James the Deacon was a Roman deacon and missionary who participated in the Gregorian mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons. He traveled to Northumbria alongside Paulinus of York, accompanying Queen Æthelburh to the court of King Edwin. Unlike many of his fellow missionaries who fled during periods of pagan backlash, James remained in the region to continue his religious work. He eventually settled near Catterick, where he lived to an advanced age and served as a teacher of Roman-style plainsong.