Kingship, Society, and the Church in Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire

413 Pages·2019·76.152 MB·English

by  Thomas Pickles

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Medieval History and Archaeology
General Editors
JOHN BLAIR HELENA HAMEROW
Kingship, Society, and the Church
in Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire
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MEDIEVAL HISTORY AND
ARCHAEOLOGY
General Editors
John Blair Helena Hamerow
The volumes in this series bring together archaeological, historical, and visual
methods to offer new approaches to aspects of medieval society, economy,
and material culture. The series seeks to present and interpret archaeological
evidence in ways readily accessible to historians, while providing a historical
perspective and context for the material culture of the period.
RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THIS SERIES
ANGLO-SAXON FARMS AND FARMING
Debby Banham and Rosamond Faith
THE OPEN FIELDS OF ENGLAND
David Hall
PERCEPTIONS OF THE PREHISTORIC IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Religion, Ritual, and Rulership in the Landscape
Sarah Semple
TREES AND TIMBER IN THE ANGLO-SAXON WORLD
Edited by Michael D. J. Bintley and Michael G. Shapland
VIKING IDENTITIES
Scandinavian Jewellery in England
Jane F. Kershaw
LITURGY, ARCHITECTURE, AND SACRED PLACES
IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Helen Gittos
RURAL SETTLEMENTS AND SOCIETY IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Helena Hamerow
PARKS IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
S. A. Mileson
ANGLO-SAXON DEVIANT BURIAL CUSTOMS
Andrew Reynolds
BEYOND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
The Diversification of Landscape Character in Southern Britain
Stephen Rippon
WATERWAYS AND CANAL-BUILDING IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
Edited by John Blair
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KINGSHIP, SOCIETY,
AND THE CHURCH IN
ANGLO-SAXON
YORKSHIRE
THOMAS PICKLES
3
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3
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First Edition published in 2018
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Acknowledgements
The seeds from which this book grew were sown during undergraduate tutorials
on early medieval history and archaeology, which inspired BA, M.St., and
D.Phil. dissertations on aspects of the church in Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire. Twelve
years of teaching and research at four universities have contributed to its final
form. Many debts of gratitude are owed, institutional and personal.
Wadham College, Oxford, was my home for BA, M.St., and D.Phil. degrees,
elected me to a Senior Scholarship, and employed me as a Lecturer from 2004
to 2005. First and special thanks are owed to my Wadham tutors Cliff Davies,
Jane Garnett, Matthew Kempshall, Jörn Leonhard, and Alexander Sedlmaier.
John Blair was an outstanding supervisor and has been an unfailing source of
help and advice. John Nightingale nurtured my early medieval interests in
tutorials and wrote references. Juliane Kerkhecker provided excellent Latin
teaching. Richard Sharpe introduced me to Diplomatic. Tyler Bell oversaw the
construction of a relational database linked to GIS software. Jane Hawkes and
John Maddicott examined the D.Phil. thesis, provided excellent suggestions,
and wrote references.
Without financial support from several institutions the research would not
have been completed. The Arts and Humanities Research Council funded my
M.St. and D.Phil. research. The Vaughan Cornish Bequest provided money for
visiting sites with Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture in Yorkshire. The book evolved
during Lectureships at St Catherine’s College, Oxford (2005–9), the University
of York (2009–12), Birkbeck (2012–13), and the University of Chester (2013–
present). At Chester it benefited from the Faculty of Humanities Research
Fund and was completed during my first period of research leave. Amongst the
many wonderful people at these institutions, some deserve special mention: my
St Catherine’s History colleagues—Marc Mulholland and Gervase Rosser; my
Head of Department at Birkbeck—John Arnold; and three History colleagues
at York—Katy Cubitt, Guy Halsall, and Craig Taylor. The Centre for Medieval
Studies at York is an extraordinary place and I hope its staff will not mind
receiving collective mention.
Many individuals have contributed to the genesis of this book. Philip Rahtz,
Richard Morris, and Lorna Watts met with a green second-year undergraduate
in 1999 and all three have been generous with time and ideas. Lesley Abrams
began as a reserve supervisor for my D.Phil. but quickly became a friend, a trav-
elling partner, and an intellectual inspiration. Mary Garrison offered invaluable
comments on a letter of Abbess Ælfflæd of Streoneshalh (Whitby). Matt Townend
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vi Acknowledgements
shared a draft of his excellent book Viking Age Yorkshire before publication.
Jo Buckberry and Lizzie Craig-Atkins allowed me to use the results of their unpub-
lished doctoral dissertations. Steve Bassett, Stephen Baxter, Betty Coatsworth,
Rosemary Cramp, Tom Lambert, Ryan Lavelle, Steve Sherlock, and Alex Woolf
supplied copies of their work and answered queries by e-mail. Participants in
three Research Networks discussed some of the ideas: Ian Forrest and Sethina
Watson’s ‘Social Church’ network; Roy Flechner and Máire Ní Mhaonaigh’s
‘Converting the Isles’ network; and Gordon Noble and Gabor Thomas’ ‘Royal
Residences 500–800 AD’ network. Informal conversations with the following
people have shaped my thinking: Philip Bullock, Thomas Charles-Edwards,
Marios Costambeys, Andrew Dilley, Simon Ditchfield, Roy Flechner, Robin
Fleming, Sally Foster, Helen Gittos, Meggen Gondek, Jenny Hillman, Charles
Insley, George Molyneaux, Christopher Norton, Tom O’Donnell, David Parsons,
Chris Renwick, David Rollason, Sarah Semple, David Stocker, Alice Taylor,
Alan Thacker, Gabor Thomas, Elizabeth Tyler, Zoë Waxman, William Whyte,
Howard Williams, and Barbara Yorke. Students at Oxford, York, Birkbeck, and
Chester have taught me innumerable things. Dan Smith read and commented
on a complete draft.
Oxford University Press have been patient in awaiting the manuscript and
efficient in processing it. John Blair and Helena Hamerow supported the initial
proposal for the series. The two anonymous readers provided very positive and
helpful comments on the initial draft. Stephanie Ireland, Cathryn Steele, Santhosh
Palani, and Dorothy McCarthy have been exemplary editors. The Corpus of
Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture supplied most of the images and Derek Craig
was wonderfully efficient on their behalf. The Whitby Literary and Philosophical
Society and Whitby Museum gave permission to use the cover image. Paul
Gwilliam allowed me to use his images of the Dewsbury sculpture.
The greatest debt is to my family and the book is dedicated to them—my
parents, Uncle Graham, Anne, and Antony and Michelle and their families. My
father inspired my love of history and he and my mother have been unfailingly
supportive: I wish that she had lived to see the D.Phil. and book completed, but
I am extremely fortunate that he will read and appreciate the book. My wife
Katherine shares my passion for history and is responsible for this book in too
many ways to mention: I am even more fortunate that we will continue thinking
about it together. My daughter Isla should never have to read it, but if she
glances at the acknowledgements she will be reminded how important she is to
both of us.
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Contents
List of Images ix
List of Maps xi
List of Tables xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Maps of Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire xix
Note on Names xxv
Introduction 1
1. The Kingdom of the Deirans, 450–650 15
2. The ‘Ecclesiastical Aristocracy’, 600–730 57
3. Politics, Conversion, and Christianization, 616–867 93
4. The ‘Ecclesiastical Aristocracy’ and the Laity, 600–867 128
5. Kingship, Social Change, and the Church, 867–1066 187
6. Religious Communities, Local Churches, and the Laity,
867–1066 224
Conclusion 278
Appendix 1. Burials and Cemeteries from Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire 287
Appendix 2. Stone Sculpture from Anglo-Saxon Yorkshire 298
Bibliography 319
Index 365
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List of Images
1. CASSS VIII: Dewsbury 9A. 166
2. CASSS VIII: Dewsbury 4A. 167
3. CASSS VIII: Dewsbury 5A. 168
4. CASSS VIII: Dewsbury 3A. 169
5. CASSS VIII: Otley 1cA. 170
6. CASSS VI: Masham 1. 171
7. CASSS VIII: Collingham 1D. 172
8. CASSS VIII: Melsonby 1CD. 173
9. CASSS VIII: Ilkley 1C. 174
10. CASSS VIII: Sheffield 1A. 175
11. CASSS VI: York Minster 38A. 235
12. CASSS III: Nunburnholme 1aB–1bD. 237
13. CASSS III: York Minster 2A. 238
14. CASSS III: York Minster 34A. 240
15. CASSS III: York Minster 34D. 240
16. CASSS VIII: Addingham 1A. 241
17. CASSS VIII: Ripon 3A. 242
18. CASSS VIII: Ripon 4. 242
19. CASSS VIII: Barwick in Elmet 2A. 255
20. CASSS VI: Coverham 1. 256
21. CASSS VIII: Bramham 1A. 257
22. CASSS VIII: Bilton in Ainsty 3A. 258
23. CASSS VIII: Kirkby Wharfe 1A. 259
24. CASSS III: Kirkdale 1A. 260
25. CASSS VIII: Leeds 1C–6C. 263
26. CASSS III: Skipwith 1. 264
27. CASSS VI: Brompton 3D. 267
28. CASSS VI: Kirklevington 4A. 268