In 685, King Ecgfrith granted Benedict Biscop a "sunder-land". Also in 685 The Venerable Bede moved to the newly founded Jarrow monastery. He had started his monastic career at Monkwearmouth monastery and later wrote that he was "ácenned on sundorlande þæs ylcan mynstres" (born in a separate land of this same monastery). This can be taken as "sundorlande" (being Old English for "separate land") or the settlement of Sunderland.[1][2] Alternatively, it is possible that Sunderland was later named in honour of Bede's connections to the area by people familiar with this statement of his.
- ^ Bosworth, Joseph (21 March 2010). Toller, Thomas Northcote; Christ, Sean; Tichý, Ondřej (eds.). "Sundor-land (supplementary)". An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online. Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ Bosworth, Joseph (21 March 2010). Toller, Thomas Northcote; Christ, Sean; Tichý, Ondřej (eds.). "Sundor-land". An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online. Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. Retrieved 22 December 2018.