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Saint

Dunstan

OSB
Archbishop of Canterbury
Possibleself-portrait;detail from theGlastonbury Classbook
Installed959
Term ended988
PredecessorByrhthelm
SuccessorÆthelgar
Personal details
Bornc. 909
Baltonsborough,Wessex
Died19 May 988 (aged about 79)
Canterbury,England
BuriedCanterbury Cathedral
Sainthood
Feast day19 May
Venerated in
Canonized1029
AttributesMan holding a pair of smith's tongs; with a dove hovering near him; with a troop of angels before him
PatronageBlacksmiths; goldsmiths; locksmiths; musicians; silversmiths; bellringers; Charlottetown, Canada;Stepney
ShrinesCanterbury Cathedral (but also claimed byGlastonbury Abbey), bothdestroyed

Dunstan[a](c. 909– 19 May 988),[2]was an English bishop andBenedictinemonk.He was successivelyAbbot of Glastonbury Abbey,Bishop of Worcester,Bishop of LondonandArchbishop of Canterbury,latercanonised.[3]His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church. His 11th-century biographerOsbern,himself an artist and scribe, states that Dunstan was skilled in "making a picture and forming letters", as were other clergy of his age who reached senior rank.[4]

Dunstan served as an important minister of state to several English kings. He was the most popular saint in England for nearly two centuries, having gained fame for the many stories of his greatness, not least among which were those concerning his famed cunning in defeating theDevil.

Early life (909–943)

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Birth and relatives

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According to Dunstan's earliest biographer, known only as 'B',[b]his parents were called Heorstan and Cynethryth and they lived nearGlastonbury.B states that Dunstan was "oritur"in the days of KingÆthelstan,924 to 939. "Oritur"has often been taken to mean" born ", but this is unlikely as another source states that he was ordained during Æthelstan's reign, and he would have been under the minimum age of 30 if he was born no earlier than 924. It is more likely that"oritur"should be taken as" emerged "and that he was born around 910. B states that he was related toÆlfheah the Bald,theBishop of WinchesterandCynesige,Bishop of Lichfield.According to a later biographer,Adelard of Ghent,he was a nephew ofAthelm,Archbishop of Canterbury,but this is less certain as it is not mentioned by B, who should have known as he had been a member of Dunstan's household.[2]

School to the king's court

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As a young boy, Dunstan studied under theIrish monkswho then occupied the ruins ofGlastonbury Abbey.[6]Accounts tell of his youthful optimism and of his vision of the abbey being restored. While still a boy, Dunstan was stricken with a near-fatal illness and effected a seemingly miraculous recovery. Even as a child, he was noted for his devotion to learning and for his mastery of many kinds of artistic craftsmanship. With his parents' consent he wastonsured,receivedminor ordersand served in the ancient church of St Mary. He became so well known for his devotion to learning that he is said to have been summoned by Athelm to enter his service.[7]He was later appointed to the court of King Æthelstan.[8]

Dunstan playing his harp as the Devil is paying a visit

Dunstan soon became afavouriteof the king and was the envy of other members of the court. A plot was hatched to disgrace him and Dunstan was accused of being involved withwitchcraftandblack magic.[3]The king ordered him to leave the court and as Dunstan was leaving the palace his enemies physically attacked him, beat him severely, bound him, and threw him into acesspool.[9]He managed to crawl out and make his way to the house of a friend. From there, he journeyed to Winchester and entered the service of his kinsmanÆlfheah,Bishop of Winchester.[7]

The bishop tried to persuade him to become amonk,but Dunstan was doubtful whether he had a vocation to acelibatelife. The answer came in the form of an attack of swelling tumours all over Dunstan's body. This ailment was so severe that it was thought to beleprosy.It was more probably some form ofblood poisoningcaused by being beaten and thrown in the cesspool.[9]Whatever the cause, it changed Dunstan's mind. He tookHoly Ordersin 943, in the presence of Ælfheah, and returned to live the life of a hermit at Glastonbury.[7]Against the old church of St Mary he built a small cell 5 feet (1.5 m) long and2+1⁄2feet (0.76 m) deep. It was there that Dunstan studied, worked at his art, and played on his harp. It is at this time, according to a late 11th-century legend, that theDevilis said to have tempted Dunstan and to have been held by the face with Dunstan's tongs.[9]

Monk and abbot (943–957)

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Life as a monk

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Possibly Dunstan praying before Christ

Dunstan worked as asilversmithand in thescriptoriumwhile he was living at Glastonbury. It is thought likely that he was the artist who drew the well-known image of Christ with a small kneeling monk beside him in theGlastonbury Classbook,"one of the first of a series of outline drawings which were to become a special feature ofAnglo-Saxon artof this period. "[4]Dunstan became famous as a musician,illuminator,and metalworker.[8]Lady Æthelflæd, King Æthelstan's niece, made Dunstan a trusted adviser and on her death, she left a considerable fortune to him. He used this money later in life to foster and encourage a monastic revival in England.[10]About the same time, his father Heorstan died and Dunstan inherited his fortune as well. He became a person of great influence, and on the death of King Æthelstan in 940, the new King,Edmund,summoned him to his court atCheddarand made him a minister.[3]

Again, royal favour fostered jealousy among other courtiers and again Dunstan's enemies succeeded in their plots. The King was prepared to send Dunstan away.[10]There were then at Cheddar certain envoys from the "Eastern Kingdom", which probably meantEast Anglia.Dunstan implored the envoys to take him with them when they returned to their homes. They agreed to do so, but it never happened. The story is recorded:

... the king rode out to hunt thestaginMendip Forest.He became separated from his attendants and followed a stag at great speed in the direction of the Cheddar cliffs. The stag rushed blindly over the precipice and was followed by the hounds. Eadmund endeavoured vainly to stop his horse; then, seeing death to be imminent, he remembered his harsh treatment of St Dunstan and promised to make amends if his life was spared. At that moment his horse was stopped on the very edge of the cliff. Giving thanks to God, he returned forthwith to his palace, called for St. Dunstan and bade him follow, then rode straight to Glastonbury. Entering the church, the king first knelt in prayer before the altar, then, taking St. Dunstan by the hand, he gave him the kiss of peace, led him to theabbot's throne and, seating him thereon, promised him all assistance in restoring Divine worship and regular observance.

— Toke 1909

Abbot of Glastonbury

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Dunstan, now Abbot of Glastonbury, went to work at once on the task of reform.[3]He had to re-create monastic life and to rebuild the abbey. He began by establishingBenedictinemonasticism at Glastonbury.[8]The Rule of St. Benedict was the basis of his restoration according to the author of 'Edgar's Establishment of the Monasteries' (written in the 960s or 970s) and according to Dunstan's first biographer, who had been a member of the community at Glastonbury.[11]Their statements are also in accordance with the nature of his first measures as abbot, with the significance of his first buildings, and with the Benedictine leanings of his most prominent disciples.[12]

Nevertheless, not all the members of Dunstan's community at Glastonbury were monks who followed theBenedictine Rule.In fact, Dunstan's first biographer, 'B.', was a cleric who eventually joined a community ofcanonsatLiègeafter leaving Glastonbury.[13]

Remains of thechoirof Glastonbury Abbey church

Dunstan's first care was to rebuild the Church of St. Peter, rebuild the cloister, and re-establish the monastic enclosure.[10]The secular affairs of the house were committed to his brother, Wulfric, "so that neither himself nor any of the professed monks might break enclosure."[12]A school for the local youth was founded and soon became the most famous of its time in England.[8]A substantial extension of the irrigation system on the surroundingSomerset Levelswas also completed.[14]

Within two years of Dunstan's appointment, in 946, King Edmund was assassinated. His successor wasEadred.The policy of the new government was supported by theQueen mother,Eadgifu of Kent,by the Archbishop of Canterbury,Oda,and by the East Anglian nobles, at whose head was the powerfulealdormanÆthelstan the "Half-king".It was a policy of unification and conciliation with the Danish half of the kingdom.[6]The goal was a firm establishment of royal authority. In ecclesiastical matters it favoured the spread ofCatholicobservance, the rebuilding of churches, the moral reform of the clergy and laity, and the end of thereligion of the Danesin England.[9]These policies made Dunstan popular in the North of England, but unpopular in the South.[15]Against all these reforms were the nobles of Wessex, who included most of Dunstan's own relatives, and who had an interest in maintaining established customs. For nine years Dunstan's influence was dominant, during which time he twice refused the office of bishop (that of Winchester in 951 andCreditonin 953), affirming that he would not leave the king's side so long as the king lived and needed him.[8]

Changes in fortune

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King Eadwig's reign was marred by conflicts with his family and with Dunstan.

In 955, Eadred died, and the situation was at once changed.Eadwig,the elder son of Edmund, who then came to the throne, was a headstrong youth wholly devoted to the reactionary nobles. According to one legend, the feud with Dunstan began on the day of Eadwig's coronation, when he failed to attend a meeting of nobles. When Dunstan eventually found the young monarch, he was cavorting with a noblewoman named Ælfgifu and her mother, and refused to return with the bishop. Infuriated by this, Dunstan dragged Eadwig back to the royal gathering.[16]

Later realising that he had provoked the king, Dunstan saw that his life was in danger. He fled England and crossed the channel to Flanders, where he found himself ignorant of the language and of the customs of the locals.[8]Thecount of Flanders,Arnulf I,received him with honour and lodged him in the Abbey ofMont Blandin,nearGhent.This was one of the centres of the Benedictine revival in that country, and Dunstan was able for the first time to observe the strict observance that had seen its rebirth atClunyat the beginning of the century. His exile was not of long duration. Before the end of 957, theMerciansandNorthumbriansrevolted and drove out Eadwig, choosing his brotherEdgaras king of the country north of the Thames.[6]The south remained faithful to Eadwig. At once Edgar's advisers recalled Dunstan.[8]

Bishop and archbishop (957–978)

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Bishop of Worcester and of London

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On Dunstan's return, ArchbishopOdaconsecrated him a bishop and, on the death ofCoenwaldofWorcesterat the end of 957, Oda appointed Dunstan to the see.[17]

In the following year the see ofLondonbecame vacant and was conferred on Dunstan, who held it simultaneously with Worcester.[3][17]In October 959, Eadwig died and his brother Edgar was readily accepted as ruler of Wessex. One of Eadwig's final acts had been to appoint a successor to Archbishop Oda, who died on 2 June 958. The chosen candidate wasÆlfsigeof Winchester, but he died of cold in the Alps as he journeyed toRomefor thepallium.In his place Eadwig then nominated one of his supporters, the Bishop of Wells,Byrhthelm.As soon asEdgarbecame king, he reversed this second choice on the ground that Byrhthelm had not been able to govern even his first diocese properly.[18]The archbishopric was then conferred on Dunstan.[8]

Archbishop of Canterbury

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Theological manuscript from Glastonbury Abbey (Bodleian Library):Abbot Dunstan ordered the writing of this book.

Dunstan went to Rome in 960, and received the pallium fromPope John XII.[3]On his journey there, Dunstan's acts of charity were so lavish as to leave nothing for himself and his attendants. His steward complained, but Dunstan seems to have suggested that they trust inJesus Christ.

On his return from Rome, Dunstan at once regained his position as virtual prime minister of the kingdom. By his adviceÆlfstanwas appointed to the Bishopric of London, andOswaldto that of Worcester. In 963,Æthelwold,the Abbot ofAbingdon,was appointed to the See of Winchester. With their aid and with the ready support of King Edgar, Dunstan pushed forward his reforms in the English Church.[3]The monks in his communities were taught to live in a spirit of self-sacrifice, and Dunstan actively enforced the law of celibacy whenever possible.[19]He forbade the practices ofsimony(selling ecclesiastical offices for money) and ended the custom ofclericsappointing relatives to offices under their jurisdiction. Monasteries were built, and in some of the great cathedrals, monks took the place of the secular canons; in the rest the canons were obliged to live according to rule. The parish priests were compelled to be qualified for their office; they were urged to teach parishioners not only the truths of the Christian faith, but also trades to improve their position.[9]The state saw reforms as well.[8]Good order was maintained throughout the realm and there was respect for the law. Trained bands policed the north, and a navy guarded the shores from Viking raids.[20]

In 973, Dunstan's statesmanship reached its zenith when he officiated at the coronation of King Edgar. Edgar was crowned at Bath in an imperial ceremony planned not as the initiation, but as the culmination of his reign (a move that must have taken a great deal of preliminary diplomacy).[21]This service, devised by Dunstan himself and celebrated with a poem in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicleforms the basis of the present-dayBritish coronation ceremony.[21]There was a second symbolic coronation held later. This was an important step, as other kings of Britain came and gave their allegiance to Edgar atChester.[22]Six kings in Britain, including the kings of Scotland and ofStrathclyde,pledged their faith that they would be the king's liege-men on sea and land.

Edgar ruled as a strong and popular king for 16 years. Edgar's reign, and implicitly his governing partnership with Dunstan, was praised by early chroniclers and historians who regarded it as a golden age. TheAnglo-Saxon Chroniclecaveated the acclaim with one complaint, criticising the high level of immigration that took place at that time. It would appear fromWilliam of Malmesbury's later history that the objection was limited to the mercenary seaman, employed from around theNorth Sealittoral, to assist in the defence of the country.[23]

In 975, Edgar was succeeded by his eldest sonEdward "the Martyr".[8]His accession was disputed by his stepmother,Ælfthryth,who wished her own sonÆthelredto reign. Through the influence of Dunstan, Edward was chosen and crowned at Winchester.[3]Edgar's death had encouraged the reactionary nobles, and at once there was a determined attack upon the monks, the protagonists of reform. Throughout Mercia they were persecuted and deprived of their possessions. Their cause, however, was supported byÆthelwine,the ealdorman of East Anglia, and the realm was in serious danger of civil war. Three meetings of theWitanwere held to settle these disputes, atKyrtlington,atCalne,and atAmesbury.At the second of them the floor of the hall where the Witan was sitting gave way, and all except Dunstan, who clung to a beam, fell into the room below; several men were killed.[24]

Final years (978–88)

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In March 978, King Edward was assassinated atCorfe Castle,possibly at the instigation of his stepmother, and Æthelred the Unready became king. The coronation took place onLow Sunday31 March 978. According toWilliam of Malmsesbury,writing over a century later, when the young king took the usual oath to govern well, Dunstan addressed him in solemn warning. He criticised the violent act whereby he became king and prophesied the misfortunes that were shortly to fall on the kingdom,[25]but Dunstan's influence at court was ended.[8]Dunstan retired to Canterbury, to teach at thecathedral school.[3]

Only three more public acts are known. In 980, Dunstan joinedÆlfhere of Merciain the solemntranslation of the relicsof King Edward, soon to be regarded as a saint, from their grave atWarehamto a shrine atShaftesbury Abbey.In 984, he persuaded King Æthelred to appointÆlfheahas Bishop of Winchester in succession to Æthelwold.[26]In 986, Dunstan induced the king, by a donation of 100 pounds of silver, to stop his persecution of the See ofRochester.

Dunstan's retirement at Canterbury consisted of long hours, both day and night, spent in private prayer, as well as his regular attendance at Mass and thedaily office.He visited the shrines ofSt AugustineandSt Æthelberht.He worked to improve the spiritual and temporal well-being of his people, to build and restore churches, to establish schools, to judge suits, to defend widows and orphans, to promote peace, and to enforce respect for purity.[6]He practised his crafts, made bells and organs and corrected the books in the cathedral library. He encouraged and protected European scholars who came to England, and was active as a teacher of boys in the cathedral school. OnAscensionDay 988, Dunstan said Mass and preached three times to the people: at theGospel,at thebenediction,and after theAgnus Dei.In this last address, he announced his impending death and wished his congregation well.[27][15]That afternoon he chose the spot for his tomb, then went to his bed. His strength failed rapidly, and on Saturday morning, 19 May, he caused the clergy to assemble. Mass was celebrated in his presence, then he receivedExtreme Unctionand theViaticum,and died. Dunstan's final words are reported to have been, "He hath made a remembrance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord: He hath given food to them that fear Him."[12]

The English people accepted him as asaintshortly thereafter. He was formallycanonisedin 1029. That year at the Synod of Winchester, St Dunstan's feast was ordered to be kept solemnly throughout England.[12]

Legacy

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UntilThomas Becket's fame overshadowed Dunstan's, he was the favourite saint of the English people. Dunstan had been buried in hiscathedral.In 1180 his relics were translated to a tomb on the south side of the high altar, when that building was restored after being partially destroyed by a fire in 1174.[28]

The monks of Glastonbury used to claim that during the sack of Canterbury by theDanesin 1012, Dunstan's body had been carried for safety to their abbey. This story was disproved by ArchbishopWilliam Warham,who opened the tomb at Canterbury in 1508. They found Dunstan's relics still to be there. However, his shrine was destroyed during theEnglish Reformation.

Patronage and feast day

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Dunstan becamepatron saintof Englishgoldsmithsand silversmiths because he worked as a silversmith making church plate. TheEastern Orthodox Churchand theRoman Catholic Churchmark hisfeast dayon 19 May.[3]Dunstan is also honoured in theChurch of Englandand in theEpiscopal Churchon 19 May.[29][30]

In 2023, apastoral areaof theRoman Catholic Diocese of Cliftonwas named in honour of Dunstan.[31]

In literature and folklore

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English literaturecontains many references to him: for example, inA Christmas CarolbyCharles Dickens,[c]and in this folk rhyme:

St Dunstan, as the story goes,
Once pull'd the devil by the nose
With red-hot tongs, which made him roar,
That he was heard three miles or more.[33]

Thisfolkstory is already shown in aninitialin theLife of Dunstanin the CanterburyPassionale,from the second quarter of the 12th century (British Library,Harley MS 315, f. 15v.).[34]

Dunstan shoeing the Devil's hoof, as illustrated byGeorge Cruikshank

Daniel Anlezark has tentatively suggested that Dunstan may be the medieval author of the poemSolomon and Saturn,citing the style, word choice, andHiberno-Latinused in the texts.[35]However, Clive Tolley examines this claim from a linguistic point-of-view and disagrees with Anlezark's claim.[36]

Another story relates how Dunstan nailed ahorseshoeto the Devil's foot when he was asked to re-shoe the Devil's cloven hoof. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after he promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door. This is claimed as the origin of the lucky horseshoe.[37]

A further legend relating to Dunstan and the Devil seeks to explain the phenomena of Franklin nights, late frosts which occur around his Feast Day. The story goes that Dunstan was a greatbrewerand negotiated an agreement whereby the Devil could blast the blossom of local apple trees with frost, damaging thecidercrop so that Dunstan's own beer would sell more readily.[38]

An East London saint

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As Bishop of London, Dunstan was also Lord of theManor of Stepney,and may, like subsequent bishops, have lived there. Dunstan is recorded as having founded (or rebuilt[39])Stepney's church,in 952 AD. This church was dedicated to All Saints, but was rededicated to Dunstan after hiscanonisationin 1029, making Dunstan the patron saint of Stepney.[40]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^Latin:Dunstanus
  2. ^A charter of 955 is only attested by three clerical witnesses below the status of bishop, Dunstan and two deacons, Byrhthelm and Æthelferth, andMichael Lapidgesuggests that the deacons were Dunstan's personal secretaries and Byrhthelm may have been 'B'.[5]
  3. ^"Foggier yet, and colder! Piercing, searching, biting cold. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirit's nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then, indeed, he would have roared to lusty purpose".[32]

Citations

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  1. ^(in Greek)Ὁ Ἅγιος Δουνστάνος Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Καντουαρίας.19 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
  2. ^abLapidge 2004.
  3. ^abcdefghijBunson, Bunson & Bunson 1998.
  4. ^abAlexander 1992,p. 9.
  5. ^Lapidge 1993,pp. 285–286,S 582.
  6. ^abcd"St Dunstan".Catholic Online.Retrieved5 August2016.
  7. ^abcBritannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Saint Dunstan of Canterbury".Encyclopedia Britannica,28 Feb. 2024
  8. ^abcdefghijkCross & Livingstone 1997,p. 514.
  9. ^abcde"St Dunstan".Catholic Community – Woking.st-dunstans.org. Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2017.Retrieved5 August2016.
  10. ^abcBrain, Jessica. "Saint Dunstan", Historic UK, May 25, 2023
  11. ^Whitelock 1979,p. 920.
  12. ^abcdToke 1909.
  13. ^Winterbottom & Lapidge 2011,p. lxix.
  14. ^Williams 1970,p. 50.
  15. ^abKiefer, James E. "Dunstan of Canterbury", Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past
  16. ^Winterbottom & Lapidge 2011,p. 69.
  17. ^abFryde & Powicke 1961,p. 260.
  18. ^Stenton, F. M.(1971).Anglo-Saxon England(Third ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 367.ISBN978-0-19-280139-5.
  19. ^Hollister 1966,p. 61.
  20. ^Williams, Ann(2014)."Edgar (called Edgar Pacificus) (943/4–975)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8463.(subscription orUK public library membershiprequired)
  21. ^abChurchill 1966,p. 134.
  22. ^Schama 2011,p. 65.
  23. ^Early sources on Edgar and Dunstan,http:// dot-domesday.me.uk/edgar.htm
  24. ^Roach, Levi (2013).Kingship and Consent in Anglo-Saxon England, 871–978.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 67, 240.ISBN978-1-107-03653-6.
  25. ^Churchill 1966,p. 139.
  26. ^Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996).Handbook of British Chronology(Third revised ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 223.ISBN0-521-56350-X.
  27. ^"Biography: St. Dunstan".Mission St. Clare.Retrieved2 August2007.
  28. ^Cook, G. H. (1949),Portrait of Canterbury Cathedral,London: Phoenix Housepp 22–23.
  29. ^"The Calendar".The Church of England.Retrieved27 March2021.
  30. ^Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018.Church Publishing, Inc. 17 December 2019.ISBN978-1-64065-235-4.
  31. ^"Parishes".Clifton Diocese.Retrieved10 February2024.
  32. ^Dickens 1893,p. 24.
  33. ^Hone 1825,p. 670.
  34. ^Dunning 2016.
  35. ^Anlezark 2009.
  36. ^Tolley 2010,pp. 166–168.
  37. ^Lawrence 1899,p. 91.
  38. ^Sandles, Tim (17 April 2016)."Franklin's Nights".Legends of Dartmoor.Retrieved19 May2022.
  39. ^"Medieval London Suburbs", Kevin McDonnell, p136
  40. ^The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney Official Guide – 10th Edition – 1961 – Published by Ed J Burrow and Co Ltd p. 29

Sources

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Further reading

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Primary sources

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  • 'Author B',Vita S. Dunstani,ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series.London, 1874. 3–52. Portions of the text are translated byDorothy WhitelockinEnglish Historical Documents c. 500–1042.2nd ed. London, 1979. These have been superseded by the new edition and translation byMichael Lapidgeand Michael Winterbottom,The Early Lives of St Dunstan,Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Adelard of Ghent,Epistola Adelardi ad Elfegum Archiepiscopum de Vita Sancti Dunstani,Adelard's letter to ArchbishopÆlfheah of Canterbury(1005–1012) on the Life of St Dunstan, ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series 63. London, 1874. 53–68. Also in the new edition and translation byMichael Lapidgeand Michael Winterbottom,The Early Lives of St Dunstan,Oxford University Press, 2012.
  • Wulfstan of Winchester,The Life of St Æthelwold,ed. and tr. M. Lapidge and M. Winterbottom,Wulfstan of Winchester. The Life of St Æthelwold.Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford, 1991.
  • Reliquiae Dunstanianae,ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series. London, 1874. 354–439.
  • Fragmenta ritualia de Dunstano,ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series. London, 1874. 440–57.
  • Osbern of Canterbury,Vita sancti DunstaniandLiber Miraculorum Sancti Dunstani,ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series. London, 1874. 69–161.
  • Eadmer,Vita S. DunstaniandMiracula S. Dunstani,ed. and tr. Bernard J. Muir and Andrew J. Turner,Eadmer of Canterbury. Lives and Miracles of Saints Oda, Dunstan, and Oswald.OMT. Oxford, 2006. 41–159 and 160–212; ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series 63. London, 1874. 162–249, 412–25.
  • An Old English Account of the King Edgar's Establishment of the Monasteries,tr. D. Whitelock,English Historical Documents I.Oxford University Press, 1979.

Secondary sources

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  • Dales, Douglas,Dunstan: Saint and Statesman,3rd ed., James Clark & Co, 2023
  • Duckett, Eleanor.Saint Dunstan of Canterbury(1955).
  • Dunstan, St.Encyclopedia of World Biography,2nd ed. 17 vols. Gale Research, 1998.
  • Knowles, David.The Monastic Orders in England(1940; 2d ed. 1963).
  • Ramsay, NigelSt Dunstan: his Life, Times, and Cult,Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK; Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1992.
  • Sayles, G. O.,The Medieval Foundations of England(1948; 2d ed. 1950).
  • William of Malmesbury,Vita sancti Dunstani,ed. and tr. Bernard J. Muir and Andrew J. Turner,William of Malmesbury. Lives of SS. Wulfstan, Dunstan, Patrick, Benignus and Indract.Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford, 2002; ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series. London, 1874. 250–324.
  • John Capgrave,Vita sancti Dunstani,ed. W. Stubbs,Memorials of St Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury.Rolls Series. London, 1874. 325–53.
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Christiantitles
Preceded by Bishop of Worcester
957–9 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of London
958–9 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Canterbury
959–88 		Succeeded by

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