Bede, St.

Hearing. Usually known as the "Venerable Bede". Lived in the Kingdom of Northumbria in Britain. Described a finger alphabet over 1000 years before de l'Epee borrowed the manual alphabet from Spanish monks, who in turn probably knew of Bede's reference. Also wrote the first known account of an attempt to teach a deaf person to speak, about St. John of Beverly (q.v.) and the "dumb boy of Hexham" (q.v.)