Edith of Wilton
Encyclopedia
Saint
Edith of Wilton (also known as Eadgyth, her name in Old English, or as Editha or Ediva, the Latin
forms of her name) was an English
nun
, a daughter of the 10th century King Edgar of England, born at Kemsing
, Kent
, in 961. Following her death in 984, she became the patron saint
of her community at Wilton Abbey
and churches were dedicated to her in Wiltshire and in other parts of England. Her life was written by Goscelin
, and her feast day is on 16 September.
. He took her to his manor house
at Kemsing, near Sevenoaks
, where Edith was born. Under St Dunstan
's direction, Edgar did penance for this crime by not wearing his crown for seven years. As soon as Wulfthryth could escape from Edgar, she returned to Wilton, taking Edith with her.
Edith was educated by the nuns of Wilton Abbey, where her mother had become abbess
. Standing not far from a royal residence at Wilton, as part of its devotional work the abbey functioned as the contemporary equivalent of a boarding school
for young ladies. She took the veil very early, with her father's consent. He offered to make her, while still a child, abbess of three different communities, but she chose to remain with her mother at Wilton. Her father died in 975.
In the year 979, Edith dreamt that she lost her right eye and believed the dream was sent to warn her of the death of her half-brother King Edward the Martyr
, who in fact was murdered at that very time while visiting his stepmother, Queen Ælfthryth, at Corfe Castle
, in Dorset
.
In some reports, Edith was offered the crown of England by noblemen who had supported her murdered brother Edward against her young half-brother, Ethelred, but she refused it. Despite her refusal of honours and power, she always dressed magnificently, and was reported by William of Malmesbury
to wear luxurious golden garments. When rebuked by Æthelwold of Winchester
, she answered that the judgment of God, which alone penetrated through the outward appearance, was alone true and infallible, adding -
She built a church at Wilton and dedicated it to Saint Denis
. Saint Dunstan was invited to the dedication and wept much during mass. Being asked the reason, he said it was because Edith would die in three weeks. This proved to be correct when she died on 15 September 984 and suggests that Edith was suffering from a fatal illness. She was buried at Wilton in the new church of St Denis.
reports that thirteen years later she appeared in visions to Dunstan and others, to tell them that her body was uncorrupted in the grave. He states that when Dunstan opened her tomb, in the presence of her mother, its "fragrant perfumes gave off the breath of paradise". However, the dating of the event must be doubted, as Dunstan died only four years after Edith. It has been suggested that Goscelin chose to enhance Edith's story by associating Dunstan with her translation.
Following her exhumation and subsequent reburial, Edith's thumb was enshrined separately and became an important relic
.
Edith was elevated to sainthood on the initiative of her brother Ethelred, and her cause was also supported by her nephew Edmund Ironside
. More surprisingly, Edmund's successor Canute the Great was renowned for his veneration of her. Goscelin reports that on one occasion, while crossing the North Sea
from England to Denmark with his fleet, Canute suffered a terrible storm, and fearing for his life he appealed to Edith. The storm calmed, and on his return to England Canute visited Wilton to give thanks for his rescue, "with solemn gifts, and published this great miracle with prolific testimony", subsequently ordering a golden shrine to Edith to be erected at Wilton.
Edith became the focus of a major cult in Wilton and also an important national saint. Goscelin wrote her life, under the title Vita Edithe, in about 1080. The community at Wilton, in looking to her as its heavenly patron, remembered her as a royal lady who had been dedicated to its protection. In his Liber Confortatorius, Goscelin wrote that he often thought of Edith and felt her presence.
Three churches were certainly dedicated to Edith, one at Baverstock
near Wilton, another at Bishop Wilton
in Yorkshire
, and a third at Limpley Stoke
in Wiltshire. In the 16th century, after some five hundred years, the third of these churches was rededicated to St Mary, but the other two dedications survive. However, another eighteen churches in England are dedicated to an unspecified St Edith, and it has been suggested that most of these dedications are intended for Edith of Wilton.
The Calendar of the Anglican Church comments -
Wilton Abbey itself took her name and is typically described in the later Middle Ages
as 'the convent of the house and church of St Editha of Wilton' or as the 'monastery of St Mary and St Editha of Wilton'.
Edith's feast day is on 16 September, the day following the anniversary of her death. It has also been reported as 15 September, the anniversary itself.
decoration, and the seal is the only one surviving from the Anglo-Saxon period which shows this feature.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Edith of Wilton (also known as Eadgyth, her name in Old English, or as Editha or Ediva, the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
forms of her name) was an English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, a daughter of the 10th century King Edgar of England, born at Kemsing
Kemsing, Kent
Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Heaverham, to the east, and Noah's Ark to the south...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in 961. Following her death in 984, she became the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of her community at Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury on the site now occupied by Wilton House. A first foundation was made as a college of secular priests by Wulfstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, about 773, but after his death was changed into a convent for twelve...
and churches were dedicated to her in Wiltshire and in other parts of England. Her life was written by Goscelin
Goscelin
Goscelin of Saint-Bertin was a Benedictine hagiographical writer, born between 1020–1035 and who died shortly after 1107...
, and her feast day is on 16 September.
Life
Edith was the illegitimate daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful, by Wilfrida, or Wulfthryth, a woman of noble birth whom Edgar carried off forcibly from the nunnery at Wilton AbbeyWilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury on the site now occupied by Wilton House. A first foundation was made as a college of secular priests by Wulfstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, about 773, but after his death was changed into a convent for twelve...
. He took her to his manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at Kemsing, near Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
, where Edith was born. Under St Dunstan
Dunstan
Dunstan was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church...
's direction, Edgar did penance for this crime by not wearing his crown for seven years. As soon as Wulfthryth could escape from Edgar, she returned to Wilton, taking Edith with her.
Edith was educated by the nuns of Wilton Abbey, where her mother had become abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. Standing not far from a royal residence at Wilton, as part of its devotional work the abbey functioned as the contemporary equivalent of a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for young ladies. She took the veil very early, with her father's consent. He offered to make her, while still a child, abbess of three different communities, but she chose to remain with her mother at Wilton. Her father died in 975.
In the year 979, Edith dreamt that she lost her right eye and believed the dream was sent to warn her of the death of her half-brother King Edward the Martyr
Edward the Martyr
Edward the Martyr was king of the English from 975 until he was murdered in 978. Edward was the eldest son of King Edgar, but not his father's acknowledged heir...
, who in fact was murdered at that very time while visiting his stepmother, Queen Ælfthryth, at Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
, in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
.
In some reports, Edith was offered the crown of England by noblemen who had supported her murdered brother Edward against her young half-brother, Ethelred, but she refused it. Despite her refusal of honours and power, she always dressed magnificently, and was reported by 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,...
to wear luxurious golden garments. When rebuked by Æthelwold of Winchester
Æthelwold of Winchester
Æthelwold of Winchester , was Bishop of Winchester from 963 to 984 and one of the leaders of the tenth century monastic reform movement in Anglo-Saxon England....
, she answered that the judgment of God, which alone penetrated through the outward appearance, was alone true and infallible, adding -
She built a church at Wilton and dedicated it to Saint Denis
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
. Saint Dunstan was invited to the dedication and wept much during mass. Being asked the reason, he said it was because Edith would die in three weeks. This proved to be correct when she died on 15 September 984 and suggests that Edith was suffering from a fatal illness. She was buried at Wilton in the new church of St Denis.
Sainthood
Edith was greatly celebrated for her learning, her beauty, and her sanctity, and minor miracles were reported shortly after her death. A week after she died, Edith appeared in glory to her mother and told her the Devil had tried to accuse her, but she had broken his head. GoscelinGoscelin
Goscelin of Saint-Bertin was a Benedictine hagiographical writer, born between 1020–1035 and who died shortly after 1107...
reports that thirteen years later she appeared in visions to Dunstan and others, to tell them that her body was uncorrupted in the grave. He states that when Dunstan opened her tomb, in the presence of her mother, its "fragrant perfumes gave off the breath of paradise". However, the dating of the event must be doubted, as Dunstan died only four years after Edith. It has been suggested that Goscelin chose to enhance Edith's story by associating Dunstan with her translation.
Following her exhumation and subsequent reburial, Edith's thumb was enshrined separately and became an important relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
.
Edith was elevated to sainthood on the initiative of her brother Ethelred, and her cause was also supported by her nephew Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside or Edmund II was king of England from 23 April to 30 November 1016. His cognomen "Ironside" is not recorded until 1057, but may have been contemporary. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, it was given to him "because of his valour" in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut...
. More surprisingly, Edmund's successor Canute the Great was renowned for his veneration of her. Goscelin reports that on one occasion, while crossing the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
from England to Denmark with his fleet, Canute suffered a terrible storm, and fearing for his life he appealed to Edith. The storm calmed, and on his return to England Canute visited Wilton to give thanks for his rescue, "with solemn gifts, and published this great miracle with prolific testimony", subsequently ordering a golden shrine to Edith to be erected at Wilton.
Edith became the focus of a major cult in Wilton and also an important national saint. Goscelin wrote her life, under the title Vita Edithe, in about 1080. The community at Wilton, in looking to her as its heavenly patron, remembered her as a royal lady who had been dedicated to its protection. In his Liber Confortatorius, Goscelin wrote that he often thought of Edith and felt her presence.
Three churches were certainly dedicated to Edith, one at Baverstock
Baverstock
Baverstock is a small village in Wiltshire, England, about west of Salisbury. The village has 10 private dwellings, a parish church and several farm buildings. It is bounded by Barford St Martin to the east, Dinton to the west, Compton Chamberlayne to the south and Steeple Langford to the north...
near Wilton, another at Bishop Wilton
Bishop Wilton
Bishop Wilton is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north of Pocklington and east of Stamford Bridge....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and a third at Limpley Stoke
Limpley Stoke
Limpley Stoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, in the Avon Valley, between Bath and Freshford. The village is below the A36 road.The civil parish, which had a population of 637 in 2001, also includes the hamlet of Waterhouse, and the outskirts of the Somerset village of Midford. The 18th...
in Wiltshire. In the 16th century, after some five hundred years, the third of these churches was rededicated to St Mary, but the other two dedications survive. However, another eighteen churches in England are dedicated to an unspecified St Edith, and it has been suggested that most of these dedications are intended for Edith of Wilton.
The Calendar of the Anglican Church comments -
Wilton Abbey itself took her name and is typically described in the later Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
as 'the convent of the house and church of St Editha of Wilton' or as the 'monastery of St Mary and St Editha of Wilton'.
Edith's feast day is on 16 September, the day following the anniversary of her death. It has also been reported as 15 September, the anniversary itself.
Seal
The seal of Edith survives. Dated to the period 975–984, it contains a portrait of her, showing her standing with one hand raised and the other holding a book. The inscription identifies her as regalis adelpha, or 'royal sister', taken to be a reference both to her status as a nun and to her being the sister of Edward and of Ethelred. The handle of the matrix has rich acanthusAcanthus (ornament)
The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.-Architecture:In architecture, an ornament is carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to...
decoration, and the seal is the only one surviving from the Anglo-Saxon period which shows this feature.
External links
- St Edith of Wilton at catholic.org
- St Edith of Wilton at Britannia.com