Page:VCH Leicestershire 1.djvu/429

 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY THE date of the conversion of Leicestershire to Christianity can be fixed with tolerable certainty. It was in the year 653 that Penda's son Peada, then sub-king of the Mid-Angles, returned from his baptism in Northumbria, bringing with him four Scotic monks, Adda, Betti, Cedda, and Diuma, to preach to his people. 1 The last-named of these four was consecrated bishop of all Mercia in 656." From this time the work of evangelization seems to have gone on quietly and steadily, and we do not hear of any serious lapses from the faith in this part of the country. Of Leicestershire, as distinguished from the rest of the Mercian kingdom, little is known until the coming of Archbishop Theodore in 668. There is little reason to doubt that the five-fold partition of the vast diocese of Mercia was planned by Theodore himself at the council of Hatfield, though it is hard to say when the first steps were taken towards the carrying out of his scheme. 3 At the time of the council (A.D. 679) Sexulf was bishop of all Mercia,* but the first bishop of Leicester was Cuthwine, who died some time before the year 69 2. 6 At his death the rule of the new diocese was offered by King Ethelred to the exiled Wilfrid, 8 who only kept it for a few years. An unbroken suc- cession of bishops of Leicester cannot be shown to begin before the consecra- tion of Torhthelm in 73/. 7 He was followed by ten others, 8 but the last four must have worked under great difficulties, for the resistance of Mercia to the Danish invaders had practically ceased in 874.' The last bishop of Leicester, Leofwine, had nominal charge of Lindsey also, 10 but before his death (circa 965) n he had settled himself permanently at Dorchester. 13 It would seem that in his day there was more need than ever for a bishop in the northern Midlands, just then recovering from a century of raids and devastations ; and there must have been plenty of missionary work for the Church to do amongst the Danes, who remained as permanent settlers. But from this time there was never another bishop of Leicester. There are no events of great interest connected with the early history of Christianity in this country. The name of St. Wigstan, a prince of the royal 1 Bede, Eccl. Hist, iii, i, 30. ' Ibid. 22 ; Bright, Early Engl. Ch. Hist. 181. 3 Florence of Wore. Chnn. (Engl. Hist. Soc.), i, 36. * Bede, Eccl. Hist, iv, 13. 'Haddon and Stubbs, Councils, iii, 127-9. ' Historians of the Ch. of York (Rolls Ser.), i, 65. 7 Haddon and Stubbs, Councils, iii, 127-9. 8 Stubbs, Reg. Sacr. Angl. 224. ' With the flight of Burrhed ; Florence of Wore. Chnn. (Engl. Hist. Soc.), ii, 92. 10 Ibid, i, 242. " Stubbs, Reg. Sacr. Angl. 224 ; this is the date of his last signature. "Will, of Malmes. De Gest. Pont. (Rolls Ser.), 312. 355