On Tue, 16 Jul 1996 18:23:41 +0100 (BST),
CA. Muessig <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Today 15 July is the feast of ...
>
[snip]
>Swithun, bishop of Winchester (862): William of Malmesbury says that this
>good bishop was treasury of all virtues, and those in which he took most
>delight in were humility and charity to the poor.
When I was excavating in Winchester, I heard the story that Bishop
Swithun had asked to be buried out in the open so he could feel the
sun and rain on his grave, but the community couldn't bear it. They
had to bury him inside the cathedral. In his consternation, St.
Swithun the deceased caused it to rain for 40 days, and so, people
say, if it rains on St. Swithun's Day in Winchester, it will rain for
40 days. It did rain the summer I was there, and we spent at least a
week in the lab cleaning artifacts and waiting for the weather to
clear.
Deborah J. Shepherd
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