Hild, a brilliant light that lit all Britain
St HildHild, St (c.614-680). Sometimes Hilda. Abbess of the double monastery at Whitby. (614–680) was an outstanding female leader who had a huge influence on the Church in NorthumbriaNorthumbria Northumbria was an early medieval Anglian kingdom in what is now Northern England and South Scotland.. Kings and church leaders came to her for advice; she ruled over two ‘double monasteriesDouble Monastery A monastic centre inhabited by both men and women who lived separately from each other but worshipped together (though separated by barriers). In Anglo-Saxon England double monasteries were ruled over by an abbess, but in the later medieval period leadership was increasingly assumed by men. In the later Middle Ages, religious orders were founded specifically as double orders. The Gilbertine religious order was an order of double houses, founded in England in the twelfth century to support the female contemplative life, but male canons soon came to dominate. Other orders with double monasteries were the Fontevraudines and (briefly) the Premonstratensians.’ at Hartlepool and WhitbyWhitby 1. A monastery was founded in Northumbria in 656 by Oswry, Christian king of Northumbria. The first abbess was Hild or Hilda. 2. Also see Synod of Whitby.; she also hosted the pivotal Synod of WhitbySynod of Whitby (664) Pivotal meeting at which it was agreed that the Roman church structures and hierarchy would supersede the Celtic tradition in England. St Wilfrid spoke for Rome and debated with Bishop Colman who spoke for the Celtic tradition in 664 where the future direction of the Northumbrian Church was decided. The monasteryMonastery The house of a religious community which Hild founded at Whitby became an outstanding educational centre. No fewer than five future bishops were trained there under her leadership. They would serve the dioceses of Dorchester, HexhamHexham St Wilfrid founded an abbey here in Northumbria in 674 dedicated to St Andrew. After the Norman Conquest it was re-established as an Augustinian Priory. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church was retained as a parish church. The crypt built by St Wilfrid survives, Worcester and YorkYork 1. A Roman city and early centre of Christianity. 2. Diocese and province under the leadership of the Archbishop of York.. No wonder the historian BedeBede, the Venerable (c.673-735) Anglo-Saxon historian and biblical scholar. Sent to study at the monastery of Wearmouth at seven; later transferred to Jarrow. Renowned in his lifetime for his learning, Bede wrote treatises on poetry, time and cosmography. Historical works include History of the Abbots, prose and verse versions of the Life of St Cuthbert and Ecclesiastical History of the English People. saw Hild’s life as fulfilling her mother’s vision of a jewel producing such a brilliant light ‘that all Britain was lit by its splendour’! Her achievements illustrate the major roles played by a number of women in the Church in Anglo-Saxon England.

‘So great was [Hild’s] wisdom that not only ordinary folk but kings and princes used to ask and receive her advice in their difficulties.’
Bede, ‘History of the English Church and People’ IV. 23
Hild’s life
Hild was born in 614 into the royal family of DeiraDeira Southern area of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, eleven years before St PaulinusPaulinus, St Bishop of York 627-644. Sent to England with Saint Augustine. Accompanied Queen Ethelburga north on her marriage to King Edwin of Northumbria. Converted King Edwin and the Northumbrians in 627 and founded the first York Minster. arrived in Northumbria to teach the ChristianChristian Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church to designate all members of the church. faithFaith 1. Belief and trust in someone or something. 2. Acceptance of particular religious teachings.. Her father was Hereric, the nephew of King Edwin whose conversion to Christianity would also profoundly shape Hild’s life. Not only did Hild experience baptismBaptism The Sacramental rite of admission into the Christian Church. The candidate is immersed in or sprinkled with water in the name of the Trinity and may also be anointed with oil. alongside King Edwin at York on Easter day 627, but at the age of 33 she decided to become a nun. Bede says that Hild wanted to follow her sister into a monastery abroad, but St AidanAidan, St (d. 651) Monk of Iona, missionary to Northumbria and Bishop of Lindisfarne. intervened and persuaded her that she was needed in Northumbria.
Hartlepool
Hild briefly formed a small community on the North bank of the River Wear. She then became abbessAbbess Head of a community of nuns of Hartlepool, where she was constantly visited by Aidan and others ‘who admired her wisdom and love of God’s service.’ In 655, King Oswy placed his baby daughter Aelfflaed in her care. Soon after, Hild and Aelfflaed moved to the new monastery at Whitby. Nurtured by Hild, Aelfflaed grew up to succeed her as abbess of Whitby and followed her example in becoming a major force in the spiritual and political life of Northumbria.

Under Hild’s leadership, the twin communities of men and women at Whitby became a powerhouse of education, spiritual growth, political and cultural influence. In 664, the monastery was the setting for the Synod of Whitby which made the far-reaching decision that the Northumbrian Church would follow the customs of RomeRome This Italian city was the capital of the Roman Empire and, with the primacy accorded to the bishops of Rome (the popes), the centre of the Western Church from the late-Antique period onwards. Rome was not only the administrative centre, but an important source of innovation, relics and liturgy. Missionaries from Rome played an important role in the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England from late 6th century onward. rather than those from Iona.

Later years
Bede praises Hild as a spiritual ‘mother’ who promoted ‘peace and love,’ and insisted that those under her care were committed to studying the Bible and carrying out good deeds. Her intelligence and vision are seen when one of the monastery’s servants, the illiterate cowherd CaedmonCaedmon First recorded Anglo-Saxon composer of religious poetry in English., miraculously became a gifted poet in his own language. Hild immediately recognised the potential for communicating the Bible story in English rather than Latin. Caedmon was made a monkMonk Member of male religious community, and Hild had him taught all the key stories of the Bible, which he turned into ‘delightful and moving poetry.’
For the last six years of her life Hild suffered constant illness until she ‘passed from death into life.’ Bede writes that her community saw a vision of her soul being taken up into heavenHeaven The dwelling-place of God and the angels and eventually all those who will live with God for eternity. by angels. Her relics were later taken to Glastonbury.
A number of churches have been dedicated to Hild. The College of St Hild and Bede (DurhamDurham Durham Cathedral has its origins in the small church built in 995 to protect the relics of St Cuthbert. A century later, construction began on the church of the Benedictine Abbey, and Cuthbert's remains were transferred there and placed in a shrine in 1104. In 1242 the bones of Cuthbert were once again moved, this time to a shrine near the entrance of the Chapel of the Nine Altars. University), St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and St Hild’s Theological Training College are named after her.

St Bede

St Cuthbert

St Paulinus
