Aldhelm, St (c. 640–709)

English prelate and scholar. He was abbot of Malmesbury from 673 and bishop of Sherborne from 705. Of his poems and treatises in Latin, some survive, notably his Riddles in hexameters, but his English verse has been lost. He was also known as a skilled architect.

He founded several monasteries and churches, including, according to William of Malmesbury, the church of St Lawrence at Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, which alone remains of his buildings.