Frithubeorht

Frithubeorht
Frithbert
Bishop of Hexham
The reredos at Hexham Abbey. Firthbert is shown second from the right.[1]
Appointedbefore 8 September 734
Term ended23 December 766
PredecessorAcca
SuccessorEahlmund
Orders
Consecration8 September 734
Personal details
Died23 December 766
DenominationChristian

Frithubeorht (or Frithbert, Frithuberht, Latin: Frithubertus) (died 23 December AD 766) was an eighth-century medieval Bishop of Hexham.

There are several theories as to why Frithbert's predecessor Acca departed or was driven from the Diocese of Hexham in 732. According to one account, Acca had fallen out of favour with the Northumbrian king Ceolwulf because he had sided with Ceolwulf's opponents during an attempted coup. Frithubeorht, who was thought to be a strong supporter of the Northumbrian dynasty, was appointed in Acca's place as Bishop of Hexham.[2] Frithubeorht was consecrated on 8 September 734 by Archbishop Ecgbert.[3]

As the seventh Bishop of Hexham,[4] Frithbert served as bishop for a lengthy thirty-four years until his death. In 750, when Cynewulf - the Bishop of Lindisfarne - was imprisoned, Frithbert also administered the church of Lindisfarne.[5] He died on 23 December 766,[6] the same year as Ecgbert. Bede praised Firthbert as a "truly faithful bishop."[7] More recently, the historian John Godfrey, described Firthbert as an "undistinguished prelate."[8]

Frithbert's relics were re-discovered at Hexham in 1154.[9] He is considered a saint by both the Roman Catholic [10] and the Eastern Orthodox Church.[4]

  1. ^ "Hexab202".
  2. ^ Bates, Cadwallader John (1895). The History of Northumberland. London: Elliot Stock. p. 72.
  3. ^ William Stubbs (26 September 2013). Registrum Sacrum Anglicanum: An Attempt to Exhibit the Course of Episcopal Succession in England from the Records and Chronicles of the Church. Cambridge University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-108-06119-3.
  4. ^ a b Dr. John (Ellsworth) Hutchison-Hall (1 September 2017). Orthodox Saints of the British Isles: Volume IV — October – December. St. Eadfrith Press. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-5427-1822-6.
  5. ^ Rev. Richard Stanton. A Menology of England and Wales, or, Brief Memorials of the Ancient British and English Saints Arranged According to the Calendar, Together with the Martyrs of the 16th and 17th Centuries. London: Burns & Oates, 1892. p.606.
  6. ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 217
  7. ^ https://www.normandyhistorians.co.uk/downloads/bede.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  8. ^ John Godfrey (2009). The Church in Anglo-Saxon England. Cambridge University Press. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-521-05089-0.
  9. ^ Terry Jones (13 February 2013). "Saint Frithbert of Hexham". CatholicSaints.Info. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  10. ^ Butler, Alban (1995). Butler's Lives of the Saints. Vol. 12. Burns & Oates. p. 176. ISBN 9780814623886.