Episcopal Culture in Late Anglo-Saxon England

265 Pages·2007·1.3 MB·English

by  Mary Frances Giandrea

Anglo-Saxon Studies 7
EPISCOPAL CULTURE IN
LATE ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Thisfirstfull-lengthstudyoftheAnglo-Saxonepiscopateexplorestheactivi-
tiesofthebishopsinavarietyofarenas,fromthepastoralandliturgicaltothe
political,social,legalandeconomic,sotracingthedevelopmentofaparticu-
larly English episcopal identity over the course of the tenth and eleventh
centuries. It makes detailed use of the contemporary evidence, previously
unexploited as diffuse, difficult and largely non-narrative, rather than that
fromaftertheNormanConquest;becausethisavoidstheprevailingmonastic
bias,itshowsinsteadthatdifferencesinorder[betweensecularandmonk-
bishops]hadalmostnoeffectontheirattitudestowardtheirepiscopalroles.It
thereforepresentsamuchmorenuancedportraitoftheepiscopalchurchon
the eve of the Conquest, a church whose members constantly worked to
createawell-orderedChristianpolitythroughthestewardshipoftheEnglish
monarchyandthesacralizationofpoliticaldiscourse;anepiscopatedeeply
committedtopastoralcareandin-stepwithcurrentcontinentalliturgicaland
theological developments, despite later ideologically-charged attempts to
suggest otherwise; and an institution intricately woven, because of its
tremendous economic and political power, into the very fabric of English
local and regional society.
MARYFRANCESGIANDREAteaches at American University.
Anglo-Saxon Studies
ISSN 1475–2468
General Editors
John Hines
Catherine Cubitt
‘Anglo-SaxonStudies’aimstoprovideaforumforthebestscholarship
ontheAnglo-SaxonpeoplesintheperiodfromtheendofRomanBritain
totheNormanConquest,includingcomparativestudiesinvolvingadja-
cent populations and periods; both new research and major re-
assessments of central topics are welcomed.
OriginallyfoundedbyProfessorDavidDumvilleas‘StudiesinAnglo-
SaxonHistory’,theserieshasnowbroadenedinscopeunderneweditor-
ship to take in any one of the principal disciplines of archaeology, art
history,history,languageandliterature,andinter-ormulti-disciplinary
studies are encouraged.
Proposals or enquiries may be sent directly to the editors or the
publisher at the addresses given below; all submissions will receive
prompt and informed consideration.
Professor John Hines, Cardiff School of History and Archaeology,
Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK CF10 3EU
Dr Catherine Cubitt, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York,
The King’s Manor, York, England, UK YO1 7EP
Boydell&Brewer,POBox9,Woodbridge,Suffolk,England,UKIP12
3DF
Previously published titles are listed at the back of this volume
EPISCOPAL CULTURE IN
LATE ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Mary Frances Giandrea
THE BOYDELL PRESS
© Mary Frances Giandrea 2007
All Rights Reserved.Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
The right of Mary Frances Giandrea to be identified
as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published 2007
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 1 84383 283 6
ISBN 978 1 84383 283 6
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
This publication is printed on acid-free paper
Typeset by Pru Harrison, Hacheston, Suffolk
Printed in Great Britain by
Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
List of abbreviations x
Introduction 1
1 (Re)Writing History 7
2 TheServitium Regis 35
3 Cathedral Culture 70
4 Pastoral Care 98
5 Episcopal Wealth 124
6 Community and Authority 156
Epilogue 191
Appendix 201
Bibliography 217
Index 235

Acknowledgements
Intheprocessofwritingthisbookandthethesisthatliesbehindit,Ihaveincurred
manydebtsthatIamsohappytofinallyacknowledge.Firstandforemost,Icould
neverthankRobinFlemingenoughforthecountlesskindnessesshehasshown
me.AmoregenerousmentorsimplydoesnotexistandIoweeverythingtoher
unwaveringguidance,supportandfriendship.ChrisLewishasbeenadearfriend
and mentor almost as long. He has carted me all over England, responded to
panicked emails about arcane Domesday issues, and been there for me in good
times and bad, all with the most amazing sense of humor imaginable. More
recently, I had the great fortune to develop a close friendship with Patrick
Wormald, whose untimely death has left a tremendous hole in the hearts of so
many.IspeakforalotofpeoplewhenIsaythathisgenerosityandgraciousness
werevirtuallyunmatched.Whilehedidn’tlivetoseeitfinallyinprint,Icanonly
hopethatthisbookdoesjusticetohisexpectationsforit.Otherfriendswithout
whose support I could not have weathered the last few years include Richard
Abels, BruceO’BrienandChrisSnyder,whohaveeachcontributedenormously
tomyprofessionalandpersonalwell-being.Thanksalsotofriendsandcolleagues
oflongstanding,BillAird,RickBarton,MartinClaussen,Tracey-AnneCooper,
David Crouch, Patricia Halpin, Andrew Lowerre, Stephen Morillo, Christine
SenecalandKarineUge.Finally,IwouldlikethankthemembersoftheHaskins
Societypastandpresent,whocontinuetoprovideinspirationthroughouttheyear.
InthewiderworldIowemanydebtstoscholars,inadditiontothosealready
mentioned, who shared their unpublished works with me. These include David
Bates, Michele Ferrari, Michael Gelting, Sarah Hamilton, Christopher Jones,
SusanKelly,SimonKeynes,PamelaTaylor,TeresaWebber,andAnnWilliams.I
knowtheremustbeothers,andIbegforgivenessforanyomissions.Anumberof
universitydepartmentsandlibrarieshavesupportedmyresearchovertheyears,
includingBostonCollege,EasternConnecticutStateUniversity,OhioUniversity
and George Mason University. I am very grateful to the College of Arts and
SciencesatOhioUniversityforsubsidizingthefinalresearchforthisbook,andto
StevenMiner,chairoftheHistoryDepartment,forhissupport.Asfortheplaces
I’vebeen,IwouldberemissifIdidnotthankthemanykindpeopleatthearchives
whereIdidmuchofmyresearch:theInstituteforHistoricalResearch,theBritish
Library, the Bodleian Library, the libraries of the University of Cambridge and
the cathedral library at Durham.
Last, but by no means least, I am thrilled to thank my family, to whom this
book is dedicated. My very deepest thanks to my parents, Paul and Marilyn
Smith,whoseunconditionallove,supportandsacrificeshavemadethisbook,and
everything else in my life, possible. Thanks also to my sister, Pamela, whose
Acknowledgements
kindness and generosity never cease to amaze me. My most recent blessings
includemyhusband,Michael,andmyson,David,whomakeitallworthwhile.
Theydeservebetterthanthey’vegottenasI’veworkedtocompletethisbook,and
Ihope,intheend,itwillhavebeenworthit.Mylifeandcareerhavetakensome
unanticipated twists and turns, but I have been extraordinarily blessed with a
wonderful family, both mine and Mike’s, great friends and abundant good
fortune.
viii
For Pamela, Marilyn and Paul Smith and
Michael and David Giandrea