List of Anglo-Saxon saints explained

The following list contains saints from Anglo-Saxon England during the period of Christianization until the Norman Conquest of England (c. AD 600 to 1066). It also includes British saints of the Roman and post-Roman period (3rd to 6th centuries), and other post-biblical saints who, while not themselves English, were strongly associated with particular religious houses in Anglo-Saxon England, for example, their relics reputedly resting with such houses.

The only list of saints which has survived from the Anglo-Saxon period itself is the so-called Secgan, an 11th-century compilation enumerating 89 saints and their resting-places.[1]

Table

NameCentury of deathOriginChief medieval resting placeNotes
Acca of Hexham8thNorthumbrianRipon / Durham / PeterboroughRelics translated to Durham 1032; Peterborough Abbey possessed relic in the 12th century [2]
Æbbe of Abingdon7thWest SaxonOxfordDetails uncertain
Æbbe "the Elder" of Coldingham7thNorthumbrianColdinghamTranslated to Durham in the 11th century
Æbbe "the Younger" of Coldingham9thNorthumbrianColdinghamMay be a doppelganger of Æbbe the Elder [3]
Æbbe of Thanet8thKentishMinster-in-ThanetAlso called Eormenburh, of which "Æbbe" may be a hypocoristic form
Ælfgar of SelwoodunknownWest SaxonSelwood forestKnown only from 16th century source
Ælfgifu of ExeterunknownWest SaxonunknownMay be Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury [4]
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury10thWest SaxonShaftesburyMay be Ælfgifu of Exter
Ælfheah of Canterbury11thWest SaxonCanterbury St Augustine'sHis body lay in London Cathedral from 1012 to 1023, but was translated to Canterbury with the cooperation of Cnut
Ælfheah of Winchester10thWest SaxonWinchester Old Minster
Ælfflæd of Whitby8thNorthumbrianWhitby
Ælfnoth of Stowe7thMercianStowe forest
Ælfthryth of Crowland9thMercianCrowland
Ælfwald of Northumbria8thNorthumbrianHexham
Æthelberht of BedfordunknownMercianBedfordMay be the same as Æthelberht of East Anglia [5]
Æthelberht of East Anglia8thEast AnglianHereford
Æthelberht of Kent7thKentishRamsey
Æthelburh of Barking7thEast SaxonBarkingRemaining relics in Barking were translated to Canterbury in 1030
Æthelburh of Faremoutiers7thEast AnglianFaremoutiers
Æthelburh of Hackness8thNorthumbrianHackness
Æthelburh of Kent7thKentishLyminge
Æthelflæd of Ramsey10thEast AnglianRamseyWife of Æthelwine, Ealdorman of East Anglia
Æthelburh of Wilton9thWest SaxonWiltonAllegedly foundress of Wilton Abbey and half-sister of Ecgberht,[6] king of Wessex and Kent, her existence is unsubstantiated by reliable sources [7]
Æthelflæd of Romsey10thWest SaxonRomsey
Æthelgar of Canterbury10thWest SaxonCanterbury Christ ChurchCult attested in the resting-place list of Hugh Candidus[8]
Æthelgyth of ColdinghamunknownNorthumbrianColdingham
Æthelmod of Leominster7thMercianLeominster
Æthelnoth of Canterbury11thWest SaxonCanterbury Christ ChurchAlthough both Mabillon and the Bollandists counted him as a saint, there is no earlier evidence of a formal cult [9]
Æthelred of Kent7thKentishRamsey
Æthelred of Mercia8thMercianBradney
Æthelsige of RiponunknownNorthumbrianRiponKnown only as sanctus Egelsi from a list of bishops resting at Ripon [10]
Æthelstan of England10thWest SaxonMalmesburyThe saints cult of the famous English warrior-king is attested in a resting-place list, but is otherwise poorly documented
Æthelthryth of Ely7thEast AnglianElyAlso called "St Audrey"
Æthelwold of Farne7thNorthumbrianVarious
Æthelwold of Lindisfarne8thNorthumbrianLindisfarneBones left Lindisfarne in the 9th century with the community of St Cuthert; some bones were given to Westminster by King Edgar[11]
Æthelwine of Athelney7thWest SaxonAthelney
Æthelwine of ColnunknownMercianColn St Aldwyn
Æthelwine of Lindsey7thMercianunknownThere is no evidence of an early cult, but he is listed as a saint in Wilson's Martyrologie[12]
Æthelwine of SceldefordeunknownobscureSceldefordeNo identification of Sceldeforde is regarded as certain today [13]
Æthelwold of Winchester10thWest SaxonWinchester Old Minster
Æthelwynn of SodburyunknownMercianOld Sodbury
Aidan of Lindisfarne7thGaelic / NorthumbrianGlastonburyBones moved from Lindisfarne to Glastonbury during time of Viking invasions [14]
Alban3rdRomano-BritishSt Albans
Albinus of Canterbury8thKentishCanterbury Christ ChurchEvidence of cult comes from one resting-place list, but it is otherwise poorly documented
Albinus of ThorneyunknownMercian?ThorneyMay be Hwita, bishop of Lichfield
Alchhild of MiddlehamunknownNorthumbrianMiddlehamPossibly a daughter of King Oswig[15]
Alchmund of Hexham8thNorthumbrianHexham
Alchmund of Derby9thNorthumbrianDerby
Aldatus of Oxford6thRomano-British?Oxford / Gloucester
Aldhelm of Sherbourne8thWest SaxonMalmesbury
Alfred the Great9thWest SaxonWinchesterKing of Wessex and Bretwalda. Saint by popular acclaim only, never formally canonised. Relics were lost at the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Amphibalus of St Albans3rdRomano-British?St AlbansBody at Aldeminstre in the Domesday Breviate resting-place list; body 'discovered' at St Albans in 1178[16]
Arilda of OldburyunknownRomano-British?Gloucester
Arwald7thIsle of WightunknownMartyrs, sons of Arwald, the prince of the Isle of Wight, just off the English coast. The martyrs are called Arwald because their proper names are not known. They were slain after Baptism by King Cædwalla, who was a pagan.
Athwulf of Thorney7thEast AnglianThorney
Augustine of Canterbury7thRomanCanterbury St Augustine's
Avbur of StallingboroughunknownobscureStallingborough
Balthere of Tyningham8thNorthumbrianTyninghame / Durham
Balthild of Romsey7thFrankish / East AnglianRomsey
Barloc of NorburyunknownBritishNorbury
Beda of Jarrow8thNorthumbrianJarrow / Durham / Glastonbury
Bega of CopelandunknownGaelic / NorthumbrianSt Bees
Benedict Biscop7thNorthumbrianThorney
Benignus of GlastonburyunknownWest SaxonGlastonburyAlso called Beonna [17]
Beocca of Chertsey9thWest SaxonChertsey9th
Beonna of Breedon9thMercianBreedon-on-the-Hill
Beorhthelm of StaffordunknownMercianStafford
Beorhthelm of Shaftesbury[18] unknownWest SaxonShaftesburySome possibility that he is a 10th-century West Saxon bishop, several bearing this name [19]
Beornstan the ArchdeaconunknownKentishCanterbury St Augustine'sThe saint-list "Catalogus Sanctorum in Anglia Pausantium" mentions an archdeacon called Byrnstan or Beornstan resting at St Augustine's
Beornstan of Winchester10thWest SaxonWinchester Old Minster
Beornwald of Bampton10thWest SaxonBampton
Bercthun of Beverley8thNorthumbrianBeverley
Berhtwald of Canterbury8thKentishCanterbury St Augustine's
Bertha of Kent7thFrankish / KentishCanterbury St Augustine'sMention in the resting-place list of Hugh Candidus
Billfrith of Lindisfarne8thNorthumbrianDurham
Birinus of Dorchester7thRomanWinchester Old Minster
Blaise4thRomanCanterbury Christ ChurchRelics of Saint Blaise were held by Canterbury Christ Church, thought to have been brought from Rome in 908 by Archbishop Plegmund[20]
Blitha of MarthamunknownEast AnglianMarthamMother of St Walstan
Boisil of Melrose7thGaelic / NorthumbrianMelrose / Durham
Boniface8thWest SaxonMainz / Fulda / Dokkum, FrisiaFamous for being the "Apostle of Germany" for his missionary efforts among the German people. Originally from Crediton in Devon and named Wynfryth until Pope Gregory II dubbed him Boniface. Martyred in Dokkum in Frisia by bandits.
Bosa of York8thNorthumbrianYork
Botwine of Ripon8thNorthumbrianRipon
Botwulf of Thorney7thEast AnglianThorney
Brannoc of BrauntonunknownBritishBraunton
Branwalator of MiltonunknownBritishMilton Abbas
Ceadda of Lichfield7thNorthumbrianLichfield
Ceatta of LichfieldunknownobscureLichfieldPossibly a duplication of Ceadda (above) [21]
Cedd of Lichfield7thNorthumbrianLichfield
Centwine of Wessex7thWest SaxonGlastonburyIn the list of saints entitled "Catalogus Sanctorum in Anglia Pausantium", he is listed resting at Glastonbury Abbey
Ceolfrith of Monkwearmouth8thNorthumbrianLangres / Glastonbury / Monkwearmouth
Ceolwulf of Northumbria8thNorthumbrianLindisfarne
Cett of OundleunknownobscureOundle
Credan of BodminunknownBritishBodmin
Cissa of Crowland8thEast AnglianThorney
Coenwulf of Mercia9thMercianWinchcombe
Congar of CongresburyunknownBritishCongresbury
Cotta of Breedon8thMercianBreedon-on-the-Hill
Credan of Evesham8thMercianEvesham
Cuthbald of Peterborough8thEast AnglianPeterborough
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne7thNorthumbrianDurhamBones originally at Lindisfarne, at various places including Carlisle, Norham, Crayke and Chester-le-Street, before settling at Durham in the late 10th century for the remainder of the Middle Ages [22]
Cuthburh of Wimborne8thWest SaxonWimborne
Cuthflæd of LyminsterunknownSouth SaxonLyminster
Cuthmann of SteyningunknownSouth SaxonSteyning
Cwenburh of Wimborne8thWest SaxonWimborne
Cyneburh of Castor7thMercianPeterborough
Cyneburh of Gloucester7thMercianGloucester
Cynehelm of Mercia9thMercianWinchcombe
Cyneswith of Peterborough7thMercianPeterborough
Dachuna of BodminunknownBritishBodmin
Decuman of WatchetunknownBritishWatchet
Deusdedit of Canterbury7thKentishCanterbury St Augustine's / Leominster
Diuma of Charlbury7thGaelic / MercianCharlbury
Domnanuerdh of BeckleyunknownobscureBeckley
Dryhthelm of Melrose8thNorthumbrianMelroseFamous for the vision of the afterlife attributed to him by Bede;[23] evidence for cult limited, but he is mentioned in the resting-place list of Hugh Candidus
Dunstan of Canterbury10thWest SaxonCanterbury St Augustine's
Eadberht of Lindisfarne7thNorthumbrianLindisfarneAccording to tradition, his bones were taken from Lindisfarne in the late 9th century [24]
Eadburh of Bicester7thMercianBicester
Eadburh of PershoreunknownMercianPershorepossibly identified with Eadburh of Winchester
Eadburh of SouthwellunknownMercianSouthwell
Eadburh of Thanet8thKentishLyminge
Eadburh of Winchester10thWest SaxonWinchester Nunnaminster
Eadfrith of Leominster7thNorthumbrianLeominster
Eadfrith of Lindisfarne8thNorthumbrianLindisfarneTradition has it that his bones were taken from Lindisfarne in the late 9th century [25]
Eadgar of England10thWest SaxonGlastonbury
Eadgyth of AylesburyunknownMercianAylesbury
Eadgyth of Polesworth10thWest SaxonPolesworth
Eadgyth of Wilton10thWest SaxonWilton
Eadmund of East Anglia9thEast AnglianBury St Edmunds
Eadmund the ConfessorunknownobscureunknownKnown only in the litany from Lambeth Palace MS 427, a 15th-century addition to a psalter of the 11th century [26]
Eadnoth of Ramsey11thEast AnglianEly
Eadthryth of GranthamunknownobscureGrantham
Eadweard the Confessor11thWest SaxonWestminster
Eadweard the Martyr10thWest SaxonShaftesbury
Eadweard of MaugersburyunknownMercianMaugersbury / Stow-on-the-Wold
Eadwine of Northumbria7thNorthumbrianWhitby / York
Eadwold of Cerne9thWest SaxonCerne Abbas
Ealdberht of Ripon8thNorthumbrianRipon / Peterborough
Ealdgyth of StortfordunknownMercianBishops Stortford
Eanmund8thNorthumbrianunknown
Eanswith of Folkestone7thKentishFolkestone
Earconwald7thMercianLondon / Chertsey
Eardwulf of Northumbria9thNorthumbrianBreedon-on-the-Hill
Earmund of Stoke FlemingunknownWest SaxonStoke Fleming
Eata of Hexham7thNorthumbrianHexham
Ecgberht of Ripon8thNorthumbrianRipon
Ecgwine of Evesham8thMercianEvesham
Echa of Crayke8thGaelic / NorthumbrianCrayke
Edor of Chertsey9thWest SaxonChertsey
Elfin of WarringtonunknownBritishWarrington
Eoda7thNorthumbrianunknownmay be identical with St. Oda
Eormengyth of Thanet7thKentishMinster-in-Thanet
Eosterwine of Monkwearmouth7thNorthumbrianMonkwearmouth
EvorhildaunknownWest SaxonPoppleton
Felix of Dommoc7thFrankishRamsey
Firmin of North CrawleyunknownRoman?North Crawley / ThorneyCompare Fermin, martyr and bishop of Amiens
Florentius of PeterboroughunknownRomanPeterboroughAccording to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle MS E, his relics were transferred from Bonneval Abbey to Peterborough in 1013; he is perhaps Florentius of Sedun, martyred by the Vandals[27]
Freomund of Mercia9th MercianDunstable
Frithestan of Winchester10thWest SaxonWinchester Old Minster
Frithuric of Breedon7thMercianBreedon-on-the-Hill
Frithuswith of Oxford8thMercianOxford
Frithuwold of Chertsey7thMercianChertsey
Fursey of Cnobheresburg7thGaelic / East AnglianPéronne
Grimbald of St Bertin10thFrankishWinchester New Minster
Guthlac of Crowland8thEast AnglianCrowland
Hadrian of Canterbury8thRomanCanterbury St Augustine'sBorn in the Roman exarchate of Africa, conquered by the Arabs in Hadrian's lifetime [28]
Hædde of Winchester8thWest SaxonWinchester Old Minster
Hæmma of Leominster7thMercianLeominster
Hereberht of Huntingdonunknownobscureunknown
Herefrith of ThorneyunknownEast AnglianThorneyMay have been a bishop of Lindsey
Hilda of Whitby7thNorthumbrianWhitby / Glastonbury
Hildeburh7th MerciaDee Estuary
Hildelith of Barking8thEast SaxonBarking
Hiurmine of Blythburgh7thEast AnglianBlythburgh / Bury St Edmunds
Honorius of Canterbury7thRomanCanterbury St Augustine's
Huna of Thorney7thEast AnglianThorney
Humbert of StokenhamunknownWest SaxonStokenham
Hwita of Whitchurch CanonicorumunknownWest SaxonWhitchurch Canonicorum
Hygebald of Lindsey7thobscureHibaldstow
Hyglac8thNorthumbrianunknown
Indract of Glastonbury9thGaelic / West SaxonGlastonbury
IniciumunknownobscureThorneyBody appears to have been in Bochesuurtha, perhaps either Boxworth or Buckworth, before resting at Thorney [29]
Ivo of RamseyunknownBritishRamsey
Iwig of Wilton7thNorthumbrianWilton
Jermin8thEast AnglianBury St. EdmundsKilled at the Battle of Bulcamp, his body was translated from Blythburgh. Also known as Jurmin
John of Beverley8thNorthumbrianBeverley
John the SageunknownobscureMalmesburyWilliam of Malmesbury believed this saint to be John Scotus Erigena, while historian Michael Lapidge has suggested John the Old Saxon, scholar of Alfred the Great[30]
Jordan of BristolunknownobscureCollege Green, BristolJordan is only attested to as a saint of the Anglo-Saxon era in a 15th-century hymn and in the writings of later antiquarians.[31]
Judoc of Winchester7thBritishWinchester New Minster
Jurmin7thEast AnglianKilled in Battle with PendaPrince of East Anglia, Son of King Anna
Justus of Canterbury7thRomanCanterbury St Augustine's
Juthwara of Sherborne6thDumnonia, sub-Roman BritishSherborne
Laurence of Canterbury7thRomanCanterbury St Augustine's
Leofwynn of Bishopstone7thSouth SaxonBishopstone
Mærwynn of Romsey10thWest SaxonRomsey
Maildub of Malmesbury7thGaelic / West SaxonMalmesbury
Margaret of Wessex11thWest SaxonDunfermline
Mellitus of Canterbury7thRomanCanterbury St Augustine's
Melorius of AmesburyunknownBritishAmesbury
MerefinunknownMercianunknown
Mildburh of Wenlock8thMercianWenlock
Mildgyth8thMercianunknown
Mildrith of Thanet8thMercianMinster-in-Thanet / Canterbury St Augustine's
Milred of Worcester8thMercianBerkswell
Modwenna of BurtonunknownGaelic / MercianBurton
Monegunda of Watton6thFrankishWatton
Nectan of HartlandunknownBritishHartland
NeotunknownBritishSt Neots
Nothhelm of Canterbury8thKentishCanterbury St Augustine's
Oda of Canterbury10thAnglo-NorseCanterbury Christ Church
Odwulf of Evesham9thFrisianEvesham
Osana of Howden8th?NorthumbrianHowden
Osburh of CoventryunknownMercianCoventry
Osgyth7thEast SaxonChich / Aylesbury
Osthryth7thNorthumbrianBardney
Oswald of Northumbria7thNorthumbrianLindisfarne / Gloucester / variousBody rested at Bardney, hands at Bamburgh and head at Lindisfarne in the time of Bede; body was translated to Gloucester in 909; the right-arm was later at Peterborough, with the head at Durham and some other bones at Glastonbury [32]
Oswald of Worcester10thAnglo-NorseWorcester
Oswine of Northumbria7thNorthumbrianTynemouth / DurhamDespite a brief period at Durham, Oswine rested at Tynemouth Priory; Durham possessed the head [33]
Pandionia of EltisleyunknownobscureEltisley
PatrickunknownRomano-BritishGlastonbury (/Armagh)Body was alleged to be buried at Glastonbury in the Anglo-Saxon period, though it was discovered by John de Courcy and translated to Armagh Cathedral in 1185[34]
Paulinus of York7thRomanRochester
Pega of Peakirk8thEast AnglianPeakirk
Rayneunknownobscureunknown
Regenhere of Northampton9thEast AnglianNorthampton
Ruffinus of Stone7thMerciaStone
Rumon of TavistockunknownBritishRuan Lanihorne / Tavistock
Rumwold of BuckinghamunknownMercianBuckingham
Samson of Dol6thBritishMilton Abbas
Sæbbi of London7thEast SaxonLondonCult uncertain [35]
Sativola of Exeter6thDumnonia Sub-Roman BritishExeterVenerated throughout the Middle Ages in Devon, she has been linked with the 6th Cornish anchoress Sitofolla, sister of Paul Aurelian[36]
Seaxburh of Ely8thEast AnglianEly
Sicgred of Ripon8thNorthumbrianRipon / Peterborough
Sigeburh of Thanet8thKentishMinster-in-Thanet
Sigfrith of Monkwearmouth7thNorthumbrianMonkwearmouth
Swithhun of Winchester9thWest SaxonWinchester Old Minster
Tatberht of Ripon8thNorthumbrianRipon / Peterborough
Tancred of Thorney9thEast AnglianThorney
Torthred of Thorney9thEast AnglianThorney
Tova of Thorney9thEast AnglianThorney
Theodore of Canterbury7thRomanCanterbury St Augustine's
Tibba of Ryhall7thMercianRyhall / Peterborough
Ultan the Scribe8thGaelic / NorthumbrianunknownGaelic scribe-priest known only from the 9th-century work of a monk named Æthelwulf, De Abbatibus [37]
Urith of ChittlehamptonunknownBritishChittlehamptonIn Latin, Hyaritha; name probably represents Welsh Iwerydd
Wendreda7thEast AnglianEly/March, Cambridgeshire
Werburh of Chester8thMercianHanbury / Chester
WærstanunknownMercianGreat Malvern
Walstan of BawburghunknownEast AnglianBawburgh
Wigstan of Repton9thMercianRepton / Evesham
Wihtberht8thNorthumbrianRipon
Wihtburh of Ely8thEast AnglianEly
Wihtred of ThorneyunknownobscureThorney
Wilfrith of Hexham8thNorthumbrianRipon / Canterbury Christ Church
Wilfrith II8thNorthumbrianRipon
Wilgils of Ripon7thNorthumbrianRipon / Peterborough
Wilgyth of Cholsey6thDumnonia, sub-Roman BritainCholsey
Wulfgar of PeterboroughunknownobscurePeterborough
Wulfhad of Stone7thobscureStone
Wulfhild of Barking11thMercianBarking
Wulfram of Grantham8thFrankishGrantham
Wulfric of Holme10thEast AnglianHolme
Wulfsige of Sherborne11thWest SaxonSherborne
Wulfthryth11thWest SaxonWilton
Wynthryth of MarchunknownobscureMarch / Ely

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. D. W. Rollason, "Lists of saints' resting-places in Anglo-Saxon England" in ASE 7 (1978), p. 62
  2. Blair, "Handlist", p. 502
  3. Blair, "Handlist", p. 503
  4. Blair, "Handlist", p. 504
  5. Blair, "Handlist", p. 506
  6. Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints, s.v. "Alburga", p. 13
  7. Yorke, Nunneries, p. 76
  8. Blair, "Handlist", p. 563
  9. Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints, s.v. "Ethelnoth", p. 166
  10. Blair, "Handlist", p. 507
  11. Blair, "Handlist", p. 508
  12. Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints, s.v. "Elwin", p. 157
  13. Blair, "Handlist", pp. 508 - 09
  14. Blair, "Handlist", p. 510
  15. Blair, "Handlist", p. 511
  16. Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints, s.v. "Amphibalus", p. 20
  17. Blair, "Handlist", p. 515
  18. Known only from the Hagiography of the Secgan Manuscript. Stowe MS 944, British Library.
  19. Blair, "Handlist", p. 516
  20. Pfaff, "The Calendar", p. 66
  21. Blair, "Handlist", p. 520
  22. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, pp. 79 - 86
  23. Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints, s.v. "Drithelm", p. 136
  24. Blair, "Handlist", p. 525
  25. Blair, "Handlist", p. 527
  26. Blair, "Handlist", p. 528
  27. Swanton, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, p. 144, n. 8
  28. Blair, "Handlist", p. 537
  29. Blair, "Handlist", pp. 540 - 41
  30. Blair, "Handlist", p. 542
  31. Web site: Fleming . Peter . Time, space and power in later medieval Bristol. . University of the West of England . University of the West of England . 11 November 2018.
  32. Blair, "Handlist", pp. 549 - 50; Craig, "Oswald"
  33. Blair, "Handlist", pp. 550 - 51
  34. Stancliffe, "Patrick"
  35. Blair, "Handlist", p. 564
  36. Blair, "Handlist", p. 554
  37. Blair, "Handlist", p. 557

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of Anglo-Saxon saints".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.