THE STORY OF AN ENGLISH SAINT’S CULT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF ST ÆTHELTHRYTH OF ELY, c.670 – c.1540 by IAN DAVID STYLER A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of History School of History and Cultures College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham August 2019 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This thesis charts the history of the cult of St Æthelthryth of Ely, arguing that its longevity and geographical extent were determined by the malleability of her character, as narrated within the hagiographical texts of her life, and the continued promotion of her shrine by parties interested in utilising her saintly power to achieve their goals. Arranged chronologically and divided into five distinct periods, the thesis demonstrates that this symbiotic relationship was key in maintaining and elongating the life of the cult. Employing digital humanities tools to analyse textual, archaeological, material, cartographic, and documentary sources covering the cult’s eight-hundred-year history, the study charts its development firstly within East Anglia, and subsequently across the whole country, and internationally. Several spheres of the saint’s influence are defined, revealing a number of potential short- and long-distance pilgrimage routes focussed on locations with links to Æthelthryth’s shrine. This study’s longitudinal approach also highlights a more general shift in the co-ordination of venerative practice away from the ecclesiastical centres and towards the parishes and the laity in the fifteenth century before summarising the overall impact of her cult, which was only curtailed by the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS According to Douglas Adams and John Lloyd in the Meaning of Liff, an Ely is ‘the first, tiniest inkling that something, somewhere has gone terribly wrong’. Luckily for me, choosing to research the cult of Ely’s saint, Æthelthryth, has proved not to be the Ely as defined by Adams and Lloyd. Instead, it was the start of a four-year journey that has revealed a saint with such a depth of character, such an extent of geographical influence, and such a variety of descriptions and depictions of her, that studying her has consistently filled me more with a sense of anticipation than foreboding. Obviously, a project of this nature cannot be undertaken in isolation, and there are a number of people without whose help my excitement could quite easily have turned to trepidation, and who therefore deserve not only an acknowledgement here, but a far larger debt of gratitude. Firstly, my supervisors, Dr William Purkis and Dr Simon Yarrow, whose criticism has always been objective, considered, and thought-provoking, and whose guidance has brought about my transformation from banking analyst to medieval historian. Next, there are number of fellow PhD colleagues whose support and camaraderie has meant that what could have been a lonely task has actually been completely the opposite. In no particular order, Beth Spacey, Bernadette McCooey, Mandy and Phil Myers, Victoria Schuppert, Ruth Léger, Charlie Lockwood, Claire Harrill, and Helen Coy have all played a part in this process, and for which I will always be grateful. Special mentions must also go to Lesley Duffin, with whom many cups of tea and chats were held at what was without a doubt the most trying year for both of us; my conference buddy, Janine Bryant; my forever office buddy and fellow 80s music fanatic Steph Appleton; and my national and transatlantic travel companion and someone who has heard me speak about Æthelthryth so often she could probably write this thesis herself, Georgie Fitzgibbon. iii Outside of the academia bubble, I must mention my parents Kathleen and David, whose support has always been unwavering, even if their understanding of why I’m doing what I’m doing has sometimes been a cause more for bemusement than anything else! Thanks also to John and Janev Stark and Kokbun Lee – PopeCons should definitely be a thing – and to those of you who were always by my side and in my thoughts, especially at the beginning of this journey. You know who you are and your faith in me and my decisions will never be forgotten. Finally, Anna, I cannot put into words how much your help, support, time, unflinching confidence, and uncomplaining acceptance of the other woman (albeit a long-dead one) in our relationship means and has meant to me. When I entered your life, Audrey came too, and the fact that you have welcomed her into it, even to the extent of having her pictures on the wall, means the world to me. Thank you. iv CONTENTS Abstract p. ii Acknowledgements p. iii List of Illustrations p. vii Lists of Abbreviations and of Alternative Names and Spellings p. ix Introduction p. 1 The Objectives and Methodological Approaches of the Study p. 1 The Historiography and Scholarship Relating to Æthelthryth and Ely p. 11 The Organisation of the Thesis p. 28 Chapter 1 670 to 866 – The Birth of a National (and International) Cult p. 33 The First Evidence of the Influence of Æthelthryth p. 37 The Translation of the Relics and the Establishment of the Cult p. 45 Bede’s Æthelthryth: The First Hagiography p. 52 Evidence of Æthelthryth in Francia p. 60 Conclusion p. 67 Chapter 2 866 to 1066 – Invasion, Stagnation, Re-Foundation, Consolidation p. 71 The Aftermath of the Viking Raids and the Initial Seeds of Reform p. 73 The Introduction of the Rule of St Benedict and Ely’s Initial Expansion p. 82 The Consolidation of Ely’s Influence and the Beginning of a New Textual Tradition p. 95 The Widening of the Influence of Æthelthryth’s Cult outside East Anglia p. 110 Conclusion p. 117 v Chapter 3 1066 to 1173 – The Creation of a Bishopric and a Textual Legacy p. 120 The Aftermath of the Norman Conquest and the Creation of the Bishopric of Ely p. 125 The Liber Eliensis – Historical Record, Hagiography, and Legal Safeguard p. 143 The Miracle Stories of the Liber Eliensis p. 149 Conclusion p. 158 Chapter 4 1173 to 1445 – Textual and Material Representations of Saintly Power p. 163 The Widening of Knowledge of Æthelthryth’s Cult – Ecclesiastical Calendars and Litanies p. 168 Evidence of Æthelthryth in Scandinavia p. 176 The Power of the (Real or False) Relics of Æthelthryth p. 181 La Vie Seinte Audrée – Æthelthryth as Monastic Patron p. 190 The Wilton Life – Æthelthryth as Role Model and Nationalistic Symbol p. 202 Conclusion p. 213 Chapter 5 1445 to 1540 – Parish Churches and Pilgrimages p. 217 Images of Æthelthryth in Parish Churches p. 221 Parish Church Dedications to Æthelthryth p. 243 The Identification of Pilgrimage Routes Associated with Æthelthryth p. 250 Conclusion p. 263 Conclusion p. 266 Bibliography p. 284 Appendices p. 307 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Front Cover. Replica of a Stained Glass Image of St Æthelthryth located in Ely Cathedral, photographed by the author p. i Figure 1. The Flixborough Lead Plaque p. 40 Figure 2. The Early Church Dedications to St Æthelthryth p. 43 Figure 3. Selected Family Tree of King Ana of East Anglia p. 50 Figure 4. The Extent of Ely’s Influence in 870 p. 74 Figure 5. The Extent of Ely’s Influence by 970 p. 75 Figure 6. The Extent of Ely’s Influence by 975 p. 84 Figure 7. Ely Landholding Acquisitions between 970 and 1016 p. 96 Figure 8. The Extent of Ely’s Influence by 1016 p. 97 Figure 9. St Æthelthryth Represented within a Group of Female Saints p. 100 Figures 10 and 11. Full-Page Illustration of St Æthelthryth Holding a Book and Flowers, and the Historiated Initial Letter of the Text of her Feast-Day p. 101 Figure 12. Pre-1100 Manuscript Production of Calendars Containing Entries for St Æthelthryth p. 112 Figure 13. The Extent of Ely’s Influence at the Time of the Norman Conquest p. 114 Figure 14. The Fifty Most Prolific Saints Appearing in Pre-1100 Litanies p. 116 Figure 15. Locations of East Anglian Landholdings Lost by Ely after the Norman Conquest p. 131 Figure 16. The Distribution by Time Period of the Miracle Stories of the LE p. 150 Figure 17. The Distribution by Miracle Category and Time Period of the Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Miracle Stories p. 152 Figure 18. English Calendars of St Æthelthryth Produced after 1150 p. 169 Figure 19. Origins of Manuscripts Containing Calendar Entries for St Æthelthryth p. 170 Figure 20. The Numbers of Occurrences of St Æthelthryth in English Litanies p. 173 Figure 21. Origins of Manuscripts Containing Litanies Naming St Æthelthryth p. 174 Figure 22. The Locations of Scandinavian Calendars and Litanies Containing References to St Æthelthryth p. 178 Figure 23. Locations of East Anglian Parish Churches Containing Images of St Æthelthryth p. 229 Figure 24. Locations of Parish Churches in Southwest England Containing Images of St Æthelthryth p. 231 vii Figure 25. The Willingham Wall Painting of St Æthelthryth p. 233 Figures 26, 27, and 28. Three Fifteenth-Century Stained Glass Images of St Æthelthryth p. 234 Figures 29, 30, and 31.