Bartholomew of Farne

Bartholomew of Farne was a Benedictine hermit. Born Tostig, to parents of Scandinavian origin, in Whitby, Northumbria, England, he changed his name to William while still a child. He then travelled through Europe, possibly to escape marriage. He returned to England to enter a Benedictine monastery, at Durham. It was here that he received a vision of St. Cuthbert, and then decided to inhabit Cuthbert's old cell on the island of Farne. There he remained for the remaining 42 years of his life.