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Earconwald or Erkenwald (died 693) was
Bishop of London
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
between 675 and 693.
Life
Earconwald was born at
Lindsey Lindsey may refer to :
Places Canada
* Lindsey Lake, Nova Scotia
England
* Parts of Lindsey, one of the historic Parts of Lincolnshire and an administrative county from 1889 to 1974
** East Lindsey, an administrative district in Lincolnshire, ...
in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
,
[Walsh ''A New Dictionary of Saints'' p. 182] and was supposedly of royal ancestry.
[ In 666, he established two ]Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
abbeys, Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.
It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same time ...
in Surrey[Kirby ''Earliest English Kings'' p. 83] for men, and Barking Abbey
Barking Abbey is a former royal monastery located in Barking, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It has been described as having been "one of the most important nunneries in the country".
Originally established in the 7th century, f ...
for women.[Yorke "Adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon Royal Courts" ''Cross Goes North'' pp. 250–251] His sister, Æthelburg, was Abbess of Barking,[ while he served as ]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 ...
of Chertsey.[
In 675, Earconwald became the Bishop of London, after ]Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
.[Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 219] He was the choice of Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury
Theodore of Tarsus ( gr, Θεόδωρος Ταρσοῦ; 60219 September 690) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 668 to 690. Theodore grew up in Tarsus, but fled to Constantinople after the Persian Empire conquered Tarsus and other cities. After ...
.[Kirby ''Earliest English Kings'' pp. 95–96] While bishop, he contributed to King Ine of Wessex
Ine, also rendered Ini or Ina, ( la, Inus; c. AD 670 – after 726) was King of Wessex from 689 to 726. At Ine's accession, his kingdom dominated much of southern England. However, he was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecesso ...
's law code, and is mentioned specifically in the code as a contributor.[Yorke ''Conversion of Britain'' p. 235] Current historical scholarship credits Earconwald with a large role in the evolution of Anglo-Saxon charters, and it is possible that he drafted the charter of Caedwalla to Farnham.[Kirby ''Earliest English Kings'' p. 102] King Ine of Wessex named Earconwald as an advisor on his laws.[Kirby ''Earliest English Kings'' p. 103]
Earconwald died in 693[ and his remains were buried at Old St Paul's Cathedral. His grave was a popular place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, and was destroyed together with a number of other tombs in the cathedral during the Reformation.
Earconwald's feast day is 30 April, with translations being celebrated on 1 February, 13 May and 14 November.][Farmer ''Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' p. 175] He is a patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of London.[Farmer ''Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' p. 494]
See also
* St. Erkenwald (poem)
Notes
Citations
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Earconwald
630s births
693 deaths
Abbots of Chertsey
Mercian saints
Anglo-Saxon Benedictines
Bishops of London
7th-century English bishops
7th-century Christian saints
7th-century Latin writers
7th-century English writers
Burials at St Paul's Cathedral