Moyra Caldecott (27 page)

Saxberga raised her hand and the two choirs, monks to the right and nuns to the left, began to sing. Sweetly the music rose above the tent where Etheldreda was lying in her old, plain wooden coffin. The abbess raised her other hand and two monks moved forward and entered the tent. The implements for them to use were already beside the grave.

Saxberga lowered her hands and her head, and shut her eyes.

It had not been an easy decision to make to go against her sister’s wishes, but once made something happened that appeared to show them that the decision had the Lord’s blessing. Because the flat marshlands that surrounded the island of Ely yielded very little rock, they were hard put to find a slab suitable for the coffin. They were debating what to do when a young nun told them of a dream she had had in which they had been searching on water and had found a coffin washed up like a boat on a shore, lying against a wall. Impressed by this they took to the river and went south, coming at last to the crumbling walls of Roman Grantchester. There, as the young nun had described, they found a fine stone coffin lying waiting for them, the exact size they needed for Etheldreda.

Heregyth’s eyes filled with tears as she listened to the words that were being sung.

‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes;
And I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep Thy law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of Thy commandments,
for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to Thy testimonies,
and not to gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
and give me life in Thy ways.
Confirm to Thy servant Thy promise,
which is for those who fear Thee.
Turn away Thy reproach which I dread;
for Thy ordinances are good.
Behold, I long for Thy precepts;
in Thy righteousness give me life!
Let Thy steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
Thy salvation according to Thy promise…’
[24]

It had been her suggestion that Etheldreda’s favourite psalm should be used, the psalm that had seen her through so many bad times.

‘I am a stranger in the world, O Lord, hide not Thy instructions from me.’

Now even more a stranger without Etheldreda to guide her, Heregyth felt lost and lonely. She tried to talk to God, but God seemed so difficult to understand, so formidable and harsh. She found more and more that she prayed to Etheldreda, asking for her help, pleading with her to intercede with God for her. Oh that she could rise up from the grave now and be amongst them again, smiling, laughing, turning everything to joy around them.

During the years since her death it had been difficult to keep faith. There was so much evil in the world, so much hardship. Etheldreda had always found a way of accepting it, of understanding it, and finding how it led to good. Heregyth found this almost impossible to do. There was civil war in Kent, Saxberga’s grandson contending for the throne with her son, both dying in the struggle. Egfrid following one bloody massacre with another, invading Ireland, invading Scotland, at last himself being tricked into death by the Picts, his people slaughtered in revenge for his greed for power. Plague followed plague. Disaster followed disaster.

Heregyth shivered. How could she stand beside the grave of Etheldreda and think such black, despairing thoughts? Etheldreda had once said that through all the shadows there were always fine lines of light to follow, each one an individual spirit finding its way to God. No matter how the storm raged these lines would never break. All that was needed was trust, and courage to hold to them.

‘Etheldreda, lady,’ Heregyth whispered, ‘give us a sign that we can hold to in the dark!’

The singing stopped, the two monks came out of the tent and bowed to Saxberga. The coffin was ready to be opened.

Stooping, the abbess entered the tent.

Silently the community waited. The stone coffin was ready to receive Etheldreda’s skeleton. Even the wind had dropped, the last leaves hanging poised from the trees as though time had stopped.

Wilfrid clenched and unclenched his hands. He dreaded to see the woman who had been so full of life reduced to dusty bones. He wondered if he could effect the transfer and conduct the whole service without looking at her.

Suddenly there was a commotion in the tent and Saxberga came rushing out, her face blazing with excitement.

‘It is a miracle!’ she cried. ‘Praise be to the Lord.’

‘What… what is it?’ he gasped and rushed forward.

There was pandemonium, everyone was rushing about asking everyone else what had happened.

Weeping with joy the abbess told them that Etheldreda’s body was as fresh as the day that she had been buried. The corruption of the grave had not touched her.

Wilfrid knelt beside her looking at her calm and beautiful face. He could think of nothing but that he was seeing her again and that he loved her.

Behind him Cynefrid the surgeon crowded into the tent and gazed down at her, prepared to disbelieve Saxberga’s words.

‘Even the tumour that I lanced has gone,’ he murmured, crossing himself.

Heregyth fell down on her knees.

‘Mistress, I will never doubt again,’ she sobbed. ‘Never! Never again!’

Some of the community were singing, others had joined hands and were dancing around in circles; the whole scene was more like that of a fair than an exhumation.

Gradually they quietened down, realising that night was falling and they must transfer her to her new resting-place before the cold dews of evening fell on her.

The coffin was sealed and carried lovingly to the chapel.

No one slept. No one left her side.

She was with them still and would never leave!

Appendices

CHRONOLOGY

Certain relevant events with the dates usually associated with them.

461 AD – Patrick died in Ireland.

563-565 AD – Columba established himself and his twelve companions on Iona.

570 AD – Mahomet born.

597 AD – Augustine landed in Thanet, sent as missionary to the heathen Anglo-Saxons by Gregory the Great. Columba died on Iona.

605 AD – Augustine died.

616 AD – Ethelbert, Christian King of Kent and Bretwalder of Southern England, dies. Succeeded as king by his heathen son Eadbald. Redwald of East Anglia becomes Bretwalder.

622 AD – The ‘flight’ of Moslems to Yathrib – the starting point of the Moslem era.

625 AD – Redwald, King of the East Angles, dies.

627 AD – Edwin, King of Northumbria, baptised at York. Edwin converts Eorpwald, Redwald’s successor in East Anglia.

630 AD – Etheldreda born at Exning.

632 AD – Penda of Mercia and Cadwalla the native British king attack and defeat Edwin of Northumbria. His head is put on a stake and his queen, Ethelberga, their children and her priest Paulinus, flee back to her home country, Kent.

633 AD – Oswald and Oswy return from exile on Iona. Oswald becomes King of Northumbria.

634 AD – Wilfrid born. Monastery founded on Lindisfarne by Aidan (from Iona).

635 AD – Cynegils, King of the West Saxons, converted to Christianity.

636 AD – Bishop Felix in East Anglia. Also the Irish monk Fursey (whose visions centuries later influenced Dante).

640 AD – Fursey leaves for France. Eadbald of Kent dies. His son, Eorconbert, succeeds him. Penda attacks East Anglia. Egric, the king, and Sigbert, the ex-king (who gave up the throne to become a monk), are both killed. Anna becomes King of East Anglia. Saxberga marries Eorconbert.

641 AD – 5th August – Oswald is killed by Penda at the battle of Maserfield. Oswy becomes King of Northumbria – sends for Eanfleda of Kent.

643 AD – Cynegils of Wessex dies. Succeeded by Cenwahl (pagan).

644 AD – Paulinus dies. Egfrid born.

645 AD – Cenwahl of Wessex expelled by Penda, flees to East Anglia. Lives three years at Anna’s court and is converted to Christianity.

646 AD – Wilfrid at court of Oswy and Eanfleda.

647 AD – Hilda in East Anglia.

648 AD – Bishop Felix dies.

651 AD – Oswy murders King Oswin of Deira. Bishop Aidan dies. Cuthbert sees vision of his soul being taken to heaven.

652 AD – Etheldreda marries Prince Tondbert of the South Gyrwe. Wilfrid in Kent on his way to Rome; stays to study with Bishop Honorius.

654 AD – Penda attacks East Anglia and kills King Anna. (Sutton Hoo burial? See British Museum.) Ethelhere King of East Anglia. Penda is killed in Battle of Winwaed against Oswy. Ethelhere of East Anglia is killed fighting with Penda. Oswy vows his infant daughter Elffleda to perpetual virginity in gratitude for his victory. Ethelwald now King of East Anglia.

655 AD – Tondbert dies. Etheldreda widowed.

656 AD – Peada, son of Penda, baptised on marriage to daughter of Oswy. Later murdered. Wilfrid in Rome.

657 AD – Wulfhere of Mercia rises to power.

658 AD – Cenwahl of Wessex drives British back as far as Cornwall and Devon.

659 AD – Etheldreda and Egfrid married.

660 AD – Wilfrid returns from Rome and is given the Abbey of Ripon to Romanise, by King Alfrid of Deira.

662 AD – Ethelwald of East Anglia dies. Succeeded by Aldulf, son of Egric (nephew of Hilda).

663 AD – The Synod of Whitby.

664 AD – 1 May – eclipse. The yellow plague. Eorconbert of Kent dies. Succeeded by his son Egbert. Archbishop of Canterbury also dies in plague. Oswy of Northumbria and Egbert of Kent send to Rome for new archbishop. Alfrid, sub-king of Deira, dies. Egfrid succeeds him.

665 AD – Cuthbert Prior of Lindisfarne.

669 AD – The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, reaches Kent. Sets about ordering the Church throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Makes Wilfrid Bishop of York and the whole of Northumbria.

670 AD – Oswy dies. Egfrid becomes King of Northumbria, Etheldreda Queen. Wulfhere overlord of Southern England. Theodore appoints penances for those who sacrifice to devils, foretell the future, eat food that has been offered in sacrifice, burn grain after a man is dead for the well-being of the living in the house,
etc.

671 AD – Lindsey conquered by Egfrid.

672 AD – Chad dies. Ovin hears angelic singing. Etheldreda retires to monastery at Coldingham. Cenwahl of Wessex dies. Bede born.

673 AD – Etheldreda flees from Coldingham. Etheldreda begins to build the monastery at Ely. Wilfrid installs her as abbess. Egbert of Kent dies. Hlothere his brother succeeds him.

674 AD – Wulfhere attacks Northumbria. He is defeated and killed by Egfrid. Another son of Penda, Ethelred, married to Egfrid’s sister, becomes King of Mercia.

675 AD – King of Sussex converted to Christianity.

676 AD – Cuthbert becomes recluse on a small island of the Farne group. Ovin dies.

677 AD – Egfrid divides the York diocese in revenge for Wilfrid’s support of Etheldreda. Wilfrid goes to Rome to appeal.

678 AD – Comet. Egfrid defeated by Ethelred (of Mercia) at the battle of Trent, but is not killed.

679 AD – Ethelred of Mercia reclaims Lindsey. Etheldreda dies on 23 June. Wilfrid returns from Rome with papers to prove his right to York, but Egfrid declares them forgeries and flings him into prison. Council of Hatfield. Declaration of Faith against the monothelite heresy.

680 AD – Hilda dies.

684-5 AD – Eadric (son of Egbert of Kent) tries to wrest crown from his uncle Hlothere. Eadric is killed. Hlothere wounded. Chaos in Kent. Egfrid invades Ireland.

685 AD – Egfrid is killed while invading Pictland. His half-brother Aldfrid succeeds him (son of Oswy by a former wife.) Cuthbert had had clairvoyant knowledge of Egfrid’s defeat and death.

686 AD – Wars in southern England. Wilfrid in exile from Northumbria establishes himself on the Isle of Wight. After Egfrid’s death Theodore is reconciled to Wilfrid.

690 AD – Theodore dies. Wihtred (grandson of Saxberga) restores order to Kent.

691 AD – Wilfrid expelled again from Northumbria. Goes to Mercia and remains for eleven years under the protection of Ethelred.

693 AD – 17 October – translation of Etheldreda body from wooden coffin to stone one. Found to be uncorrupt. Saxberga Abbess of Ely.

699 AD – Saxberga dies. Succeeded as Abbess of Ely by her daughter Eormengild, widow of Wulfhere.

709 AD – Wilfrid dies.

870 AD – Ely destroyed by Danes.

970 AD – Ely restored.

974 AD – The relics of Etheldreda’s sister Withberga stolen from her shrine at East Dereham and placed with the relics of her two sisters, Etheldreda and Saxberga, and those of her niece Eormengild, at Ely.

Genealogies

The Royal House of Wuffingas: East Anglia