Bishop Cuthwine

There were Anglo-Saxon Bishops of Leicester from around 680. The records of Leicester Cathedral cite Bishop Cuthwine as the first Bishop of Leicester. While there is no further record of the life of Cuthwine, his reign as Bishop is believed to have begun circa 680, until his death, thought to be in 869.

Was Bishop Cuthwine real?

Given the lack of information about Cuthwine, it has been suggested by authors such as Stephen Butt, in his book The History of Leicester in 100 People, that Cuthwine may never have truly existed, but been an invention of another writer.

Assuming that Cuthwine was real, and was a Bishop of Leicester, it can be argued as to whether he was the first. In 669, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, appointed St. Chad to the diocese of Lichfield. At that time, Lichfield was the capital of Mercia.

Theodore intended to establish a Mercian, see at Leicester and, in 680 divided the great diocese of Lichfield into five separate dioceses: Worcester, Hereford, Dorchester, Lichfield, and Leicester. Some sources suggest that the same Bishop continued as both Bishop of Lichfield and Bishop of Leicester, while others cite Cuthwine as the first Bishop of Leicester in 680.

Theodore of Canterbury

Saint Theodore, a Byzantine Greek, was born in Asia Minor circa 602, and was consecrated in 668. Theodore arrived in Canterbury in 669. On his arrival, many sees were vacant while others needed to be divided. Theodore, therefore, was responsible for the appointment of several bishops.

Theodore managed to settle relations between King Aethelred of Mercia and King Ecgfrith of Northumria, and he established a centralised church under the archbishopric of Canterbury. Nevertheless, he had his own battles including a conflict with Wilfrid, the Bishop of York, whom Theodore appointed and subsequently disposed.

Saint Theodore died in 690 and is venerated as a Saint on 19th September, the date of his death. Canterbury also recognises a feast day on 26th March, which was the date of his ordination.

Stain Glass Portrait of St Chad

St. Chad was appointed Bishop of Lichfield and may have held the bishopric of Leicester at the same time. Educated at Lindisfarne, Saint Chad is credited with the Christianisation of Merica, one of the most powerful kingdoms of ancient England.

One of four brothers, all of whom became priests, Chad succeeded his brother St Cedd as Bishop of Lastingham in Yorkshire. When he became Bishop of Mercia in 669, he was given land to establish a see at Lichfield by Wulfhere, the first Christian king of Mercia.

There are a number of churches in the West Midlands dedicated to St. Chad including Coventry, Lichfield, Shrewsbury, and Birmingham. All of these towns and cities would have been part of Mercia and the diocese of Lichfield.

Mercia, meaning 'border people', comprised the border area between Celts and Anglo-Saxons. It dominated the majority of what we now know as England, as well as parts of Wales.

Leicester Becomes one of Danish Five Boroughs

With the exception of 705 to 737 when Leicester was united with Lichfield, there continued to be an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Leicester until 869. This was the year in which Bishop Coelred, the finally Saxon Bishop of Leicester, died and the time around which the Danes invaded the Midlands. At Coelred's death, Leicester's jurisdiction was moved to Dorchester in Oxfordshire, and the see of Leicester was removed and Leicester became one of the Danish five boroughs.

It would be another 200 years before Leicester became part of the Norman diocese of Lincoln, and it was only in the 20th Century, in 1927, when Leicester once again had its own Bishop with Cyril Bardsley as its first modern incumbent.

Leicester was once part of the Norman Diocese of Lincoln.

Where was the Anglo-Saxon Seat of Leicester?

The seat of Anglo-Saxon Leicester was unlikely to have been at the same site as the current St. Martin's Cathedral. According to Cathedral Historian, Irene Turlington, evidence from excavations show that the most likely site would have been between Jewry Wall and St. Nicholas Church. However, Roman remains were discovered during a 19th Century rebuilding of the tower and spire, and evidence was also discovered that an Anglo-Saxon church had been on the site prior to the 11th Century Norman church.

Related Stories

If you have found this interesting, you might also enjoy the following:

A little more information about Leicester Cathedral, its history and its stories of ghosts:

https://horror.media/a-brief-history-of-leicester-cathedral

A brief look at some of the feast days that might be celebrated in the Catholic calendar during the month of August:

https://futurism.media/catholic-saints-feast-days-august