Alkelda
Saint Alkelda (Old English: Hǣlcelde, "healing spring"; died March 28, c. 800), also spelt Alcelda, was an Anglo-Saxon princess of whom almost nothing is known and whose existence has been questioned.[1]
The legend is that she was an Anglo-Saxon princess, and probably also a nun, who was strangled by pagan Viking women during Danish raids of about 800 at Middleham in Yorkshire. She is patron of the church of Middleham, and also of that of Giggleswick, but of no others. This area is known for its many springs, some very near the sites of these churches, and there is no documentary reference to this saint until the late Middle Ages, so it has been surmised that the name Alkelda is in fact simply a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon haligkelda, meaning healing spring.[2] Feast day: 28 March.
[edit] References
- ^ "Middleham". Jervaulx Churches. http://www.jervaulxchurches.co.uk/middleham/st_alkelda.html. Retrieved 30 October 2010. (quoting William Grainge (mid 19th century)
- ^ Secret Britain, published by the Automobile Association, January 1987. ISBN 978-0-86145-435-8
[edit] External links
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