Godric was born at Walpole in Norfolk (England) around the year 1065. He was a peddler of some sort – a traveling salesman, indeed – whose wanderings led him to sea for a period of around sixteen years, during which time he became a part-owner of a number of vessels, one of which he went on to captain. There is, in fact, some indication that he may have been operating more or less as a pirate, and that his lifestyle was as far removed from the ways of Christian living as that of pirates generally is.
Godric’s maritime exploits brought him to the island of Lindisfarne off the Northumbrian coast, and here he became acquainted with tales of St Cuthbert, Lindisfarne’s greatest saint. Godric’s life was transformed by his encounter with Cuthbert (who, even centuries after his death, must have remained an almost tangible presence on Lindisfarne), and he experienced a profound conversion.
Ever the seafarer, his conversion of heart manifested itself in a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In the early Middles Ages as in Late Antiquity, the idea of pilgrimage exercised a powerful hold over the imaginations of the holy, symbolizing as it did both the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert as they passed from Egypt to the Promised Land, and the wanderings of Christians exiled by sin from Paradise and living in this world as “strangers and pilgrims” en route to the New Jerusalem. Christ himself, who had “nowhere to lay his head”, was essentially a pilgrim, and pilgrimage was understood as a way of conforming oneself with Christ and of following in his footsteps.
This last aspect of following in Christ’s footsteps was one which Godric interpreted with a certain literalness. While in Jerusalem he visited the river Jordan, and, contemplating his own feet, vowed: “Lord, for love of your name, who for men’s salvation walked barefoot through the world, and did not deny to have your naked feet struck through with nails for me; from this day I shall put no shoes upon these feet”. Godric always remained faithful to this vow – even in old age (he lived to be around 100) amid the biting winters of the North East of England.
Further pilgrimages took him to Santiago de Compostella, the shrine of Saint Giles in Provence, to Rome, to Cumberland in North West England (where he obtained a copy of the Psalms which was to provide the material and inspiration for his life of prayer and contemplation), and back to Jerusalem, where he spent time working in a hospital and living with the hermits of Saint John the Baptist and worked in a hospital for several months.
Cuthbert remained his inspiration, however, and it was a vision of Cuthbert in which the saint promised him a hermitage in England that promoted him to return to the land of his birth – this time to Durham, where Cuthbert lay buried – and eventually became a hermit in the forest around Finchale (just outside Durham) in the hunting grounds of the rather disreputable Bishop Ranulf Flambard (the first man to escape from the Tower of London).
Godric embarked upon a life of austerity and mortification, wearing a hair shirt under a metal breastplate, under the guidance of the prior of Durham. Many people sought his advice either in person or from a distance (the latter group included both St Thomas à Becket and Pope Alexander III), and Godric developed a reputation for miracles, for prophecy and for an affinity (characteristic of hermits) for the wild animals among which he lived.
His gift of prophecy extended to foretelling not only his own death both also the deaths of others. Though he seafaring days were now behind him, his prophetic charism enabled him to know when a ship somewhere was in danger of being wrecked, and he would cease from whatever he was doing in order to offer up a prayer.
Godric’s prophetic visions were also the occasion for the Blessed Virgin (among others) to teach him songs, and the four which are recorded by his biographer Reginald are the oldest examples of English verse for which we possess the original musical settings survive, and also the first to favour rhyme and metre over traditional Anglo-Saxon techniques of alliteration.
He died in 1170, tended and mourned by the monks of Durham, having given expression during the course of his extended life to the vocations of both the pilgrim and the hermit.
Dear Mark
I just wanted to congratulations on setting up this blog – it looks like it is going to be absolutely fascinating. I’ve always been interested in the history of British saints (it’s amazing to think how many there have been) but my research has never gone much further than a long lost copy of ‘The Oxford Dictionary of Saints’ and occasional forays into Wikipedia so I’m very looking forward to learning more about them on your blog over the coming months.
Good Luck!
Kind Regards
Robert Melody
Robert, thanks for your kind comments. It’s encouraging to know that people such as yourself find these mini-biographies interesting.
I AM CURIOUS AND INTERESTED OF ST. GODRIC’S LIFE. I APPRECIATE THE ARTICLES YOU POSTED ON THIS SITE BUT I WANT TO READ AND KNOW THIS SAINT MORE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I CAN HAVE A COPY OF A BOOK ABOUT THE LIFE OF THIS SAINT IF THERE IS ANY? THANK YOU SO MUCH. I AM REALLY INSPIRED WITH THIS BLOG. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND CONTINUE YOUR GREAT WORK. GOD BLESS!
Arlyn, thanks for your comment. I’m not aware of any book about the life of St Godric.
There is, however, a novel written by Frederick Buechner (published in 1981 and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) entitled “Godric” that tells the semi-fictionalised life story of Godric.
I haven’t read it, but the reviews on Amazon keep on using the word “depravity”, so the portrayal of the darker side of Godric’s life may not be to everyone’s taste.
I am a student working on the life of St Godric and can tell you that my book will be out in about 2 years, so you will then be able to read all about him!
The book by Buechner is very good, but some of it is fiction and not at all close to the real life written by his good friends in Durham who knew him. There is no evidence that Godric was a pirate, nor that his sister was a lesbian and the friend ‘Mouse’ is not in any of the ‘real’ stories. In these he comes across as a man of real emotions, who tried and often failed to live his life the way he’d like. He was beaten by the Scots, and hated by his neighbours at first, but came to be much loved by locals.
There is a book by Francis Rice, former priest at St Godric’s in Durham, which tells some of the stories, but also leaves out a great deal. Worth reading for some more info, though it seeks to link Godric with Padre Pio and is, understandably, religious/Catholic in its leanings.
Maggie – thanks for your comment. I look forward to reading your book.
Regarding the Godric/Padre Pio connection, a bishop (now retired) of Hexham and Newcastle once told me that he had had always been deeply sceptical about what he read in the lives of mediaeval saints such as St Godric until he read very similar – and well documented – stories about Padre Pio.
Reading William Dalrymple’s “From the Holy Mountain”, it’s clear that, at least in Coptic Orthodox monasteries, events in the life of St Godric that seem outlandish to modern western audiences are still regarded as an everyday part of Christian experience.
I hope your research goes well.
Mark
I’m glad to hear of Maggie’s work creating a life story of St Godric. I hope and encourage her to develop a simple web page to help us to remember to look out for it. And Mark, thanks much for your deep work on Saints and Blesseds.
what about the life by Reginald of Durham? in the Oxford Book of Saints it states that it is “exceptionally full” “contemporary” life – apparently Reginald knew him. The OBS makes it sound as if the book is not just over-the-top hagiography.
the OBS also mentions (without detail) Godric’s sins of impurity when he was younger. although there is no reason to go into detail on this (even if was known) it was apparently a part of his life and his actions and sorrow cannot be fully understood unless it is included. mentioning it may also give some raison-de-connection for those who may struggle with the same problem.
thank you for the posting and I look forward to more info.
Many thanks for your comment. What you say about Reginald’s “Life” not being over-the-top hagiography sounds very plausible. I imagine that Maggie’s forthcoming book (see comments above) will address the question of the historical accuracy of Reginald’s account in some detail.
Yes, my book is all about Reginald’s story of Godric, though there were others, by the Prior of Durham and by two monks about whom I as yet know very little.
Reginald’s story is indeed very full, running to some 140,000 words in the Latin. It does tell some of the things which show that Godric was not always successful in his quest to be good, but it mostly is very factual and interesting in the detail, and often very moving. Reginald personally knew Godric, and nursed him for the final 8 years or so of his life. The description of Godric’s death and burial, and indeed of Godric’s tale of his own friend who died, and some of the many stories of people cured at the shrine, are very moving.
I have been able to identify some of the pilgrims, so they were ‘real’.
I’m sorry I have no time just now for a blog, but will keep posting here if I can, if anyone would like me to.
Thanks for your interest. The book proposal has gone to the publishers, formally….
I should add the dates: Godric died on 21st May 1170, probably aged over 90. Reginald had written the life story by about 1177, and the miracle stories were completed by around 1185.
Maggie, thanks for the additional information. Good luck with the book proposal. Do let me know how it goes. You’re very welcome to keep posting here – I’d be interested to hear more about your research.
Maggie, has your book been published yet, please? Our daughter and a colleague are presently doing some research on Godric, and we live very near to Finchale.
I’m sorry to say that it isn’t yet out, and will be some time yet. If I can help in any way, though, I’d be happy to.
Further work has revealed a darker side to Reginald’s writing, which upset some of his contemporaries and caused revisions to be made to the stories. I have been looking into the identities of some of the people he speaks about, and it is clear that much of it is not very flattering. It may be that he was the whistle-blower of his day, ‘outing’ bad practice, or that he was simply an angry man. That doesn’t detract from the Life of St Godric himself, who remains an amazing example of saintly behaviour. He was a worker, who grew crops, kept fishponds and grafted apple trees. His brother and sister and mother came to live with him and he found each of them a place to live and some work to do, and was truly upset when each of them died in turn.
More later, but the book IS coming. The contract is signed…
Maggie
I have been interested in St Godric for many years. There is a mystery surrounding his remains which apparently disappeared from his grave
prior to Finchale being sold by the Church Commission to the Smith Family.
I believe the Church Commission would not have sold the land with the Saints remains in situ. Finchale was in a poor state of preservation by the time the Smith family purchased the land (1890s?) of Finchale and excavated the ruins.
St Godrics remains may have been taken at the time of the Reformation, or shortly before the monks of Durham (who used finchale as a place of retreat)
abandoned finchale. Someone somewhere knows where Godric’s remains are or possibly what happened to them?
If anyone knows the answer to this mystery, please let me know – I have been searching for more than ten years for an answer.
I, like Jim, have been interested in St. Godric for many years, since, the novel was published, in fact. I guess the depth of my interest is suggested by the fact that my son is named Godric. The story of a man of great strength and carnal impulses struggling for so many years to lead the life (and think the thoughts!) that he thought his religion required is moving and fascinating.
I’ve read excerpts from Reginald (bits are in the novel), heard the songs and found the text of two of them. I’d like very much to read Maggie’s book.
Hi Thomas
Godric differed from Saintly Bishops in that he was not part of the organised church. He like most hermits devoted his life (as you have mentioned) in the saving of his own soul. Godric had a terrible fear of God and how he, Godric would be judged in the balance of repentance and sins. One may never know for sure what drove Godric to his extreem life change from Christian to Hermit, but it was serious enough to warrant a living hell on earth in payment.
I have a an idea of what this sin might have been. It involves Flambard and Godric and an incident on board a small ship!!
Did you know that Bishop Flambard was the first prisoner in the Tower of London – He was also the first to escape his imprisonment from the tower
by possibly bribing his guard to allow him to leave by the tower wall.
He fled to France I believe. On a ship!!!
In fact, hermits were very much part of the organised Church.
Yes! Some Hermits were part of the organised church Anchorites for example though there were a few less close to the Altar.
The Hermit was linked to the church by Christianity and belief and fear of God. In Godric’s case I feel the Riginald link needs to be explored ie The miracles and Visions. Even Cuthbert’s Sainthood would have difficulty in matching!!
Hello James and Thomas
I think a lot has been said in books about the hermit, his conditions of life and the ‘living hell’ you mention, but there’s not the amount of evidence that the racier accounts seem to suggest. I think his life was hard, but he was the son of poor parents and made a successful career before becoming a hermit, which is what a lot of people are trying to do in today’s harsh economic climate. His conversion was probably not so much the result of dark sins, but of the reality of the glass ceiling of the day, the difficulty of his daily life on ships, and the growing awareness that there was something else to life. The description of his early travels in Europe could suggest some sort of depression – eating little, not caring about his appearance and wandering aimlessly – but that is pure speculation on my part.
His life as a hermit was hard to begin with, and always physically tough, but he was a kindly man. The many people who came to him for help received what they deserved, and he was a tremendous host – he sang songs, told stories and always had a meal of salmon for his guests, even if it took a miracle to find some in his part of the river when it was low in summer!
Hi Maggie
Fear of God and for his immortal soul were possibly Godric’s motivation for his changed lifestyle. I feel something happened in his early life to bring about such a radical change within. Evidence is lacking about his life before his hermitage days, but that is history for you. Truth is more valuable than gold.
The Bishop, Ranulf Flambard was by all accounts a past criminal and not uncorruptable.
He was the first prisoner held in the tower of London and the first to escape!
There is a story of flambard and a boat of privateers seeking his gold ring of ‘The Bishops Seal’ for their own riches. In this account Flambard throws his ring into the sea and threatens his captors with eternal hell and damnation for their wickedness. A stormy condition changes to a stillnes and the Bishop is returned to land by his frightened captors and on to his journey back to Durham!
An empathy for the lives of people during the 11th and 12th Century is hard for the modern mind and I find it almost impossible. I am not religious and can only guess at the fear of a threat to me of the horrors of enernal dammnation and what I may need to do to save my soul.
Jim
There is actually one manuscript with a lot of history of Godric’s life before the hermitage, but it doesn’t allow us to pinpoint the reason for the conversion, although it does say that it was a gradual matter. I am interested in the story about Flambard. Where can I read that please?
A book was published some years ago regarding the Bishops of Durham relating to their lives including some personal information about each.
Flambard was the most interesting. I feel the Cathederal book shop may be of help to you. My research into Godric and his times was a long time ago.
I helped edit ‘ The Life of Godric’ By Fr. Rice A facinating book regarding Godric, his life and Miracles.( This book will be now out of print but available somewhere.) Research was carried out by Fr. Rice (Now sadly deceased) at the Cathederal Library reading the Latin writings of Reginald the Monk (Godrics confessor) and other texts of the time .
Everything I know is possibly still available in the many books and loose literature produced over the years.
I hope you will find confirmation for all you seek regarding what I have said though my personal thoughts regarding any earlier connections between Godric and Flambard, pre Durham period in history are based on my knowledge of Flambard and Godric. Flambard’s life and history should be easily now found online.
Thank you for your comments and if you find any new information regarding Godric and his life in your search Maggie. Please let me know.
Well. the good news is that the first bit of work to be published is now out. It’s a university thesis and not easy to get hold of, but for anyone interested it’s called ‘Reginald of Durham’s Latin Life of St Godric of Finchale: a study’. The book is coming on and I propose to start some means of setting out online some of the stories of the ‘real’ Godric.
The Godric of the novel is invented from the twelfth century life but with lots of added twentieth century spice, so these new tales will be perhaps less salacious but more human.
There’ll be an article out soon too, so watch this space for the details of some of the miracles worked after his death!
Many thanks for keeping us informed. I hope your thesis will eventually be published in book form. Setting out the story of the “real” Godric online to counter some of the more sensational accounts and speculations sounds a very worthwhile enterprise. In which journal will your article be appearing?
From my own studies ‘St. Godric’ has been cited as an early, if not the first, identifiable English ‘entrepreneur’. One of the reference sources I have accessed includes a thesis by, Tudor, V. M. (1979) Reginald of Durham and St. Godric of Finchale: a study of a 12th-century hagiographer and his major subject. PhD Thesis, Reading University, Reading, UK.
The comments about him as an entrepreneur are widespread: he appears in a number of business books written very recently and was mentioned in several academic lectures given by economists in the 1930s and 1940s. This is largely because of lack of any other evidence than that he was in any way unusual for his time.
His birth date, widely given as 1065, is misleading: we don’t know when he was born but know only that he was a very old man when he died, probably over 90 and certainly over 80 if you count backwards from the datable events in the work by Reginald written at the time.
Great that Godric is building a modern following!!
The article is in the Pont Island News. Available online, it is a short piece in a very local magazine about cures of people in Ponteland.
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Reblogged this on mariaangelagrow.
Does anyone yet know what happened to Godrics holy relics?
Jim
The best guess is that they were dispersed or destroyed when the monasteries were dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. We do not know what happened to his body, so there is no record of primary relics. I have trawled through relic lists and there were, before 1538, secondary relics at Finchale, Durham and Lichfield, with some perhaps also near Hull. These lists are old medieval manuscripts and the lists old, but there is no reason to doubt their authenticity.
I have just read the English Heritage description of Finchale Abbey as the hermitage of a retired pirate. That is unfortunate. There really is no evidence that he was a pirate at all – that idea comes from a story in Albert of Aachen’s tale of the Crusades, when a pirate called Godric helped King Baldwin to escape. Godric was a very common name, as you can see in Domesday Book. ‘Our’ St Godric did travel to the Holy Land and helped in the hospital in Jerusalem; he seems to have travelled from St-Gilles in France, to which he walked, which means he took a passenger boat like everyone else (St-Gilles was on the coast then, and was a busy sea-port. He stayed in Jerusalem for many months, which would not be possible with a ship and pirate crew at anchor there!! The pirate angle is ‘romantic’ but just cannot be proven, and the alternative is much more likely – that he was a common merchant sailor who turned to the life of a hermit, probably at some crisis in his life or business.
Thanks for your reply Maggie.
I believe it is possible that Godric’s relics were dispersed after the dissolution of the monastries, The logical fact remains, The Church Commission sold the land containing the monastry to the Catholic Smith family who were the first on
record to axctavate the ruins and to discover no apparent male body in suspected Godic grave! I believe along with others that if it was known that his
(Godtic’s) remains were still in the grave found, then the land would not have been sold without their removal. The logical conclusion I arrive at is that the Church Commission knew the truth and were content to sell the land. The
secret of the disappearance of Godric’s remains falls on the Church Commission and by connection for the sale, to the Cathedral. Someone must know, or have records showing the removal, then possibly, the sale of Godric’s holy relics.
Jim
Dear Jim
That’s all very interesting. Do you know where the document about the original sale from the Church to the Smiths might be? That would be fascinating!
Hi Maggie
I would imagine the Smith Family might have an historic copy of the sale document, but I feel the Church Commission would have one in their records department. Might see it at The County Records Office at County Hall.
I hope this might be of some interest to you. I have tried on a number of occassions to gain information from the Cathedral regarding the whereabouts of Godric’s remains. I believe someone knows something, but are keeping the secret tightly under wraps.
[…] O, Lady, I recommend myself to thee because thou watchest over me forever. ~ St. Godric of Walpole[Finchale] […]
It’s been a long time coming but finally something new should son be published on Godric in ‘Saints of North East England 600-1500’ a collection of essays due out with Brepols in December 2017
Thank you for keeping me informed. I just checked it out on the Brepols website. I see you’re one of the editors. Congratulations on what looks like a fascinating collection of essays.
Yes. I’ve been promising some thing on Godric on your pages for some time so am pleased that one of them will finally be available. Two more books due out 2018 and 2019 to complete the research will, I hope, interest all your followers.
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