Anglo-Saxon Institutions. 449-1066 63
In its penitential system, the church had a power, of a
semi-judicial character, a restraining influence, in matters
of morals, over both clergy and laity.x
Monasticism was an important institution in England,
as elsewhere in the early church. As we have seen, Eng-
land was Christianised largely by monks, and, in very
early times, monastic establishments were the chief cen-
tres of Christian influence. About a dozen houses were
founded rather early in the seventh century, East Anglia
being a leader in this movement. The rule of St. Benedict
was introduced by Wilfrith in Theodore's time, but it
never became universal in Anglo-Saxon monasticism. In
fact, there was from the beginning too much irregularity
in the English system to ensure a long period of purity and
usefulness. Its decline became marked in the eighth
century; Bede speaks of it very early in that century.
But in the first flush of enthusiasm, when many men and
women of the nobility, and even of the princely families,
aided in founding monasteries and actually entered and
managed them (a source of corruption in the course of
time), there was a short period during which the good far
outweighed the evil. At this time, indeed, the whole
Anglo-Saxon church, and especially that of Northumber-
land, stood for greater sanctity and learning than was to
be found elsewhere in Christendom, with the possible
exception of Ireland.
The Danish conquests of the ninth century threw large
parts of England back into heathenism.2 Pour or five
dioceses ceased to exist, and several were, for some time,
in a precarious and unsettled condition. The province
of York, of course, suffered most; and, even when the
newly settled regions had been reclaimed to Christianity,
1 It should be remembered also that bishops or abbots who had received
grants of bookland had, over the people on the land, that kind of jurisdic-
tion that has been described above, pp. 40, 41.
2 Even in the time of Cnute, Denmark and Scandinavia were largely
heathen. Sweyn had been baptised, but was no Christian. Cnute was
nominally a Christian, probably before his conquest. Sweden was prac-
tically heathen for some time after. In Norway, the two religions were
battling for supremacy in the eleventh century.