaxwulf may have been a member of local royalty, since Bede records the existence of a prince of the Gyrwas
Gyrwas
Gyrwas was the name of an Anglo-Saxon population of the Fens, divided into northern and southern groups and recorded in the Tribal Hidage; related to the name of Jarrow....
. Meanwhile Dorothy Whitelock
Dorothy Whitelock
Dorothy Whitelock was an English historian. Her best-known work is English Historical Documents, vol. I: c. 500-1042, which she edited...
believed that Seaxwulf had probably been educated in East Anglia
Kingdom of the East Angles
The Kingdom of East Anglia, also known as the Kingdom of the East Angles , was a small independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom that comprised what are now the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk and perhaps the eastern part of the Fens...
, given the heathen state of Mercia prior to the mid 7th century. Also, while East Anglia had been under sustained attack from Mercia through much of the 7th century up to Seaxwulf's time, his contemporary King Æthelhere of East Anglia is seen as a "Mercian dependent". Thus the entire region in which Seaxwulf operated was, at the time, under Mercian domination. The following details suggest a possible milieu within which Seaxwulf operated.
- Taken together, Blair and Whitelock place Seaxwulf in East Anglia prior to his involvement with Medeshamstede, and suggest that he may have been royal. Also, the charter for Mercian Medeshamstede describes him as a recently orphaned foreigner. King Anna of East AngliaAnna of East AngliaAnna was King of East Anglia from the early 640s until his death. Anna was a member of the Wuffingas family, the ruling dynasty of the East Angles. He was one of the three sons of Eni who ruled East Anglia, succeeding some time after Ecgric was killed in battle by Penda of Mercia...
died in about 653, at the beginning of the period in which Medeshamstede is believed to have been founded (c.653–656). - Seaxwulf's name alliteratesAlliterationIn language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
with that of St. Seaxburh of ElySeaxburh of ElySeaxburh ; also Saint Sexburga of Ely, was the queen of King Eorcenberht of Kent, as well as an abbess and a saint of the Christian Church....
, who was a daughter of King Anna. Alliteration such as that between the names "Seaxwulf" and "Seaxburh" was a common feature in Old EnglishOld English languageOld English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
personal name giving within families. Further, these names are extremely uncommon: while Seaxwulf is the only recorded bearer of that name before the 11th century, only two "Seaxburh"s are recorded, the other being a contemporary princess of Wessex. - Medeshamstede, founded by Seaxwulf, and ElyEly CathedralEly Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
, founded by Seaxburh's sister St. ÆthelthrythÆthelthrythÆthelthryth is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon saint often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey...
, were both located in the territory of the Gyrwas. Listed in the Tribal HidageTribal HidageImage:Tribal Hidage 2.svg|thumb|400px|alt=insert description of map here|The tribes of the Tribal Hidage. Where an appropriate article exists, it can be found by clicking on the name.rect 275 75 375 100 Elmetrect 375 100 450 150 Hatfield Chase...
, they were long fought over by East Anglia and Mercia. - Seaxburh retired to Ely after the death of her husband Tondberht, who is described in BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Ecclesiastical HistoryHistoria ecclesiastica gentis AnglorumThe Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
as a "prince of the South Gyrwas".
Given his subsequent elevation to the Mercian bishopric, clearly Seaxwulf was successful in his work at Medeshamstede, "one of the greatest monasteries of the Mercian kingdom". This success, and the reported shelter given by Seaxwulf to Bishop Putta of Rochester
Putta (bishop of Hereford)
Putta was a medieval Bishop of Rochester and probably the first Bishop of Hereford. Some modern historians say that the two Puttas were separate individuals....
, also indicate a close political relationship between Seaxwulf and the Mercian King Æthelred: Putta had abandoned his see at Rochester when, according to Bede, King Æthelred had destroyed it.
External links
- Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England: "Seaxwulf 1 (Male)". PASE. Retrieved on 23 August 2010.
- Bede's Ecclesiastical History at Wikisource.