Ætla, who lived in the 7th century, is believed to be one of many Bishops of Dorchester during the Anglo-Saxon period. The village of Attlebridge, Norfolk is named after him, as he is credited for the construction of a bridge ('brycg' in Old English) there.

Ætla
Bishops of Dorchester
ChurchChristian
In officec. 660

Ætla was attested about 660.[1] In the 670s, the seat of his bishopric was at Dorchester-on-Thames, which was then under Mercian control.[2] He does not seem to have had any comparable predecessors or successors in that see.

Early life edit

Details regarding Ætla's early life are sparse. The venerable historian Bede's writings indicate a comparatively short duration of his existence. Prior to assuming the mantle of bishop, Ætla pursued a monastic vocation within the Northumbrian Monastery of Whitby. [3]

Citations edit

  1. ^ Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 219
  2. ^ Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 49
  3. ^ Kirby, D.P. (1965). THE SAXON BISHOPS OF LEICESTER, LINDSEY (Syddensis ), and DORCHESTER. University of Leicester.

References edit

  • Kirby, D. P. (2000). The Earliest English Kings. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24211-8.
  • Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
  • David Peter Kirby (1965). THE SAXON BISHOPS OF LEICESTER, LINDSEY (Syddensis ), and DORCHESTER. University of Leicester. p. 2.

External links edit