Gilling Abbey
Gilling Abbey was a medieval Anglo-Saxon monastery established in Yorkshire.
It was founded at Gilling[disambiguation needed] in what is currently Yorkshire.[1] It was founded by Queen Eanflæd, the wife of King Oswiu of Northumbria, who persuaded her husband to found it at the site where Oswiu had killed a rival and kinsman, King Oswine of Deira.[2] Oswine died around 651 or 652. Eanflæd forced her husband to found the monastery in order to atone for Oswine's death, as Eanflæd was related to Oswine also,[3] and was Oswine's second cousin. Under the laws of the time, the only way that Eanflæd could take revenge was to kill her husband, unless she accepted a weregild. The abbey was located on the estate she received as weregild.[4] Eanflæd also requested that the first abbot be a kinsman of Oswine's.[5] By founding the monastery, Oswiu and Eanflæd avoided the creation of a feud.[6] The date of foundation was shortly after Oswine's death.[7]
The monastery promoted the cult of Oswine as a saint, one of a number of murdered Anglo-Saxon kings that were considered saints.[8]
The first abbot of the monastery was a relative of Oswine's named Trumhere.[2] The second abbot was Cynefrith, who later left the abbey and went to Ireland.[9] Another early abbot was Trumbert, either became Bishop of Hexham after being abbot,[10] or was abbot after being deposed as bishop.[11] Gilling may be identical with the monastery of Ingetlingum, which had close ties to the monastery at Ripon, which was held by Wilfrid.[12] Gilling became depopulated from the plague,[13] sometime before 669.[14] Because of this, one of the monks there, Ceolfrith, brother of Cynefrith, went to Ripon.[9] Ceolfrith later went to Wearmouth-Jarrow, where he became abbot.[13]
Citations
- ^ Blair Church in Anglo-Saxon Society p. 187 footnote 20
- ^ a b Kirby "Northumbria" Saint Wilfrid at Hexham p. 19
- ^ Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 78
- ^ Yorke Kings and Kingdoms p. 80
- ^ Yorke Conversion of Britain p. 230
- ^ Yorke Conversion of Britain p. 234
- ^ Mayr-Harting Coming of Christianity p. 106
- ^ Yorke Conversion of Britain p. 193
- ^ a b Blair World of Bede p. 101
- ^ Kirby "Northumbira" Saint Wilfrid at Hexham p. 23
- ^ Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 91
- ^ Roper "Wilfrid's Landholdings" Saint Wilfrid at Hexham p. 61
- ^ a b Blair World of Bede pp. 162-163
- ^ Mayr-Harting Coming of Christiantiy p. 166
Sources
- Blair, John P. (2005). The Church in Anglo-Saxon Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-921117-5.
- Blair, Peter Hunter (1990). The World of Bede (Reprint of 1970 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-39819-3.
- Kirby, D. P. (2000). The Earliest English Kings. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24211-8.
- Kiby, D. K. (1974). "Northumbria in the Time of Wilfrid". In Kirby, D. P. (ed.). Saint Wilfrid at Hexham. Newcastle upon Tyne: Oriel Press. pp. 1–34. ISBN 0-85362-155-1.
- Mayr-Harting, Henry (1991). The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 0-271-00769-9.
- Roper, Michael (1974). "Wilfrid's Landholdings in Northumbria". In Kirby, D. P. (ed.). Saint Wilfrid at Hexham. Newcastle upon Tyne: Oriel Press. pp. 61–79. ISBN 0-85362-155-1.
- Yorke, Barbara (2006). The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600-800. London: Pearson/Longman. ISBN 0-582-77292-3.
- Yorke, Barbara (1997). Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16639-X.