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| Further information about the walk | The Legend of St Kenelm | ||
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Saint
Kenelm is one of the most important Saints of medieval England, one referred to in the
Canterbury Tales and venerated throughout England. Indeed, William of Malmesbury,
writing in the twelfth century, reported that 'there was no place in
England to which more pilgrims traveled than to Winchcombe on Kenelm's
feast day'. His legend identifies him as a member of the royal family of Mercia,
a boy King and martyr, murdered to further the interests of an ambitious relative.
After his body was concealed, it came to light by virtue of miraculous intervention
and was transported by the Monks of Winchcombe to a major shrine where it remained for several hundred
years. The two places most commonly associated
with the legend of Kenelm are the Clent Hills, south of Birmingham, identified as
the scene of his murder and and the small Gloucestershire town of Winchcombe, near Cheltenham where his body was eventually laid to rest.
The Saint Kenelm's Trail is a sixty mile walk which links
these two places. The trail is documented in a 60 page pocket-sized guide which gives clear directions, notes about historic sites on the route, an account of the legend of St Kenelm and tourist information.
Sample pages:
This book is available from the John Merrill Foundation for £6.95. No author's fees are taken for this book. Instead a donation is made to the Gloucestershire charity The Family Haven. |
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