A few years ago I was reading a book about the spread of Christianity across Europe, and a reference was made to the book The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity
Then I had a thought: maybe this book could shed light on when my own ancestors converted to Christianity. Understanding my genealogical roots is a fun hobby, but I’m also interested in my spiritual roots. What did my ancestors believe? Was faith important to them? I know they came from Southern England, and specifically in the Sussex region. Surely a book with such detail would have something to say about that, right?
Well, yes and no. Obviously there is nothing in the book that says, “And then, in the year 681, Thomas Goble of Aldingbourne became an elder.” And there is precious little about the Sussex region in general. But the book did have some fascinating tips.
A seal showing Selsey Cathedral
For one thing, it mentions the monastery in Selsey that was founded by St. Wilfrid around 683 AD. Selsey was a key center of evangelism and was part of a network of monasteries that Wilfrid planted. As the Wikipedia article on St. Wilfrid says, “Wilfrid spent the next few years in Selsey, where he founded an episcopal see and converted the pagan inhabitants of the Kingdom of Sussex to Christianity.” His success appears to be his ability to teach the local inhabitants how to fish. Curious how pragmatic missions techniques like that have been so successful for so long!
Since the earliest known location of my ancestors is Aldingbourne, which is about 10-15 miles from Selsey, then it’s possible that St. Wilfrid’s work had a big impact on my spiritual genealogy. One of my forefathers was probably among those “pagan inhabitants of the Kingdom of Sussex.”
Of course, other historians argue that Wilfrid was a latecomer to the region and that the Sussex area was already well on its way to Christianity. For instance, the monk and historical writer Bede reports that the royalty of the Kingdom of Sussex had already converted to Christianity. Other reports mention a small group of Irish monks in the area as early as 660 AD. The same report says they were largely unsuccessful at conversion, so their impact appears to be limited. Whatever the exact details, it’s clear that the region shifted to Christianity in the late 7th Century. Which means that’s about the time my ancestors shifted as well. For which we can probably thank the aristocratic St. Wilfrid from Northumbria.
I still haven’t finished the book. Probably never will. But it will go into my bookshelf as a great reference tool for future research. And it will be a reminder that my family spiritual roots go back a long,long ways.
