Oscytel

Oscytel
Archbishop of York
Province	York
Diocese	Diocese of York
See	Archbishop of York
Appointed	958
Reign ended	971
Predecessor	Wulfstan
Successor	Edwald
Other posts	Bishop of Dorchester
Orders
Consecration	between 934 and 951
Personal details
Birth name	Oscytel
Died	971 Thame
Buried	Bedford

Oscytel (or Oskytel; died 971) was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester and Archbishop of York.

Oscytel was probably of Danish ancestry.^[1] He was related to Oswald, Bishop of Worcester and later Archbishop of York, and Thurcytel, who was abbot of Bedford Abbey. All three men were landowners in the eastern midlands, with Oskytel owning lands at Beeby, in Leicestershire. No other information about Oskytel's birth and upbringing is known.^[2] A legend stated that his father was a Dane who arrived in England as part of a pagan war band.^[3]

Oscytel was selected to the see of Dorchester sometime between 934 and 951,^[4] probably pretty close to 951 for the Anglo Saxon Chronicle says that he had been a bishop for twenty-two years when he died. 951 is also when he first attests a charter as bishop. A previous mention of an "Oscetel" as either a sacrist or treasurer in 949 may or may not be the same person. Oskytel only starts showing up consistently after the death of King Eadred of England, who left the bishop some bequests in his will. At first Oskytel supported King Eadwig of England, but in about 958 he switched to supporting Eadwig's brother King Edgar of England.^[2]

Oscytel became archbishop in 958.^[5] However, he continued to hold the see of Dorchester along with York, a practice known as pluralism. It is probably due to Oskytel's pluralism that Nottinghamshire was added to the see of York instead of remaining with Dorchester where it had been before. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle from Ramsey says that he went to Rome for his pallium, but no other sources say that he did so. While archbishop he advanced the career of his kinsman Oswaldv by bringing Oswald to the attention of Dunstan, and encouraging Oswald's foundation of Ramsey Abbey. Oskytel also was a benefactor to the new monastic houses that were formed in the fens during his time as archbishop.^[2] The precise nature of Oskytel's and Oswald's relationship is unclear, but they were relatives.^[6]

Oscytel died on 1 November 971^[5] or on 31 October 971 at Thame, and was buried at Bedford.^[2]

There is an entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle version B for the year 971, which says:

Here passed away Archbishop Oskytel, who was first consecrated diocesan bishop for Dorchester; and afterwards it was by consent of King Eadred and of all his councillors that he was consecrated archbishop for York city. He was bishop 22 years; and he passed away at Thame on the night of All Saints' Day, 10 days before Martinmas. And Abbot Thurcytel, his relative, carried the bishop's body to Bedford, because he was abbot there in those days.^[7]

Notes

1. ^ Duckett Alfred the Great p. 127
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Barrow "Oscytel (d. 971)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
3. ^ Brooke "York Minster" Churches and Churchmen p. 38
4. ^ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 215
5. ^ ^{a b} Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 224
6. ^ Fletcher Bloodfeud p. 69
7. ^ Swanton (trans.) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle p. 119

References

• Barrow, Julia (2004). "Oscytel (d. 971)" (Subscription or UK public library membership required). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20897. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/20897. Retrieved 10 November 2007. 
• Brooke, C. N. L. (1999). "York Minster from the Ninth to the early Thirteenth Centuries". Churches and Churchmen in Medieval Europe. London: Hambledon Press. pp. pp. 37–68. ISBN 1-85285-183-X. 
• Duckett, Eleanor Shipley (1970). Alfred the Great: The King and His England. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-16779-8. 
• Fletcher, R. A. (2003). Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516136-X. 
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
• Swanton, Michael James (trans.) (1998). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92129-5. 

External links

• Prosopography of Anglo Saxon England entry on Oscytel

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Æthelwold	Bishop of Dorchester between 934 and 951–958	Succeeded by Wulfric
Preceded by Wulfstan	Archbishop of York 958–971	Succeeded by Edwald

Persondata
Name	Oscytel
Alternative names	Oskytel
Short description	Bishop of Dorcester; Archbishop of York
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1 November, 971
Place of death	Thame