A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



least nominally, Christian tenets. Eorpwald's baptism, according to the Anglo- 

 Saxon Chronicle, took place in 632, which was Edwin's last year. 1 



Soon after Eorpwald's conversion, he was slain by a pagan, Richbert, 

 and for three years the hastily renounced idolatry was resumed. But after 

 this brief interval there came a happy change, a genuine Christianity dawned 

 over the land of the East Angles. Eorpwald's brother Sigebert, who had 

 been in exile in Gaul, had become a Christian during his banishment, and he 

 determined, on succeeding to the kingdom, that the true faith should be pro- 

 claimed to his people. Bede pronounces a brief but high eulogium on the new 

 ruler, styling Sigebert 'a most Christian and most learned man.' 2 Just about 

 the time of Sigebert's accession to the East Anglian throne, either in 630 or 

 63 i, 3 there landed in England a Burgundian missionary bishop, Felix by name, 

 eager to take part in the evangelization of the dark places of Britain. He 

 made his way to Honorius, archbishop of Canterbury, and showed him his 

 desire, whereupon, in Bede's words, ' Honorius sent him to deliver the Word 

 of Life to the nations of the Angles.' * 



Sigebert gave a warm welcome to the Burgundian bishop, and placed 

 the episcopal see at the city of ' Domnoc,' later known as Dunwich. It 

 would seem that at that time the Southfolk of the East Anglian kingdom 

 were more important than the Northfolk, and Dunwich — the old Roman 

 town of Sitomagus — was an important seaport, and the centre of some small 

 trade and commerce. At Dunwich Sigebert proceeded to erect a cathedral 

 church for his bishop, as well as a palace for himself. Here it may be well 

 to remark very briefly that Dunwich flourished as a city for several centuries ; 

 churches, religious houses, and important buildings multiplied, though by 

 no means to the extent indicated in romantic and fabulous tradition. But 

 by degrees the steady roll of the northern sea on England's shore gained the 

 mastery over the great protecting headland that jutted out just north of South- 

 wold, and Dunwich began to crumble before the advancing waves. The old 

 harbour and 400 houses were swept away in the days of Edward III, and 

 church after church disappeared, the sites of four being covered by the water 

 between 1535 and 1600. At the present time the last of the ancient parish 

 churches is crumbling on the edge of the cliff, each successive storm flinging 

 more of the old fabric down upon the beach. 



Bishop Felix met with wonderful success in spreading the knowledge of 

 the faith throughout Sigebert's kingdom ; pagan unhappiness and wickedness 

 giving place, as Bede asserts in two glowing passages, to Christian happiness and 

 virtue, as though by the very sacrament of his name. Nor was he content 

 with merely preaching the Word through his own lips and those of his 

 clergy. Himself a learned man, he desired to establish true learning, and 



1 Bede, Eccl. Hist. bk. ii, ch. 5 — 1 4. ; Bp. Browne, Conversion of the Heptarchy, 68-73. 

 ' Bede, Eccl. Hist. bk. ii, ch. 15. 



3 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that it was in 636 that ' Bishop Felix preached the faith of Christ to 

 the East Angles.' 



4 It is asserted in Hook's Archbishops and in various other church histories that Honorius consecrated Felix 

 bishop of Dunwich in 630. Even Bishop Stubbs, in both editions of his Registrum Sacr. Angl. p. 4, briefly 

 states this as a fact, giving Bede, ii, 15, as his reference. But Bede, as the bishop of Bristol points out {Con- 

 version of the Heptarchy, 74-76), states that Bishop Felix had been born and 'ordained' in Burgundy, and 

 ' ordained' is the word generally used by Bede as indicating the consecration of a bishop. Thus on the death 

 of Felix, Honorius ' ordained ' Thomas his deacon in his place (iii, 20), and Augustine ' ordained ' Laurentius 

 to the episcopate (ii, 4). 



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