Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 15:46:27 +0000 (BST)
Subject: FEAST 17 November
From: CA Muessig <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
* Hilda, virgin (680)
- she was head of double monastery of monks and nuns at
Streaneshalch, also known as Whitby: there, the great synod of 664
was held; her name appears in the calendar of St Willibrord, written
at the beginning of the eighth century
Sorry - an earlier attempt by me to comment on this got sent to the
mailing list by mistake before I had actually written anything.
Bede's dating of Hild's career poses several problems - is there
anything recent in print about them?
Bede's dating for her birth and death don't necessarily seem to be
problematic - obviously her father must have died before Edwin was
able to return from exile and become king in 616, and presumably Hild
did die in 680. This means that Hild could, as Bede says, have been
66 (a double perfect age) at death.
What is trickier is when she decided to become a nun. Bede says this
was half way through her life, at 33 (perfect age), which would be in
about 647. But he says that at this point she spent time in E. Anglia
wondering about whether to go to Chelles to become a nun there. But
Chelles was surely founded by Balthild - and since it was on
Merovingian royal property it could only have been founded once
Balthild married Clovis II - and the marriage apparently happened
soon after 648. Presumably Balthild didn't found her nunnery
immediately after she became queen, but slightly later. Does anyone
have any ideas? and is there any information to help with dating for
the foundation of Chelles? And when was Streaneshealh founded?
Julia Barrow
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|