Saint Berin, the apostle of Wessex
Subtitle: the history, legends, and traditions of the beginning of the West-Saxon church
Publisher: London, Society for promoting Christian knowledge; New York, E. & J.B. Young & Co.
Published: 1902
Language: eng
Number of pages: 248
Table of contents: title: CONTENTS; title: CHAPTER I; title: Introductory; title: The Churches of Britain in 634 — Wessex and Mercia entirely Pagan — Mission of St. Berin — Bede's account — Notes in the Saxon Chronicle — Date of the Mission — Aelfric's Homily — Robert of Gloucester page 31; title: CHAPTER II; title: St. Berin's Name and Origin; title: Berin in local tradition and various writers — Birinus in Bede and others — Birin more usual in Old English, perhaps a dialectic variation — Illustrations of the name — Apparently Teutonic — The Lombards — Their occupation of Italy — St. Berin's consecration at Genoa — His birth and antecedents. 42; title: CHAPTER III; title: St. Berin's Coming; title: The journey and voyage — The Gewissce — Legends of the beginning of his preaching — Converts of St. Augustine — Cynegils King of Wessex — Journey to the Thames — Cholsey — St. Berin's reception 59; title: CHAPTER IV; title: The Planting of the West Saxon Church; title: Dorchester — Its surroundings — Roman Camp — The conquest in 571 — Bensington and its manor — Visit of St. Oswald — The king converted — His daughter "Cyneburga" — The king and others baptised — Place of the Baptism. 71; title: CHAPTER V; title: The See-town at Dorchester; title: Choice of the See-town — Arguments for Dorchester in Dorset — The "bischop of Dorsete" — Alleged unsuitableness of the Oxfordshire town — The Mercian border-land — Reasons for subsequent removal of the bishopric — Testimony of the Saxon Chronicle — of Malmesbury — of the Dorchester Abbey traditions — of Robert of Gloucester — Names of the two Dorchesters — St. Oswald's part in the settlement — The Dorset town; impossible — Convenience of Oxfordshire — Endowment of the bishopric from Bensington Manor — House at Fifield — Legendary origin of the minster at Winchester and its endowments. 86; title: CHAPTER VI; title: St. Berin's Ministry; title: His centre at Dorchester — Details unknown — His fellow-clergy — Canons of Dorchester — Archbishop Deusdedit — Baptism of Cwichelm — of Cuthred — Death of Cynegils — Cenwalh's expulsion. Baptism and return — Cwichelms-Hlaw — Cenwalh's grant to Cuthred — Minster consecrated at Winchester — endowed by Cenwalh — Mission-work in Mercia — Baptism of ^Edilwalch of Sussex wrongly attributed to St. Berin — Also Baptism of Wulfhere of Mercia — Connection with neighbouring churches — Letters to Pope Honorius. 100; title: CHAPTER VII; title: Local Traditions; title: Their value — The preaching at Churn Knob — Character of the site — Blewbury — Sepulchral barrows — "Berin's Hill" — Taplow Hill and "Bapsey Meadow" — Survival of Britons hereabouts — The Chiltern Hills — The Long Compton myth — Legend of St. Augustine there — Aylesbury possibly a British Church — Britons probably surviving at Dorchester — British slaves — A mixed race in this district — Comparison with Northumbria — British Christianity probably not extinct. 117; title: CHAPTER VIII; title: St. Berin's Miracles; title: Interest of the tales — The Mass and the voyage — The walk upon the sea — Malmesbury's account — The corporal and the Lord's Body — based upon the incident of St. Peter — Probable origin of the story — Further legends of the voyage — The blind and deaf, woman — Obvious explanation — Growth of the story — The metrical version. 132; title: CHAPTER IX; title: Death of St. Berin; title: Commonly assigned to 650 — December 3 — probably 649 — Burial at Dorchester — Legend of the viper and St. Berin's bell — Further legendary tales — Myth of the building of Bicester. 146; title: CHAPTER X; title: The Enshrinement; title: Translation of the body — Burial at Winchester — Subsequent enshrinement by Ethelwold — Feretory given by Canute — Character of the shrine — enriched by Bishop de Blois — The chests of relics — Screen of the Feretory — Great altar-screen — Destruction of the statues — Their recent restoration — Figure of St. Berin — Sculptures of the font 155; title: CHAPTER XI; title: Controversy about the Relics; title: Claim of the Dorchester Convent — Royal favours to the Abbey' — Proceedings under Honorius III. — The investigation — Ambiguous decision of the pope — Legends of miracles at Dorchester — St. Bertin — Shrines existing at both churches. 164; title: CHAPTER XII; title: Dorchester Abbey and its Shrine; title: Different periods of the building — Plan of eastern portion — Position of the false shrine — Description in Higden — Shrines and feretories — Discovery of the canopy — Effigy of a bishop, probably St. Berin — Sculptures on windows — St. Berin represented in the glass — The Bells — An ancient pall 174; title: CHAPTER XIII; title: The West Saxon Bishopric; title: Original independence of Canterbury — St. Berin's successors, Agilbert, Wini, IIIothere -First connection with Canterbury — St. Berin's quasi-metropolitan rank — called "archbishop" by Bale — Attempts to divide the Province of Canterbury — Settlement of the See at Winchester — Division of the Diocese — Conversion of Sussex — See of Chichester — Conversion of Mercia — See of Lichfield — Sees of Hereford, Worcester, Lindsey, and Leicester — Bishop AEtla — New bishopric of Dorchester — Transference to Lincoln. 184; title: CHAPTER XIV; title: Liturgical Commemorations; title: Festivals of the Deposition and the Translation — Not found in earlier Martyrologies and Kalendars — Introduced in Winchester Missals — Martyrology of Gorman — Hereford Missal and others — Festival of the Deposition superseded by the Translation — York Kalendar — St. Michael's Mount — "The Martiloge" — St. Berin's Day at Dorchester — Abingdon Abbey — The festivals observed there — A Homily — Proses — Invocations in Litanies. 199; title: CHAPTER XV; title: Church Dedications and Modern Memorials; title: Dedication of Dorchester Abbey — Patron Saints of Winchester — Kilbirnie — Dumbarny — Church near Dovvnton — Palace-chapel at Bristol — Roman Chapel at Dorchester — Episcopal Seal of Winchester — Pastoral Staff of Bishop of Reading — Memorial windows at Dorchester, Winchester, Lincoln, Blewbury, Wantage, and St. Paul's 220; title: APPENDIX; title: Note I. Succession of Bishops from St. Berin to the Bishop of Oxford.; title: Note II. Descent of King Edward VII. from the Kings of the West Saxons.; title: Note III. On the Effigy of a Bishop at Dorchester.; title: Note IV. On the Windows at Dorchester.; title: Note V. On the Tenor Bell at Dorchester.; title: Note VI. On an ancient Ring found at Dorchester.; title: Note VII. Translation of a Homily for the Festival of St. Berin from a Ms. of Abingdon Abbey.