Ethelburga

Strange how things link together. I have spent a long time over recent years reading about Edwin, King of Northumbria, and finding places associated with him. Today I found his wife - Ethelburga!

It all started, as they often do, with a search for a Well - St Ethelburga’s Well in Lyminge, not far from where we are staying. The Well was easy to find and quite impressive. There is a well house and a shelter above, which houses a pump, installed to raise water from the spring to the road. The well is said to have supplied the village with water up until 1905. The housing was built in 1898, but there is a sign inside saying that the well was sunk in the 7th century by Ethelburga.

Ethelburga was the daughter of King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha of Kent. She married Edwin, King of Northumbria but, when he was killed in battle in 633AD, she fled back to Kent for safety. Her brother was by then King Eabald and he gave her some royal property in Lyminge so she could build a double minster or convent for men and women. She was the first Abbess and remained so until her death in 647. She was named a saint and was buried in the church. Part of the current church dates back to Ethelburga’s time (see extra).

   
As we were at the well we heard the church bells and when we arrived at the church a group of bell ringers were just leaving. A very nice lady greeted us and told us a lot about the church - I now know that a ‘quarter peal’ takes 45 minutes. That’s a long time to be ringing those bells.

I'm not sure whether this classes as a holy well, but I think the holy (and royal) links are pretty strong!!