Thurcytel
Encyclopedia
Thurcytel (died 28 June 975?) was abbot of Crowland
and perhaps also of Bedford Abbey
.
Thurcytel of Crowland is known from the unreliable history of Crowland Abbey attributed to Pseudo-Ingulf
, an account full of anachronism
s including the claim that Thurcytel was Lord Chancellor of England. The gist of this account is that Thurcytel is a kinsman and servitor of several Kings of England, from Edward the Elder
onwards, and fights at the battle of Brunanburh
. He retires from secular life in the reign of King Eadred to become abbot of Crowland, which he has refounded and endowed with lands and treasures in 948. Pseudo-Ingulf's account indicates that Thuryctel died on 28 June 975.
Thurcytel of Crowland has long been identified with the Thurcytel who was abbot of Bedford Abbey at about the same time. Lewis, however, notes that "the case is not clear-cut". This Thurcytel was a kinsman of Oscytel, Archbishop of York
, and thus also of Oscytel's successor Oswald of Worcester
. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
records that Archbishop Oscytel was buried at Bedford Abbey by Thurcytel in 971. Thurcytel of Bedford was said by some late sources to have been expelled and to have joined the canons
of St Paul's
in London
where he had once been a priest.
Abbot of Crowland
The Abbot of Crowland was the head of Crowland Abbey, an English monastery built up around the shrine of Saint Guthlac by King Æthelbald of Mercia, and refounded as a Benedictine house circa 948. The last abbot was John Wells , who handed the monastery over to royal control and dissolution in...
and perhaps also of Bedford Abbey
Bedford Abbey
Bedford Abbey was a short-lived Benedictine monastery, recorded in 10th century England. Bedford Priory, perhaps representing the same institution two centuries later, was an Augustinian priory that within two decades of its foundation moved to nearby Newnham.Bedford Abbey existed in the...
.
Thurcytel of Crowland is known from the unreliable history of Crowland Abbey attributed to Pseudo-Ingulf
Pseudo-Ingulf
Pseudo-Ingulf is the name given to an unknown English author of the Historia Monasterii Croylandensis, also known as the Croyland Chronicle. Nothing certain is known of Pseudo-Ingulf although it is generally assumed that he was connected with Croyland Abbey....
, an account full of anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
s including the claim that Thurcytel was Lord Chancellor of England. The gist of this account is that Thurcytel is a kinsman and servitor of several Kings of England, from Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
onwards, and fights at the battle of Brunanburh
Battle of Brunanburh
The Battle of Brunanburh was an English victory in 937 by the army of Æthelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund over the combined armies of Olaf III Guthfrithson, the Norse-Gael King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scots, and Owen I, King of Strathclyde...
. He retires from secular life in the reign of King Eadred to become abbot of Crowland, which he has refounded and endowed with lands and treasures in 948. Pseudo-Ingulf's account indicates that Thuryctel died on 28 June 975.
Thurcytel of Crowland has long been identified with the Thurcytel who was abbot of Bedford Abbey at about the same time. Lewis, however, notes that "the case is not clear-cut". This Thurcytel was a kinsman of Oscytel, Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, and thus also of Oscytel's successor Oswald of Worcester
Oswald of Worcester
Oswald of Worcester was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. He was of Danish ancestry, but brought up by his uncle, Oda, who sent him to France to the abbey of Fleury to become a monk. After a number of years at Fleury, Oswald returned to England at the request of his uncle, who died...
. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
records that Archbishop Oscytel was buried at Bedford Abbey by Thurcytel in 971. Thurcytel of Bedford was said by some late sources to have been expelled and to have joined the canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of St Paul's
Old St Paul's Cathedral
Old St Paul's Cathedral is a name used to refer to the medieval cathedral of the City of London which until 1666 stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built between 1087 and 1314 and dedicated to St Paul, the cathedral was the fourth church on the site at Ludgate Hill...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he had once been a priest.