Experts set to dig for relics of Saxon king St. Edmund under tennis courts

Moscow, May 5, 2017

Experts intend to look for the relics of the ninth-century Saxon king St. Edmund, the original patron saint of England, which they believe are buried under tennis courts in the city of Bury St. Edmunds, reports the Telegraph. The expedition follows on the heels of the 2012 discovery of the skeleton of King Richard III under a parking lot in Leicester.  

The tennis courts in Abbey Gardens sit atop a former monks’ graveyard, where researchers believe his relics may have been moved after the desecration of the East Anglian town’s Benedictine Abbey where they were reverently housed in a shrine.

For centuries, St. Edmund’s relics have simply been considered lost, although historian Francis Young believes they would have been transferred: “The commissioners who dissolved the Abbey on November 4, 1539, mentioned nothing about the body, and given St. Edmund’s royal status it is likely they would have quietly allowed the monks to remove the body from the shrine and relocate it.”

The Tennis courts in the grounds of Abbey Gardens Bury St Edmunds where archaeologists could be set to look for King Edmund's remains CREDIT: SWNS The Tennis courts in the grounds of Abbey Gardens Bury St Edmunds where archaeologists could be set to look for King Edmund's remains CREDIT: SWNS
    

He notes that a 1697 third-hand account states that a few monks had placed St. Edmund in an iron chest, although it does not specify where within the abbey he was buried. “On balance, however, the monks' cemetery is the most likely location,” Young stated. If he was indeed placed in an iron chest, that will help in distinguishing his remains from those of the other monks.

Plans to move the courts, allowing for archaeological research, are being considered, with the backing of St. Edmundsbury Borough Council which owns the Abbey Gardens. The courts are located near the St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. Local councilor in charge of the project Robert Everitt noted the great historical importance of such a discovery. The only issue is finding a new place for the tennis courts, although there are already plausible options being considered.

St. Edmund was the king of the East Angles in the ninth century, likely killed by Vikings when he refused to denounce his Christian faith. His place of death in 869 is believed to be Suffolk or Norfolk. The Vikings removed his head so that he could not be buried whole, although, according to legend, a wolf led his loyal followers to it.

Soon after his death his relics were placed in a shrine in the abbey in the town of Bedericesworth, which later became Bury St. Edmunds. It became the most popular place of pilgrimage in England, with many future kings visiting his relics. St. Edmund later became the patron saint of England, although that role was transferred to St. George in 1327.

St. Edmund’s memory is kept on November 20/December 3.

5/5/2017

See also
 Holy Hierarch Egwin, Bishop of Worcester Holy Hierarch Egwin, Bishop of Worcester
Commemorated December 30/January 12 (repose) and September 10/23 (translation of relics)
 Holy Hierarch Egwin, Bishop of Worcester Holy Hierarch Egwin, Bishop of Worcester
Commemorated December 30/January 12 (repose) and September 10/23 (translation of relics)
Dmitry Lapa
Once a certain herdsman named Ioves was searching for a pig that had gone astray. He walked deep into the forest and saw the Mother of God with two angels on the site of present-day Evesham. Amazed by this vision, the herdsman told Bishop Egwin about the miracle. The saint prayed very hard for several days and then decided to go to that place himself. The holy hierarch had exactly the same vision, which had already appeared to Ioves. The Mother of God ordered Bishop Egwin to found a monastery on the site and blessed him with a cross. This event is considered to be the first recorded miraculous appearance of the Mother of God in England.
Who was St. Edmund? Who was St. Edmund?
Commemorated November 20/December 3
Who was St. Edmund? Who was St. Edmund?
Commemorated November 20/December 3
Edmund the Martyr was crowned King of East Anglia in 855 or 856 and was venerated as a Martyr Saint soon after his death at the hands of Danish Vikings on 20th November 869. This date remains St Edmund’s Feast Day today.
On the Feast of St. Edmund, King and Martyr On the Feast of St. Edmund, King and Martyr
Commemorated November 20/December 3
On the Feast of St. Edmund, King and Martyr On the Feast of St. Edmund, King and Martyr
Commemorated November 20/December 3
Indeed, spiritual progress can only be made through the Cross, through sacrifice. Wherever there is no sacrifice, there the Church becomes a mere institution, a ritual, an empty form. But where there is sacrifice, martyrdom, the Cross, there is spiritual life.
Comments
pjpaige10/10/2018 2:18 pm
Thank you for this interesting article. Was the body known to have been incorrupt in the past given that his shrine was formerly so important? Presumably the relics, if found and authenticated, will be suitably enshrined in St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
Malcolm Dunstall5/30/2017 11:54 am
The 'Experts' are of course entitled to look where they like, but according to my information (see 'St Edward King and Martyr' by Brian Houghton, pub. Terence Dalton, Lavenham, Suffolk 1970) they are enshrined in the private chapel of the Dukes of Norfolk at Arundel Castle in Sussex. How they came there is a story too long for this time and space, but it may be read in the book quoted.

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