St Mary and St Ethelburga's Church, Lyminge

Lyminge lies on the Old Way to Canterbury, and is also a stopping point on the Royal Saxon Way, an innovative route running from Minster-in-Thanet to Folkestone

This is among the oldest Christian sites in Kent, with a holy well and a church dating back to the time of St Ethelburga in the 7th century. She founded or joined the double convent/ monastery here in 633, probably serving as abbess. In 2019 excavations in the churchyard just outside the current porch revealed the extent of the first church, which had an apse, and indications that it was built by masons from France. Little survives above ground of this early church, but remains of a possible shrine can be seen inside the later, Norman building.

Her holy body was removed to Canterbury in 1085, but the church still bears witness to her pioneering community. And the holy well brings that connection closer still to modern visitors, easily accessible and recently refurbished.

Highlights

• St Ethelburga’s former shrine and convent
• St Ethelburga’s holy well
• Saxon church building

The well is a minute’s walk downhill from the church, next to a road. It is easy to identify: the wellhouse is a two-storey brick tower with a hand pump at the top. In former times villagers used this to bring water up to street level, but the pump is now disused. Instead you can walk down to the base of the tower to gain access to the flow. It is beside a children’s playground, a picturesque village setting.

The well chamber itself is inaccessible behind a metal grille – and had a few bits of rubbish floating in it when I visited. But the water emerges as a stream from the base of the structure, an easily accessible if rather public place to take the saintly water’s blessing. We don’t know exactly when it was considered holy, but it is so near the church it was undoubtedly used by St Ethelburga and her monastic community. Recent research suggests that the well, and indeed the monastery and church too, were originally dedicated to St Eadburg, the abbess of Minster-in-Thanet who died in 753 and whose shrine was definitely kept at Lyminge.

For more on this developing local history story, see Pathways to the Past: Exploring the legacy of Ethelburga, a research project led by Rob Baldwin, with more information and two pilgrim routes listed on the local website www.lymingeparishcouncil.org.uk.

The church and cemetery are a secluded place, surrounded by trees and breathlessly peaceful. From the outside, the main section of the church’s oldest surviving stonework can be seen along the length of the south wall. The narrow windows with their round arches have unmistakably early medieval feel to them. The stone traces of St Ethelburga’s church are to the east of the porch, where the archaeological dig took place, as shown in the photograph above right.

A marble memorial has been set in the outside wall just along from the porch, recording the presence of St Ethelburga’s shrine up until 1085. Inside the church, which is usually open, the other side of this wall has a small niche made of Roman tiles, a possible storage place for relics. It looks a bit too small to contain anything more than a few bones, and experts now believe it might be a later addition to the church. As mentioned above, several saints were venerated at Lyminge. The 2019 dig unearthed traces of a tiny room in the ancient apse area, which is a more likely site for the original church’s main shrine than the little niche.

Lyminge attracts few pilgrims for now, but has an early Christian pedigree second to none. It was St Ethelburga’s father who welcomed St Augustine’s mission in 597, leading his people’s mass conversion to the new religion. His daughter was made of the same stuff as King Ethelbert, and she persevered with his mission to spread Christianity at great personal cost.

She went north to marry St Edwin King of Northumbria, who decided to become a Christian after considering his wife’s faith (Bede’s History ii.9–13). Edwin was subsequently killed by the pagan King Penda near Doncaster in 633, and became a saint for his martyrdom.

St Ethelburga fled back to Kent where her royal brother perhaps gave her the site at Lyminge to found the community. She served as abbess until her death in 647. Other saints associated with the community are the 7th century nuns St Mildred and St Mildgyth, whose relics were possibly stored here until 1085. St Mildred’s relics are still in Kent, at Minster-in- Thanet 20 miles away.

St Ethelburga’s saint’s day is not listed in early church calendars, but is recorded in the 17th century as 8 September. Her story is very similar to that of her niece St Eanswyth.

Directions

St Mary and St Ethelburga’s Church, Church Road, Lyminge CT18 8FB

Church

W3W: dorms.study.ruled

GPS: 51.1262N 1.0869

Well

W3W: risky.windpipe.flux

GPS: 51.1265N 1.0879E

The church is at the end of Church Road on the south side of the village. It is usually unlocked. The holy well is only a minute’s walk from the church but not visible from the churchyard. Walk back down Church Road to the crossroads, with the Coach and Horses pub opposite. Turn right and you will see the well round the corner, prominent beside the road. Take care as this road has no pavement.