Bede – a genius whose influences still remain today
Bede was born in 673 AD, on the lands of the monastery. And at the age of 7, was entrusted to the care of Benedict Biscop, the founder of the monastery.
He spent the rest of his life in the monastery, having been ordained deacon at the age of 19 and priest at 30. He died there in the year 735 AD.
"It has always been my delight to learn or to teach or to write"
Bede worked as a scholar and teacher and wrote extensively about the Bible to clarify its meaning for his own study and that of the other monks. His commentaries on the books of the Bible were subsequently sought and circulated widely. Bishop Boniface wrote of Bede that he "shone forth as a lantern in the church by his scriptural commentary."
Bede is best known as the author of The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731 AD). This work is our primary source for understanding the beginnings of the English people and the coming of Christianity and was the first work of history in which the AD dating system was used.
Bede’s scholarship covered many areas beyond Christianity. He wrote of nature; how the earth was a sphere; how the moon influences the cycle of the tides – a remarkable observation in this era of time. He wrote on calculating time and by using Bede’s exposition of the Great Cycle of 532 years (the interval between two ‘identical’ years), the Church was able to calculate the date of Easter.
Visit us to learn more about Bede, his life and his amazing calculations and observations - complete with descriptive panels on his life and interactive models on his most important and memorable work.
To get an overview of Bede, our museum and farm, simply watch this video and see a short introduction to our attraction.