Athelm

Athelm (or Æthelhelm; died 926) was an English churchman, who was the first Bishop of Wells, and later Archbishop of Canterbury. His translation, or moving from one bishopric to another, was a precedent for later translations of ecclesiastics, because prior to this time period such movements were considered illegal. While archbishop, Athelm crowned King Æthelstan, and perhaps wrote the coronation service for the event. An older relative of Dunstan, a later Archbishop of Canterbury, Athelm helped promote Dunstan's early career. After Athelm's death, he was considered a saint.

Background

Athelm was a monk of Glastonbury Abbey before his elevation in 909 to the see of Wells, of which he was the first occupant. The see was founded to divide up the diocese of Sherborne, which was very large, by creating a bishopric for the county of Somerset. Wells was likely chosen as the seat because it was the center of the county. Some scholarly works suggest that Athelm may be the same person as Æthelhelm, son of King Æthelred of Wessex, but this is not accepted by most historians. A few sources state that Athelm was Abbot of Glastonbury before he became bishop, but other sources disagree and do not give him that office. This traces to later medieval chroniclers, not to contemporary accounts. His brother was Heorstan, who held land near Glastonbury.