01-02-2009, 07:17 PM
As far as we know Bede was an Angle from Northumbria and never left the kingdom.
The clue as to whether or not he thought himself English could be in the title of his book: Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This in Latin is Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, with Anglorum being translated to English but it may have had slightly different conatations then. He also mention the ' Anglorum' constantly throughout his work. However since he lived 672 to 735 and the English state hadn't really coalesced he probably thought more of himself as a Northumbrian.
However, you could say he was British; not a Briton of course but a resident of the isles of Britain. He calls the isles such in the first line of the above book. He probably wouldn't have liked it very much though as the Britons really were seen as a bunch of second class citizens who brought the Anglo-Saxon invaders upon themselves and he wouldn't want to be associated with them!
So Bede was a Mackam ( a form of Geordie) and the Mackams, Geordies and Pitmatics of today still use some Angle words, although they believe they're speaking Danish. I am one and thought the same for a long time. But no, those are Angle words we're using and when we say 'That'll larn ya' it's not bad English for 'That will teach you' but correct Angle as 'larn' means 'teach'. (I know Angle is virtual Danish but the Danes influenced further south in Yorkshire).
Who knows, Bede could have been from a long line of Angles and his ancestors might even have been feodorati on Hadrian's Wall!
The clue as to whether or not he thought himself English could be in the title of his book: Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This in Latin is Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, with Anglorum being translated to English but it may have had slightly different conatations then. He also mention the ' Anglorum' constantly throughout his work. However since he lived 672 to 735 and the English state hadn't really coalesced he probably thought more of himself as a Northumbrian.
However, you could say he was British; not a Briton of course but a resident of the isles of Britain. He calls the isles such in the first line of the above book. He probably wouldn't have liked it very much though as the Britons really were seen as a bunch of second class citizens who brought the Anglo-Saxon invaders upon themselves and he wouldn't want to be associated with them!
So Bede was a Mackam ( a form of Geordie) and the Mackams, Geordies and Pitmatics of today still use some Angle words, although they believe they're speaking Danish. I am one and thought the same for a long time. But no, those are Angle words we're using and when we say 'That'll larn ya' it's not bad English for 'That will teach you' but correct Angle as 'larn' means 'teach'. (I know Angle is virtual Danish but the Danes influenced further south in Yorkshire).
Who knows, Bede could have been from a long line of Angles and his ancestors might even have been feodorati on Hadrian's Wall!
Arturus Uriconium
a.k.a Mak Wilson
May the horse be with you!
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a.k.a Mak Wilson
May the horse be with you!
[url:17bayn0a]http://www.makltd.biz[/url]
