This brings us down to the REFORMATION, since which time, the English succession comes through Matthew Parker, and his associates. We see, from the foregoing, how the Bishops in these several Dioceses traced their succession, and that they could trace it to Jerusalem, to Rome, and to Ephesus. Now the early Bishops of these Dioceses were instrumental to a very great extent in preaching Christianity to the Saxons, in the West and North of England. Thus the counties of Chester, Nottingham, Derby, Stafford, Salop, Northampton, Leicester, Lincoln, Huntingdon, Rutland, Warwick, Worcester, Oxford, Gloucester, Buckingham, Bedford, Hereford, and part of Hertford, were converted by Finnan, Diuma, Ceollach, and Trumhere, Irish and British Bishops.* York, Lancaster, and most of the northern parts of England, by Aidan, a Bishop from the Monastery of Columbkill, in the island of Hii, or Iona, originally, we believe, a part of the Diocese of Sodor and Mann ;† and Essex and Middlesex, by Cedd, another Irish or British Bishop. These Bishops founded several Dioceses, which of course trace their original succession to British Bishops, and in most cases, to the Archbishops of St. David's and Armagh. The Arch-Diocese of York originally included the Dioceses of York, Lindisfarne, now Durham, Sodor and Mann, Hexham, now extinct, and all the Bishoprics of Scotland, until 1466. The first Archbishop of the Saxons was Paulinus, consecrated by Augustine of Canterbury. The second was Cedd, a British Bishop, for three years, who resigned and was appointed Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. He was succeeded by Wilfrid, who was consecrated by the Archbishop of Paris, eleven other Bishops assisting him.** The Bishops who assisted in the consecration of Bishops in the province of York, traced their succession to the British Bishops, as Aidan, Finnan, and Coleman, were ordained by the Bishops in the Island of Hii, or Scottish Bishops who received their succession from Palladius. tt There is every reason to suppose, however, that those Bishops who were ordained by Palladius, could also trace their succession to the British Bishops, as they must have assisted in the consecration of the Scottish Bishops. * Bede, Hist. L. ii. cc. 19, 20, 21. + Bede, Hist. L. iii. cc. 3, 4, 5, 6, 17. ** Bede, iii. 28. Bede, L. iii. c. 22. || Bede, ii. 9. Dup. Hist. Ecc. Script. Cent. viii. p. 128. if Ussh. Primordia. c. 15. SUCCESSION OF THE SCOTTISH, AMERICAN, AND IRISH It has been remarked, that our line of the succession of the American Church came through that of Scotland. This was also derived from the English succession, December 15, 1661, when Gilbert Sheldon, Bishop of London, assisted by George Morley, Bishop of Worcester, Richard Sterne, Bishop of Carlisle, and Hugh Lloyd, Bishop of Llandaff, consecrated Andrew Fairfull, to the Diocese of Glasgow; John Sharpe, to the Diocese of St. Andrews; Robert Leighton, to the Diocese of Dumblane, (translated to Glasgow, 1671;) and James Hamilton, to the Diocese of Galloway. These consecrated other Bishops, but the original records are either lost or de *Jux. Reg. 237. |