Durham E-Theses The British church and Anglo-Saxon expansion

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Durham E-Theses
The British church and Anglo-Saxon expansion : the
evidence of Saints cults.
Wakeford, Mark Reginald
How to cite:
Wakeford, Mark Reginald (1998) The British church and Anglo-Saxon expansion : the evidence of Saints
cults., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online:
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/991/
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2
MARK
REGINALD
WAKEFORD.
DEPARTMENT
OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM, UK.
Ph. D. THESIS.
THE BRITISH CHURCH AND ANGLO-SAXON EXPANSION: THE EVIDENCE OF
SAINTS' CULTS.
ABSTRACT
In
this thesis, Anglo-British frontier between
ethnic relations on the the
sixth and
eleventh centuries are studied through the medium of saints' cults. The author argues
that through the beliefs,
examination of popular of which saints' cults are one
important knowledge 'living frontier'
manifestation, we can gain of what on a meant to
local The is Anglo-Saxon into
that
populations. notion challenged political expansion
Britain be backdrop hostility,
western should viewed against a of ethnic and evidence of
is highlighted.
peaceful co-operation
It is Anglo-British best be
that
proposed ecclesiastical relations can understood
in institutions
terms
of an existing similarity of and practices, and of a community of
belief. It is informs 'continuity'
this that the
popular of structures of secular and
by It is demonstrated
that
ecclesiastical administration noted previous commentators.
behind
the
there
are occasions on which we can suppose a political purpose promotion
in frontier but
that the
of cults zones, success of such operations was predicated upon
directed. The fallacy
the those the
willing participation of at whom cults were of casting
frontier in is
the the Anglo-British the role of victims thus exposed.
people of
framework,
is
The tripartite
analysis conducted within a geographical which
be developed. Chapter deals
to
one with southwestern
enables parallels and contrasts
Wales,
the
Scotland, chapters two and three with southeastern west midlands and
England. These became frontier different times in
areas zones at and
southwest of
Anglo-Saxon
different ways. That all three were targets of expansionist polities cannot
indicates
be but the evidence of saints' cults that political absorption was not
questioned,
instead in
to talk terms
one way process and permits us of cultural
an entirely
fruits interaction.
the
and of of extended
assimilation,
MARK
REGINALD
WAKEFORD
THE
BRITISH
CHURCH
AND ANGLO-SAXON
EXPANSION:
THE EVIDENCE
OF SAINTS' CULTS
The
this thesis the
copyright of rests with author.
No from it be
quotation should published without
his information derived
prior written consent and
from it be
should acknowledged.
The this thesis rests
of
copyright
No
the quotation
author.
with
it be
from
published
should
the
the written consent of
without
information derived
author and
it be
from
acknowledged.
should
Submitted for Degree Doctor Philosophy,
the
of of
University Durham, Department
History.
of
of
1998
30SEP
1998
a
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My Parents.
The British Academy.
David Rollason (supervisor).
Pat Mussett College, Durham.
the
of
The Main University Library, Durham.
the
staff of
Roger Norris Dean Chapter Library, Durham.
the
of and
And I but
to
many people whom promised a mention whose names escape me.
has been for degree University Durham
"No this thesis previously submitted a at the of or at any
part of
It is the joint It to the limit the University's
not product of research. conforms word of
other university.
degree (which, in this is 100,000 "
regulations case, words).
Conforms BS 4821 (1990).
to
Paper ISO 9706 (permanence durability).
meets and
by Plymouth Library Services (City Plymouth), Unit 2, Valley Road Ind. Est., Plympton.
Bound
of
CONTENTS
G
ABBREVIATIONS
vi
MAPS
xii
INTRODUCTION
0.1 Frontiers
1
0.2 Saints' Cults
5
0.3 Sources
9
0.4 Rationale
12
CHAPTER ONE: NORTHWESTERN BRITAIN AD 550-950
c.
1.1 Historical Orientation
13
1.2 Melrose, Carlisle Saint Cuthbert
21
and
1.3 Dumfriesshire Galloway
31
and
1.3.1 Hoddom Saint Kentigern 33
and
1.4 Whithorn Saint Ninian
and
1.4.1 The Archaeological Evidence 37
1.4.2 The Ninian Corpus 42
1.4.3 The Cultural Milieu Eighth-Century Whithorn 46
of
1.4.4 The Character Ninian's Eighth-Century Cult 54
of
1.4.5 The Setting Miracula Nynie Episcopi
the the
of and
Organization Mynster 69
the
of
1.4.6 The Ecclesiastical Importance Ninian 77
of
1.4.7 The Political Importance Ninian 81
of
1.5 Conclusion 86
11
CONTENTS
G
CHAPTER TWO: CENTRAL BRITAIN AD 600-1100
c.
2.1 Historical Orientation: The Northern Frontier 88
2.2 Cults Wreocenscetan 93
the
of
103
2.3 The Vita Sanctae Milburgae
106
2.4 Saint Eadfrith King Merewalh
and
113
2.5 Much Wenlock
116
2.6 The Character Milburga's Cult
of
120
2.6.1 Locating Landmylien
2.7 The Southern Frontier
130
2.7.1 Liber Landavensis
2.7.2 Location Ergyng, Ewyas the Wentscetan 133
of and
137
2.7.3 Their Pre-Conquest Status
142
2.8 The Character the Diocese Hereford
of of
146
2.9 Saint Guthlac
149
2.10 The 'Local Saints' Liber Landavensis
of
151
2.10.1 Clodock Saint Clitauc
and
163
2.10.2 Saints Tewdrig Maughan
and
2.11 Other Saints their Churches in Ergyng the Wentscetan 167
and
and
168
2.11.1 'Local Saints'
173
2.11.2 Famous British Patrons
183
2.11.3 Stows
187
Saints
2.11.4 Universal
188
2.12 Conclusion
111
CONTENTS
G
CHAPTER THREE: SOUTHWESTERN BRITAIN AD 600-1050
c.
3.1 Origins Character the West Saxon Frontier 191
and of
3.2 Its Relation Ecclesiastical Organization Institutions
to
and
3.2.1 Bishops 199
3.2.2 The Monasterium Bodmin 202
at
3.2.3 Parishes 206
3.3 Breton Saints 210
3.3.1 Saint Melor 215
3.3.2 Saint Rumon 217
3.3.3 Saint Winwaloe 221
3.3.4 Saint Samson 223
3.3.5 Saint Petroc 227
3.4 Native British Saints 241
3.4.1 Saints Urith, Sidwell Juthwara 241
and
248
3.4.2 Saint Nectan
250
3.4.3 Saint Neot
3.4.4 Saint Gernun, Germanus Auxerre 254
and of
268
3.5 Anglo-Saxon Saints
271
3.6 Conclusion
275
CONCLUSION
280
GLOSSARY
iv
CONTENTS
G
APPENDICES
A COMPUTER-ASSISTED STYLISTIC ANALYSIS 290
A (I) THE MIRACULA NYNIE EPISCOPI AND ITS ANALOGUES 291
297
A (II) THE VITA SANCTAE MILB URGAE AND THE VITA SANCTAE MILDRITHAE
A (III) THE VITA SANCTAE MILBURGAE AND THE VITA SANCTAE MILDRITHAE:
309
STYLISTIC COMPARISON FROM CONCORDANCES
B THE DESCRIPTIVE VOCABULARY OF THE MIRACULA NYNIE
EPISCOPI AND HYMNUS SANCTI NYNIE EPISCOPI
314
B (I) TOPOGRAPHY AND ARCHITECTURE
316
B (II) PERSONNEL
NEAR THE RIVER TAMAR
C CHURCHYARDS
319
CURVILINEARITY AND ELEVATION
C (I) DEVON CHURCHYARDS:
325
C (II) SUMMARY DATA
D TRANSLATIONS
332
SANCTI NYNIE EPISCOPI
D (I) HYMNUS
335
OF THE VITA SANCTAE MILBURGAE
D (II) THE 'WELSH MIRACLES'
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
341
SOURCES
PRIMARY
359
REFERENCES
V
ABBREVIATIONS
NOTE
The footnote
the
references use author-date system.
They to the list beginning below, 359.
refer
p.
AC Annales Cambriae, Welsh Annals,
the (to 954)
cited sub anno; ed. year
E. Phillimore, 'The Annales Cambriae Old Welsh Genealogies'
and
(Y Cymmrodor 9,1888,152-69),
thereafter J. Williams Ithel,
and ed. ab
Annales Cambriae (London, 1860, Rolls Series 20); J. Morris,
trans.
Nennius: The British History Welsh Annals (Chichester, 1980),
the
and
45-9.
pp.
Acta SS Acta Sanctorum
toto
quotquot orbe coluntur vel a catholicis scriptoribus
(ed. J. Bollandus Antwerp, Paris Brussels,
celebrantur.... et al., and
1643-).
Adamnan Vita Sancti Columbae, The Life St. Columba, by book
of cited and
A. O. Anderson M. O. Anderson, Adomnan's
trans.
chapter; ed. and and
Life Columba (London, 1961, Oxford, 1991).
of reprinted
by
ASC Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the
cited sub anno and, where necessary,
A-G; J. Earle C. Plummer, Two
conventional manuscript sigla, ed. and of
Saxon Chronicles Parallel (2 Oxford, 1892-99); trans. D.
the vols.;
Whitelock The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (London, 1961), in D.
and
et al.,
Whitelock, English Historical Documents, 500-1042 (London, 1955),
c.
135-235.
pp.
by
Asser /Elfrýedi Regis Res Gestae, Asser's Life of King Alfred, cited section;
W. H. Stevenson, Asser's Life King Alfred (Oxford, 1904); trans.
of
ed.
S. Keynes M. Lapidge, Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King A fred
and
1983), 66-110.
Other Contemporary Sources (Harmondsworth,
pp.
and
vi