The History of England’s Religious Saints
It’s amazing that people don’t read more about our saints, as their miracles (which were well documented) are far more interesting than reading about reality TV! As well as protecting local wildlife, St Cuthbert (a Northumbrian Celtic monk) was also a hermit who performed all kinds of strange good goings-on!
He was known to protect local eider ducks, and legend was that otters would dry his skin with their fur, after he had swam in the chilly North Sea.
Some miracles included:
- Calming a raging sea, so stranded monks could return to shore.
- Stopping a strong wind that was hindering boatmen carrying wood.
- Extinguished a fire, saving a village by the power of his prayers.
- He reportedly purified the Farne Islands of demons on his arrival.
- He also knew when he was going to die. And when he did, examination of his body found it had not decayed, after 11 years.
You can take an ancient pilgrimage on the Northern Saints Trails. These six routes cover County Durham and Northumberland (including the island of Lindisfarne). England used to be a Roman Catholic country until the Reformation when Henry VIII banned it, so he could divorce. Many monks and nuns were killed.
Always check the tide times, as it cuts off twice a day by the North Sea, and many people don’t look at warning signs, and have to be rescued. Avoid poor weather/dusk (most people use the bus!)
Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
In 635AD, Lindisfarne is where St Aidan came to found his monastery. He was a well-travelled monk who was from Ireland and had already lived as a monk on the Isle of Iona in the Scottish Highlands.
St Aiden learned English (he spoke Gaelic) and died in Bamburgh on the Northumbrian coast. He is now known as the one who converted all the Northumbrian heathens to Christianity!
There is a lovely story about St Aidan, in that he made a stag invisible, so it would not been seen by hunters. Wouldn’t that be lovely if someone could do that today?
Another saint associated with this tiny island is St Eadberht (a bishop who is now buried in Durham cathedral).
St Albans, Hertfordshire (a city with a patron saint)
St Alban’s is a beautiful small city, with its own patron saint, who lived around 305 AD. A former pagan, a priest who he sheltered made such an impression, he converted himself.
He is recorded as the first-ever Christian martyr (killed for his faith) and is apparently the patron saint of converts and torture victims. His prayer is often still said today:
I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things’.
There is a story that St Alban’s execution was delayed, as the fast-flowing river that he could not cross dried up, allowing him to escape. When he was eventually beheaded, his head rolled down a hill and a spring immediately created fresh water.
The executioners were so surprised, they began to revere him as a saint, and the well still stands today at Holywell Hill. How can any reality TV compete with that?
Saint Etheldreda of Ely (and a long cathedral)
Cambridge may get all the headlines, but the city of Ely is equally as beautiful. And known for having one of the longest cathedrals in England (known as ‘the ship of the Fens’).
The cathedral stands on a site that used to house a monastery, founded by Saint Etheldreda (called ‘Audrey for short!), a 7th century princess who gave up royal comfort, a life of faith.
King Edgar the Peaceful (!) also played an important role in the city’s history, ruling in the 10th century. After many years of turmoil, he gave land and money to Audrey to help rebuild her abbey.
This turned the area into a place of power and wealth, which brought new money to build more majestic buildings. Thank you Audrey and Edgar!
The Ely and Littleport riots
Not all of Ely’s history comes from royalty and saints. In 1816, local riots (due to unemployment, falling wages and high food prices) led to many people living on little more than gruel and water. While the Prince Regent (George V) was spending lavishly on multi-course banquets and spending hundreds of thousands of pounds, on redecorating Brighton Pavilion.
Things turned ugly with rioters even ransacking homes of innocent farmers, and magistrates promised a cap on the price of wheat, if things turned down. However, some riots continued, and some were publicly hanged (and buried in unmarked graves).
The King was known for his selfish lavish lifestyle, named by English Heritage as ‘Britain’s most useless monarch’. He amassed massive debts at the public’s expense, including remodelling Buckingham Palace and rebuilding Windsor Castle.
He also had many mistresses, and fathered several children outside his marriage. Nevertheless, despite always preferring ‘a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon’, he repented his ways when dying. And actually became very devout, asking his subjects for forgiveness, for wasting his good fortune.
Saint Chad (from the small city of Lichfield)
Tucked away in Staffordshire, the small city of Lichfield surprises many who visit. It has a stunning three-spired cathedral, a compact place with hidden museums, green parks and quirky shops.
St Chad arrived in Lichfield back in the seventh century. He became bishop and turned the city into the heart of early English Christianity. After he died in 672, his tomb in Lichfield Cathedral became a spot where pilgrims travelled from all over England.
People believed relics of St Chad worked miracles.
Everything changed in the 1530s during the English Reformation. King Henry VIII split the Church of England from Rome and ordered religious shrines like St Chad’s to be destroyed.
Monks and loyal townsfolk tried to protect what they could, but much was lost. All that survived from the original relics was a small portion, later rediscovered and now displayed within the cathedral.
Lichfield Cathedral’s churchyard is the resting place of 18th century Romantic poet Anna Seward. She was very religious and despite writing of romance, never married herself. A bit like England’s version of the Romantic American poet Emily Dickinson.
If you wander a little farther, you’ll find Dr Milley’s Hospital. Despite its name, this isn’t a hospital in the modern sense. Founded around 1500 by local doctor Thomas Milley, it was set up as an almshouse to house women who needed accommodation.
A county of not-so-saintly celebrities!
For some reason (a bit like Finns who play in heavy metal bands), Staffordshire seems to give birth to celebrities who enjoy a pint or two or more! Locals born here include Robbie Williams (whose parents ran a local pub) and Neil Morrisey (the son of Irish parents).
Motorhead’s Lemmy (the Ace of Spades) also hailed from here. Most other hard-living celebrities had nothing on him.
After 15 years of taking drink and drugs, he asked for a blood transfusion. But doctors who ran tests said his body was so toxic, that fresh blood may have killed him!
Slash (guitarist with band Guns’n’Roses) spent his childhood here, before his family emigrated. He recalled that when touring in England, visiting relatives ‘downed every drop of cider in our dressing room. Our booze would have killed anyone but us!’
Three Cornish saints (southwest good guys!)
Saint Austell took its name from a 6th-century Cornish saint, Austol (above right), who was a disciple of the Welsh Celtic Saint Mewan (above left), who lived in the 6th century.
He travelled to Cornwall and Brittany with St Austell to spread the word of Christianity, before moving to France, where he established monasteries. The two saints remained good friends, and died within a week of each other.
Saint Blaise, an Armenian bishop from the fourth century, became a local hero. Legend says he healed those with throat problems and even animal diseases, often with miraculous results. People travelled far, hoping for cures or blessings.
Over time, St Blazey adopted his name and a unique tradition: every February, locals would visit church to have their throats blessed, a ritual that still lingers in village memory.
Saint Blaise also served as the protector of animals, which fit the rural life in Cornwall. Stories say livestock owners would bring sick animals to the parish seeking protection and healing.
Norfolk’s medieval religious history
A few miles inland from the Norfolk town of Wells-next-the-Sea (reached by steam train) is the ancient village of Walsingham, a popular pilgrimage for religious retreats. Read Paul Kingsnorth’s lovely piece on visiting England’s Nazareth.
Norfolk boasts more churches than anywhere on earth, so you won’t have to look for to spot a medieval church or spire, even if some lay abandoned. This is due to the strong history of the Catholic faith, before Henry VIII came to power.
Today, Walsingham has both Roman Catholic and Anglican shrines, which draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.
Walsingham Abbey grounds are known for their spectacular snowdrop displays (dogs are allowed in the grounds, but know that snowdrops and all bulbs are not safe, so avoid for flower-nosey pooches).
The medieval architecture makes this little village stand out. The 14th century buildings were built in a grid layout for the benefit of pilgrims, and there were two markets (now long gone) to buy food.
The old prison was built on the site of a former leper hospital, and there are numerous little churches. The tiny orthodox church was built from the old railway station, and one of the Catholic churches is the first in England to be carbon-neutral, with solar panels for electricity, and a deep-bore heat exchange system.
The village is also home to ‘little sisters of Jesus‘, a community of around 900 religious women who live in 50 countries. One writes a lovely story on their website:
After giving up her career as a paleontologist, she travelled to Wells to examine fossils on the beach. Meeting a dying man on his last holiday, they struck up a conversation and she told him ‘Keep courage and see you one day’. She went home, and knew she would never see him again.
Seven years later, he approached her – now healthy and married to his wife (the nurse who looked after him). He had kept the fossil she had given him and remembered her words. She writes that now she knows ‘God didn’t take her love of rocks away’ – instead He uses them as a means to give her people!’
The story behind Our Lady of Walsingham
Tradition says that in the 11th century, a Norfolk noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches, received a vision of the Virgin Mary. Mary showed her the house of the Annunciation in Nazareth and asked for a copy to be built in Walsingham. That building became known as the Holy House.
Today around 350,000 pilgrims visit the village each year, full of well-preserved half-timbered medieval houses. A unique place to stay is The Control Tower, a vegetarian bed and breakfast, which looks very modern but in fact the rooms like the old signal room still retain authentic features.
Like a huge art deco bath, with a hand-held shower for washing your hair! With handmade soaps (no palm oil) just up the road in Burnham Market. And the large living room used to be the meteorological office!
What you won’t find are TVs, trouser presses, modern gadgets or rashers of bacon. But you will get a homecooked breakfast with local apple juice, homemade jam and a vegan menu with sourdough bread. Pets are unfortunately not allowed due to two rescued resident cats.
