Urith
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Urith (also known in
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
as Iwerydd) was a Christian woman from the
Westcountry The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...
of Great Britain who was alleged to have been
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
ed in the 8th century, and subsequently revered as a saint. The name is still common in the English county of
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. Her feast day is 8 July and her shrine is located in the North Devon village of
Chittlehampton Chittlehampton is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Swimbridge, Filleigh, South Molton, Satterleigh and Warkleigh, High Bickington ...
. Her name is also known in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
as Hieritha and occasionally corrupted to Erth.


History

Urith is a fairly obscure figure. John Leland makes no mention of her, nor does Capgrave's ''Nova Legenda Angliae'', and Nicholas Roscarock knew little of her apart from the fact of her existence. A book of her life, containing a record of her
miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
s, was at one time present in her shrine, and appears to be the basis of a rhyming poem in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
now held by
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
. According to both this and
William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...
, her legend was as follows:


Legend

Legend says Saint Urith was born at East StowfordHoskins, W. G. "Devon", 1954
/ref> in Swimbridge parish, in the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
county of
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, to an Anglo-Saxon father and unknown mother. She was converted to Christianity by St
Kea The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wing ...
, lived as a hermit in nearby Chittlehampton, where she founded a church."Early Saints of the Ancient Kingdom of Dumnonia", Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries
/ref> At the urging of an allegedly jealous, and perhaps
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
, stepmother, some female haymakers beheaded the girl with a
scythe A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor mac ...
, during a period of severe drought. When she fell to the ground, a
spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
of water burst from the spot and flowers, thought to be scarlet pimpernels,"About our School", Church of England Primary School, Chittlehampton
/ref> sprang forth wherever a drop of her blood was sprinkled. Chanter, J. F. "St Urith of Chittlehampon: A Study in an Obscure Devon Saint", ''Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art'', Tavistock, July 1914, p. 290
/ref> These last elements of her legend are the same as those found in the Lives of Sidwell and Juthwara. Urith was buried near the site of her
martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
and a church was later built above her grave.


Veneration

Saint Urith's holy well still stands at the east end of
Chittlehampton Chittlehampton is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Swimbridge, Filleigh, South Molton, Satterleigh and Warkleigh, High Bickington ...
, now called by the corrupt name of Taddy Well or Saint Teara's Well. Many of the pilgrims were sufferers of eye disease who came to anoint themselves with the holy water. There are still two stone crosses in the parish which may have been guideposts to the shrine. The exact burial place of Saint Urith was probably in the small chapel on the north side of the sanctuary of the
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
, which originally contained an image of the saint. This chapel now doubles as a passage leading to a vestry. There is reason to believe that a medieval slab there may still cover Saint Urith's body. There was a regular pilgrimage to her shrine on her feast day, 8 July, until 1539. Offerings left there were sufficient to rebuild the church tower, reputedly the finest in Devon. Even in the last year of pilgrimages, the vicar received £50 from his share of the offerings. This was three times his income from
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...
s and
glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
. By 1540 the saint's statue had been removed from the church. The pulpit of the church, carved around 1500, survives and this depicts Urith holding a
martyr's palm The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm ''(Phoenix)'' was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient Egypt represented immortality. I ...
and the foundation stone of the church. A modern statue now stands in a niche high up on the exterior of the tower and she is also shown in a stained-glass window of the 16th century found at Nettlecombe in
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
. Continuing the tradition, the pilgrimage has now been revived and villagers still celebrate the legend on her feast day, with a procession to the well. The Trinity College hymn is sung by the congregation, the well is opened and water drawn from it and blessed.


Trinity College hymn

''"Sing, Chittlehampton, sing!
''Let all Devon's meadows ring with Holy Gladness for our Saint's renown'',
''And thou'',
''Blest maiden pray'',
''that we on this our day'',
''May bear our cross and win our heavenly crown''".


Devonshire girls baptised Urith

*Hyeritha Trefusis, a daughter of
Robert Edward Trefusis Robert Edward Trefusis (24 January 18439 July 1930) was the first suffragan Bishop of Crediton from 1897 to 1930. Origins Trefusis was born in Bideford in 1843, the second son of George Trefusis (1793–1849), a younger son of Robert Trefusis, 1 ...
(1843–1930), vicar of Chittlehampton 1867–89 and later suffragan
Bishop of Crediton The Bishop of Crediton is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Crediton in Devon, England. The title was originally used by the Anglo-Saxons in the 10th and 11th centuries for a diocese covering Devon and Cornwall. It is now ...
. She became known to local parishioners as "Miss Urith". *Urith Pole, a daughter of Sir John Pole, 3rd Baronet (1649–1708), of Shute, Devon, and wife of
Sir John Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet Sir John Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet (9 April 1670 – 25 September 1755) of Nettlecombe, Somerset, Nettlecombe, Somerset was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the English House of Commons, English and House of Commons of Great Britai ...
(1670–1755), of
Nettlecombe Court Nettlecombe Court and park is an old estate on the northern fringes of the Brendon Hills, within the Exmoor National Park. They are within the civil parish of Nettlecombe, named after the house, and are approximately from the village of Willi ...
in Somerset. A stained-glass figure of St Urith survives in an early 16th-century window in Nettlecombe Church, with the Latin inscription ''Sancta Uritha".Andrews, p. 240. *Urith Shapcott (born 1617), wife of Sir Courtenay Pole, 2nd Baronet (1618–1695). She was the daughter of the lawyer Thomas Shapcott (1587–1670) of Shapcott in the parish of
Knowstone Knowstone is a village and civil parish situated in the North Devon district of Devon, England, halfway between the Mid Devon town of Tiverton, Devon and the North Devon town of South Molton. The hamlet of East Knowstone lies due east of the vi ...
, Devon, by his wife Urith Sotherin (d. 1661) of Cheshire. Vivian, Lt.Col. J. L., (ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p. 677. *Urith Chichester, a daughter of Sir John Chichester (1519/20 – 1569) of
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
in
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, who in 1591 married John Trevelyan of
Nettlecombe Court Nettlecombe Court and park is an old estate on the northern fringes of the Brendon Hills, within the Exmoor National Park. They are within the civil parish of Nettlecombe, named after the house, and are approximately from the village of Willi ...
in Somerset. It may have been in memory of this marriage that the existing stained-glass figure of a female saint (possibly St Sidwell) in a window of Nettlecombe Church was given the inscription ''Sancta Uritha''.


References


Sources

*Farmer, David Hugh. (1978). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints''. Oxford: Oxford University Press *Withycombe, E. G. (1950) ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names''; 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; p. 272


External links


Devon CC: ChittlehamptonIcon of St. Urith of Chittlehampton written in canonical style.
{{authority control 8th-century Christian martyrs 8th-century English women Anglo-Saxon saints People from North Devon (district) British hermits Legendary English people