Saint of the Day – 28 October – Saint Eadsin of Canterbury (Died 1050)

Saint of the Day – 28 October – Saint Eadsin of Canterbury (Died 1050) Archbishop of Canterbury from 1038 to 1050, Monk. He crowned St Edward the Confessor as King of England in 1043.Died in late October 1050 of natural causes. Also known as – Eadsige, Edsige, Eadsimus.

Little is known about the life of the Saint but we do know that he became a Priest and was attached to the Royal Court of King Cnut before King Cnut, in around 1030, arranged for him to enter the Monastery as a Monk at Christ Church, Canterbury, at his request. In around 1035, he served as a the auxilliary Bishop to Archbishop Æthelnoth of Canterbury, with his base located at the Church of St Martin in Canterbury. He was transferred to the Archbishopric of Canterbury in 1038 after Æthelnoth’s death. In 1040, he journeyed to Rome to receive his Pallium from Pope Benedict IX.

Eadsin may have crowned Harthacnut in 1040 but he definitely crowned St Edward the Confessor, along with Ælfric Puttoc, the Archbishop of York. on 3 April 1043 In 1044, Eadsin, wishing to withdraw from his See because of ill-health, appears to have approached King Edward and Godwin, Earl of Wessex, about temporarily consecrating Siward, Abbot of Abingdon, in Eadsins place. This retirement lasted until 1048, when Siward became ill and returned to Abingdon to die within eight weeks of his retirement. Eadsin returned to his Diocese and resumed his care of the Archdiocese of Canterbury until his death 2 years later.

Eadsin died in late October in 1050.