Æthelric I
Encyclopedia
Æthelric I was an Anglo-Saxon
Bishop of Selsey.
, Æthelric was probably Bishop of Selsey by 1032, when he witnessed a charter of King Cnut
. Nothing else is known of his origins.
But is it curious that Æthelric's predecessor supposedly attested a charter of Cnut dated 1033. The probable explanation is that Ælfmær
witnessed the conveyance itself which took place in 1032 but the charter recording the transaction was not prepared until 1033.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, version D, Æthelric died in 1038: "In this year died Archbishop Æthelnoth the Good, also Æthelric, Bishop of Sussex, who desired of God that He would not allow him to outlive his dear father Æthelnoth".
The Handbook of British Chronology gives the dates of his bishopric as 1032 through November or December 1038. The historian Frank Barlow
felt that Æthelric was the ultimate source for information Eadmer gathered about Dunstan
. Barlow also felt that Æthelric was a member of Dunstan's reforming group.
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
Bishop of Selsey.
Life
Perhaps previously a monk at Christ Church CanterburyCanterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Æthelric was probably Bishop of Selsey by 1032, when he witnessed a charter of King Cnut
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
. Nothing else is known of his origins.
But is it curious that Æthelric's predecessor supposedly attested a charter of Cnut dated 1033. The probable explanation is that Ælfmær
Ælfmær
-Life:Perhaps previously a monk at Glastonbury Abbey and then abbot of Tavistock Abbey, Ælfmær was Bishop of Selsey by 1011, and was dead by 1032, when his successor witnessed a charter of King Cnut....
witnessed the conveyance itself which took place in 1032 but the charter recording the transaction was not prepared until 1033.
According to 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...
, version D, Æthelric died in 1038: "In this year died Archbishop Æthelnoth the Good, also Æthelric, Bishop of Sussex, who desired of God that He would not allow him to outlive his dear father Æthelnoth".
The Handbook of British Chronology gives the dates of his bishopric as 1032 through November or December 1038. The historian Frank Barlow
Frank Barlow (historian)
Frank Barlow CBE FBA FRSL was a British historian, known particularly for biographies of medieval figures.Barlow studied at St John's College, Oxford. He was Professor of History at the University of Exeter from 1953 until he retired in 1976 and became Emeritus Professor...
felt that Æthelric was the ultimate source for information Eadmer gathered about Dunstan
Dunstan
Dunstan was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church...
. Barlow also felt that Æthelric was a member of Dunstan's reforming group.