Hertford, Council of

Hertford, Council Of

(Concilium Hertfordiense, or Herutfordiae), was held at Hertford, the principal borough of Herts, England, September 24, 673, by Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury; the bishops of East Anglia (Bise), Rochester (Patta), Wessex (Lutherius), Mercia (Winfred), together with the deputies of Wilfred of Northumbria, and several canonists, being present. Ten canons were drawn up.

1. Commands the observance of Easter day on the Sunday after the fourteenth day of the moon in the first Jewish month.

2. Commands that no bishop shall intrude upon the parish (parochiam) of another bishop, but shall rest contented with the government of the people intrusted to him.

3. Enacts that it shall not be lawful for any bishop in any way to disturb or plunder any monastery.

4. Forbids monks to emingrate from one monastery to another without the permission of the abbot.

5. Forbids clerks to leave their own bishop and to wander about: forbids to receive them anywhere except they shall bring letters commendatory from their bishop.

6. Bishops and other clergy coming from another church to be contented with the hospitality shown to then, and not presume to perform any office in the church without the permission of the bishop of that church.

7. Orders the holding of synods twice in every year and adds, that since many things may operate to hinder this, one shall at any rate be called every year, on the kalends of August, in the place called Cloveshooh (or Cliffshoe).

8. Orders that bishops shall take precedence according to the date and order of their consecration.

9. Declares that the question was raised, whether the number of bishops ought to be increased in proportion to the increase of the faithful, but that nothing was determined.

10. Relates to marriages: forbids all unlawful marriages; forbids incest, and to divorce a wife except for fornication; forbids a man divorced from his wife to marry another woman. See Johnson, Eccles. Canons, A.D. 673; Baronius, A.D. 672; Labbe, Concil. 6:535; Wilkins, Concil. 1:43.