Herbert of Derwentwater
Encyclopedia
Saint Herbert of Derwentwater (?-687) was a priest
and hermit
who lived on St Herbert's Island, a small island in Derwentwater.
He was for long the close friend and disciple of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
, whom he to visit in Lindisfarne
every year for the purpose of receiving his direction in spiritual matters. In the year 686, hearing that his friend was visiting Carlisle for the purpose of giving the veil to Queen Eormenburg, he went to see him there, instead of at Lindisfarne as was usual. After they had spoken together, St. Cuthbert said, "Brother Herbert, tell to me now all that you have need to ask or speak, for never shall we see one another again in this world. For I know that the time of my decease is at hand." Then Herbert fell weeping at his feet and begged that St. Cuthbert would obtain for him the grace that they might both be admitted to praise God in heaven at the same time. And St. Cuthbert prayed and then made answer, "Rise, my brother, weep not, but rejoice that the mercy of God has granted our desire." And indeed Herbert, returning to his hermitage, fell ill of a long sickness, and, purified of his imperfections, passed to God on the very March 20, 687 on which St. Cuthbert died on Holy Island.
In 1374, Thomas Appleby
, Bishop of Carlisle
, ordered the vicar of Crosthwaite
to celebrate a sung Mass
on St Herbert's Island each year on his feast, and granted forty days' indulgence to all who visited it on this day. Ruins of a circular stone building there may be connected with him. The Martyrology of Tallaght
describes St Herbert, like St. Cuthbert, as a Saxon
. It is said that the remains of St. Herbert's chapel and cell may still be traced at the northern end of the island on which he lived.
His feast day is March 20.
St Herbert's Island was the inspiration for 'Owl Island' in Beatrix Potter
's book The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
who lived on St Herbert's Island, a small island in Derwentwater.
Biography
Date of birth unknown; an anchorite of the seventh century, who dwelt for many years on the little island still known as St Herbert's Island, in the Lake of Derwentwater.He was for long the close friend and disciple of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
Saint Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop and hermit associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria, at that time including, in modern terms, northern England as well as south-eastern Scotland as far as the Firth of Forth...
, whom he to visit in Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
every year for the purpose of receiving his direction in spiritual matters. In the year 686, hearing that his friend was visiting Carlisle for the purpose of giving the veil to Queen Eormenburg, he went to see him there, instead of at Lindisfarne as was usual. After they had spoken together, St. Cuthbert said, "Brother Herbert, tell to me now all that you have need to ask or speak, for never shall we see one another again in this world. For I know that the time of my decease is at hand." Then Herbert fell weeping at his feet and begged that St. Cuthbert would obtain for him the grace that they might both be admitted to praise God in heaven at the same time. And St. Cuthbert prayed and then made answer, "Rise, my brother, weep not, but rejoice that the mercy of God has granted our desire." And indeed Herbert, returning to his hermitage, fell ill of a long sickness, and, purified of his imperfections, passed to God on the very March 20, 687 on which St. Cuthbert died on Holy Island.
Veneration
Cuthbert's feast was by far the more popular of the two and Herbert was largely forgotten although St Herbert's Island is still named after him.In 1374, Thomas Appleby
Thomas Appleby (bishop)
Thomas Appleby was a Bishop of Carlisle. He was elected after 18 January 1363, and consecrated 18 June 1363. He died on 5 December 1395.-References:...
, Bishop of Carlisle
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...
, ordered the vicar of Crosthwaite
Crosthwaite
Crosthwaite is a small village located in the Parish of Crosthwaite and Lyth, Cumbria, UK.-Village Hall:The Argles Memorial Halll was built in 1931 on land donated from the local landowners...
to celebrate a sung Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
on St Herbert's Island each year on his feast, and granted forty days' indulgence to all who visited it on this day. Ruins of a circular stone building there may be connected with him. The Martyrology of Tallaght
Martyrology of Tallaght
The Martyrology of Tallaght, which is closely related to the Félire Oengusso or Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee, is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/or Óengus the Culdee at Tallaght Monastery, near Dublin...
describes St Herbert, like St. Cuthbert, as a Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
. It is said that the remains of St. Herbert's chapel and cell may still be traced at the northern end of the island on which he lived.
His feast day is March 20.
In literature
St Herbert appears under the name "Erebert" as a character in the mostly fictional book Credo about the life of St Bega, by Melvyn BraggMelvyn Bragg
Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg FRSL FRTS FBA, FRS FRSA is an English broadcaster and author best known for his work with the BBC and for presenting the The South Bank Show...
St Herbert's Island was the inspiration for 'Owl Island' in Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
's book The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in August 1903. The story is about an impertinent red squirrel named Nutkin and his narrow escape from an owl called Old Brown. The book followed Potter's hugely...
.
External links
- http://www.keswickcatholicchurch.co.uk/html/st_herbert___his_island.html location of St Herbert's Island