Beorhthelm of Stafford

Beorhthelm (also Bertelin, Bertram and Bettelin) is an Anglo-Saxon saint about whom the only evidence is legendary. He is said to have had a hermitage on the island of Bethnei, which later became the town of Stafford. Later he went to a more hilly area, possibly near Ilam, where he died.[1] His shrine is in the Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam.[2] He is the patron saint of Stafford.[3] There are some remains of the medieval shrine of St Beorhthelm near the west end of St Mary's Collegiate Church in Stafford.[4]

St. Bettelin (Bertram) of Stafford is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, with a feast day on 10 August.

Bertram was said to be an 8th century son of a Mercian king who renounced his royal heritage for prayer and meditation after his wife and child were killed by wolves. He is said to have converted many to Christianity, and his shrine became a point of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, reputedly to be able to work miraculous cures.

The priory of Augustinian canons founded in 1115 on the south bank of the River Mersey at Runcorn, Cheshire, initially dedicated to Beorhthelm, was adopted from the dedication to him of a Saxon church already existing on the site. This priory was the predecessor of Norton Priory.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Greenslade, M. W., ed. (1970). Religious houses: Introduction. A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3. Victoria County History. Published for the Institute of Historical Research by Oxford University Press. pp. 135–139. ISBN 0-19-722732-5. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  2. ↑ "Images of England: Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam". English Heritage. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  3. ↑ "About the Borough". Stafford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  4. ↑ Betjeman, John, ed. (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches: the North. London: Collins; p. 255
  5. ↑ Greene, J. Patrick (1989). Norton Priory: the archaeology of a medieval religious house. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–3. ISBN 0-521-33054-8.

Sources

  • Bowkett, L.C. (1986) The Stafford Hinterland – An archaeological review from the Roman Invasion to circa 850 AD[1]



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