
Back to Blogs
Discover
10 Things You May Not Know About St Edmund
Bury St Edmunds takes its name from King Edmund, the original Patron Saint of England and King of East Anglia, but what else do we know?
Some Things You May Not Know About Saint Edmund
Photo: Tom Soper
1. Edmund was crowned King of East Anglia at Bures in Essex on Christmas Day 855.
2. Edmund died on 20 November 869, now marked as St Edmund’s Day. He refused to give up his Christian faith and so was tied to a tree and shot full of arrows before being beheaded.
3. Edmund is the patron of Kings, pandemics, the Roman Catholic diocese of East Anglia, Douai Abbey, wolves, torture victims, protection from the plague.

Statue of St Edmund by Dame Elisabeth Frink which can be found in The Great Churchyard. Photo: Rebecca Austin.
4. It is still a mystery where Edmund was killed. In 1101 Haegelisdun (or Hellesden) is mentioned as being the spot where Edmund was martyred. For many years Hoxne claimed this honour. Another theory is that it is Bradfield St Clare, south of Bury St Edmunds.
5. One miracle attributed to Saint Edmund tells the story of a blind man with a boy who sheltered overnight in the chapel who left in the morning with his eyesight restored.
6. By 1014, the formidable Danish warrior Sweyn Forkbeard, had seized most of England and proclaimed himself King. According to legend, the people’s prayers to St Edmund were answered when Sweyn cried out in agony early one morning ‘I am struck by St Edmund’ and died.

The Legend of St Edmund oak book on display in the Abbey Gardens.
7. St Edmund's shrine at the Abbey of St Edmund in Bury St Edmunds became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage locations in England. For centuries the shrine was visited by various kings of England, many of whom gave generously to the abbey.
8. The Abbey of St Edmund was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Edmund’s bejewelled shrine was plundered but Edmund’s body was missing and his whereabouts remain a great mystery today.
9. In his book Edmund – In Search of England’s Lost King, Historian Dr Francis Young explores the theory that St Edmund may be buried in the monks’ cemetery which lies beneath the tennis courts in the Abbey Gardens and consecrated ground.
10. Churches dedicated to his memory are to be found all over England, including St Edmund the King and Martyr's Church in London, designed by Sir Christopher Wren during the 1670s. Edmund's martyrdom features on several medieval wall-paintings to be found in churches across England.

The Shrine of St Edmund. Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons
Related Posts
Related Blogs
News
Abbey 1000 Celebrations…
West Suffolk College students have created a large…

News
New Interpretation Unveiled…
New interpretation imagines the Abbey as it might have…

News
Abbey Treasures
From Cambridge to Rome, we go in search of the…
News
Abbey 1000 Celebrations to…
A spectacular light show will take place every evening…

News
Ickworth, The Hervey Family…
What Happened to the Abbey after the dissolution of…
Latest news

News
Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival - Full Line Up Announced!
Head to the Stoves Cookery Theatre to see the best of Bury St Edmunds showcasing their culinary skills!

News
East Anglian Wine of the Year Competition 2022 to be Held at Giffords Hall Vineyard
A public open table tasting will follow the annual regional competition for wines from the East
News
Abbey 1000 Celebrations Continue as New Sculpture of St Edmund is Unveiled
West Suffolk College students have created a large sculpture of the head of St Edmund as part of an ongoing celebration Abbey 1000 celebrations.

News
Ghosts of the Abbey
It has been 1000 years since the founding of the Abbey of St Edmund and unsurprisingly there have been a number of ghost stories over that time. We take a look at a few of them ...

News
Parks Receive Green Flag Awards
West Suffolk Councils is awarded six Green Flags for its parks and open spaces including the award-winning Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds

News
New Interpretation Unveiled At Bury St Edmunds Abbey Marks 1,000 Years
New interpretation imagines the Abbey as it might have appeared over the last millennium

News
50 Things To Do This Summer in Bury St Edmunds
Here's our pick of 50 things to do this summer in Bury St Edmunds and Beyond!

News
4 weeks of Christmas in Bury St Edmunds!
Christmas is lasting longer in Bury St Edmunds than ever before!

News
Family Events Not to be Missed This Summer!
From outdoor theatre and cinema, to festivals, fairs and exhibitions, plan a summer of fun in Bury St Edmunds & Beyond!