Appointed 990 Successor AElfric of Abingdon Consecration c. 985
by Dunstan Predecessor AEthelgar | Name Sigeric Serious Term ended October 28, 994 AD Died October 28, 994 AD | |
Other posts Abbot of St Augustine's
Bishop of Ramsbury Buried Christ Church, Canterbury Place of burial Canterbury Cathedral, City of Canterbury, United Kingdom | ||
Sigeric (died 28 October 994) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 990 to 994.
It is unclear whether the epithet "The Serious" originated from his learning, or if it derived from transliteration of his name into Latin as Serio.
Biography
Sigeric was educated at Glastonbury Abbey, where he took holy orders. He was elected Abbot of St Augustine's in about 975 to 990, and consecrated by Archbishop Dunstan as Bishop of Ramsbury in 985 or 986. He was transferred to the see of Canterbury in 990. He may have been a disciple of Dunstan's.
Sigeric made the pilgrimage to Rome following the Via Francigena to receive his pallium circa 990, and contemporary records of this journey still exist.
It was Sigeric who advised King Æthelred (the Unready) to pay a tribute to the invading Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard in 991. Æthelred presented Sweyn with 10,000 pounds of silver, in response to which Sweyn temporarily ceased his destructive advance into England, though he later returned for further tribute. Sweyn's ever-increasing demands in the following years resulted in a debilitating tax known as the Danegeld, payable by the inhabitants of Æthelred's territories.
In 994, Sigeric paid tribute to the Danes to protect Canterbury Cathedral from being burned. In the same year, a diploma granting rights to the diocese of Cornwall and Bishop Ealdred of Cornwall stated that it was written by Sigeric, but it is unlikely that the document was actually written by the archbishop.
While Sigeric was an abbot, Ælfric dedicated a book of translated homilies to him. He also advised King Æthelred to found Cholsey Abbey in Berkshire in honour of King Edward the Martyr, as well as having Edward memorialised at Shaftesbury Abbey.
Sigeric died on 28 October 994. He was buried in Christ Church, Canterbury. His will left wall hangings to Glastonbury as well as a valuable collection of books to his church at Sonning.