Æbbe of Coldingham facts for kids

Æbbe, also known as Tabbs, was an important noblewoman and abbess from the Anglian people. She was born around 615 AD and died in 683 AD. Æbbe was the daughter of Æthelfrith, who was the king of Bernicia from about 593 to 616. She is famous for starting religious communities, called monasteries, in places like Ebchester and St Abb's Head near Coldingham in Scotland.

Life of St. Æbbe

Early Years and Family

Æbbe was the daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and Acha of Deira. She had several brothers, including Oswald of Northumbria and Oswiu, who later became kings.

Around 604, Æbbe's father, King Æthelfrith, took over the nearby kingdom of Deira. He removed Acha's brother, Edwin, from power. Edwin had to leave his home and go into exile. Æthelfrith was the first king of Bernicia to also rule Deira. This made him a very important figure in the history of the later Kingdom of Northumbria.

Edwin found safety with King Rædwald of East Anglia. In 616, with Rædwald's help, Edwin gathered an army. They fought against Æthelfrith, defeating and killing him. Edwin then became the new king of Bernicia and Deira.

Because Æthelfrith's children could challenge Edwin's rule, it was no longer safe for them. Æbbe, her mother, and her brothers had to flee north. They found refuge in the court of Eochaid Buide of Dál Riata, a kingdom in western Scotland. It was during this time in exile that Æbbe and her brothers became Christians.

Becoming an Abbess

While Æthelfrith's sons were a constant threat to Edwin, Edwin was eventually overthrown. This happened when King Penda of Mercia and the Welsh king Cadwallon formed an alliance. They raised an army against Edwin and killed him in battle in 633.

Eanfrith, Æbbe's half-brother and the eldest son of Æthelfrith, returned to become King of Bernicia. However, this alliance did not last long, and Cadwallon later killed Eanfrith. The next year, Æthelfrith's son Oswald returned. He drove the invaders out of both Bernicia and Deira. This made him the new king of Northumbria. Sadly, Oswald was defeated and killed in battle in 642 by Penda. His brother Oswiu then became king.

With her brothers now ruling Northumbria, Æbbe could finally return home from exile. With their support, she founded a monastery at Ebchester. Later, she established another religious community at urbs Coludi, which is now known as Kirk Hill at St Abb's Head. This place eventually grew into Coldingham Priory.

This religious house operated for about 40 years. It was a double monastery, meaning it housed both monks and nuns. Æbbe was in charge of both groups. A legend says that Æbbe became a nun to avoid a certain Prince Aidan. He refused to give up trying to win her over. It is said that because of her prayers, the tide stayed high around Kirk Hill for three days, protecting her and the monastery. Æbbe played a key role in spreading Christianity to the Angles living along the Northumbrian coast, who were still mostly pagan.

Æbbe's Influence and Challenges

Æbbe was also important in solving a disagreement between her nephew, Ecgfrith, who became King of Northumbria in 670, and Bishop Wilfrid. Ecgfrith of Northumbria was the son of Æbbe's brother Oswiu. Oswiu had arranged for Ecgfrith to marry Æthelthryth, the daughter of King Anna of East Anglia, when Ecgfrith was fifteen.

With Æbbe's help, Æthelthryth became a nun at Æbbe's monastery. Æbbe taught the former queen, Æthelthryth, who was Ecgfrith's first wife. After learning from Æbbe, Æthelthryth went on to establish a religious site where Ely Cathedral now stands.

There was still bad feeling at court against Bishop Wilfrid. Ecgfrith's second wife, Iurmenburh, disliked Wilfrid. She was bothered by the large amounts of land he had acquired and the way he traveled with a big group of armed followers, like a king. This led to Wilfrid being put in prison at Dunbar by Ecgfrith. Thanks to Æbbe's clever political skills, she managed to convince her nephew to release the bishop during a visit by Ecgfrith to her monastery on Kirk Hill.

Many double monasteries, like Æbbe's, often housed the younger children of noble families. These places could sometimes be centers for eating, drinking, and entertainment. While Æbbe herself was known for her strong faith, she found it hard to keep strict rules at the monastery. The monks and nuns became very relaxed and focused on worldly things.

This situation led to one of the most famous stories about St. Cuthbert, who is a patron saint of southeast Scotland and northeast England. Cuthbert visited Æbbe's monastery to teach the community. At night, Cuthbert would secretly go to bathe and pray in the sea. He did this to help him stay focused on his prayers and avoid distractions.

Very early one morning, a monk from the monastery secretly watched him. He saw Cuthbert praying and singing psalms in the sea. As Cuthbert came out of the water, he saw, or imagined he saw, two otters come out of the sea and join him. They licked his ice-cold feet until they were warm again and dried them with their fur. The most likely place for this event to have happened is Horse Castle Bay, at the bottom of Kirk Hill.

Death and Legacy

Shortly after Æbbe's death, and as a monk named Adamnan had predicted, the monastery burned down in 683. The religious site was then abandoned. By the early 700s, as the historian Bede confirmed, the site was empty.

However, Æbbe's early work in bringing Christianity to southeast Scotland was not forgotten. In a book written around 1200 by the monks of Coldingham, they describe many pilgrims visiting Kirk Hill and the spring at Well Mouth, which is at the top of the beach now called Horse Castle Bay. St. Æbbe's feast day is celebrated every year on August 25.

Archeology

In 2019, a group called DigVentures announced that they had found the possible remains of a monastery near Coldingham Priory. Coldingham Priory was a historical home for Benedictine monks. This discovery suggests that Æbbe's monastery might have been located there.

See Also

• Coldingham Priory