Saint Erkenwald (also Earconwald), died 693, was a Saxon prince who served as Bishop of London between 675 and 693 and is the first post-Roman-period Bishop of London to begin the unbroken succession in the Saxon See of London. He is the eponymous subject of the poem St. Erkenwald, regarded as one of the most important poems in the foundations of English literature, and thought to be by the same author as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem is concerned with ecumenical and interfaith dynamics. He is regarded as the patron saint of London and was called Lundoniae maximum sanctus, 'the most holy figure of London', as well as Lux Londonie, "the light of London". His early memorialisation is linked to London's proto-Renaissance, with Peter Ackroyd saying of him:<blockquote>"we may still name him as the patron saint of London, [his]... cult survived for over eight hundred years, before entering the temporary darkness of the last four centuries".</blockquote>He is associated with a very early Anglo-Saxon phase of building at St Paul's Cathedral, with William Dugdale stating he began the building of the cathedral.
The name 'Erkenwald' is a dithematic Germanic name composed of the elements eorcen (meaning "genuine," "pure," or "precious") and weald (meaning "rule" or "power"), together translating to "genuine ruler" or "noble power.
Erkenwald has, in recent times, been portrayed in novels and films, for example in Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories.
The early diocese of London was coterminous with the Kingdom of Essex, making the Bishop of London the Bishop of the East Saxons.
Erkenwald is traditionally of royal ancestry, though there are competing theories as to his precise pedigree, owing to limited records and great the antiquity of his period.
He is often listed as a son of the house of King Offa of Essex (for example by William Dugdale) or King Offa of East Anglia (for example by John of Tynemouth), though the chronology makes these options unlikely. Another tradition identifies him as the son of King Annas, the "holy king of the East-Angles".
The Frankish <nowiki/>'eorcen- in his name might indicate Kentish descent. He may have been born in the Kingdom of Lindsey in modern Lincolnshire.
As a young man, he may have studied under Mellitus, Archbishop of Canterbury.
In c. 666, he established two Benedictine abbeys, Chertsey Abbey in Surrey for men, and Barking Abbey for women.
The abbey Erkenwald founded at Chertsy was destroyed, and ninety monks were killed during the Danish wars; it was later refounded by King Edgar and Bishop Ethelwold.
His sister, ÃÂthelburh, was Abbess of Barking. Erkenwald is said to have engaged Hildelith to instruct ÃÂthelburh in the role of abbess. Although sometimes mistaken as the first nunnery in England, it was not; for example, the nunnery at Folkestone was founded earlier in 630 by King Eadbald, with his daughter St. Eanswithe as the first abbess. Furthermore, at the Dissolution, Barking's wealth (ã1084 per annum) was surpassed by the nunneries of Sion and Shaftsbury.
Erkenwald himself served as Abbot of Chertsey. A charter states that in the late 7th century, he and Frithwald gave land in Streatham and Tooting Graveney to Chertsey Abbey; this grant was confirmed in the time of Athelstan in 933.
A legend says that he often preached to the woodmen in the wild forests that lay to the north of London.
In 675, Erkenwald became Bishop of London, succeeding Bishop Wine. He was the choice of Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury.
It is also said that his selection as Bishop of London was at the insistence of King Sebbi. An ancient epitaph says that Erkenwald served as bishop of London for eleven years.
He was granted the manor (landholding) of Fulham about the year 691 for himself and his successors as Bishop of London. The manor house was Fulham Palace. Nine centuries later, it was still the summer residence of the Bishops of London.
Erkenwald was an important contributor to the reconversion of Essex, and the fourth Bishop of London since the restoration of the diocese, and he was present at the reconciliation between Archbishop Theodore and Wilfrith.
While bishop, he contributed to King Ine of Wessex's law code, and is mentioned specifically in the code as a contributor. King Ine named Erkenwald as an advisor on his laws and called Erkenwald "my bishop" in the preface to his laws. This collaboration highlights the profound influence of the Church on Anglo-Saxon legal frameworks. The laws were drafted at a time when there was no central police authority and the legal system was heavily based on wergeldâÂÂa system of restitution and compensation where penalties were determined by an individual's social status. The Church sought to mitigate the private feuds and violence that often arose from this system, in part by providing a right to sanctuary or asylum. Erkenwald's direct involvement in shaping these laws demonstrates the Church's active role in establishing a more structured legal order and reducing private warfare.
Saint Erkenwald eleven-year tenure as bishop was primarily focused on reconciliation. His diocese was a diverse community, with a population composed of both native Britons who had remained after the Saxon conquest and the dominant Anglo-Saxon population. The diocese's Christian faith reflected this mix of cultures, having been initially introduced by Roman clergy sent by Pope Gregory I but subsequently established by Celtic monks from Lindisfarne under Saint Cedd. This led to a blended tradition within the see. Erkenwald was instrumental in resolving conflicts within the broader English Church. He helped to reconcile resistance to the reforms introduced by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury. Notably, Erkenwald played a key role in mediating the long-standing dispute between Saint Wilfrid and Theodore, which was ultimately settled at Erkenwald's residence shortly before Theodore's death. This event cemented Erkenwald's reputation as a peacemaker and a central figure in the unification of the early English Church.
The biographical association of Erkenwald with Pope Gregory the Great may account for the later St. Erkenwald poem's thematic interest and narrative because the saint's existing biographies do not contain a source for the poemâÂÂs central miracleâÂÂthe salvation of a pagan judge. The closest and most significant literary parallel is the widely circulated legend of Pope Gregory and the Emperor Trajan, in which Gregory's intercession delivers the righteous pagan Trajan's soul. The poem adapts this popular analogue to make a precise theological argument. While some versions of the Gregory/Trajan story suggested Gregory's desires alone secured Trajan's salvation, the St. Erkenwald poem insists on the judge receiving a miraculous baptism. By requiring this sacrament, the poem aligns itself with the more rigid theological tradition (found in commentaries on Dante) that maintained baptism was necessary for the salvation of even the most virtuous pagans. This link to Gregory's miracle thus provides the narrative template and the framework for the poem's sophisticated theological commentary.
Current historical scholarship credits Erkenwald with a major role in the evolution of Anglo-Saxon charters, and it is possible that he drafted the charter of Caedwalla to Farnham.
The historical misattribution of Saint Fursey's burial to Saint Erkenwald is a common point of confusion. The error arises from the similarity of their names, as two distinct historical figures have been conflated. The individual responsible for receiving Saint Fursey's body and having it buried in a basilica in Péronne was Erchinoald, a powerful Frankish nobleman and mayor of the palace. Erchinoald was a contemporary of Fursey and played a key role in the establishment of Péronne as a significant pilgrimage site for Irish monks. In contrast, Erkenwald, lived in a later period in the 7th century, and credit for the events surrounding Saint Fursey's burial belongs to Erchinoald. This distinction is essential for an accurate historical account.
Bishopsgate, one of the eastern gates on London's largely lost Roman and medieval city wall, was said to have been repaired by Erkenwald, and to have taken its name from him.
Erkenwald is said to have spent a good deal on the early building of St Paul's, and in later times he almost occupied the place of a traditionary founder; the veneration paid to him was second only to that which was rendered to St Paul.
Erkenwald died in 693 while on a visit to Barking Abbey. His remains were buried at a pilgrimage shrine in Old St Paul's Cathedral. The Vita of St Erkenwald recounts that as he died, an extraordinary fragrance filled his cell, as though the whole building had been drenched in the sweetest perfume.
For a period immediately after the Norman Conquest, St Erkenwald was marginalised in religious practice. The Normans replaced most of the English ecclesiastical office holders, either immediately, or upon their death with the appointment of a Norman cleric as successor.
The most important collection of early materials concerning Erkenwald is the Miracula Sancti Erkenwaldi, preserved as a 12th-century manuscript in the Matthew Parker collection (Parker 161) at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The miracle in the poem is not in these materials, suggesting that the story post-dates this manuscript.
In art, Erkenwald is often depicted as a bishop riding in a small "chariot," which was a type of wheeled chair similar to a bath chair used during the Saxon era. He used this for transport due to his severe gout. Sometimes, a woman is shown touching the chair, which may be a representation of the healing miracles associated with him. He is also occasionally portrayed alongside Saint Ethelburga of Barking, his sister and the abbess of Barking Abbey.
Erkenwald was the subject of the alliterative St Erkenwald Poem, written in the 14th century by a poet from the Cheshire/Shropshire/Staffordshire area.
The text is thought to be the work of the Pearl Poet whose identity is debated and uncertain.
The poem is significant in the way it deals with the spiritual welfare of people who could not hear the Christian message, and critics have compared it to the Beowulf poem in this regard. The poem has survived in only one manuscript, British Library MS Harley 2250.
The document was discovered in 1757 by Thomas Percy; the manuscript had been in the possession of Sir Humphrey Pitt of Balcony House, Shifnal, and Priorslee, Shropshire.
Other important ancient literary materials narrowly avoided being burnt as kindling by household staff in the circumstances in which Percy was discovering this important cultural survival.
The poem has been linked thematically and in plot terms with the Legend of Trajan and the Miracle of St Gregory; that legend itself being referred to in the Divine Comedy by Dante (Purgatorio (x. 73-75) and Paradiso (xx 106-117)).
Another possible inspiration for the plot in the poem is found in Kaiserchronik, the Middle High German history of Roman and German emperors dating to around 1150.
Some familiarity with the story is also contended for St Thomas Aquinas.
Within pictorial art, the Berne tapestry (copied from paintings by Roger van der Wayden of the Brussels Town Hall in the mid-1400s, which were lost in the conflicts of the 1600s) and apparently repeated in the Cologne Town Hall in the High Medieval period, provides a visual expression of the themes.
The intention of this art was to remind judges to dispense impartial justice.
His feast day is 30 April, with successive translations (see below) being celebrated on 1 February, 13 May and 14 November (date of translation to the site of the last shrine in St Paul's Cathedral). He is a patron saint of London.
Prior to the Reformation, the anniversaries of his death as well as his translation were observed at St Paul's as feasts of the first class, by an ordinance of Bishop Braybroke in 1386.
The following Antiphon and Collect for the Feast of St Erkenwald is recorded:
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