A number of years ago I finished researching a maternal family line that came to an end in Cornwall in the last years of the 13th century. Despite being Cornish I was surprised to find that this families bloodline can be traced all the way up country to Oswestry in Shropshire. Whilst adding a few updates to this family's story, I found out this amazing fact - the town of Oswestry was founded, so legend tells us, as the result of the death on this day in 641/2 of King Oswald of Northumbria.
Oswald was a 7th-century king, the son of Aethelfrith King of Bernicia - a territory that made up half of what is now Northumbria. Oswald was killed at the aforementioned Battle of Maserfield following a power struggle with the Mercians under the leadership of Penda, the King of Mercia. This battle was thought to have taken place at Maes-y-llan which is just to the north of Oswestry.
Following the battle Oswald's body was dismembered, his head and limbs were placed on stakes. However, one of his arms, so the legends has it, was taken by his pet raven but eventually dropped. The arm landed in a tree, or a tree grew where it landed and in time this site would become known as Oswald's Tree or Oswestry. Oswald's remains would continue to be moved from one place to another, the last time being some two hundred and fifty years later. Oswald would later become St Oswald.
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The story of Oswald's relics began the year after his death when Oswiu, Oswald's brother, who had returned to Northumbria from Scotland in 633, retrieved his body parts and placed them at three different locations namely Bamburgh, who received an arm, Lindisfarne who received his head and at Bardney in Lincolnshire who received his torso. However, another account has it that it was Osthryth, Oswald's niece, who moved Oswald's bones (that of his torso) to Bardney Abbey sometime before 697 where they would rest until 909 when they made their final journey to St Peter's Abbey, later St Oswald's Priory in Gloucester.
Oswald's head was eventually interred in Durham Cathedral - his other three heads made their way to different places in Europe! Poor Oswald's other arm is said to have eventually made its way to Peterborough Cathedral.
So the cult of St Oswald was established.
Bardney Abbey was one of the first abbeys built along the River Witham on land granted by Oswald, it was endowed by Osthryth and her husband Aethelred. After her murder, Osthryth would later be buried there herself.
Oswald's head was eventually interred in Durham Cathedral - his other three heads made their way to different places in Europe! Poor Oswald's other arm is said to have eventually made its way to Peterborough Cathedral.
So the cult of St Oswald was established.
Bardney Abbey was one of the first abbeys built along the River Witham on land granted by Oswald, it was endowed by Osthryth and her husband Aethelred. After her murder, Osthryth would later be buried there herself.
This tall tale reminds me of the scene in The Wizard of Oz when the witches flying monkeys pull the Scarecrow apart to which the Tinman says "Well, that's him all over!"
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