Seaxwulf | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Lichfield | |
| Appointed | before 676 |
| Term ended | c. 692 |
| Predecessor | Winfrith |
| Successor | Headda |
| Other post(s) | Abbot of Medeshamstede |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | before 676 |
| Personal details | |
| Died | c. 692 |
| Denomination | Christian |
Seaxwulf[a] (before 676 – c. 692) was the founding abbot of the Mercian monastery of Medeshamstede, and an early medieval bishop of Mercia. Very little is known of him beyond these details, drawn from sources such as Bede's Ecclesiastical History. Some further information was written down in the 12th century at Peterborough Abbey, as Medeshamstede was known by that time. This suggests that he began his career as a nobleman, and that he may have had royal connections outside Mercia.
Seaxwulf's earliest appearance is in the Latinised form "Sexwlfus", in Stephen of Ripon's Vita Sancti Wilfrithi, or "Life of St Wilfrid", of the early 8th century. As is common with proper nouns, this name is found in numerous different forms in medieval writings; but it is most commonly rendered into modern English as "Saxwulf" or "Sexwulf". An Old English name, it means "dagger wolf", or possibly "Saxon wolf".[1]
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