Bishop of Lindisfarne
The Bishop of Lindisfarne is an episcopal title which takes its name after the tidal island of Lindisfarne, which lies just off the northeast coast of Northumberland, England. The title was first used by the Anglo-Saxons between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the reign of Æthelstan (924-939) the bishop was known as the Bishop of Chester-le-Street[1] or the Bishop of the Church of St Cuthbert. According to George Molyneaux, "it was in all probability the greatest landholder between the Tees and the Tyne".[2] It is now used by the Roman Catholic Church for a titular see.
Anglo-Saxon bishops of Lindisfarne
The Anglo-Saxon bishops of Lindisfarne were ordinaries 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.[3]
| List of Anglo-Saxon 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 Ecgfrith. 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, sometimes known as Cuncacestre, 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. | |||
| Source(s):[4] | |||
Modern titular bishops of Lindisfarne
In 1970, the Roman Catholic Church revived the title Bishop of Lindisfarne, using Lindisfarna as the name of the titular see, but Lindisfarnensis as the adjectival form in Latin.[5] So far, three titular bishops have served, all functioning as auxiliary bishops in the Archdiocese of Westminster.[5]
| List of titular Bishops of Lindisfarne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1970 | 2004 | Victor Guazzelli | Appointed Titular Bishop of Lindisfarne and Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster on 24 April 1970 and consecrated on 23 May 1970. Resigned as auxiliary bishop on 21 December 1996, but continued as titular bishop until his death on 1 June 2004. |
| 2005 | 2014 | John Arnold | Appointed Titular Bishop of Lindisfarne and Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster on 6 December 2005 and consecrated on 2 February 2006. Held the both titles until appointed Bishop of Salford on 30 September 2014 and installed at Salford Cathedral on 8 December 2014. |
| 2014 | 2016 | Titular see vacant | |
| 2016 | John Wilson | Bishop John Wilson was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster and Titular Bishop of Lindisfarne on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, 25 January 2016. | |
| Source(s):[5] | |||
Notes
- ↑ Keynes, Atlas, Table XXXVII
- ↑ Molyneaux 2015, p. 30.
- ↑ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ancient Diocese and Monastery of Lindisfarne". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
- ↑ Fryde et al. 2003, pp. 214–215 and 219.
- 1 2 3 "Lindisfarna (Titular See)". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
References
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd, reprinted 2003 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Keynes, Simon. "Table XXXVII: Attestations of ecclesiastics during the reign of King Æthelstan" (PDF). Kemble: The Anglo-Saxon Charters Website.
- Molyneaux, George (2015). The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-871791-1.