"On the road..." is a series of posts about our Discovery
of Britain's highways and byways. Whether it be some family fun, a
surprising connection or just a beautiful spot we want to share our love for
this country with you.
Today we visit Gloucester
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| The remains of Saint Oswald's Priory |
A small Anglo-Saxon church was built here around 900 AD by
Aethelred (d.911) the Earl of Mercia and
his wife, Aethelflaed (d.918)- the daughter of Alfred the Great (849-899). They dedicated the church to St. Peter.
Nine years later it was rededicated to Oswald (604-642AD)
the King of Northumbria who, during his eight year reign, became the most
powerful king in England. His kingdom
stretched down the East of the country through what is now East Yorkshire,
Northumberland, Durham, Berwickshire, and East Lothian. He is credited with helping Christianity
spread in the north of England by granting the Holy Island of Lindisfarne for
the Bishop to govern and minister. So,
why did Aethelred and Aethelflaed change the church’s name from Peter to
Oswald?
Oswald was killed in battle in 642 AD. He was dismembered, but it took 267 years for
all of his body parts to find a peaceful resting place. One arm went to Bamburgh near Lindisfarne
only to be stolen by Peterborough monks, 250 miles south, who took a fancy to
this arm joining their fine display of ‘sacred’ relics. Relics meant pilgrims,
and pilgrims meant money. Peterborough
also claimed to have pieces of the Saviour’s swaddling clothes and manger,
remains from the five loaves and fishes, remnants of Mary’s cloak, and bones of Peter, Paul, Andrew and Thomas
the Becket. They guarded Oswald’s
precious arm in a specially made tower in case anyone else got the idea of
stealing it from them - a classic example of holy relics getting out of
hand.
Oswald’s head and a rib went to Durham Cathedral. Although a number of other European
monasteries wanted to cash in on the action, so there are four other contenders
for the keepers of the holy head - Luxembourg, Switzerland, the
Netherlands and Germany.
Meanwhile, back on the field of battle, a raven is supposed
to have carried Oswald’s other arm to a nearby tree. Thereafter miracles began around that tree
and the spring of water nearby and it became known as ‘Oswald’s Tree’. The area where the rest of him was buried is
known today as Oswestry in Shropshire.
Thirty Seven years later these remains were moved 150 miles
east of Oswestry to Bardney Abbey (679) where his niece wanted the saintly and
miraculous bones of her Uncle Oswald near to her. His reputation for miracles accompanied him
and for the next 230 years he continued to be revered at this Lincolnshire
spot.
But…Lincolnshire was repeatedly under threat from Viking
invasions and in 909 AD the much loved remains of Oswald were removed for
safety 150 miles south west here to Gloucester.
Although it seems he may have
been dispersed a bit further afield as monasteries at Bath, Glastonbury, Hexham,
Reading, St. Albans, Christchurch, Tynemouth and York all claimed to have parts
of him as well! This five headed, three armed man is starting
to sound more like a mutant than a saintly king. But here, in Gloucester, most of him was
finally laid to rest and both Aethelred and Aethelflaed were buried near
him.
This royal burial spot became overshadowed and side-lined as
the new Norman Cathedral began to rise (1089) and St Oswald’s became a humble
monastic house for Augustinian canons (1152). They added a cloister which is marked today by
the hedges between the ruin and Archdeacon Street.
In 1536/37 the priory was one of 5 monastic houses closed in
Gloucester and one of 56 in the whole of Gloucestershire during Henry VIII’s
dissolution of the monasteries. It
served for a century as a parish church but met its end when it was destroyed
during a Civil War siege (1643). The
remains became part of people’s homes until it was finally left just as an
ancient monument – a reminder of over 1115 years of history.
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