Saint Withburga
Encyclopedia
Wihtburh (died 743) was an East Anglia saint, princess and abbess
who was possibly a daughter of Anna of East Anglia
. She founded a monastery at Dereham
in Norfolk
and a traditional story says that the Virgin Mary sent a pair of does to provide milk for her workers during the monastery's construction. Her body is supposed to have been uncorrupted when discovered half a century after her death: it was later stolen on the orders of the abbot of Ely
and a spring then appeared at the site of the saint's empty tomb at Dereham.
, but she is not mentioned by Bede
, who was well-informed about her elder sisters Seaxburh of Ely
, Æthelthryth
and Æthelburh of Faremoutiers and Sæthryth, her older half-sister.
in East Dereham, Norfolk
. A traditional story relates that while she was building the convent she had nothing but dry bread to give to the workmen. She prayed to the Virgin Mary and was told to send her maids to a local well each morning. There they found two wild does which provided milk for the workers. This allowed the workers to be fed.
The local overseer did not like Wihtburh or her miracles and decided to hunt these does down with dogs and prevent them from coming to be milked. He was punished for his cruelty when he was thrown from his horse and broke his neck. This story is commemorated in the large town sign in the centre of East Dereham.
In 974 Brithnoth, the abbot of Ely
, elected to steal her body so that he could have financial gain from the pilgrims. Brithnoth and some armed men came to Dereham and organised a feast. When the Dereham men were properly drunk, the Ely mob stole Withburga's body and set off for home. Dereham soon found out that this crime had taken place and set off after the Ely criminals.
There was a large fight between the two sides, with spears as well as fists being thrown. As the men approached Ely, however, the thieves had the advantage of knowing their way through the swamps and marshes - and Wihtburh was deposited in Ely.
When the Dereham men returned home, however, they found that a spring had appeared in Wihtburh's violated tomb. The water in this spring was considered to be compensation for the loss of their saint and pilgrims continued to come and drink from the water. The spring has never run dry and the water, in Withburga's violated tomb, can be visited to this day.
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
who was possibly a daughter of Anna of East Anglia
Anna of East Anglia
Anna was King of East Anglia from the early 640s until his death. Anna was a member of the Wuffingas family, the ruling dynasty of the East Angles. He was one of the three sons of Eni who ruled East Anglia, succeeding some time after Ecgric was killed in battle by Penda of Mercia...
. She founded a monastery at Dereham
Dereham
Dereham, also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and a traditional story says that the Virgin Mary sent a pair of does to provide milk for her workers during the monastery's construction. Her body is supposed to have been uncorrupted when discovered half a century after her death: it was later stolen on the orders of the abbot of Ely
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
and a spring then appeared at the site of the saint's empty tomb at Dereham.
Family
Tradition describes Wihtburh as the youngest of the daughters of Anna of East AngliaAnna of East Anglia
Anna was King of East Anglia from the early 640s until his death. Anna was a member of the Wuffingas family, the ruling dynasty of the East Angles. He was one of the three sons of Eni who ruled East Anglia, succeeding some time after Ecgric was killed in battle by Penda of Mercia...
, but she is not mentioned by Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
, who was well-informed about her elder sisters Seaxburh of Ely
Seaxburh of Ely
Seaxburh ; also Saint Sexburga of Ely, was the queen of King Eorcenberht of Kent, as well as an abbess and a saint of the Christian Church....
, Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon saint often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey...
and Æthelburh of Faremoutiers and Sæthryth, her older half-sister.
The legend of Saint Wihtburh and the does
After her father's death (c.653) Wihtburh built a conventConvent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
in East Dereham, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. A traditional story relates that while she was building the convent she had nothing but dry bread to give to the workmen. She prayed to the Virgin Mary and was told to send her maids to a local well each morning. There they found two wild does which provided milk for the workers. This allowed the workers to be fed.
The local overseer did not like Wihtburh or her miracles and decided to hunt these does down with dogs and prevent them from coming to be milked. He was punished for his cruelty when he was thrown from his horse and broke his neck. This story is commemorated in the large town sign in the centre of East Dereham.
Events following Wihtburh's death
Wihtburh died in 743 and was buried in the abbey cemetery. Her body was dug up 55 years later, was found not to have decayed and was moved into the church that she had built. Dereham became a place of pilgrimage, with people coming to visit Wihtburh's tomb.In 974 Brithnoth, the abbot of Ely
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
, elected to steal her body so that he could have financial gain from the pilgrims. Brithnoth and some armed men came to Dereham and organised a feast. When the Dereham men were properly drunk, the Ely mob stole Withburga's body and set off for home. Dereham soon found out that this crime had taken place and set off after the Ely criminals.
There was a large fight between the two sides, with spears as well as fists being thrown. As the men approached Ely, however, the thieves had the advantage of knowing their way through the swamps and marshes - and Wihtburh was deposited in Ely.
When the Dereham men returned home, however, they found that a spring had appeared in Wihtburh's violated tomb. The water in this spring was considered to be compensation for the loss of their saint and pilgrims continued to come and drink from the water. The spring has never run dry and the water, in Withburga's violated tomb, can be visited to this day.