The Bishop of Lindisfarne was the ordinary of several early medieval episcopal sees (and dioceses) in Northumbria and pre-Conquest England. The first such see was founded at Lindisfarne in 635 by Saint Aidan.
Bishops of Lindisfarne | |||
---|---|---|---|
From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
635 | 651 | Aidan | Saint Aidan. |
651 | 661 | Finan | Saint Finan. |
661 | 664 | Colmán | Saint Colmán. |
664 | Tuda | Saint Tuda. | |
In 664 the diocese was merged to York by Wilfrid (who succeeded Tuda following his death), leaving one large diocese in the large northern Kingdom of Northumbria. | |||
The diocese was reinstated in 678 by Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury following Wilfrid's banishment from Northumbria by King King Ecgfrith1. Its new seat was initially (at least in part) at Hexham (until a new diocese was created there in 680). | |||
678 | 685 | Eata of Hexham | Saint Eata. |
685 | 687 | Cuthbert | Saint Cuthbert. |
688 | 698 | Eadberht | Saint Eadberht. |
698 | 721 | Eadfrith | Saint Eadfrith. |
721 | 740 | Æthelwold | Saint Æthelwold. |
740 | 780 | Cynewulf | |
780 | 803 | Higbald | |
803 | 821 | Egbert | |
821 | 830 | Egfrid | |
830 | 845 | Ecgred | |
845 | 854 | Eanbert | |
854 | 875 | Eardulf | |
The monks of Lindisfarne fled from the Danes in 875 along with the ancient remains of Saint Cuthbert and there was no seat of the Bishop of Lindisfarne for seven years. In 882 Eardulf and his monks settled in Chester-le-Street and the seat of the Bishop and diocese of Lindisfarne was based there until 995. | |||
Bishops of Lindisfarne (at Chester-le-Street) | |||
From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
882 | 900 | Eardulf | |
900 | 915 | Cutheard | |
915 | 928 | Tilred | |
928 | 944 | Wilgred | |
944 | 947 | Uchtred | |
947 | Sexhelm | ||
947 | 968 | Aldred | |
968 | 990 | Ælfsige | Called "Bishop of St Cuthbert". |
990 | 995 | Aldhun | Moved the see & diocese to Durham. |
In 995, the King had paid the Danegeld to the Danish and Norwegian Kings and peace was restored. Aldhun was on his way to reestablish the see at Lindisfarne when he received a divine vision that the body of St Cuthbert should be laid to rest in Durham. The see and diocese of Lindisfarne was moved to Durham and the bishop's title became Bishop of Durham. |