__NOTOC__ Beornstan (or Byrnstan) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. He was consecrated in May 931. He died on 1 November 934.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 223 After his death, he was revered as a saint. At the start of the reign of King Æthelstan in 924, Beornstan was a member of his household, one of his mass priests, who were probably responsible for looking after his relics. Early in Æthelstan's reign, Beornstan witnessed his manumission of a slave called Ealdred. Æthelstan followed a policy of appointing members of his own circle to vacant bishoprics in Wessex. Winchester was a centre of opposition to the king under its bishop,

Frithestan Frithestan (or Frithustan) was the Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester from 909 until his resignation in 931. Frithestan is first recorded in 904 as a deacon who witnessed two charters in which King Edward the Elder granted land to the Old Minster ...

, and when he resigned in 931 Æthelstan took the chance to appoint Beornstan to the position. He frequently attested the king's charters, though in a lower position than his successor,

Ælfheah Ælfheah is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ælfheah of Canterbury (died 1012), martyred Saint and Archbishop of Canterbury *Ælfheah the Bald (died 951), Saint, and the first Bishop of Winchester *Alphege of Wells (died ), thir ...

. Beornstan died at Old Minster, Winchester, where he was probably buried. He was remembered for his humility, but his cult as a saint was said to have been due to the support of a later bishop of Winchester,

Æthelwold Æthelwold was a common Anglo Saxon name. It may refer to: Royalty and nobility *King Æthelwold of Deira, King of Deira, d. 655 *King Æthelwold of East Anglia, King of East Anglia, d. 664 *King Æthelwold Moll of Northumbria, King of Northumbria ...

, to whom he is supposed to have angrily complained that in heaven he was honoured equally with

Birinus Birinus (also ''Berin'', ''Birin''; – 3 December 649 or 650) was the first Bishop of Dorchester and was known as the " Apostle to the West Saxons" for his conversion of the Kingdom of Wessex to Christianity. He is venerated as a saint ...

and

Swithun Swithun (or Swithin; ang, Swīþhūn; la, Swithunus; died 863 AD) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his reputation for post ...

, but he was neglected in Winchester. His cult never became popular.Yorke "Byrnstan" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrnstan 934 deaths 10th-century Christian saints Bishops of Winchester West Saxon saints Year of birth unknown 10th-century English bishops