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the church of Wells, Eadulf to the church of Crediton, Bernethun to the South Saxons, and Coenulf, bishop of the city called Dorchester, for the South Mercians.

The names of the Bishops of the Church of Sunning.

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The names of the Bishops of the Church of Sherborne. 1. Aldelm.

Saint Aldelm, a kinsman of Ina, the most beloved king of the West Saxons, was a most excellent harp-player, a most eloquent Saxon and Latin poet, a most skilful singer, a famous teacher of elegant diction, and a marvel of erudition as well in the liberal sciences as in ecclesiastical literature. He was first a pupil of the learned Maidulf, and afterwards of archbishop Theodore and Adrian his assistant abbot. While yet abbot of Malmesbury, he wrote a famous book against the heresy of the Britons, the perusal whereof the perusal whereof brought many of them over to the catholic celebration of Easter Sunday. He wrote also other treatises, for he was a man of universal learning.

2. Forther.
3. Herewald.
4. Aethelmod,
5. Denefrith.
6. Wigberht.
7. Alhstan.

8. Heahmund.
9. Aethelheag.
10. Alfsi.

11. Asser.
12. Aethelward.
13. Werstan.
14. Aethelbald,
15. Sighelm.
16. Alfred.
17. Alfsi.
18. Alfwold.
19. Aethelric.
20. Aethelsi.
21. Brihtwin.
22. Aelmar.
23. Byrhtwin.
24. Aelfwold.

The names of the Bishops of the Church of Wells,

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The names of the Bishops of the Church of Crediton.

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The names of the Bishops of the Magesetas, or people of Herefordshire.

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How the Episcopal See came to be placed at Worcester.

The glorious and holy king Aethelred succeeded to the kingdom of his brother Wlfar, the renowned king of the Mercians, who was the first of the Mercian kings to embrace the faith of Christ. Osher, subregulus of the Hwiccas, a most praiseworthy man, being desirous that Hwiccia, over which he presided with regal authority, should be dignified and ennobled by the possession of a bishop of its own, counselled and earnestly entreated him [Aethelred] that he

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would beautify and exalt his [kingdom of Hwiccia], which was the chief of the kingdoms of England, with more bishops than one, a thing that he knew some kings of England had formerly done. The king having been previously exceedingly anxious to do this very same thing, fell in with his requests and wholesome advice, and having commanded the attendance of Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, and requested him to divide the kingdom into a greater number of dioceses, and appoint bishops thereto in convenient places, the archbishop applauded the king's praiseworthy design, and hastened to give effect to it. So, in the year 701 from the incarnation of our Lord, according to the Gospel, but in the year 679, according to Dionysius (whose mistake is yet followed by the holy church),-he, with the consent of the said king and his nobles, divided the [single] diocese of which Saxulf was then the bishop, into five dioceses. And inasmuch as the city of Worcester was, as well when the Britons and Romans were dominant in Britain as now, the renowned metropolis of all Hwicca or Magesitania, he very properly placed the seat of the bishopric there, and made it the chief of the divided Hwiccian dioceses. Tatfrith, a most energetic and learned man, from the monastery of the abbess Hild, was chosen bishop thereof; but before he could be ordained he was snatched off by an untimely death.

II. The second [of the five dioceses] was that belonging to the bishopric of Lichfield; and he appointed thereto Cuthwin, a religious and modest man.

III. The third was the Mid-Anglian; the aforesaid bishop Saxulf made choice of this for himself, and fixed the episcopal see in the city of Leicester.

IV. The fourth was for the province of Lindsey, over which he placed the holy Aethelwin, a brother of the holy Aldwin, who was abbot of the monastery called Partaneum, and directed that the episcopal see should be in the city called Siddena.

V. The fifth was the South-Anglian : to this he appointed as bishop Aetla, a man of singular worth and sanctity, from the aforesaid monastery of abbess Hild, and fixed the see of his bishopric in the city called Dorchester. Afterwards, the venerable Bosel was elected to supply the place of Tatfrith, and was, like the rest, ordained by archbishop Theodore, and had his episcopal see in the said city of Worcester, which was at that period adorned with high walls and fortifications, and excelled most cities in renown and magnificence.

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The names of the Bishops of Lichfield.

When Penda, the pagan king of the Mercians, was slain, and the christian king Oswiu took possession of his kingdom and converted the Mercians and people of the neighbouring provinces to the faith of Christ, in the year of our Lord's incarnation 656, Diuma was made first bishop of the Mercians, Mid-Anglians, Lindisfari, and of the adjacent provinces; the second was Ceollach, both of these were Scots; Trumher was the third, being the first bishop under king Wulfer; Jarumann was the fourth: the fifth was Ceadda, whose episcopal see was at a place called Licetfeld [Lichfield], where all subsequent bishops of that province fixed their see; the sixth was Winfrid, and the seventh was Saxulf. These five last were Englishmen.

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Ecgfrid, king of the Northumbrians, having routed in battle. Wulfer, king of the Mercians, obtained possession of the province of Lindsey, and expelled bishop Saxulf therefrom. In his place, in the year of our Lord's incarnation 678, Ealhed, king Ecgfrid's chaplain, was ordained by archbishop Theodore as the first special bishop thereof; but, inasmuch as Aethelred, king of the Mercians, recovered that province by force of arms in the following year, he laid down his bishopric and returned to Northumbria; and archbishop Theodore afterwards made him bishop of Ripon. After his departure, king Aethelred, at the suggestion of Osher, king of the Hwiccas, requested archbishop Theodore to divide his kingdom into a greater number of dioceses, and appoint bishops thereto in convenient places. He was delighted at the request, and divided Saxulf's bishopric into five dioceses, and afterwards added a sixth.

1. Ealhed.

The names of the Bishops of the Lindisfari.

3. Eadgar.

2. Aethelwin.

4. Kinebirht.

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