Dommoc facts for kids
Dommoc (also called Domnoc) was a very old and important place in early England. We don't know exactly where it was, but it was probably in what is now Suffolk. Dommoc was the first main church center, or "bishopric," for the Anglo-Saxons in the Kingdom of East Anglia.
It was started by Sigeberht of East Anglia, the king, for Saint Felix around 629–631 AD. For many years, Dommoc was the only bishopric for all of East Anglia. Around 673 AD, Theodore of Tarsus, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury, split the church area. He created a second bishopric at either North Elmham or South Elmham. The Dommoc bishopric continued until the Viking Wars in the 860s, when it stopped existing.
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How Dommoc Was Started
The main story about Dommoc's beginning comes from a famous book called Historia Ecclesiastica by Bede. This book tells us that Saint Felix came to East Anglia when Sigeberht was king.
Before Sigeberht became king, the previous king, Eorpwald of East Anglia, was killed around 627 AD. After that, the kingdom went back to older beliefs for about three years. Then, Sigeberht, who was Eorpwald's brother or half-brother, became king. Sigeberht had lived in a place called Gaul (modern France) and had become a strong Christian. He was also a very learned man.
When Sigeberht became king, he wanted everyone in his kingdom to become Christian. Saint Felix helped him a lot with this goal. Felix was born and trained in Burgundy. He went to Archbishop Honorius in Canterbury and said he wanted to spread the Christian message. Honorius sent him to the East Angles.
Felix found many people ready to believe. He helped the whole area become Christian and do good deeds. He became the bishop in the city of Dommoc. He led the church there for seventeen years and then died peacefully. Another old story says that Sigeberht and Felix actually came to the kingdom together from Gaul.
Early History of Dommoc
Historians figure out when Dommoc was founded by looking at important events and how long the first three bishops were in charge. For example, Edwin of Northumbria was baptized in 626 AD. King Eorpwald of East Anglia was killed soon after his own baptism. After Eorpwald's death, the kingdom turned away from Christianity for three years.
Saint Felix was the bishop for seventeen years. His replacement, Thomas, was bishop for five years. Then, the next bishop, Berhtgisl Boniface, was bishop for another seventeen years. This adds up to 39 years for these three bishops. Both Thomas and Berhtgisl were made bishops by Archbishop Honorius, who died in 653 AD.
After Berhtgisl died, Archbishop Theodore appointed Bisi to Dommoc. Theodore arrived in Canterbury around 668–689 AD. Bisi went to an important meeting called the Council of Hertford in 673 AD. By then, Bisi was not well enough to manage the church area. Soon after, Archbishop Theodore divided the Dommoc bishopric into two.
Because Berhtgisl must have died by 670 AD, the founding of Dommoc probably happened around 630–631 AD. This means Eorpwald was likely killed around 627 AD. Following this timeline, Felix would have died around 647 AD, and Thomas around 652 AD. This also fits with stories that Felix baptized Saint Æthelthryth (Etheldreda) around 631 AD and Cenwalh of Wessex before 647 AD.
Where Was Dommoc?
Even though Dommoc was very important long ago, its exact location has been lost for many centuries. Scholars still debate where it was. This is partly because in the 1200s, two groups of monks argued about it. Monks from Eye in Suffolk said it was Dunwich. Monks from Rochester in Kent said it was Walton.
The confusion about Dommoc's location started between the 900s and 1100s. William Camden, a famous writer, helped make most people believe it was Dunwich. Dunwich was once a grand city on the Suffolk coast. However, most of it has now been lost to the sea because of coastal erosion.
The Rochester monks claimed it was Walton, a place near or in Felixstowe, Suffolk. This Walton is at the end of a peninsula between the River Deben and the River Orwell. It's important not to confuse this Walton with Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex. Walton-on-the-Naze has never been seriously considered as Dommoc. A scholar named Stuart Rigold helped bring back the idea that Walton could be Dommoc.
Bede wrote that King Sigeberht ruled East Anglia with Ecgric. Ecgric was a relative who ruled part of the kingdom before Sigeberht gave up his throne. After Sigeberht left, Ecgric ruled all of East Anglia. We don't fully understand this arrangement. However, it's clear that Sigeberht had the power to give land to Felix on the coast, whether at Dunwich or Felixstowe. He also gave land for Saint Fursey's monastery at Cnobheresburg, which might have been an old shore fort.
Bede called Dommoc a "civitas," which suggests it was once a Roman settlement, possibly with walls. It was common for early Anglo-Saxon churches and monasteries to use old Roman forts or walled areas. Examples include Othona (Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex), Rochester, and Reculver (Kent). In East Anglia, Fursey's monastery was likely at Burgh Castle, an old Roman fort.
We know there was a stone fort at Walton (Walton Castle). Like other shore forts, it covered about 6 acres. It was next to a large Roman settlement, but most of it, including the fort, has been lost to the sea. We know less about Roman Dunwich. Some important Roman roads led to it, but the site was lost to the sea too early for archaeologists to study much. However, it used to have a major harbor that might have been protected by a fort. Even the names of the places don't give us a clear answer.
Dunwich as Dommoc
The similar sound between Dommoc and Dunwich can be misleading. The name Dommoc is hard to understand. It might come from a Latin word, dominicum, meaning 'a church.' This word might have been used in an old Irish form, domnach.
The name Dunwich (which was Donewic or Donewiz around 1200 AD) probably means a 'market' near a 'hill.' Other important places like Ipswich and Norwich have similar names. If Dommoc became Dunwich, its original meaning was lost. A new meaning and name structure were adopted between the 900s and 1100s.
There was no known church dedicated to Saint Felix in Dunwich. However, this doesn't mean it wasn't Dommoc. A founder wouldn't name a church after himself. He would likely dedicate it to an important saint. Dunwich was a busy place during the time of the Domesday Book. But as the sea took over more land, many of its church properties were given to the growing Eye Priory in north Suffolk.
The seal of Ethilwald, the last known bishop of Dommoc, was found about 200 years ago near Eye. Eye also used to have a lost book called the Red Book of Eye. This book was thought to have belonged to Saint Felix. These items might have come to Eye from Dunwich. However, they could also have been moved to Hoxne, which is close to Eye, during the 900s or 1000s. Hoxne was a temporary bishopric for East Anglia at that time.
In the 1400s, when people believed Dunwich was Dommoc, there were stained-glass windows at Blythburgh church, near Dunwich. These windows showed Saint Fursey, Saint Felix, Saint Etheldreda, and other Anglo-Saxon figures. However, Blythburgh had its own history connected to King Anna of East Anglia (who died in 653 AD). Blythburgh is located at a place where the Blyth estuary could be crossed. This suggests there might have been a royal home nearby during King Anna's time and Saint Felix's time. If so, putting a bishopric at Dunwich would make sense.
Felixstowe as Dommoc
The name Felixstowe seems to connect to Saint Felix, which is interesting. However, the name Felixstowe wasn't recorded until the 1200s. Its origin is debated. A "stow" can mean a holy site. But the old name for the Walton fort in the Domesday Book was "burh," meaning a fort or town.
A priory (a type of monastery) dedicated to Saint Felix was built inside the Walton fort around the late 1000s. Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, invited monks from Rochester to live there. In the 1100s, the powerful Bigod family also had a castle and a large house (the Manor or Old Hall) at Walton. King John even signed the Ipswich Town Charter there in 1200.
The church at nearby Falkenham (which overlooks the River Deben) might have early connections to the Wuffing royal family. It is dedicated to Saint Æthelberht, a royal martyr who died in 794 AD. Falkenham was a smaller area of Walton in the Domesday Book. During the time of Archbishop Lanfranc, Rochester claimed Falkenham as one of its properties. These properties had been taken by the king during the Viking Wars.
The Walton fort was very important because it overlooked the mouth of the Deben estuary. This allowed control of the river. It was also very close to Rendlesham, a royal home of the Wuffinga kings. Rendlesham was known to exist a little above the crossing points of the Deben estuary around 660 AD. The Sutton Hoo burial site shows how important this river area was for royal power just before Sigeberht's time, during King Rædwald's reign. It was the center of a large area stretching from the River Orwell beyond the River Alde.
It is thought that Saint Paulinus, from the Canterbury mission, was in East Anglia at King Rædwald's court around 616 AD. It seems likely that the church at Rendlesham was dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great during the early Christian missions to East Anglia. After escaping York in 632–633 AD, Paulinus became Bishop of Rochester until he died around 644 AD. This was during the first ten years that Felix was bishop of Dommoc.
Bede wrote that Felix got teachers from Kent to help with the school King Sigeberht started in East Anglia. Rochester was the closest bishopric to East Anglia by sea from the Deben River. So, it's possible that when Roger Bigod founded a priory at Walton fort, he was purposely bringing back a connection between Rochester and Walton. This connection might have started during the time of Felix and Paulinus.
Rochester's claim is written like this: "The blessed Felix founded the church which is now called Felixstowe and sat in that place for 17 years." This appears in a church record from before 1251 AD. John Leland, a writer from the 1500s, found old writings that supported both the claims for Dunwich (by Eye) and Walton (by Rochester). There are several places in East Anglia connected to Saint Felix's work. While Dunwich or Walton seem most likely, we can't be completely sure it was either one.
Images for kids
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The Anglo-Saxon church areas before 925
