Æthelthryth
Encyclopedia
Æthelthryth (c. 636 – June 23, 679) is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon
saint
often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey (or variations). She was an East Anglian
princess, a Fenland
queen and Abbess of Ely in the English
county of Cambridgeshire
.
, near Newmarket in Suffolk
. She was one of four daughters of King Anna of East Anglia
(killed c.653), all of whom eventually retired from secular life and founded abbeys.
Æthelthryth made an early first marriage (c. 652) to Tondberct, chief or prince of the South Gyrvians
, or "fenmen" (gyr, Old English "fen") (d. 655). However, she managed to persuade her husband to respect her vow of perpetual virginity that she had made prior to their marriage. Upon his death in 655, Æthelthryth retired to the Isle of Ely
, given to her as her morning gift
by Tondberct.
Æthelthryth subsequently remarried in 660, this time to Ecgfrith
, King of Northumbria
again for political reasons. Shortly after Ecgfrith's accession to the throne [670 AD], Æthelthryth became a nun. This step possibly led to Ecgfrith's long quarrel with Wilfrid
bishop of York
. One account holds that while Ecgfrith initially agreed that Æthelthryth should continue to remain a virgin, in about 672 he wished to consummate their marriage and even attempted to bribe Wilfrid to use his influence on the queen to convince her. This tactic failing, the king tried to take his queen from the cloister by force. Æthelthryth fled to Ely with two faithful nuns and managed to evade capture thanks, in part, to the miraculous rising of the tide. Some versions of the legend relate that she halted on the journey at "Stow" and sheltered under a miraculously growing ash tree which came from her staff planted in the ground. Stow came to be known as "St Etheldred's Stow" when a church was built to commemorate this. (It is more likely that this refers to another Stow, near Threekingham
.) Ecgfrith later married a second wife, Eormenburg, and expelled Wilfrid from his kingdom in 678. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, Æthelthryth founded the monastery at Ely
in 673; the monastery was later destroyed in the Danish invasion of 870.
tells how after her death, Æthelthryth's bones were disinterred by her sister and successor, Abbess Seaxburh of Ely
, and buried in a white, marble coffin from Cambridge. The sister, Æthelthryth's niece, and great-niece, all royal princesses and two of them widowed queens (of Kent and Mercia), followed her as abbesses of Ely. In Ely Place
, Holborn
, London
, there is a church
dedicated to St Etheldreda. It was originally part of the palace of the Bishops of Ely. After the English Reformation
, the palace was used by the Spanish Ambassadors, enabling Roman Catholic worship to continue in the church.
The common version of Æthelthryth's name was St. Awdrey, which is the origin of the word tawdry, which derived from the fact that her admirers bought modestly concealing lace goods at an annual fair held in her name in Ely. As years passed, this lacework came to be seen as old-fashioned or cheap and poor quality goods. This was particularly so in the 17th century when some Puritan
s in eastern England looked down on any form of lacy dressiness.
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...
saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey (or variations). She was an East Anglian
Kingdom of the East Angles
The Kingdom of East Anglia, also known as the Kingdom of the East Angles , was a small independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom that comprised what are now the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk and perhaps the eastern part of the Fens...
princess, a Fenland
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
queen and Abbess of Ely in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.
Life
Æthelthryth was probably born in ExningExning
Exning is a village in Suffolk, England.It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly east-northeast of Cambridge, and south-south-east of Ely...
, near Newmarket in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. She was one of four daughters of King Anna of East Anglia
Anna of East Anglia
Anna was King of East Anglia from the early 640s until his death. Anna was a member of the Wuffingas family, the ruling dynasty of the East Angles. He was one of the three sons of Eni who ruled East Anglia, succeeding some time after Ecgric was killed in battle by Penda of Mercia...
(killed c.653), all of whom eventually retired from secular life and founded abbeys.
Æthelthryth made an early first marriage (c. 652) to Tondberct, chief or prince of the South Gyrvians
Gyrwe
Gyrwe was an Anglo-Saxon name for Jarrow, in North East England.The word Gyruum represents the Old English [æt] Gyrwum = "[at] the marsh dwellers", from Old English gyr = "mud", "marsh"....
, or "fenmen" (gyr, Old English "fen") (d. 655). However, she managed to persuade her husband to respect her vow of perpetual virginity that she had made prior to their marriage. Upon his death in 655, Æthelthryth retired to the Isle of Ely
Isle of Ely
The Isle of Ely is a historic region around the city of Ely now in Cambridgeshire, England but previously a county in its own right.-Etymology:...
, given to her as her morning gift
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
by Tondberct.
Æthelthryth subsequently remarried in 660, this time to Ecgfrith
Ecgfrith of Northumbria
King Ecgfrith was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life.-Early life:...
, King of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
again for political reasons. Shortly after Ecgfrith's accession to the throne [670 AD], Æthelthryth became a nun. This step possibly led to Ecgfrith's long quarrel with Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
bishop of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. One account holds that while Ecgfrith initially agreed that Æthelthryth should continue to remain a virgin, in about 672 he wished to consummate their marriage and even attempted to bribe Wilfrid to use his influence on the queen to convince her. This tactic failing, the king tried to take his queen from the cloister by force. Æthelthryth fled to Ely with two faithful nuns and managed to evade capture thanks, in part, to the miraculous rising of the tide. Some versions of the legend relate that she halted on the journey at "Stow" and sheltered under a miraculously growing ash tree which came from her staff planted in the ground. Stow came to be known as "St Etheldred's Stow" when a church was built to commemorate this. (It is more likely that this refers to another Stow, near Threekingham
Threekingham
Threekingham is a village in mid-Lincolnshire, on the A52 Grantham to Boston road, near Sleaford, close to the A15 Threekingham Bar roundabout. Mareham Lane, the Roman Road aligned with King Street, crosses the A15 at Threekingham....
.) Ecgfrith later married a second wife, Eormenburg, and expelled Wilfrid from his kingdom in 678. 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...
, Æthelthryth founded the monastery at Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
in 673; the monastery was later destroyed in the Danish invasion of 870.
Legacy
BedeBede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
tells how after her death, Æthelthryth's bones were disinterred by her sister and successor, Abbess Seaxburh of Ely
Seaxburh of Ely
Seaxburh ; also Saint Sexburga of Ely, was the queen of King Eorcenberht of Kent, as well as an abbess and a saint of the Christian Church....
, and buried in a white, marble coffin from Cambridge. The sister, Æthelthryth's niece, and great-niece, all royal princesses and two of them widowed queens (of Kent and Mercia), followed her as abbesses of Ely. In Ely Place
Ely Place
Ely Place is a gated road at the southern tip of the London Borough of Camden in London, England. It is the location of the Old Mitre Tavern and is adjacent to Hatton Garden.-Origins:...
, Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, 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...
, there is a church
St Etheldreda's Church
St Etheldreda's Church is located in Ely Place, off Charterhouse Street, Holborn, London. It is dedicated to Æthelthryth, or Etheldreda, an Anglo-Saxon saint who founded the monastery at Ely in 673. The building was the chapel of the London residence of the Bishops of Ely.The chapel was purchased ...
dedicated to St Etheldreda. It was originally part of the palace of the Bishops of Ely. After the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, the palace was used by the Spanish Ambassadors, enabling Roman Catholic worship to continue in the church.
The common version of Æthelthryth's name was St. Awdrey, which is the origin of the word tawdry, which derived from the fact that her admirers bought modestly concealing lace goods at an annual fair held in her name in Ely. As years passed, this lacework came to be seen as old-fashioned or cheap and poor quality goods. This was particularly so in the 17th century when some Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
s in eastern England looked down on any form of lacy dressiness.
See also
- Wuffing dynasty family tree
- IncorruptibilityIncorruptibilityIncorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness...
- The hymn 'Aethelthryth' by the Venerable BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
- Stow Fair in South KestevenSouth KestevenSouth Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.-History:...
, alternative location for the miracle.
External links
- Richard John King, 1862. Handbook of the Cathedrals of England (Oxford) ( On-line text)
- The Life of St. Aethelthryth by ÆlfricÆlfric of EynshamÆlfric of Eynsham was an English abbot, as well as a consummate, prolific writer in Old English of hagiography, homilies, biblical commentaries, and other genres. He is also known variously as Ælfric the Grammarian , Ælfric of Cerne, and Ælfric the Homilist...