Alchmund of Hexham

Eahlmund
Bishop of Hexham
Appointed before 24 April 767
Term ended 7 September 781
Predecessor Frithubeorht
Successor Tilbeorht
Orders
Consecration 24 April 767
Personal details
Died 7 September 781
Hexham, Northumberland
Denomination Catholic
Sainthood
Feast day 7 September
Venerated in Catholic Church; Anglican Communion

Alcmund of Hexham, also spelt Ealhmund, Alhmund or Alchmund (died 7 September 781) became the 7th bishop of the see of Hexham in Northumberland when he was consecrated on 24 April 767;[1] the see was centred on the church there founded by Saint Wilfrid.[2]

History

Alcmund died on 7 September 781[1] and was buried beside Saint Acca outside the church. Virtually nothing is now known of his life, but he was apparently deeply venerated as one of the Hexham saints.

By the early 11th century, after the Danes had ravaged this part of the country, it seems that his tomb had been entirely forgotten. Symeon of Durham writes that Alcmund appeared in a vision to Dregmo, a man of Hexham, urging him to tell Alfred son of Westou, sacrist of Durham, to have his body translated (removed and re-buried as a relic). Alfred did so, but stole one of the bones to take back with him to Durham; the shrine however could not be moved by any strength of man until the bone was replaced.[3]

In 1154, the church, having been ruined again, was again restored, and the bones of the Hexham saints, including Alcmund, were gathered into a single shrine. The Scots however pillaged and finally destroyed both church and shrine in a border raid in 1296.[3]

Citations

References

Wikisource has the text of the 1885–1900 Dictionary of National Biography's article about Alchmund.

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Frithubeorht
Bishop of Hexham
767–781
Succeeded by
Tilbeorht

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "article name needed". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton. 

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