Bettelin of Crowland, also known as Beccel, was an 8th century hermit and

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

of Crowland, and a follower of Guthlac.

Biography

Impressed by stories of his holiness, Bettelin traveled to be taught by Guthlac of Crowland, which at the time was in the kingdom of Mercia. Beccel served Guthlac fifteen years until his master's death in 714. A story is told however, that early in his tutelage he was afflicted with murderous thoughts against Guthlac, and he struggled to overcome them. In 714 he took advice from Guthlac, as Guthlac was dying and both he and Pega the sister of Guthlac, oversaw the burial of Guthlac. The event is recorded in the second poem of Guthlac, Felix's ''Life of Saint Guthlac'' and to a lesser extent the ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...

'' and the

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. M ...

'' Historia Croylandensis''. Felix records that Beccel saw visions of light on the night before Guthlac died and at the time of his death. There is some speculation Beccel may have been a king turned hermit. Part of his

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

concerning his before becoming a hermit:

ewas a nobleman and married to an Irish princess. When they were traveling in a forest, his wife went into labor, he sought help but could find none and when he returned, both the wife and child were eaten by wolves. After this terrible experience Bettelin left the world, became a pupil of Guthlac of Crowland until Guthlac's death and the founding of the monastery nearby here he livedas a hermit under Abbot Kenulf.

Veneration

His relics were translated to

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

before the Vikings sacked Crowland Abbey. He is venerated by the Roman and Eastern Orthodox churches on 9 September. He is sometimes confused with Bettelin of Stafford. Bettelin von Crowland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beccel 7th-century English people 8th-century English people English hermits Eastern Orthodox monks East Anglian saints 8th-century Christian saints People from Lincolnshire