Eadred Lulisc or Eadred of Carlisle () is the
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
of
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
recorded by the ''
Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
The ''Historia de Sancto Cuthberto'' ("History of St Cuthbert") is a historical compilation finished some time after 1031. It is an account of the history of the bishopric of St Cuthbert—based successively at Lindisfarne, Norham, Chester-le- ...
''. The ''Historia'' gives the abbot central place in the election of
Guthred
Guthred Hardacnutsson (Old Norse: ''Guðrøðr''; la, Guthfridus; born c.844 – died 24 August 895 AD) was the Christian king of Viking Northumbria from circa 883 until his death.
Life
Kings of Northumbria in the Norse era
The first known ...
as
king of Northumbria
Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles, in what is now northern England and south-east Scotland, was initially divided into two kingdoms: Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by king Æthelfrith around the year 604, and except for occasional ...
by the
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
army based in Yorkshire, and that subsequently Eadred purchased land from him, using it to endow the bishopric of St Cuthbert. The ''Historia'' also related that he and
Eardwulf Eardwulf or Eardulf is an Anglo-Saxon male name. Notable people with the name include:
* Eardwulf of Northumbria, (floruit late 8th/early 9th century), ruler of Northumbria
* Eardwulf of Kent (floruit middle 8th century), ruler of Kent
* Eardwulf, B ...
,
Bishop of Lindisfarne
The Bishop of Durham is the Church of England, Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Pau ...
, moved the
body of St Cuthbert away from its previous base at
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...
, tried to take it to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, but failed and took it back to the east, first to
Crayke
Crayke is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about east of Easingwold.
Etymology
The name ''Crayke'' is of Brittonic origin, derived from the neo-Brittonic Cumbric ''crẹ:g'', meaning "a crag" o ...
and then to
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at Sun ...
.
Guthred and Eadred
The ''Historia'' chapter 13 claims that, prompted by a nighttime visit by
St Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...
, Eadred crossed the
river Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...
to the army of Danes based in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, and instructed them to proclaim a boy named
Guthred
Guthred Hardacnutsson (Old Norse: ''Guðrøðr''; la, Guthfridus; born c.844 – died 24 August 895 AD) was the Christian king of Viking Northumbria from circa 883 until his death.
Life
Kings of Northumbria in the Norse era
The first known ...
son of Harthacnut as king
f Northumbria by placing a golden armlet on his right arm at a hill called ''Oswigesdune''. It continues by relating that Abbot Eadred purchased from King Guthred the vills of
Monk Hesleden,
Horden Hall,
Yoden,
Castle Eden
Castle Eden is a village in County Durham, in England. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 642. It is situated a short distance to the south of Peterlee, Wingate, Hutton Henry, the A19 and Castle Eden Dene. The village is famou ...
,
Hulam,
Hutton Henry
Hutton Henry is a village in County Durham, in England near Peterlee, Castle Eden and Wingate, County Durham, Wingate. The population of the parish at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,565. It is situated to the west of Hartlepool, ...
, ''Twilingatun'', and gave them over to the house of St Cuthbert.
Cuthbert and Eadred
In chapter 20, Abbot Eadred and
Eardwulf Eardwulf or Eardulf is an Anglo-Saxon male name. Notable people with the name include:
* Eardwulf of Northumbria, (floruit late 8th/early 9th century), ruler of Northumbria
* Eardwulf of Kent (floruit middle 8th century), ruler of Kent
* Eardwulf, B ...
,
Bishop of Lindisfarne
The Bishop of Durham is the Church of England, Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Pau ...
, take the body of St Cuthbert away from Lindisfarne.
[South (ed.), ''Historia'', p. 59] After carrying the body around for seven years, they come to the mouth of the
river Derwent hoping to cross to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
[ Their plans being frustrated by the weather, they head back inland to ]Crayke
Crayke is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about east of Easingwold.
Etymology
The name ''Crayke'' is of Brittonic origin, derived from the neo-Brittonic Cumbric ''crẹ:g'', meaning "a crag" o ...
, where they remain with Abbot Geve for four months.[ At this point in the narrative, Eadred disappears, but it is related that the body was moved to ]Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at Sun ...
, around the time of the death of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
(died 899) and Bishop Earwulf.[ The 12th-century text called the '' Libellus de exordio'' added that Ealdred only got involved in the body-moving after being summoned by Bishop Eardwulf. The same source, while repeating that he was abbot of Carlisle, says that he was educated there too.
The dates of these events are unclear. Although the ''Libellus'', the ''Annales Lindisfarnenses'' and the '']Historia Regum
The ''Historia Regum'' ("History of the Kings") is a historical compilation attributed to Symeon of Durham, which presents material going from the death of Bede until 1129. It survives only in one manuscript compiled in Yorkshire in the mid-to-lat ...
'' place the departure from Lindisfarne in 875, with the arrival at Chester-le-Street in 883, such dates appear to have been added too late to be reliable. The date 875 links it to Halfdan
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
's 875 invasion of Northumbria, a link made by later sources and modern historians; the ''Historia'' however, the earliest source, makes no such link.
Historian Ted Johnson South suggested that Eadred may not have been with the body on its departure from Lindisfarne, instead joining it at some point during its journey in the west. The figure of seven years is highly doubtful, like most of the narrative, and chapter 9 of the ''Historia'' confuses the issue by mentioning that the body had been at Norham
Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland.
History
Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ( ...
for a while. Another historian, Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf (born 12 July 1963) is a British medieval historian and academic. He specialises in the history of Britain and Ireland and to a lesser extent Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages, with a particular emphasis on interaction and compa ...
, suggested that the see was at Chester-le-Street c. 880, but that it had previously been at Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
. Woolf argued that Eadred's prominence in the narrative and a property list from the ''Historia Regum'' combine to suggest that Carlisle was the location of a united Bernicia
Bernicia ( ang, Bernice, Bryneich, Beornice; la, Bernicia) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England.
The Anglian territory of Bernicia was ap ...
n bishopric for some years, having previously been at Norham.[Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp. 79–93]
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
* {{PASE, 20663, Eadred 29
9th-century English people
Anglo-Saxon people
English abbots
History of Cumberland
People from Carlisle, Cumbria
Religion in Cumbria
9th-century Christian monks