Research Guides
Biographical sources for Archbishops of Canterbury
from 597 to the Norman Conquest
Introduction
This is a complete list of the Archbishops before the Norman Conquest. The biographical information provided is not intended to be comprehensive, but includes birth and death dates (where known), dates in office, places of burial and modern sources of biographical information. Brief bibliographies of works published before 2005 exist for some Archbishops in the entries for The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church listed below. Biographies are not otherwise noted below. For printed holdings held at Lambeth, consult the online catalogue. Some primary sources are printed in A.W. Haddan and W. Stubbs, Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents relating to Great Britain and Ireland, 3 vols. (Oxford, 1869-71). For further information please contact Lambeth Palace Library (London, SE1 7JU, UK; fax +44 (0)20 7928 7932).Abbreviations used
Cantuar: E. Carpenter, Cantuar: The Archbishops in their Office, 3rd ed. (London, 1997).DNB: Dictionary of National Biography, ed. H.C.G.Matthew and B.Harrison, 60 vols. (Oxford, 2004), and Dictionary of National Biography, ed. L. Stephen and S. Lee, 63 vols. (London, 1885-1900)
Hook's Lives: W.F. Hook, Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury, 12 vols. (London, 1860-76).
DCB: Dictionary of Christian Biography, ed. W. Smith and H. Wace, 4 vols. (London, 1877-87).
ODCC: Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed., ed. F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (Oxford, 2005)
6th-7th centuries
- 8th century
9th century
- 10th century - 11th century
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Archbishops
from 1066 to the present day
6th-7th centuries
Augustine
Archbishop: 597-c.604-9
Died: c.604-9
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury
Biography: Cantuar pp. 2-11;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 42-79; DCB v. 1, pp. 225-8; ODCC
Laurence (or Laurentius or Lawrence)
Archbishop: c.604-9-619
Died: 619
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury
Biography: Cantuar pp. 11-12;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 79-90; DCB v. 3, pp. 631-3.
Mellitus
Archbishop: 619-24
Died: 624
Burial place: St. Augustine's
Abbey, Canterbury
Biography: Cantuar p. 12;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 91-9; DCB v. 3, pp. 900-901; ODCC
Justus
Archbishop: 624-c.627/31
Died: c.627-31
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury.
Biography: Cantuar
p. 12; DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 100-110; DCB v. 3, pp. 592-3; ODCC
Honorius
Archbishop: c.627/31-653
Died: 653
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury
Biography: Cantuar p. 12;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 111-25; DCB v. 3, pp. 153-5
Deusdedit
Archbishop: 655-663
Died: 663
Burial place: St Augustine's,
Canterbury
Biography: Cantuar pp. 14-15;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 126-41; DCB v. 1, pp. 821-2; ODCC
Theodore
Archbishop: 668-90
Born: c.602
Died: 690
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury.
Biography: Cantuar pp. 16-21;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 146-76; DCB v. 4, pp. 926-32; ODCC
8th century
Berhtwald (or
Brihtwald or Beorhtwald)
Archbishop: 693-731
Born: c.650
Died: 731
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury.
Biography: Cantuar p. 22;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 178-95; DCB v. 1, pp. 315-6
Tatwine
Archbishop: 731-34
Died: 734
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 195-207; DCB v. 4, pp. 804-5
Nothelm
Archbishop: 735-39
Died: 739
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 207-17; DCB v. 4, pp. 54-5
Cuthbert
Archbishop: 740-58
Died: 758
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral
Biography: Cantuar p. 24;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 217-35; DCB v. 1, pp. 729-30
Bregowine
Archbishop: 759-65
Died: 765
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral
Biography: Cantuar p. 25;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 235-42; DCB v. 1, p. 334
Jaenberht
Archbishop: 765-91
Died: 791
Burial place: St. Augustine's,
Canterbury.
Biography: Cantuar p. 25;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 242-54; DCB v. 3, pp. 336-8
9th century
Aethelheard
Archbishop: 793-805
Died: 805
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar pp. 26-8;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 255-70; DCB v. 4, pp. 223-5; ODCC
Wulfred
Archbishop: 805-32
Died: 832
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar pp. 29-30;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 270-83; DCB v. 4, pp. 1195-7
Feologild
Archbishop: 832
Died: 832
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 283-4; DCB v. 2, p. 504
Ceolnoth
Archbishop: 833-70
Died: 870
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 284-97
Aethelred
Archbishop: 870-89
Died: 889
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 298-313
10th century
Plegmund
Archbishop: 890-914 (or 923)
Died: 914 (or 923)
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 313-34
Aethelhelm (or Athelm)
Archbishop: 914-23 (or 923-926)
Died: 923 (or 926)
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 334-9
Wulfhelm
Archbishop: 923-41 (or 926-941)
Died: 941
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 339-59
Oda
Archbishop: 942-59
Died: 959
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar p. 33;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 361-82; ODCC
Aelfsige
Archbishop: 958-59
Died: 959
Biography: Cantuar p. 33;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, p. 402
Byrhthelm (or Beorhthelm or Brithelm)
Archbishop: 959-60
Biography: Cantuar p. 33;
Hook's Lives v. 1, p. 402
Dunstan
Archbishop: 960-88
Born: c.924
Died: 988
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar pp. 33-7;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 383-427; ODCC
Aethelgar
Archbishop: 998-89
Died: 989
Biography: Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 428-32
Sigeric (or Serio)
Archbishop: 989-994
Died: 994
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1, pp. 432-40
11th century
Aelfric
Archbishop: 995-1005
Died: 1005
Burial place: Abingdon,
moved to Canterbury Cathedral in Cnut's reign.
Will: Printed in Codex
diplomaticus aevi saxonici, ed. J.M. Kemble, 6 vols. (1839-48), v.
3, pp. 351-2. Translation is printed in Hook's Lives, v. 1, pp. 454-5.
Biography: DNB; Hook's Lives
v. 1 pp. 440-56.
Aelfheah (or Alphege or Elphege)
Archbishop: 1006-12
Born: 954
Died: 1012
Burial place: St. Paul's
Cathedral, London, then moved by Cnut to Canterbury Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar pp. 37-8;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 457-72; ODCC
Lyfing (or Aelfstan)
Archbishop: 1013-20
Died: 1020
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar p. 38;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 472-8.
Aethelnoth
Archbishop: 1020-38
Died: 1038
Burial place: Canterbury
Cathedral.
Biography: Cantuar p. 38;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 478-88.
Eadsige
Archbishop: 1038-50
Died: 1050
Biography: Cantuar pp. 38-9;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 489-93.
Robert of Jumièges
Archbishop: 1051-52
Died: c.1052-70
Burial place: Jumièges
Abbey, France.
Biography: Cantuar pp. 39-40;
DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 494-506
Stigand
Archbishop: 1052-70
Died: 1072
Burial place: Winchester
Biography: Cantuar pp. 40,
44; DNB; Hook's Lives v. 1, pp. 506-32; ODCC