How Haedde succeeded Leutherius in the bishopric
of the West Saxons; how Cuichelm succeeded Putta i
n the bishopric of the church of Rochester, and was
himself succeeded by Gebmund; and who were then
bishops of the Northumbrians. [673-681 A.D.]
LEUTHERIUS was the fourth bishop of the West Saxons;
for Birinus was the first, Agilbert the second, and Wini the third.
When Coinwalch,in whose reign the said Leutherius was made
bishop, died, the sub-kings took upon them the government of the
nation, and dividing it among themselves, held it for about ten years;
and during their rule he died, and Haedde succeeded him in the
bishopric, having been consecrated by Theodore, in the city of London.
During his episcopate, Caedwalla, having subdued and removed the
sub-kings, took upon himself the supreme authority. When he had held
it for two years, and whilst the same bishop still governed the church,
at length impelled by love of the heavenly kingdom, he quitted it and,
going away to Rome, ended his days there, as shall be said more fully hereafter.
In the year of our Lord 676, when Ethelred, king of the Mercians,
ravaged Kent with a hostile army, and profaned churches and
monasteries, without regard to pity, or the fear of God, in the
general destruction he laid waste the city of Rochester; Putta,
who was bishop, was absent at that time, but when he understood
that his church was ravaged, and everything taken away from it,
he went to Sexwulf, bishop of the Mercians and having received
of him a certain church, and a small piece of land, ended his days
there in peace; in no way endeavouring to restore his bishopric, for,
as has keen said above, he was more industrious in ecclesiastical
than in worldly affairs; serving God only in that church, and going
wherever he was desired, to teach Church music. Theodore
consecrated Cuichelm bishop of Rochester in his stead; but he,
not long after, departing from his bishopric for want of necessaries,
and withdrawing to other parts, Gebmund was put in his place by
Theodore.
In the year of our Lord 678, which is the eighth of the reign of
Egfrid, in the month of August, appeared a star, called a comet,
which continued for three months, rising in the morning, and
sending forth, as it were, a tall pillar of radiant flame. The same
year a dissension broke out between King Egfrid and the most
reverend prelate, Wilfrid, who was driven from his see, and two
bishops substituted for him, to preside over the nation of the
Northumbrians,namely, Bosa,to govern the province of the
Deiri; and Eata that of the Bernicians;. the former having his
episcopal see in the city of York, the latter either in the church
of Hagustald, or of Lindisfame; both of them promoted to the
episcopal dignity from a community of monks. With them also
Eadhaed was ordained bishop for the province of Lindsey,
which King Egfrid had but newly acquired, having defeated
Wulfhere and put him to flight;and this was the first bishop
of its own which that province had; the second was Ethelwin;
the third Edgar; the fourth Cynibert, who is there at present.
Before Eadhaed, Sexwulf was bishop as well of that province
as of the Mercians and Midland Angles; so that, when expelled
from Lindsey, he continued in the government of those provinces.
Eadhaed, Bosa, and Eata, were ordained at York by archbishop
Theodore; who also, three years after the departure of Wilfrid,
added two bishops to their number: Tunbert, appointed to the
church of Hagustald, Eata still continuing in that of Lindisfarne;
and Trumwine to the province of the Picts, which at that time was
subject to English rule. Eadhaed returning from Lindsey, because
Ethelred had recovered that province, was placed by Theodore
over the church of Ripon.
