Baldred of Strathclyde

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For the Apostle of the Lothians, see Baldred of Tyninghame.

Baldred of Strathclyde was a supposed 6th century pupil of Saint Kentigern, Bishop of Glasgow, then in the Kingdom of Strathclyde in modern Scotland.

Baldred's single appearance in the historical record is in the Breviary of Aberdeen, where the following passage occurs: "Being eminently devout, he renounced all worldly pomp and, following the example of John the Divine, resided in solitary places, and betook himself to the islands of the sea. Among these he had recourse to one called The Bass, where he led a life without all question strict and contemplative, in which for many years he held up to remembrance the blessed Kentigern, his instructor, in the constant contemplation of the sanctity of his conduct".

The character living on the Bass Rock is clearly Saint Baldred of Tyninghame who is generally accepted as having lived in the 8th century ^[1], as recorded by Symeon of Durham ^[2]. The 6th century pupil of Saint Kentigern has often been taken as a separate individual^[3], although he would have no claim to sainthood. As the breviary is only a 16th century source, there is, in fact, no evidence that this Baldred ever existed and the Kentigern association of Baldred of Tyninghame may simply be a mistake^[4]. Interpretation of the passage has led to claims that Baldred was his tutor's immediate successor as Bishop of Strathclyde^[5].

[edit] References

1. ^ Towill, Edwin Sprott (1983). Saints of Scotland. Edinburgh: St Andrew’s Press. 
2. ^ Stephenson, Joseph (trans.) (1988). Simeon of Durham's A History of the Church of Durham. Felinfach: Llanerch. 
3. ^ Farmer, David Hugh (2004). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 
4. ^ Jackson, Kenneth H (1958). "The Sources for the Life of St. Kentigern". Studies in the Early British Church. 
5. ^ Grattan-Flood, W H (1907). St. Baldred. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.