Æthelric I (died 1038) was an
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
Bishop of Selsey
The Bishop of Chichester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East and West Sussex. The see is based in the City of Chichester where the bishop's sea ...
.
Life
Perhaps previously a monk at
Christ Church Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
, Æthelric was probably Bishop of Selsey by 1032, when he witnessed a charter of King
Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn rÃki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...
. Nothing else is known of his origins.
[Lawson ''Cnut'' p. 137]
But is it curious that Æthelric's predecessor supposedly attested a charter of Cnut dated 1033. The probable explanation is that
Ælfmær witnessed the conveyance itself which took place in 1032 but the charter recording the transaction was not prepared until 1033.
[O'Donovan ''Charters of Sherborne'' pp. 72-73]
According to 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 ...
'', version D, Æthelric died in 1038: "In this year died Archbishop Æthelnoth the Good, also Æthelric, Bishop of Sussex, who desired of God that He would not allow him to outlive his dear father Æthelnoth".
The ''Handbook of British Chronology'' gives the dates of his bishopric as 1032 through November or December 1038.
[Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 221] The historian
Frank Barlow felt that Æthelric was the ultimate source for information Eadmer gathered about
Dunstan
Saint Dunstan (c. 909 – 19 May 988) was an English bishop. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury, Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restor ...
.
[Barlow ''English Church 1000-1066'' p. 74] Barlow also felt that Æthelric was a member of Dunstan's reforming group.
[Barlow ''English Church 1000-1066'' p. 222]
Citations
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aethelric 1
AEthelric
Aethelric I
11th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
Year of birth unknown