Chapter 12

Leutherius was the fourth Bishop of the West Saxons, Birinus being the first, Agilbert the second, and Wini the third. On the death of Coenwalh, during whose reign Leutherius was made bishop, under-kings took over the government of the realm, which they divided amongst them and ruled for about ten years. During this period Leutherius died and was succeeded in the bishopric by Haeddi, who had been consecrated by Theodore in the city of London. During Haeddi’s episcopate, Cadwalla defeated and deposed these under-kings and assumed control himself; but after a reign of two years, while the same bishop remained in authority, desire for the kingdom of heaven moved the king to resign his powers, and, as I shall record more fully later, he went away to end his days in Rome.

In the year of our Lord’s incarnation 676, Ethelred, King of the Mercians, ravaged Kent with his wicked soldiery, profaning churches and monasteries without fear of God or respect to religion, and among the rest he destroyed the city of Rochester, Putta’s see, the bishop being absent at the time. When he learned that his church was looted and destroyed, Putta went to Sexwulf, Bishop of the Mercians, who granted him a church and a small plot of land, where he ended his days quietly, making no attempt to re-establish his see. As I have said, he was more at home in religious than in worldly matters, and therefore served God only in his own church, travelling about wherever invited to teach church music. In his place Theodore consecrated Cuichelm as Bishop of Rochester, but after a short time he resigned this see because of its poverty and withdrew elsewhere; Theodore appointed Gebmund in his place.

In the month of August 678, in the eighth year of Egfrid’s reign, there appeared a star known as a comet, which remained visible for three months, rising in the morning and emitting what seemed to be a tall column of bright flame. In the same year a dispute arose between King Egfrid and the most reverend Bishop Wilfrid, who was driven from his diocese, and two bishops were appointed to preside over the Northumbrian people in his place. These were Bosa; Bishop of Deira, and Eata, Bishop of Bernicia; the former had the city of York as his see, and the latter had Hexham or Lindisfarne. Both of them were monks before their elevation to the episcopate. At the same time Eadhaed was made bishop of the province of Lindsey, which King Egfrid had recently annexed after defeating and driving out Wulfhere. So for the first time this province had its own bishop; the second was Ethelwin, the third, Edgar, and the fourth, Cynibert, the present bishop. Before Eadhaed, Sexwulf had been bishop not only of Lindsey, but also of the Mercians and Middle Angles; when he was expelled from Lindsey, he continued to preside over the other two provinces. Eadhaed, Bosa, and Eata were consecrated at York by Archbishop Theodore, who, three years after Wilfrid’s departure, consecrated two others, Tunbert to the see of Hexham – Eata remaining at Lindisfarne – and Trumwine to be bishop of those Picts who were then subject to English rule. When Ethelred recovered the province of Lindsey, Eadhaed returned and was appointed by Theodore as Bishop of Ripon.¹