Eadburh of Winchester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Eadburh of Winchester
Born	921/924
Died	15 June 951/953
Venerated in	Anglican Communion Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church
Canonized	972
Feast	15 June

Eadburh (also known as Edburga or Edburg) was a princess born around 921 to 924. She was the daughter of King Edward the Elder of England and his wife, Eadgifu. Eadburh spent most of her life as a nun. She was known for her amazing singing talent. Most of what we know about her comes from special biographies called hagiographies. These were written many years after she lived. Eadburh became a saint (was canonised) twelve years after she died. A few churches are named after her, mostly near Worcestershire, where she lived.

The Life of Saint Eadburh

Becoming a Nun

In the 1100s, a writer named Osbert de Clare wrote a book about Eadburh's life. Monks from Pershore Abbey in Worcestershire asked him to write it. They wanted to organize the stories they had about her. Osbert wrote that when Eadburh was only three years old, she was given to a nunnery. This was St Mary's Abbey, Winchester, also called Nunnaminster. Her grandmother, Queen Ealhswith, had started this nunnery. Eadburh grew up there and stayed a nun for the rest of her life.

Her Amazing Singing

Osbert wrote that Eadburh was very good at singing prayers. She might have been a precentrix, which is a leader of singing in a church. Some historians wonder if she was officially a precentrix or just loved singing so much it seemed like she was. Other experts say her duties fit the role of a cantor (singer) and sacristan (someone who looks after the church).

Osbert's book gives the best picture of Eadburh's musical skills. He said she was very dedicated to singing the Divine Office. This was a set of daily prayers and songs. She would often stay in the prayer room for hours after the official prayers. She did this to pray by herself. At first, the leader of the nuns thought this was lazy. But when she found out Eadburh was the king's daughter, she understood.

Another old book from the 1300s said Eadburh was very strict about singing psalms. It said she "expressed divine praise through the singing of hymns." She prayed so much that she wore herself out. Eadburh was also a very skilled singer of chants. These were special songs often sung by other cantors.

A Royal Performance

Osbert shared a story about Eadburh's father, King Edward. He visited the nunnery in Winchester. During a special meal, he asked Eadburh to sing for everyone. She didn't want to perform at first. But she agreed when her father promised her a reward. The people listening were amazed by her beautiful singing. Because of her performance, she got more money for the nunnery. The king also promised to finish building the abbey. Osbert said the nunnery still benefited from the king's gift even in his own time.

More Duties and Praise

Eadburh did more than just sing. She also had an important role in the church's special meal, the Eucharist. It's not clear exactly what she did. She might have prepared the bread and wine for the service. She might have brought them to the altar. She may have helped with the blessing and sharing of the bread. She might have also taken out the blessed bread when a priest wasn't there.

A historian named William of Malmesbury praised Eadburh. He said her prayers helped her community. He also said the nuns obeyed their leaders and teachers very well.

A Special Choice

There isn't much information from Eadburh's own time. But a document from Winchester in 939 shows she received land from her half-brother, King Æthelstan.

One story says that when Eadburh was three, her father wanted to know if she would live a normal life or become religious. He put rings and bracelets on one side. On the other side, he placed a special cup (a chalice) and a gospel book. A nurse brought the child. King Edward put her on his lap and asked her to choose. When he put her down, she chose the religious items. These items were likely used by Eadburh and the nuns at Nunnaminster.

Royal Obedience

Osbert's book also shows some unusual things that happened when a royal family member became a nun. In one story, her father visited her. She sang for him, and he asked if he could do anything for her. She asked him to give the nunnery an estate, which he did.

In another story, the abbess (the leader of the nuns) found Eadburh reading alone. This was against the rules. The abbess punished her. But when the abbess realized it was the princess, not just any nun, she begged for forgiveness.

Eadburh once insisted on cleaning the shoes of her noble friends. They were shocked and told her father that this was not proper for a princess. Osbert wrote that even though she was a princess, Eadburh obeyed her elders. She respected her peers and younger nuns. She also loved doing helpful tasks for others, even those that people thought were beneath her. One such task was secretly cleaning her sisters' shoes, just as Christ washed the feet of his followers.

Eadburh died in Winchester when she was about 30 years old, on June 15, in 951, 952, or 953. Osbert said she led the nuns in song and prayer even as she was dying. The other nuns continued to honor her by singing during her burial.

Honoring Saint Eadburh

Shrine to St. Edburg in Stanton Harcourt

People started honoring Eadburh after she died. The first mention of this is in a prayer book from the early 970s. In 972, some of her remains were moved to Pershore Abbey in Worcestershire. This abbey is dedicated to Saints Mary, Peter, Paul, and Eadburh. Her special day is celebrated on June 15.

Osbert wrote that after Eadburh died, the nuns at Nunnaminster found out, through miracles, that they had buried her in the wrong place. They moved her body closer to the choir. This was so visitors could easily reach her tomb. It was also near where she had spent so much time praying. However, Eadburh appeared to the nuns in a dream. She told them she preferred to be buried near the altar, where she had often helped with services.

The monks at Pershore Abbey made Eadburh one of their patron saints. They got some of her holy remains in the late 900s. The abbey's official seal from the 1300s shows Eadburh. She is wearing a veil and holding a chalice (cup) in one hand and an open book (likely the gospels) in the other. This is special because usually only the highest leader of a monastery was shown this way. This shows that the monks at Pershore Abbey saw Eadburh as a very important figure. They were proud to be linked with her image.

People continued to honor her, and more books about her life were written in the 1200s and 1300s.

Churches Named After Saint Eadburh

Several Church of England parish churches are named after St. Eadburh of Winchester. Most of them are close to Pershore Abbey, and they were connected to it in some way.

• St Eadburgha, Broadway, Worcestershire
• St Edburga, Abberton, Worcestershire (rebuilt in 1882)
• St Edburga, Leigh, Worcestershire
• St Edburgha, Yardley, West Midlands
• The church of St Aldhelm and St Eadburgha, Broadway, Somerset

Other churches, like St Edburg in Bicester, Oxfordshire and SS Mary & Edburga in Stratton Audley, Oxfordshire, are named after a different saint, Edburga of Bicester.

Abbey Churches Dedicated to Saint Eadburh

St Mary's Abbey, Winchester was once also dedicated to St. Eadburh. Pershore Abbey was also dedicated to her for some time. This happened after a relative of the Abbess of St. Mary's Abbey bought some of Eadburh's bones. The dedication of Pershore Abbey changed over time. In the old Domesday Book, it was called the Abbey of St. Mary. Later, it was called the Valor of St. Edburga. It has also been known as the Church of SS Mary, Edburga, and Holy Cross. In its early years, Saints Mary, Peter, and Paul were its main saints. But when Benedictine monks arrived, it was likely dedicated to St. Mary, with St. Edburh added because her holy remains were there.