Saint Editha
Encyclopedia
Saint Edith of Polesworth (also known as Editha or Eadgyth) is an obscure Anglo-Saxon abbess associated with Polesworth
(Warwickshire) and Tamworth
(Staffordshire) in Mercia. Her historical identity and floruit
are uncertain. Some late sources make her a daughter of King Edward the Elder
, but there are differing opinions as regards her actual ancestry. Her feast day is 15 July.
(d. 1236) and Matthew Paris
(d. 1259) asserts that she was a sister of King Æthelstan
, who gave her in marriage to Sihtric Cáech, the Danish king of southern Northumbria. It then suggests that the marriage was never consummated. When Sihtric broke his side of the agreement by renouncing the Christian religion and died soon thereafter, she returned south and founded a nunnery at Polesworth, not far from the Mercian royal seat at Tamworth
, spending the rest of her life as a devout nun and virgin.
The story appears to take its cue from an earlier source, the D-version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, which confirms that on 30 January 926 King Æthelstan married his sister to Sihtric (d. 927) and attended the wedding feast at the Mercian royal centre of Tamworth. The Chronicle, however, gives no name. Reporting on the same event in the early part of the 12th century, William of Malmesbury
identified her as a daughter of Edward the Elder
and Ecgwynn
, and therefore a full-blooded sister to Æthelstan, but says that he was unable to discover her name in any of the sources available to him. A variant version of the Bury tradition, which locates her burial place at Tamworth rather than Polesworth, identifies this Edith as a daughter of Ælfflæd
, Edward's second wife, and hence Æthelstan's half-sister. However, another late source drawing upon earlier material, the early 13th-century Chronicle by John of Wallingford
, names Sihtric's wife Orgiue.
These late, contradictory statements have garnered a mixed response from modern historians. Some scholars favour Roger's identification or at least the possibility that her name was Eadgyth/Edith. Alan Thacker, for instance, states that "given the strong Mercian connections of Æthelstan himself, it is not at all unlikely that such a woman, if repudiated, should have ended her days in a community in the former heartlands of the Mercian royal family. Perhaps, like Æthelstan, she had been brought up at the Mercian court.". Barbara Yorke, however, argues that the name Eadgyth is unlikely to belong to two of Edward's daughters at the same time, the other being a daughter by Ælfflæd.
A slightly earlier if largely legendary source which potentially casts some light on traditions surrounding St Edith is Conchubran's Life of Saint Modwenna, a female hermit who supposedly lived near Burton-on-Trent. The text, written in the early 11th century, mentions a sister of King Alfred by the name of Ite, a nun who served as the saint's tutor and had a maidservant called Osid. Although an Irish nun called St Ita was active in the 7th century, Ite's name has been interpreted as "almost certainly a garbling of Edith" and that of Osid a rendering of Osgyth.
, the most notable of these being Polesworth Abbey and the Collegiate Church of Tamworth
, which bears her name. Other churches dedicated to St. Edith include Church Eaton
in Staffordshire
, Amington Parish Church (in Tamworth), as well as a number of churches in Louth, Lincolnshire
.
Polesworth Abbey
Polesworth Abbey was a Benedictine nunnery in Polesworth, North Warwickshire, England. It was founded in the 9th century by St. Modwena and King Egbert. The first abbess was Edgytha Polesworth Abbey was a Benedictine nunnery in Polesworth, North Warwickshire, England. It was founded in the 9th...
(Warwickshire) and Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
(Staffordshire) in Mercia. Her historical identity and floruit
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
are uncertain. Some late sources make her a daughter of King Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
, but there are differing opinions as regards her actual ancestry. Her feast day is 15 July.
Identity
Edith (Ealdgyth) is included in the first section of the late Old English saints' list known as Secgan, which locates her burial place at Polesworth. The question of St Edith's historical identity is fraught with difficulties.As sister to a West-Saxon king
The tradition which was written down at the monastery of Bury St Edmunds in the 12th century and was later by re-told by Roger of WendoverRoger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover , probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of Belvoir, but he forfeited this dignity in the early years of Henry III,...
(d. 1236) and Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
(d. 1259) asserts that she was a sister of King Æthelstan
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
, who gave her in marriage to Sihtric Cáech, the Danish king of southern Northumbria. It then suggests that the marriage was never consummated. When Sihtric broke his side of the agreement by renouncing the Christian religion and died soon thereafter, she returned south and founded a nunnery at Polesworth, not far from the Mercian royal seat at Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
, spending the rest of her life as a devout nun and virgin.
The story appears to take its cue from an earlier source, the D-version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
, which confirms that on 30 January 926 King Æthelstan married his sister to Sihtric (d. 927) and attended the wedding feast at the Mercian royal centre of Tamworth. The Chronicle, however, gives no name. Reporting on the same event in the early part of the 12th century, William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
identified her as a daughter of Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
and Ecgwynn
Ecgwynn
Ecgwynn or Ecgwynna , was the first consort of Edward the Elder, later king of the English , by whom she bore the future King Æthelstan , and a daughter who married Sihtric Cáech, Norse king of Dublin and Northumbria. Extremely little is known about her background and life...
, and therefore a full-blooded sister to Æthelstan, but says that he was unable to discover her name in any of the sources available to him. A variant version of the Bury tradition, which locates her burial place at Tamworth rather than Polesworth, identifies this Edith as a daughter of Ælfflæd
Ælfflæd, wife of Edward the Elder
Ælfflæd was the second wife of Edward the Elder, king of the English.Ælfflæd was the daughter of an ealdorman Æthelhelm. There were several contemporaries of this name, but some historians, including Pauline Stafford and David H. Kelley, have identified him as Æthelhelm, a son of Edward's uncle,...
, Edward's second wife, and hence Æthelstan's half-sister. However, another late source drawing upon earlier material, the early 13th-century Chronicle by John of Wallingford
John of Wallingford
John of Wallingford , also known as John de Cella, was Abbot of St Albans Abbey in the English county of Hertfordshire from 1195 to his death in 1214...
, names Sihtric's wife Orgiue.
These late, contradictory statements have garnered a mixed response from modern historians. Some scholars favour Roger's identification or at least the possibility that her name was Eadgyth/Edith. Alan Thacker, for instance, states that "given the strong Mercian connections of Æthelstan himself, it is not at all unlikely that such a woman, if repudiated, should have ended her days in a community in the former heartlands of the Mercian royal family. Perhaps, like Æthelstan, she had been brought up at the Mercian court.". Barbara Yorke, however, argues that the name Eadgyth is unlikely to belong to two of Edward's daughters at the same time, the other being a daughter by Ælfflæd.
A slightly earlier if largely legendary source which potentially casts some light on traditions surrounding St Edith is Conchubran's Life of Saint Modwenna, a female hermit who supposedly lived near Burton-on-Trent. The text, written in the early 11th century, mentions a sister of King Alfred by the name of Ite, a nun who served as the saint's tutor and had a maidservant called Osid. Although an Irish nun called St Ita was active in the 7th century, Ite's name has been interpreted as "almost certainly a garbling of Edith" and that of Osid a rendering of Osgyth.
As early Mercian saint
Yorke prefers to identify the historical figure of Edith with an earlier namesake instead. The saint's inclusion in Secgan, grouped as she is with other early saints buried near rivers, may be taken as evidence for the hypothesis that she was a Mercian saint who flourished in the 7th or 8th century. According to Alan Thacker, on the other hand, the entry in Secgan may also be a later addition, along with at least two other items which seem to reflect interests peculiar to Æthelstan's time.Later traditions
The saint is commemorated in a number of churches around the MidlandsEnglish Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
, the most notable of these being Polesworth Abbey and the Collegiate Church of Tamworth
Church of St Editha, Tamworth
The Church of St Editha is an Anglican parish church and Grade I listed building in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England.-History:The church of St. Editha is the largest medieval parish church in Staffordshire...
, which bears her name. Other churches dedicated to St. Edith include Church Eaton
Church Eaton
Church Eaton is a small English village in the west of Staffordshire lying some southwest of Stafford, northwest of Penkridge and just from the Shropshire border. It lies in gently rolling dairy farming countryside...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Amington Parish Church (in Tamworth), as well as a number of churches in Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
.
Primary sources
- William of Malmesbury, Gesta regum Anglorum, ed. and tr. R. A. B. Mynors, R. M. Thomson and M. Winterbottom (1998), William of Malmesbury. Gesta Regum Anglorum: The History of the English Kings. Oxford Medieval Texts. 2 vols.: vol 1. Oxford.
- Hyde' Chronicle (also Warenne Chronicle), ed.
- Geoffrey of Burton, Life and miracles of St. Modwenna, ed. and tr.
External links
- Who was Saint Editha? (article discussing the Editha legend)
- Polesworth Abbey's website (which includes a history of the abbey]
- St Editha's Church, Tamworth