Saint Tatwin

St. Tatwin

(TATUINI)

Archbishop of Canterbury; died 30 July, 734. A Mercian by birth, he became a monk at Briudun in Worcestershire. The Venerable Bede describes him as "a man illustrious for religion and prudence and excellently instructed in the sacred letters" (Hist. Eccl., V, xxiii). He was elected to succeed Brihtwald as Archbishop of Canterbury, and was consecrated there on 10 June, 731, afterwards receiving the pallium from the pope. (Symeon Dunelm., "Hist. Reg.", II, 30). During his brief episcopate of three years he blessed Nothbald, the new Abbot of St. Augustine's Abbey, who had succeeded Tatwin's friend, Albinus, and he also consecrated bishops for Lindsey and Selsey. After his death miracles were wrought through his intercession, an account of which was written by Goscelin, Certain rhymed œnigmata or riddles (published by Giles in "Anecdota Bedæ", 1851) are ascribed to him, and he is said to have written some poems in Anglo-Saxon which have perished.

VEN. BEDE, Hist. Ecc., V, xxiii-xxiv; WILLIAM OF MALMESBURY, Gesta pontificum in R. S. (London, 1870); CHALLONER, Britannia Sancta (London, 1745); KEMBLE, Codex diplomaticus œvi Saxonici (London, 1839-48); HADDAN AND STUBBS, Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents (Oxford, 1869-78); HOOK, Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury (London, 1860); HARDY, Descriptive Catalogue (London, 1862); STUBBS in Dict. Christian Biog.; HUNT in Dict. Nat. Biog.; EBERT, Ueber die Räthselpoesie der Angelsachsen, insbesondere die Ænigmata des Tatwine u. Eusebius in Ber. Sächs. Ges. Wissensch. (Berlin, 1877); HAHN, Die Räthseldichter Tatwin u. Eusebius in Forsch. deutsch. Gesch. (Berlin, 1887); SEARLE, Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles (Cambridge, 1899).

EDWIN BURTON.