Ælfflæd of Whitby

For other people with the same name, see Ælfflæd.

Saint Elflaeda of Whitby
Whitby Abbey
Died	714
Feast	8 February

Saint Ælfflæd (654–714) was the daughter of King Oswiu of Northumbria and Eanflæd. She was abbess of Whitby Abbey, an abbey of nuns that were known for their skills in medicine, from the death of her kinswoman Hilda in 680, first jointly with her mother, then alone. Ælfflæd was particularly known for her skills in surgery and her personal attention to patients, as was Hilda, who was known for her personalized medical care. ^[1]

Life

Most of Ælfflæd's life was spent as a nun. When she was about a year old, her father, King Oswiu of Northumbria, in thanksgiving for his victory over Penda of Mercia at the Battle of the Winwæd, handed her over to abbess Hilda to be brought up at Hartlepool Abbey.^[2] When Hilda left to found Whitby Abbey in 657 or 658, she brought Ælfflæd with her.

Upon Hilda's death in 680, Oswiu's widow, Eanflæd and their daughter Ælfflæd became joint abbesses and later in the 680s, Ælfflæd was sole abbess until her death in 714.^[3] The Northumbrian church of Cuthbert's time, was a wealthy and aristocratic institution. On at least one occasion princess Abbess Ælfflæd is found banqueting with St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne.^[4]

In the Life of St. Cuthbert, the saint assures Ælfflæd who is concerned over the succession, that she will find Ecgfrith's successor 'to be a brother no less than the other one' (Anon. V. Cuthberti 3.6). Cuthbert then tells the puzzled Ælfflæd that this brother is 'on some island beyond this sea', at which point she realises that he is talking of Aldfrith 'who was then on the island which is called Iona' (Anon. V. Cuthberti 3.6).^[5] Like her mother, Ælfflæd was associated with Bishop Wilfrid, and played a large part in the settlement which placed her nephew Osred son of Aldfrith on the throne in 705. She was an important political figure from the death of her brother Ecgfrith in 685 until her death.

According to one account, Ælfflaed had been afflicted with a crippling disease for some time. One day she thought about Cuthbert and wished she had something belonging to him, for she was certain that would help her. Soon afterwards a messenger arrived with the gift of a linen girdle from Cuthbert. She put this on and within three days was restored to health.^[6]

Her piety was praised by contemporaries such as Bede and Stephen of Ripon. Bede refers to her high degree of holiness and devotion, while Stephen calls her the consoler of the whole kingdom and the best counsellor.

Ælfflæd was considered a saint and her feast day was celebrated on 8 February. She was buried at Whitby. A late hagiography, the Vita sanctae Elfledae, survives, collected in John Capgrave's Nova Legenda Angliae of 1516.

Excavations in the 1920s by Radford and Peers found several building foundations and two inscribed memorial stones believed to record the deaths of St. Ælfflaed, Abbess of Whitby, and Cyneburgh, queen of King Oswald.^[7]

References

↑ Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy; Rossiter, Margaret, eds. (2000). The biographical dictionary of women in science. New York [u.a.]: Routledge. p. 11. ISBN 0415920388.
↑ "An Anglo-Saxon Monastery at Hartlepool", Tees Archaeology
↑ "St. Hilda (614-680)", Whitby Museum
↑ Rollason, David and Dobson, R. B., "Cuthbert", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
↑ Grimmer, Martin. "The Exogamous of Oswiu of Northumbria", The Heroic Age, Issue 9, October 2006
↑ "Stories form the Life of St. Cuthbert", St. Cuthbert's College, Auckland, New Zealand
↑ Ziegler, Michelle. "Anglian Whitby", the Heroic Age, Issue 2, Autumn/Winter 1999

Sources

Ælfflæd 2 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
Bede, Life of Cuthbert
Lapidge, Michael, "Ælfflæd" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0-631-22492-0

Saints of Anglo-Saxon England

British / Welsh	Alban of St Albans Aldatus of Oxford Amphibalus of St Albans Arilda of Oldbury Barloc of Norbury Brannoc of Braunton Branwalator of Milton Credan of Bodmin Congar of Congresbury Dachuna of Bodmin Decuman of Watchet Elfin of Warrington Ivo of Ramsey Judoc of Winchester Juthwara of Sherbourne Melorius of Amesbury Nectan of Hartland Neot of St Neots Patrick of Glastonbury Rumon of Tavistock Samson of Dol Sativola of Exeter Urith of Chittlehampton

East Anglian	Æthelberht of East Anglia Æthelburh of Faremoutiers Æthelflæd of Ramsey Æthelthryth of Ely Æthelwine of Lindsey Athwulf of Thorney Blitha of Martham Botwulf of Thorney Cissa of Crowland Cuthbald of Peterborough Eadmund of East Anglia Eadnoth of Ramsey Guthlac of Crowland Herefrith of Thorney Hiurmine of Blythburgh Huna of Thorney Pega of Peakirk Regenhere of Northampton Seaxburh of Ely Tancred of Thorney Torthred of Thorney Tova of Thorney Walstan of Bawburgh Wihtburh of Ely Wulfric of Holme

East Saxon	Æthelburh of Barking Hildelith of Barking Osgyth Sæbbi of London

Frisian, Frankish and Old Saxon	Balthild of Romsey Bertha of Kent Felix of Dommoc Grimbald of St Bertin Monegunda of Watton Odwulf of Evesham Wulfram of Grantham

Irish and Scottish	Aidan of Lindisfarne Boisil of Melrose Echa of Crayke Ultan the Scribe Indract of Glastonbury Maildub of Malmesbury

Kentish	Æbbe of Thanet (Domne Eafe) Æthelberht of Kent Æthelburh of Kent Æthelred of Kent Albinus of Canterbury Berhtwald of Canterbury Deusdedit of Canterbury Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet Eanswith of Folkestone Eormengyth of Thanet Mildrith of Thanet Nothhelm of Canterbury Sigeburh of Thanet

Mercian	Ælfnoth of Stowe Ælfthryth of Crowland Æthelberht of Bedford Æthelmod of Leominster Æthelred of Mercia Æthelwynn of Sodbury Aldwyn of Coln Beonna of Breedon Beorhthelm of Stafford Coenwulf of Mercia Cotta of Breedon Credan of Evesham Cyneburh of Castor Cyneburh of Gloucester Cynehelm of Winchcombe Cyneswith of Peterborough Eadburh of Bicester Eadburh of Pershore Eadburh of Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith of Oxford Frithuwold of Chertsey Hæmma of Leominster Merefin Mildburh of Wenlock Mildgyth Mildrith of Thanet Milred of Worcester Oda of Canterbury Oswald of Worcester Osburh of Coventry Rumwold of Buckingham Tibba of Ryhall Werburgh of Chester Wærstan Wigstan of Repton Wulfhild of Barking

Northumbrian	Acca of Hexham Æbbe "the Elder" of Coldingham Æbbe "the Younger" of Coldingham Ælfflæd of Whitby Ælfwald of Northumbria Æthelburh of Hackness Æthelgyth of Coldingham Æthelsige of Ripon Æthelwold of Farne Æthelwold of Lindisfarne Alchhild of Middleham Alchmund of Hexham Alchmund of Derby Balthere of Tyningham Beda of Jarrow Bega of Copeland Benedict Biscop Bercthun of Beverley Billfrith of Lindisfarne Bosa of York Botwine of Ripon Ceadda of Lichfield Cedd of Lichfield Ceolfrith of Monkwearmouth Ceolwulf of Northumbria Cuthbert of Durham Dryhthelm of Melrose Eadberht of Lindisfarne Eadfrith of Leominster Eadfrith of Lindisfarne Eadwine of Northumbria Ealdberht of Ripon Eanmund Eardwulf of Northumbria Eata of Hexham Ecgberht of Ripon Eoda Eosterwine of Monkwearmouth Hilda of Whitby Hyglac Iwig of Wilton John of Beverley Osana of Howden Osthryth of Bardney Oswald of Northumbria Oswine of Northumbria Sicgred of Ripon Sigfrith of Monkwearmouth Tatberht of Ripon Wihtberht of Ripon Wilfrith of Hexham Wilfrith II Wilgils of Ripon

Roman	Anselm of Canterbury Augustine of Canterbury Firmin of North Crawley Birinus of Dorchester Blaise Florentius of Peterborough Hadrian of Canterbury Honorius of Canterbury Justus of Canterbury Laurence of Canterbury Mellitus of Canterbury Paulinus of York Theodore of Canterbury

South Saxon	Cuthflæd of Lyminster Cuthmann of Steyning Leofwynn of Bishopstone

West Saxon	Æbbe of Abingdon Ælfgar of Selwood Ælfgifu of Exeter Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury Ælfheah of Canterbury Ælfheah of Winchester Æthelflæd of Romsey Æthelgar of Canterbury Æthelnoth of Canterbury Æthelwine of Athelney Æthelwold of Winchester Aldhelm of Sherborne Benignus of Glastonbury Beocca of Chertsey Beorhthelm of Shaftesbury Beornstan of Winchester Beornwald of Bampton Centwine of Wessex Cuthburh of Wimborn Cwenburh of Wimborne Dunstan of Canterbury Eadburh of Winchester Eadgar of England Eadgyth of Polesworth Eadgyth of Wilton Eadweard the Confessor Eadweard the Martyr Eadwold of Cerne Earmund of Stoke Fleming Edor of Chertsey Evorhilda Frithestan of Winchester Hædde of Winchester Humbert of Stokenham Hwita of Whitchurch Canonicorum Mærwynn of Romsey Margaret of Dunfermline Swithhun of Winchester Wulfsige of Sherborne Wulfthryth of Wilton

Unclear origin	Rumbold of Mechelen

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