Juthwara
Encyclopedia
Saint Juthwara was a British virgin and martyr
from Dorset
, who probably lived in the 6th century. Her relic
s were translated to Sherborne
during the reign of Ethelred the Unready
. Nothing further is known with certainty about her life.
Her name is how she is known in Anglo-Saxon
, apparently a corruption of the British Aud Wyry (meaning Aud the Virgin), the name by which she is known in Brittany
. She was said to have been the sister of Paul Aurelian
, Sidwell of Exeter
and Wulvela but this is hotly debated.
of Saint Juthwara is known from John Capgrave
's Nova Legenda Angliae, after John of Tynemouth
mid-14th century. According to this, she was a pious girl who was the victim of a jealous stepmother. She prayed and fasted often, and frequently gave alms
. Upon the death of her father, she began to suffer a pain in her chest. Its source was ascribed to her sorrow and austerities. As a remedy, her stepmother recommended two soft cheese
s be applied to her breasts, telling her own son, Bana, that Juthwara was pregnant. Bana felt her underclothes and found them moist, whereupon he immediately struck off her head. A spring of water appeared at the spot. Juthwara then miraculously picked up her head and carried it back to the church. Bana repented of his deed and became a monk
, founding a monastery of Gerber (later known as Le Relecq) on a battlefield.
in Dorset, where local tradition points to a field still called by her name, modernised to 'Judith'. Baring-Gould
and Fisher suggested instead Lanteglos-by-Camelford in North Cornwall
where the church is now named for Saint Julitta, but may have originally borne Juthwara's name. At Laneast
ten miles to the east the church is dedicated to her sisters but this has apparently arisen by a modern confusion between Laneast and Gulval (also known as Lanestly): at Laneast the dedication in 1436 was to SS. Sativola and Thomas the Martyr, Wolvela does not appear until George Oliver
's Monasticon.
in the early 11th century and her shrine
remained a place of pilgrimage
there until the Dissolution
. An illustration of her beheading appears in the Sherborne Missal
.
Juthwara is depicted on a number of altar screens in Devon
, in company with her sister Sidwell. Her traditional emblem is a round soft cheese and/or a sword
. She is depicted as a cephalophore
in a late medieval statue in Guizeny, in Brittany
.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
from 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...
, who probably lived in the 6th century. Her 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...
s were translated to Sherborne
Sherborne
Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...
during the reign of Ethelred the Unready
Ethelred the Unready
Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II , was king of England . He was son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred was only about 10 when his half-brother Edward was murdered...
. Nothing further is known with certainty about her life.
Her name is how she is known in Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
, apparently a corruption of the British Aud Wyry (meaning Aud the Virgin), the name by which she is known in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. She was said to have been the sister of Paul Aurelian
Paul Aurelian
Paul Aurelian is a 6th century Welsh saint, who became one of the seven founder saints of Brittany....
, Sidwell of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and Wulvela but this is hotly debated.
Legend
The legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
of Saint Juthwara is known from John Capgrave
John Capgrave
John Capgrave was an English historian, hagiographer and scholastic theologian-Schooling:Capgrave was born in Bishop's Lynn, now King's Lynn, Norfolk – "My cuntre is Northfolke, of the town of Lynne"...
's Nova Legenda Angliae, after John of Tynemouth
John of Tynemouth (chronicler)
John of Tynemouth was a medieval English chronicler who flourished in the mid 14th-century.Little is known of his background. According to medieval accounts, he was claimed to have been the vicar of the parish of Tynemouth in Northumberland...
mid-14th century. According to this, she was a pious girl who was the victim of a jealous stepmother. She prayed and fasted often, and frequently gave alms
Alms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
. Upon the death of her father, she began to suffer a pain in her chest. Its source was ascribed to her sorrow and austerities. As a remedy, her stepmother recommended two soft cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
s be applied to her breasts, telling her own son, Bana, that Juthwara was pregnant. Bana felt her underclothes and found them moist, whereupon he immediately struck off her head. A spring of water appeared at the spot. Juthwara then miraculously picked up her head and carried it back to the church. Bana repented of his deed and became a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, founding a monastery of Gerber (later known as Le Relecq) on a battlefield.
Location
Juthwara's death took place at Halyngstoka, generally accepted as HalstockHalstock
Halstock is a village in north west Dorset, England, five miles south of Yeovil, and lies on the route of the ancient Harrow Way. The village has a population of 470 , down from a peak of over 600 in the mid-nineteenth century.-History:...
in Dorset, where local tradition points to a field still called by her name, modernised to 'Judith'. Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1240 publications, though this list continues to grow. His family home, Lew Trenchard Manor near Okehampton, Devon, has been preserved as he had it...
and Fisher suggested instead Lanteglos-by-Camelford in North Cornwall
North Cornwall
North Cornwall was the largest of the six local government districts of Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its council was based in Wadebridge . Other towns in the district included Bude, Bodmin, Launceston, Padstow, and Camelford....
where the church is now named for Saint Julitta, but may have originally borne Juthwara's name. At Laneast
Laneast
Laneast is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated above the River Inny valley approximately six miles west of Launceston. The population in the 2001 census was 164.-Geography:...
ten miles to the east the church is dedicated to her sisters but this has apparently arisen by a modern confusion between Laneast and Gulval (also known as Lanestly): at Laneast the dedication in 1436 was to SS. Sativola and Thomas the Martyr, Wolvela does not appear until George Oliver
George Oliver (historian)
George Oliver was an English Roman Catholic priest and historian of the Exeter area.-Life:He was born at Newington, Surrey, on 9 February 1781, and was educated, first at Sedgley Park School, Staffordshire, and afterwards at Stonyhurst College...
's Monasticon.
Veneration
Juthwara's feast day is 18 November. Her translation is generally held to be 13 July, although one source gives 6 January. Her body was translated to Sherborne AbbeySherborne Abbey
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin at Sherborne in the English county of Dorset, is usually called Sherborne Abbey. It has been a Saxon cathedral , a Benedictine abbey and is now a parish church.- Cathedral :...
in the early 11th century and her shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
remained a place of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
there until the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. An illustration of her beheading appears in the Sherborne Missal
Sherborne Missal
The Sherborne Missal is a 15th century English illuminated manuscript missal in the British Library that has survived in excellent condition. It weighs 20 kg and has 347 leaves. It was commissioned by Abbott Robert Bruyning of Sherborne, and was made for use at Sherborne Abbey...
.
Juthwara is depicted on a number of altar screens in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, in company with her sister Sidwell. Her traditional emblem is a round soft cheese and/or a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
. She is depicted as a cephalophore
Cephalophore
A cephalophore is a saint who is generally depicted carrying his or her own head; in art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading....
in a late medieval statue in Guizeny, in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.