The clergy in early Anglo-Saxon England

The presence of the clergy in the early Anglo-Saxon church has been neglected because of the concentration on monasticism and the view that there was no contemporary differentiation between monastic establishments and clerical ones. This article addresses the evidence for the clergy by reviewing the terminology for both institutions and their personnel. It argues that the clergy were an important part of religious life in early Anglo-Saxon England and that a more nuanced approach should be taken to religious houses and churches in this period. The Latin words deployed by early Anglo-Saxon writers show a variety of establishments. Further, contemporary strictures concerning clerical celibacy shed new light on Bede's letter to Ecgbert and may indicate the presence of local churches and priests serving them. The article therefore questions the 'minster model' and is a further contribution to the debate over the nature of pastoral care in Anglo-Saxon England.