Spearhafoc

Spearhafoc
Bishop of London-elect
Appointed1051
Term ended1052
PredecessorRobert of Jumièges
SuccessorWilliam the Norman
Orders
Consecrationnever consecrated
Personal details
DenominationChristian

Spearhafoc was an eleventh-century Anglo-Saxon artist and Benedictine monk, whose artistic talent was apparently the cause of his rapid elevation to Abbot of Abingdon in 1047–48 and Bishop-Elect of London in 1051.[1] After his consecration as bishop was thwarted, he vanished with the gold and jewels he had been given to make into a crown for King Edward the Confessor, and was never seen again.[2] He was also famous for a miracle which impacted his career.

His name means "sparrowhawk" in Old English[3] (Speraver in Latin).

  1. ^ Dodwell:46
  2. ^ Dodwell:46–47. As well as Goscelin and the monastic histories referenced below, Spearhafoc's career is covered in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
  3. ^ Hudson, John, ed. (2002). Historia Ecclesie Abbendonensis: The History of the Church of Abingdon. Volume 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. ciii–civ. ISBN 0199299374. Retrieved 11 January 2023.