Roman fort, Burgh Castle, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

The Fursey Pilgrimage sees a gathering of the faithful walking across fields to the abandoned Roman fortress at Burgh, believed to be the site of St Fursey’s monastery

Highlights

• St Fursey’s embattled missionary centre from the 7th century
• Local church commemoration and pilgrimage
• Abandoned Roman fort

There could be few better places to build a missionary church in the 7th century than a disused Roman fort. Christianity had been the official religion of the Roman Empire during its latter years. A monastery built in one of its most impressive architectural remnants would lend prestige, not to mention protection from a largely pagan and frequently hostile population. Little wonder that the Irish missionary St. Fursey chose this spot for his monastery. It served as the base for his mission to East Anglia in the middle of the 7th century.

The walls of the Roman fort still stand to their full height in places, so substantial and impressive is this vast castle. In St. Fursey’s day, it must have been nearly intact. Nothing visible remains of his monastery, although archaeologists reckon it was in the northeast corner, where they have found evidence of considerable Anglo-Saxon activity.

Even without the Roman walls, Burgh Castle would be a convenient spot for a monastic settlement, on a promontory above an estuary, similar to another Saxon monastery at Iken 30 miles to the south.

Sadly, it seems that St. Fursey needed all the help he could get to defend this outpost of Christianity. His mission lasted barely five years before the pagan King Penda killed his sponsor King Sigebert in 635. The king was later recognized as a saint for his martyrdom, while St. Fursey was forced to seek sanctuary in France. St. Fursey worked in parallel with St. Felix to convert East Anglia in the early 7th century. The Venerable Bede’s History has a lengthy description of St. Fursey’s celebrated visions of heaven and hell. Among the passages that stand out is a terrifying image of four fires about to consume the earth (History iii.19). So intense was the vision that it left St. Fursey with a permanent scorch mark on his shoulder and jaw.

St. Fursey’s two brothers worked with him at Burgh Castle and later followed him to France. They are both venerated as saints in their own right: St. Foillan (died 655, saint’s day 31 October) and St. Ultan (died 686, saint’s day 1 May).

The local church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, but remembers St. Fursey with affection. It was unlocked on my visit, and had a display on the life of its local saint. This is one of Norfolk’s vernacular round-tower churches.

It is not only the local church that remembers this saint’s life. A Christian group called the Fursey Pilgrims holds an annual pilgrimage from the church to the fort in early October each year (www.furseypilgrims.co.uk). The group is entirely ecumenical, with members from all the main and several of the smaller denominations.

The ease with which St. Fursey, who came from the Celtic tradition, worked in areas dominated by Roman practices suggests there was an instructive degree of tolerance between different Christian groupings. St. Fursey even managed to operate successfully in France, where he founded another monastery under the protection of a local king. He died there in 650. His relics were greatly venerated in the Middle Ages and several places claimed to have his skull. His saint’s day is 16 January.

There is an Anglo-Saxon poem that describes the eerie feeling of wandering through Britain’s ancient Roman ruins. Compared to the narrow and intimate Saxon architecture, the anonymous author of ‘The Ruin’ assumes that the vast doorways and high arches were built to accommodate an extinct race of giants – a lost civilization with unimaginable technology at its disposal. Visiting the still mighty Burgh Castle gives you an idea of what this poet experienced more than 1,000 years ago: “their fortresses became waste places”.

Directions

Nearby church: St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Burgh Castle NR31 9QG

www.furseypilgrims.co.uk

W3W: call.patch.stun

GPS: 52.5825N 1.6522E fort

W3W: huts.laugh.slows

GPS: 52.5860N 1.6543E church

Burgh Castle is a short walk from the church of St Peter and St Paul, where you can leave your car or bicycle. To find the church, head west through Burgh Castle village along High Road, which becomes Church Road. Keep going to the end of the road and stop by the church. To reach the fort, walk along the wide track heading south from here, past the church and cemetery, and you will see the fort on your right after 5–10 minutes. Paths lead across the fields to it. The site is always open and free to enter.