Religion and Literature in Western England, 600-800Cambridge University Press, 2005 M06 30 - 468 pages Even the Venerable Bede knew little about the two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms described in this book. In the sixth and seventh centuries the pagan peoples of the Hwicce and Magonsaetan occupied the frontier from Stratford-upon-Avon as far as the Welsh kingdoms west of Offa's Dyke. They retained their own kings, aristocracy and independent monasteries into the eighth century. Using archaeological, place-name and historical sources, Dr Sims-Williams describes the early conversion to Christianity of these people, the origins of the dioceses of Worcester and Hereford, and the precocious growth of Anglo-Saxon monasticism. Drawing on many neglected documents he reveals a wide range of Continental, Irish and Anglo-Saxon influences on the church and shows that the monasteries were as varied in character as the Northumbrian foundations described by Bede. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The kingdoms of the Hwicce and the Magonsætan | 16 |
Paganism and Christianity | 54 |
Early influences on the church | 87 |
Varieties of monasticism | 115 |
The eighthcentury church | 144 |
Biblical study | 177 |
Letterwriting | 211 |
the monk of Wenlocks vision | 243 |
Prayer and magic | 273 |
Milred Cuthbert and AngloLatin poetry | 328 |
The church in the landscape | 360 |
Conclusion | 396 |
| 400 | |
| 434 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abbess abbot Æthelbald Æthelbald of Mercia Æthelmund Æthelred Aldhelm Anglian Anglo-Saxon England Apponius Archaeology attested Avon Bath Bede Bede's bishop bishop of Worcester Boniface Brooks burials Cambridge Canterbury Cassian cemeteries century charter Christian church Colgrave commentary Cotswolds Cuthbert Cuthswith diocese early ECWM eighth-century episcopal Ergyng Evesham evidence Finberg Fladbury Gelling Gloucester Gloucestershire granted Hereford hides holy Hwicce Hwicce and Magonsætan Hwiccian ibid Inkberrow Irish Jerome king kingdom Königsurkunde land Lapidge later Latin letter Levison liturgy manuscript medieval Mercian Merewalh Milred Milred's Minster monastery monastic monks ninth-century Offa Offa's Oftfor Oratio Osric pagan Pauli perhaps Pershore Place-Names poem prayer books Pre-Viking probably Roman Romano-British royal Sancti Scharer Settlement seventh seventh-century Severn Sims-Williams soul Stenton Stour Studies suggests synod Tangl thegn trans Tribal Hidage vision Vita Welsh Wenlock West Saxon Whitby Whitelock Wilfrid William of Malmesbury Wilmart Winchcombe Worcester