Æthelstan Mannessune
Encyclopedia
Æthelstan Mannessune was a landowner and monastic patron in late 10th-century Anglo-Saxon England, coming from a family of secularised priests. Remembered by Ely Abbey as an enemy, he and his family endowed Ramsey Abbey
and allegedly provided it with a piece
of the True Cross
. His children became important in their own right, one of them, Eadnoth, becoming Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester, and another becoming abbess
of Chatteris
nunnery.
of the eastern Danelaw
. He seems to have come from the Isle of Ely
. His father, Manne, had owned land at Chatteris
and Wold, both on Ely, while the Libellus Æthelwoldi Episcopi ("Little Book of Bishop Æthelwold") associated a priest named Manne with land at Haddenham
, a place only a few miles distant. Æthelstan's recorded lands lay in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire
and Bedfordshire
, with "outlying" [Hart] estates in Norfolk
and Lincolnshire
.
Æthelstan's reputation in church literature was varied. According to the Liber Eliensis
he gave protection to a priest named Æthelstan in return for a payment of two marks after that priest had seized land from the monastery of Ely. According to the Liber Benefactorum Ecclesiae Ramesiensis, he donated a piece
of the True Cross
to Ramsey Abbey
, though the Liber provides no information as to how Æthelstan acquired such a valuable relic
.
, one time Bishop of Worcester
and Archbishop of York
. He had two sons named Godric (died 1013) and Eadnoth (died 1016), and two daughters named Ælfwaru
(died 1007) and Ælfwyn. It is possible that a woman named Ælfae was also his daughter, though this is uncertain. Godric, Ælfwaru and Ælfwyn (as well as Ælfae) all inherited estates from Æthelstan in addition to a fishery
, while Eadnoth became a monk at Worcester, before becoming Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester. After Eadnoth founded a nunnery on his family lands at Chatteris, his younger sister Ælfwyn became abbess. In 1007 Chatteris nunnery received the lands of Over and Barley, following the death of their sister Ælfwaru.
Æthelstan seems to have died on 14 June 986. Subsequently his widow agreed to pass her manor of Slepe (what would become St Ives
) to Ramsey Abbey
, even though her late husband had left this to their daughter Ælfwyn. This led to a dispute as Æthelstan Mannessune's own kinsman, a priest named Osweard, claimed this inheritance, and even though Ramsey kept the land, the agreement they came to between 992 and 1006 involved handing two estates over to Osweard's son.
Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
and allegedly provided it with a piece
Holyrood (cross)
The Holyrood or Holy Rood is a Christian relic considered to be part of the True Cross on which Jesus died. The word derives from the Old English rood, meaning a cross, or from the Scots haly ruid...
of the True Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
. His children became important in their own right, one of them, Eadnoth, becoming Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester, and another becoming abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of Chatteris
Chatteris
Chatteris is a civil parish and one of four market towns in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, situated in The Fens between Huntingdon, March and Ely...
nunnery.
Origins and reputation
Æthelstan came from a family of secularised priests in the FensThe Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
of the eastern Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
. He seems to have come from the Isle of Ely
Isle of Ely
The Isle of Ely is a historic region around the city of Ely now in Cambridgeshire, England but previously a county in its own right.-Etymology:...
. His father, Manne, had owned land at Chatteris
Chatteris
Chatteris is a civil parish and one of four market towns in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, situated in The Fens between Huntingdon, March and Ely...
and Wold, both on Ely, while the Libellus Æthelwoldi Episcopi ("Little Book of Bishop Æthelwold") associated a priest named Manne with land at Haddenham
Haddenham, Cambridgeshire
Haddenham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,228.It has several shops and a regular bus service to the cathedral city of Ely, which is about north-east of the village....
, a place only a few miles distant. Æthelstan's recorded lands lay in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, with "outlying" [Hart] estates in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
Liber Eliensis
The Liber Eliensis is a 12th-century English chronicle and history, written in Latin. Composed in three books, it was written at Ely Abbey on the island of Ely in the fenlands of eastern Cambridgeshire. Ely Abbey became the cathedral of a newly formed bishopric in 1109...
he gave protection to a priest named Æthelstan in return for a payment of two marks after that priest had seized land from the monastery of Ely. According to the Liber Benefactorum Ecclesiae Ramesiensis, he donated a piece
Holyrood (cross)
The Holyrood or Holy Rood is a Christian relic considered to be part of the True Cross on which Jesus died. The word derives from the Old English rood, meaning a cross, or from the Scots haly ruid...
of the True Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
to Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
, though the Liber provides no information as to how Æthelstan acquired such a valuable relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
.
Legacy
According to the Liber Benefactorum, Æthelstan was married to a kinswoman of OswaldOswald of Worcester
Oswald of Worcester was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. He was of Danish ancestry, but brought up by his uncle, Oda, who sent him to France to the abbey of Fleury to become a monk. After a number of years at Fleury, Oswald returned to England at the request of his uncle, who died...
, one time Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
and Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
. He had two sons named Godric (died 1013) and Eadnoth (died 1016), and two daughters named Ælfwaru
Ælfwaru
Ælfwaru was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, who bequeathed her lands to churches such as Ely, and Ramsey. Chroniclers, writing in the 12th century, transcribed such bequests, from the original cyrographs. Ælfwaru's cyrograph has not survived...
(died 1007) and Ælfwyn. It is possible that a woman named Ælfae was also his daughter, though this is uncertain. Godric, Ælfwaru and Ælfwyn (as well as Ælfae) all inherited estates from Æthelstan in addition to a fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
, while Eadnoth became a monk at Worcester, before becoming Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester. After Eadnoth founded a nunnery on his family lands at Chatteris, his younger sister Ælfwyn became abbess. In 1007 Chatteris nunnery received the lands of Over and Barley, following the death of their sister Ælfwaru.
Æthelstan seems to have died on 14 June 986. Subsequently his widow agreed to pass her manor of Slepe (what would become St Ives
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, around north-west of the city of Cambridge and north of London. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Huntingdonshire.-History:...
) to Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
, even though her late husband had left this to their daughter Ælfwyn. This led to a dispute as Æthelstan Mannessune's own kinsman, a priest named Osweard, claimed this inheritance, and even though Ramsey kept the land, the agreement they came to between 992 and 1006 involved handing two estates over to Osweard's son.