Sidwell (also known as Sidwella and other minor variants; la, Sativola) was a

virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

saint from 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 ...

, She is the patron saint of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

and sister to Saint Juthwara.

Legend

Sidwell was a Saxon Christian living in Exeter"St Sidwell martyred outside city walls", Telling Our Stories, Devon Development Education
/ref>in the 8th century. Her father was a wealthy landowner named Benna, who died leaving his daughter in the care of a cruel stepmother, who was jealous of her beauty and virtue and coveted her inheritance. Sidwell often left the city to bring food to the villagers working the fields outside the city walls. The ''Catalogus Sanctorum Pausantium in Anglia'' says she was beheaded by a couple of corn reapers, hired to do so by her stepmother. They cut off her head with a scythe, and where her head came to rest, water sprang up. A shaft of light shone over the site for three nights. She was buried at

St Sidwells St Sidwell's is an area east of Exeter city centre in the ward of Newtown. Formerly a village in its own right, St Sidwells grew in importance along with Exeter thanks to its location on the main cart track between Exeter and the high ground of ...

. The story bears a striking similarity to that of both Saint Urith and Saint

Juthwara Saint Juthwara or Jutwara was a virgin and martyr from Dorset. According to her legend, she was an eighth century Saxon, and sister to Saint Sidwell, though some historians have theorised she was a Briton living in the sixth century. Her relics ...

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish includes the hamlets of Nether Coombe and Lower Clatcombe. T ...

, her supposed sister.Orme, Nicholas. "Sidwell (Sativola)", ''The Saints of Cornwall'', OUP Oxford, 2000, p. 234
(The springs at St Sidwell's had existed since Roman times, and had been tapped for the needs of the city with the water piped via wooden aqueducts to supply the citadel. The fort was abandoned around the year 75 when the troops were relocated to

Isca Augusta Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or '' vicus'', the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban village of Caerleon in the north of the city o ...

.) The spring became the Well of St Sidwell, near the corner of present-day Well Street and York Road. It was a place of pilgrimage in Anglo-Saxon and Norman England. It can now be found inside the building at Number 3, Well Street.

Veneration

The

cultus Cultus may refer to: *Cult (religious practice) * ''Cultus'' (stonefly), a genus of stoneflies *Cultus Bay, a bay in Washington *Cultus Lake (disambiguation) Cultus Lake may refer to: *Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Canada *Cultus Lake (Oregon), Un ...

of Sidwell has been active at

from Anglo-Saxon times.

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

s were visiting her shrine by 1000, and their activity is mentioned both by John Leland and William Worcestre. Sidwell's feast day is variously given as 31 July, 1 August or 2 August. The Church of St Sidwell, located just outside the site of Exeter's east gate, is still extant, though it was largely rebuilt after being bombed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

."St Sidwell's Church, Sidwell Street", Exeter Memories, 13 September 2009
/ref> One of the main streets in Exeter is Sidwell Street. A church at Laneast in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

is dedicated to Sidwell. Here, too, is a holy well.

Iconography

In art, Sidwell is represented 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 tr ...

and a well at her side.

, formerly a village now part of Exeter, bears her name and she appears in stained glass in

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 14 ...

as well as in the chapel at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

and 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 activitie ...

Ashton Ashton may refer to: Names *Ashton (given name) *Ashton (surname) Places Australia * Ashton, Elizabeth Bay, a heritage-listed house in Sydney, New South Wales *Ashton, South Australia Canada *Ashton, Ontario New Zealand * Ashton, New Zealand ...

. She is also depicted on at least seven painted

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, ...

s around the same county. The sculpture in Sidwell Street was created by Bideford artist Fred Irving in 1969 and is made of fibreglass.

References

Sources

* Farmer, David Hugh (1978). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints''. Oxford University Press.

Legend

Veneration

Iconography

References

Sources

Further reading