He
succeeded
Osric, 729 A.
bede
Wessex, King of, _see_ Aescwine, Caedwalla, Caelin, Centwine, Coinwalch,
Cuichelm, Cuthred, Cynegils, Cyniwulf, Edilhart, Ini.
Wessex, Bishop of, _see_ Agilbert, Birinus, Daniel, Haedde, Leutherius,
Wini.
Westphalia, 317 n.
West Saxons, called Gewissae or Gewissi, 30, 96, 147, 148;
history and province of, _see_ Wessex.
Wetadun, _see_ Watton.
Whales in Britain, 5.
Whalley, 204 n.
Wharfe, The River, 271 n.
Whelock, Abraham, his edition of the “Ecclesiastical History,” xix.
Whitby, Bay of the Lighthouse or Streanaeshalch, xxix, 195, 275 n. , 349
n. ;
monastery of, built by Hilda, 190, 243 n. , 244 n. , 270, 272-281, 286,
306 n. , 385;
Synod of, xxvii, xxviii, 84 n. , 194 n. , 195, 196-201, 350 n.
Whitby, Abbess of, _see_ Eanfled, Elfled, Hilda.
Whitby, a monk of, editorial references to his “Life of Gregory,” 75 n. ,
190 n.
Whitern or White House, 141, 244 n. ;
diocese of, 381 n.
Whitern, Bishop of, _see_ Frithwald, Ninian, Pechthelm.
Whitsuntide, xli n. , 206.
Whittingham, 292 n.
Wicklow, 92 n.
Wictbert, Irish hermit, his unsuccessful mission to Frisland, 319, 320,
323 n.
Wictred, King of Kent, son of Egbert, xxix, xxxi, 287, 315, 316 n. ;
his sons, 377;
death, 377, 386.
Wighard, a disciple of Gregory’s, sent to Rome to be ordained Archbishop,
dies there, xxvii, 208, 210, 211, 213.
Wight, Isle of, history, xxix, 3, 11, 30, 245, 252, 253;
Christianity introduced into, 252, 253;
described, 253;
bishopric of, 380.
Wight, the Isle of, King of, _see_ Arwald.
Wigton Bay, 141 n.
Wilbert, a boy to whom Bede dictates the last sentences of his
translations, xliii.
Wilbrord, Missionary, Archbishop of Frisland, xxx, 143 n. , 161, 319 n. ;
account of, 161 n. , 320 n. ;
at Rome, 323;
his mission to Frisland, 320, 321 n. , 323, 351, 375 n. ;
destroys idols and kills the sacred cattle of Fosite, 323;
his consecration, 324;
given the name of Clement in religion, 324;
his see at Utrecht, 324;
his monastery near Trèves, 324 n. ;
calendar said to contain an entry by him, 324 n. ;
builds St. Saviour’s, and rebuilds St. Martin’s Church, Utrecht, 324 n. ;
date of his death, 325 n. ;
“Life of,” _see_ Alcuin.
Wilfaraesdun or Wilfar’s Hill, 164.
Wilfrid, St. , Bishop, xxx, 137 n. , 161, 163 n. , 227, 257 n. , 343 n. ;
account of his life and character, 347-357;
his birth and family, 347 n. ;
educated at Lindisfarne, 347;
sent to the Court of Oswy, 347 n. ;
to Lindisfarne, 347;
resolves to go to Rome, 347;
assisted by Queen Eanfled, 347, 348;
starts with Benedict Biscop, 348;
detained at Lyons by Annemundus, 348;
in Rome, 348, 349;
on his way home stays at Lyons, 349;
his fidelity to Annemundus, 349;
wins the friendship of Alchfrid, 194, 350;
given land at Stanford, 350;
made Abbot of Ripon, 194, 350, 351 n. ;
at the Whitby Synod, xxvii, 195-200, 217 n. ;
made Bishop of Northumbria, xxvii, 218, 219, 350, 351, 384;
consecrated in Gaul by Agilbert, 206, 218, 350;
superseded by Ceadda, xxvii, 207 n. , 351;
returns to Britain, 351;
shipwrecked on the coast of Sussex, 351 n. ;
discharges episcopal functions for Mercia and Kent, 218, 219 n. , 351 n. ;
restored by Theodore, 351;
his relations with Ethelthryth, 242 n. , 260, 262;
his relations with Theodore, 228 n. , 229 n. , 231 n. , 244 n. , 353 n. ;
represented at Hertford by proxy, 228;
his Catholic teaching, xxvii, 208, 217;
invites Eddi from Kent to teach church singing, 217;
expelled from his see by Egfrid, 242, 243 n. , 244, 245, 267 n. , 351,
385;
foretells the battle of the Trent, 267 n. ;
demands an explanation from the King and Archbishop, 242 n. ;
goes to Rome to plead his cause, 243 n. , 245, 351;
Ebroin’s plot against his life, 192 n. , 351 n. ;
on his way to Rome driven by the wind to Frisland, 351;
visits Dagobert II of Austrasia, and Perctarit, King of the Lombards,
351 n. ;
acquitted by Agatho and the Lateran Council, 352;
his confession of faith on behalf of the English Church, 254 n. , 352;
returns to Britain, 352, accused of bribery, 352 n. ;
imprisoned at Bromnis, 352 n. ;
at Dunbar, 352 n. ;
released at Aebba’s request, 260 n. , 352 n. ;
takes refuge in Mercia, 267 n. , 323, 352 n. ;
expelled from Mercia, 267 n. , 352 n. ;
converts the South Saxons and the Isle of Wight, 179 n. , 245-248, 252,
352, 353;
founds the Monastery of Selsey, 247, 345;
his restoration to York, Hexham, and Ripon, 243 n. , 247 n. , 296, 353 n. ,
356 n. ;
administers Lindisfarne, 296;
his second expulsion, 274 n. , 296 n. , 323, 353;
second sojourn in Mercia, 353 n. ;
consecrates Oftfor, 274;
consecrates Suidbert, 323;
excommunicated by the Council of Ouestraefelda, 353 n. ;
second visit to Frisland, 161;
again goes to Rome to plead his cause, 353;
acquitted by Pope John and the Council, 353, 354;
taken ill at Meaux on his way back to Britain, 354, 355;
his vision, 355;
arrives in Britain, 355;
reconciled to Bertwald, Ethelred and Coenred, 355, 356;
Aldfrid refuses to receive him, 356;
Elfled’s influence in his favour, 189 n. ;
restored to his bishopric of Hexham by the Synod on the Nidd, 356;
dies at Oundle, 346, 356, 391;
buried at St. Peter’s, Ripon, 346, 356;
his epitaph, 356, 357;
length of his episcopate, 346;
his relics, 346 n. ;
his character, 347;
churches built by him, 351;
“Life of,” _see_ Eddius.
Wilfrid II, Bishop of York, 273, 346 n. , 379 n. , 380 n. , 381, 390;
account of, 273;
ordained by John, 312.
Wilfrid, Bishop of Worcester, 379 n. , 380.
Wilgils, father of Wilbrord, 320 n.
William III, xix.
William of Malmesbury, editorial references to, xxxvi, 86 n. , 87 n. , 125
n. , 232 n. , 239 n. , 287 n. , 346 n. , 377 n. , 392 n.
Wiltaburg, Wiltenburg, the Town of the Wilts, or Trajectum, now Utrecht,
324.
Wiltshire, 343 n.
Wincanheale, 204 n.
Winchester, Venta, or Wintancaestir, 228 n. ;
churches at, 149;
diocese of, xxvi, xxx, 3 n. , 148, 149, 150, 251, 343 n. , 345.
Winchester, Bishop of, _see_ Daniel, Haedde, Leutherius, Wini.
Winfrid, _see_ Boniface.
Wini, Bishop of Winchester, 150, 241;
consecrates Ceadda, 207;
expelled from Winchester, purchases the bishopric of London, 150, 231
n. ;
returns to Winchester, 228 n.
Wintancaestir, _see_ Winchester.
“Winter’s Tale, The,” editorial reference to, 263 n.
Winwaed, Battle of the, xxvii, 185 n. , 188, 189.
Winwaed, The River, 189.
Witberg, daughter of Anna, 149 n.
Witenagemot, The, xxv, 94, 95, 116, 151 n. , 231 n. , 242 n. , 251 n. , 316 n.
Woden, 30;
the sons of, 83 n.
Wooler, 119.
Worcester, diocese of the Hwiccas, 273 n. , 379 n. , 380.
Worcester, Bishop of, _see_ Bosel, Egwin, Oftfor, Tatfrid, Wilfrid.
Worcestershire, 84 n. , 379 n.
Worr, _see_ Aldwin.
Wulfhere, King of Mercia, son of Penda, xxvii, xxviii, 149 n. , 150, 181,
218, 226 n. , 241 n. , 261 n. , 332 n. ;
account of, 191 n. ;
with the aid of Immin, Eafa, and Eadbert, recovers Mercia from Oswy,
191;
his reign, 192;
his realm, 225;
conquers Lindsey, 243 n. ;
sends Jaruman to the East Saxons, 212, 245 n. ;
brings about the conversion of Ethelwalch, 245;
endows monasteries, 219, 346 n. ;
invades Northumbria, 191 n. ;
defeated by Egfrid, 191 n. ;
death, 191 n. , 384 n. , 385.
Wulfram, St. , Archbishop of Sens, 319 n.
Wuscfrea, son of Edwin, baptized, 119;
taken by his mother into Kent, and sent into Gaul, where he dies in
infancy, 132.
Wynfrid, Bishop of Lichfield, 192, 224, 225;
account of, 192 n. ;
deacon under Ceadda, 225;
at the Hertford Synod, 228;
deposed by Theodore, 231, 244 n. ;
retires to Ad Barvae, 231;
death, 231.
Yeavering or Adgefrin, 119, 120.
Yellow pest, a bubonic plague, 203, 204.
Yffi, first King of Deira, 83 n.
Yffi, son of Osfrid, 119, 132.
York, xxxvi, 13, 118, 131, 132, 135, 244, 293, 354;
diocese of, xxv, 65, 66, 243 n. , 351 n. ;
Cathedral, 119.
York, Archbishop of, _see_ Egbert, Paulinus;
Bishop of, _see_ Bosa, Ceadda, John, Wilfrid, Wilfrid II.
Yorkshire, 3 n. , 118 n. , 204 n. , 305 n. , 342 n.
Ythancaestir, Monastery of, 183, 187.
Zacharias, Pope, letter to Boniface, 87 n.
Zeuss, his “Die Deutschen und die Nachbarstämme,” 317 n.
Zozimus, Pope, 21 n.
FOOTNOTES
1 The St. Gallen MS. (ninth century) has, however, “VII Id. Mai. ”
Messrs. Mayor and Lumby, adopting this reading, place his death as
late as 742, in which year the eve of Ascension Day fell on May 9th.
For their argument, _v. _ Mayor and Lumby, pp. 401, 402.
2 The phrase is the present Bishop of Oxford’s in “Studies in the
Christian Character. ”
3 Stevenson, “Church Historians,” vol. i.
4 From Easter to Whitsuntide.
5 Rogation Wednesday.
6 King of Northumbria, cf. V, 23.
He succeeded Osric, 729 A. D. In a
revolt he was forcibly tonsured, 731, but restored. He voluntarily
became a monk in Lindisfarne in 737. The fact that Bede submitted
the Ecclesiastical History to him for revision bears witness to his
piety and learning.
7 Albinus, the first English abbot of the monastery of SS. Peter and
Paul at Canterbury, succeeded Hadrian in 709 or 710. On his
scholarship, cf. V, 20.
8 Theodore, the great archbishop, noted for his organization of the
English Church and his services to education, consecrated in 668, at
the age of sixty-five, by Pope Vitalian, on the recommendation of
Hadrian, who had himself twice declined the office of archbishop.
Theodore was a native of Tarsus, in Cilicia, a man of great learning
and scholarly attainments. Cf. IV, 1.
9 Hadrian (_v. _ previous note, cf. IV, 1), an African by birth, sent
to England by Pope Vitalian along with Theodore, became Abbot of SS.
Peter and Paul, Canterbury. He co-operated with Theodore in his
educational work.
10 A presbyter of London, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, 735.
Received the _pallium_ (_v. _ I, 27, p. 54, note) in 736.
11 Gregory I (the Great), who sent the Roman mission to England.
12 Gregory II, _v. _ Plummer _ad loc. _ for arguments showing
conclusively that Gregory III cannot be meant.
13 Cf. IV, 16, and V, 18. In V, 23 he is more accurately described as
“Ventanus antistes. ” He was consecrated Bishop of Winchester when
the West Saxon bishopric was divided in 705; and his diocese
comprised only the smaller part of Wessex. He was the friend and
counsellor of St. Boniface.
14 Bishop of the East Saxons, cf. III, 21 foll.
15 St. Chad, Bishop of the Northumbrians, afterwards of Lichfield;
brother of Cedd: _v. _ III, 23, 28; IV, 2, 3; V, 19.
16 Lastingham, near Pickering in Yorkshire N. R. , _v. _ III, 23.
17 Nothing further is known of him.
18 The district to the north of the Wash.
19 Bishop of Sidnacester, in the province of Lindsey. He died in 732:
_v. _ IV, 12; V, 23.
20 The saint and hermit who was for two years Bishop of Lindisfarne,
685-687: _v. _ IV, 26-32. Bede wrote his life both in prose and
verse.
21 Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland. Aidan chose it as the
place of his see and monastery in 635: _v. _ III, 3.
22 This total varies in different authors. The first few pages of Bede
are to a great extent copied out of Pliny, Solinus, Orosius, and
Gildas.
23 Richborough, Kent.
24 Boulogne.
25 Cf. Caes. , B. G. , _passim_; Verg. , Aen. , VIII, 727.
26 In his Hexameron.
27 Latin is included as being the ecclesiastical language common to
all. Bede does not imply that there was a Latin-speaking race still
in the island.
28 In Caesar’s time, the whole district lying along the north-western
coast of Gaul, afterwards narrowed down to the modern Brittany. That
the Britons (or Brythons) came from Gaul is doubtless a fact.
Another branch of the Celtic race, the Goidels or Gaels, appears to
have been in possession in Britain before them.
29 By Scythia Bede means Scandinavia. He only mentions this account as
a tradition. The problem of the Picts has not been solved yet.
According to one view, they belonged to the pre-Aryan inhabitants of
Britain, pushed westward and northward by the Celtic invaders. In
Scotland they held their own for a considerable time in a wide tract
of country, and they may have to some extent amalgamated with the
Celts who dispossessed them (Rhŷs). Others regard them as Celts of
the same branch as Welsh, Cornish, and Britons, being probably
nearest to Cornish. The absence of all but the scantiest remains of
their language makes the question of their origin one of great
difficulty.
30 The legend is an attempt to account for the law of Pictish
succession, which was vested in the mother, _v. _ Rhŷs, “Celtic
Britain,” pp. 170-171.
31 “Dal,” a division or part, is common in Irish names. Dalriada was a
district in the north-eastern part of Ulster. From there, a tribe of
Scots (a Celtic race who settled in Ireland at some unknown period)
came to Kintyre and spread along the coasts of Argyll, which took
from them the name of Dalriada (probably _circ. _ 500 A. D. ). They
brought the Christian religion with them. Bede follows that version
of the legend which makes Cairbre Riada, the eponymous hero of the
Irish Dalriada (_circ. _ 200 A. D. ), himself found the colony in
Scotland.
32 Dumbarton; _v. infra_ c. 12, p. 24 and note.
33 Caesar’s invasion took place A. U. C. 699 and 700; B. C. 55 and 54.
34 Cf. Caes. , B. G. , V, 11, 18 ff. A powerful British chief. His
territory lay north and north-east of the Thames, roughly comprising
Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire, but the exact limits
are uncertain. His people were the Catuvellauni (the name is Gaulish
in form).
35 Cf. Caes. , B. G. , V, 20. The Trinovantes occupied Essex and part of
Middlesex.
36 Variations of this name given by ancient authors are Andragius and
Androgorius. Caesar calls him Mandubracius.
37 The position of this place is unknown.
38 Claudius came to Britain A. U. C. 796, 43 A. D.
39 He can only have done so in name; it was probably Agricola who first
conquered the Orkneys. Cf. Tac. , Agric. , 10.
40 Cf. Tac. , Agric. , 13.
41 Marcus Antoninus Verus, commonly called Marcus Aurelius, succeeded
in 161 A. D. His colleague in the empire was his adopted brother,
Lucius Verus, whose full adoptive name was Lucius Aurelius Antoninus
Verus Commodus. He died in 169. Eleutherus became Pope between 171
and 177. Bede’s chronology is therefore wrong.
42 Most modern authorities consider the story fabulous. But cf. Bright,
“Early English Church History,” pp. 3-5.
43 Severus succeeded in 193 A. D. He died in 211.
44 This is the earthwork which runs parallel to the wall of Hadrian,
between the Solway and the Tyne, at an interval of from 30 to 1,300
yards from it. Its origin and purpose are doubtful. Ancient
authorities afford conflicting evidence with regard to the Roman
walls in Britain. Modern research seems to show that Severus built
no wall or rampart, though some ancient historians assert that he
did (_v. _ Haverfield, quoted by Plummer, _ad loc. _; cf. _infra_ c.
12 and note).
45 Bassianus Antoninus, surnamed Caracalla. Geta was murdered by
Caracalla.
46 Diocletian succeeded in 284.
47 Carausius was a native of Menapia, in Belgium, appointed to command
the Roman fleet stationed at Boulogne to guard the coasts. He took
the fleet with him when he usurped imperial authority in Britain.
Maximian, failing to reduce him, recognized his authority and gave
him the title of Augustus. He governed vigorously and prosperously.
48 Allectus was a follower of Carausius. His revolt was apparently
supported by the independent tribes, probably Caledonians.
49 Asclepiodotus was serving under Constantius Chlorus (one of the
reigning Caesars), who sailed to Britain and marched against
Allectus.
50 The statement that the Diocletian persecution extended to Britain
rests on no trustworthy evidence at all. Yet though the time
assigned is probably wrong, there seems to be no reason to doubt the
existence of the British Protomartyr. The story rests upon a local
tradition traceable up to the visit of Germanus in 429 A. D. , _v.
infra_ c. 18.
51 Venantius Fortunatus, a Christian poet, Bishop of Poitiers, b. 530
A. D. He was the last Latin poet of any note in Gaul.
52 In the lives of St. Alban (all later than Bede) this clerk is called
St. Amphibalus, a name probably invented from his cloak
(_amphibalus_).
53 The text of this passage is probably corrupt, but all the MSS.
agree. I believe the above gives the intended meaning.
54 There is again probably some confusion in the text.
55 Now St. Albans in Hertfordshire, on the Watling Street, hence
probably the name, Vaeclingacaestir.
56 The place was afterwards called Holmhurst. The church mentioned by
Bede was superseded by the monastery of St. Alban, the foundation of
which is attributed to Offa, _circ. _ 793 A. D. Certain extraordinary
privileges were granted to it, and its abbot obtained a superiority
over all other English abbots (Dugdale, “Monasticon”).
57 The evidence for their martyrdom is very doubtful.
58 Caerleon-on-Usk, the headquarters of the Second legion, is here
meant (_v. _ Merivale, H. R. , vi, 248), though the name was also
applied to Chester, seat of the Twentieth legion (cf. II, 2, p. 87,
“civitas legionum”).
59 Constantine the Great. For the legality of the marriage, _v. _ Dict.
of Christian Biography, article “Helena. ”
60 The First General Council, 325 A. D.
