St. Bettelin - Patron Saint of Stafford town!

db

db

#chaplife
i wonder why his remains are 30 miles away at ilam, then, when he has his own 'kin church in the 'ford? :raise:
 
M

Monquey

Dressed like Cadfael
He's better known as Saint Bertram, and was given a hermitage in Stafford by the Royal Courts of Mercia, but then:

A New King took throne. Not being a religious man, he demanded back the land on which the hermitage stood. It was decided that the matter should be settled by man to man combat. Bertram prayed for someone to come forward to fight for the hermitage. A man who was a dwarf came forward and Bertram remembering the David and Goliath accepted his offer. The dwarf was agile and quick and the hermitage kept its land.
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:master:

There must be a dwarf smilie in here somewhere.....
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
In the current vein of unearthing old threads, the way i understand it is thus;

Bertelin, after suffering the understandable setback of having his(i thought)two sons and wife eaten by a wolf in Ireland, came back to Mercia and told his father that he had decided to convert to Christianity and dedicate his life to Christ, desiring in the process a Hermitage in which to reside. Stafford was perfect, for at that time, indeed to the present day, twas an island surrounded to the West and South by the RiverSow and to the East by a swamp.
Bertelin was then so beset by noisome f**kers calling upon him on account of him being a holy man and ting( miracles being accorded etc) that he quit the 'Ford', noisome as it had become with said f**kers, and set up home in Ilam, where he is reportedly buried.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Isn't it strange that two of Stafford's major historical figures are associated with places about thirty miles away - and yet only a few hundred yards apart. Bertelin with Ilam ( where there is a Youth Hostel - a modern hermitage? ) and Izaak Walton with Dovedale, just up the road. Perhaps there's a moral here?..
 
7

70-plus

Well-Known Forumite
Perhaps they went to Ilam for the fishing - fishers of fish and fishers of men (perhaps women).
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
The irony is, of course, that the patron Saint of Stafford is a man who left on account of the inhabitants pissing him off so much. The further implication from this legend is that Stafford was founded by a bunch of noisome f**ckers. Scarcely credible.
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
I have been unable to find my original source for the two sons but i have unearthed an heretofore unmentioned part of the Bertelin/Bettelin/Bertram/Beorthelm/Bertoline story -

And in the time of his direst hunger, the devil came to him
and offered him loaves, but the hermit commanded that they should rather
be turned into stones, which was done forthwith ; and the stones are still to be seen at this place, which was named from him who did the miracle "Bertelmesley".
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'Bertelmesley' yields naught on ye old charts of google.

Which is more unsurprising than you might have thought.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
cookie_monster said:
cant you just go to st bertelins church at holmcroft? at least that sounds like its a bit easier to find.

No. 8 to parkside goes down holmcroft road, jump off by the surgery and walk past the shops up to the corner of eccleshall road and youre there. :D
db said:
jesus wept, your knowledge of 'Ford geography brings a patriotic tear to my eye! so this patron saint of stafford actually has a church in the 'ford??
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Indeed, and St Bertelin's Chapel was down by the Windmill - so, rather more centrally located then.

1481-0.jpg


http://www.search.staffspasttrack.o...irection=2&pointer=19990&text=0&resource=1481
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
Gave the Danes an almighty whooping for starters, and with a very successful alliance with Wessex, paving the way for a united Kingdom of the English.

Jury is still out as to whether this was a good thing or not - time will tell... :)
 
darben

darben

Well-Known Forumite
I went to Ilam today on a whim after reading this thread, I've never been before - what a beautiful and amazing place & a lovely countryside on the drive out.

Ta muchly! As I'd never heard of it before what a gem of a place. It's got everything woods, bubbling river, park, hills with interesting geography, countryside, lots of ancient history including Saxon crosses in the church yard.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
darben said:
I went to Ilam today on a whim after reading this thread, I've never been before - what a beautiful and amazing place & a lovely countryside on the drive out.

Ta muchly! As I'd never heard of it before what a gem of a place.
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I used to go there a lot. Ilam Hall is, or was, a Youth Hostel, should you want to stay over. Plenty of nice walks about, even if you avoid Dovedale itself. The ascent of Bunster Hill is worth it and Thorpe Cloud is an impressive lump.
 
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