__NOTOC__ Æthelric (or Ethelric; died 1072) was

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the 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 has been the Bishop of Durham ...

from 1041 to 1056 when he resigned.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 216 Æthelric was a monk at

Peterborough Abbey Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew – also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in the United Kingdom – is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Pau ...

before Bishop Eadmund of Durham brought him to Durham to instruct the Durham monks in monastic life.Fletcher ''Bloodfeud'' p. 137 Æthelric was consecrated as bishop on 11 January 1041 at York. Æthelric may have owed his advancement to

Siward, Earl of Northumbria Siward ( or more recently ) or Sigurd ( ang, Sigeweard, non, Sigurðr digri) was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname ''Digri'' and its Latin translation ''Grossus'' ("the stout") are given to him by near-c ...

, who later restored Æthelric to Durham after Æthelric was forced to flee during a quarrel with the Durham monks. Two reasons are given for why Æthelric resigned his see.Kapelle ''Norman Conquest of the North'' pp. 89–90 One story has it happening after a scandal in which he appropriated treasure hoard that was discovered at

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 ...

in the process of replacing the old church with a new one.Fletcher ''Bloodfeud'' p. 156 Æthelric allegedly sent the money to his former monastery of Peterborough to finance some building work there.Mason ''House of Godwine'' pp. 124–125 Another reason given was that Æthelric was unable to protect the diocese against locals encroaching on its rights. Æthelric also resigned within a year of the death of Earl Siward, who had been one of the bishop's main supporters. His brother, Æthelwine, who had helped Æthelric to appropriate the treasure, succeeded Æthelric as bishop. Æthelric retired to Peterborough Abbey, where he remained until the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

.Williams ''English and the Norman Conquest'' p. 45 He was arrested by the King

William I of England William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

after May 1070, and died in captivity at Westminster,Fletcher ''Bloodfeud'' p. 185Stafford ''Unification and Conquest'' p. 104 on 15 October 1072.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aethelric Bishops of Durham 11th-century English Roman Catholic bishops 1072 deaths Year of birth unknown