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List of members of the Gregorian mission

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Stone statue of a standing man wearing robes and a mitre, carrying a tablet in one hand and holding his other hand up.
Statue of Augustine of Canterbury outside Canterbury Cathedral in Kent

The Gregorian mission was a group of Italian monks and priests sent by Pope Gregory the Great to Britain in the late 6th and early 7th centuries to convert and Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism.[1] The first group consisted of about 40 monks and priests, some of whom had been monks in Gregory's own monastery in Rome. After a long trip, during which they almost gave up and returned to Rome, they arrived in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent in 597.[2] Gregory sent a second group of missionaries in 601 as reinforcements, along with books and relics for the newly founded churches.[3] From Kent, the missionaries spread to the East Anglian kingdom and to the north of Britain,[4] but after King Æthelberht of Kent's death, the mission was mostly confined to Kent. Another mission was sent to the kingdom of Northumbria when Æthelberht's daughter married King Edwin of Northumbria around 625. After Edwin's death in 633, a pagan backlash against Christianization occurred, and the mission was again confined to Kent;[2] most of the missionaries fled Northumbria because they feared the pagans who returned to power after Edwin's death.[5]

The main source for information on the missionaries is the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum of the early medieval writer Bede, written around 731. Bede details several of the members of the mission. Another important source of information is the papal registers which list copies of Gregory's letters sent to the missionaries. Neither source gives a complete listing of the missionaries in either group, so a listing of members must be gathered from scattered references in Bede and Gregory's letters. Although it is known that about 40 people were included in the first group, how many arrived in the second group is unknown. The vagaries of the evidence allow only some of the missionaries to be named.[1]

Many of the known members became bishops or archbishops, while most of the remainder became abbots. The lone exception is James the Deacon, who never held a higher office than deacon in the church.[6] Among the archbishops were the first five Archbishops of Canterbury: Augustine, Laurence, Mellitus, Justus, and Honorius;[1] all of them were later canonized as saints.[7] Two other missionaries, Paulinus and Romanus, also became bishops. The last group of missionaries became the abbots of the monastery founded by Augustine at Canterbury, later known as St Augustine's Abbey after Augustine. The abbots included Gratiosus, John, Peter, Petronius, and Rufinianus.[1] As well as the five archbishops, three other members of the mission are regarded as saints: Peter, James the Deacon, and Paulinus.[8]

Members

The date of arrival is either 597 with the first group of missionaries or 601 with the second group. The date of arrival for some members is not known. The third column lists the major ecclesiastical office held by the missionary. The death dates are not always known, in which case approximate dates are listed. The last column notes if the member is regarded as a saint.

Name Date of arrival
in England 		Major ecclesiastical offices Death date Canonized
Augustine of Canterbury[9] 597 first Archbishop of Canterbury (597–604) Between 604 and 609[9] Yes[10]
Gratiosus Unknown fourth Abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury (626–638) 638[11] No
Honorius of Canterbury[12] Either 597 or 601 fifth Archbishop of Canterbury (627–653) 653[12] Yes[13]
James the Deacon[6] Unknown Deacon[6] After 671[6] Yes[14]
John Either 597 or 601 second Abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury (607–618) Unknown No
Justus[15] 601 first Bishop of Rochester (604–624)
fourth Archbishop of Canterbury (624–627?) 		627[15] Yes[16]
Laurence of Canterbury[17] 597 second Archbishop of Canterbury (604–619) 619[17] Yes[18]
Mellitus[19] 601 first Bishop of London (604–617)
third Archbishop of Canterbury (619–624) 		624[19] Yes[20]
Paulinus of York[21] 601 first Bishop of York (625–633)
third Bishop of Rochester (633–644) 		644[21] Yes[22]
Peter of Canterbury 597 first Abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury (598–605) circa 607[23] or after 614[24] Yes[25]
Petronius Unknown fifth Abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury (640–654) circa 654[11] No
Romanus Either 597 or 601 second Bishop of Rochester (624) circa 624[26] No
Rufinianus 601 third Abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury (618–626) Before 638[11] No

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Brooks "Gregorian mission (act. 596–601)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Yorke Conversion of Britain pp. 122–123
  3. Back to citation Mayr-Harting Coming of Christianity p. 62
  4. Back to citation Mayr-Harting Coming of Christianity pp. 65–66
  5. Back to citation Mayr-Harting Coming of Christianity p. 68
  6. Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Back to citation occurrence 6.2 Back to citation occurrence 6.3 Lapidge "James the Deacon" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  7. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints pp. 73, 268, 348, 357, and 420
  8. Back to citation "Parish Church of St James the Deacon". Parish Church of St James the Deacon. Accessed 12 March 2009; Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 475; Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 482
  9. Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 Lapidge "Augustine" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  10. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 73
  11. Back to citation occurrence 11.0 Back to citation occurrence 11.1 Back to citation occurrence 11.2 Hunt "Petronius (d. 654?)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  12. Back to citation occurrence 12.0 Back to citation occurrence 12.1 Lapidge "Honorius" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  13. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 268
  14. Back to citation "Parish Church of St James the Deacon". Parish Church of St James the Deacon. Accessed 12 March 2009
  15. Back to citation occurrence 15.0 Back to citation occurrence 15.1 Haywood "Justus" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  16. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 348
  17. Back to citation occurrence 17.0 Back to citation occurrence 17.1 Lapidge "Laurentius" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  18. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 357
  19. Back to citation occurrence 19.0 Back to citation occurrence 19.1 Lapidge "Mellitus" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  20. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 420
  21. Back to citation occurrence 21.0 Back to citation occurrence 21.1 Lapidge "Paulinus" Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
  22. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 475
  23. Back to citation Hunt "Petrus (St Petrus) (d. 605x11)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  24. Back to citation Wood "Mission of Augustine" Speculum p. 7
  25. Back to citation Walsh Dictionary of Saints p. 482
  26. Back to citation Beazley "Romanus (d. in or before 627)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Bibliography

  • Beazley, C. R.; Costambeys, Marios (2004). "Romanus (d. in or before 627)". In Costambeys, Marios (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (October 2005 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24040. Retrieved 12 March 2009. (subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required)
  • Brooks, N. P. (2008). "Gregorian mission (act. 596–601)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (October 2008 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/93690. Retrieved 22 February 2009. (subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required)
  • Haywood, Paul Anthony (2001). "Justus". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 267–268. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Hunt, William; Costambeys, Marios (2004). "Petronius (d. 654?)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22054. Retrieved 22 February 2009. (subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required)
  • Hunt, William; Costambeys, Marios (2004). "Petrus (St Petrus) (d. 605x11)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (October 2005 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22056. Retrieved 22 February 2009. (subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required)
  • Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Augustine". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Honorius". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Lapidge, Michael (2001). "James the Deacon". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Laurentius". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 279. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Mellitus". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 306. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Paulinus". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. p. 359. ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1.
  • Mayr-Harting, Henry (1991). The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 0-271-00769-9.
  • Walsh, Michael J. (2007). A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West. London: Burns & Oats. ISBN 978-0-86012-438-2.
  • Wood, Ian (January 1994). "The Mission of Augustine of Canterbury to the English". Speculum (fee required). 69 (1): 1–17. doi:10.2307/2864782. JSTOR 2864782. S2CID 161652367.
  • Yorke, Barbara (2006). The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600–800. London: Pearson/Longman. ISBN 0-582-77292-3.

General

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