Lichfield's founding myth - take it seriously.

Abstract.  An 11th century story of St Alban being martyred caused 1000 residents of St Albans to become Christians. Pagans upset at this mass conversion killed the Christians. Matthew Paris, a monk at St Albans Abbey, placed the site of the massacre at Lichfield and the legend was much repeated. Robert Plot, 1640-96, claimed the place gave rise to the name of Lichefeld meaning the field of dead bodies. Samuel Johnson thought Lic referred to a corpse. There is today an area called Christian Fields (SK1146 1124). This grim origin myth reflects a past understanding of Lichfield contrary to an early cathedral, saint and sacred site.

There is an enduring and disturbing origin myth which is said to explain how Lichfield began. Furthermore, it has been repeatedly reimagined over at least eight centuries. Strangely, the foundation story does not even start in Lichfield, but begins in St Albans, Roman Verulamium, and involved St Alban and his priest-friend St Amphibalus. It also is said to have occurred in the third or fourth century, well before the existence of Lichfield. In short, Alban protects his priest friend Amphibalus from Roman persecution of Christians and is subsequently beheaded. Miracles happen at the time of the execution.[1] The story has been reviewed.[2]

A mid-11^th century manuscript entitled Tale of God’s saints who first rested in England listed 89 saints at 56 locations and Albanus at Wætlingeceastre (St Albans) is the first mentioned; he became the protomartyr. The order was Alban, Columba (Iona), Cuthbert (Durham), Oswald (Bamburgh, Durham, Gloucester), John (Beverley), Ecgberht and Wilfrid (Ripon), Chad, Cedd and Ceatta (Lichfield). In 1982 to 1984, an excavation in the cloister of St Albans Abbey revealed 20 graves and two coins dated to the mid-4^th century. The archaeologist surmised it could have been the cemetery for the grave of Alban since it fitted the description of where he was martyred. Several historians in recent years have questioned the existence of Alban, also his dates, his place of execution and even the reason for such a cult.

King Offa of Mercia and his Archbishop Hygeberht visited the shrine at St Albans in 793, which, according to the monks had been neglected. Offa paid for a new shrine (later lost to Viking plundering) and dedicated church, and gave an endowment to the monastery. Offa was re-founding Britain’s primary martyr and beginning an association between St Albans and Lichfield.

King Offa cherishing St Albans. In catalogue of the benefactors of St Albans Abbey. BL Cotton Nero. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

     Geoffrey of Monmouth, c.1095–1155, embellished the story. Around 1136 he wrote a History of the kings of Britain and in this mix of fact and fantasy, he recreated Amphibalus, connected him with the priest sheltering Alban and made him the abbot of Winchester monastery. William, a monk at St Albans, then claimed Amphibalus moved to the north whilst Alban was imprisoned for six months. After Alban’s execution, a great light shone from his tomb which caused 1000 residents of St Albans to search for Amphibalus and seek an explanation. Somehow, they found him in Wales preaching to a crowd and upon listening to his preaching they too were converted and baptised. Consequently, pagan residents in St Albans upset by this mass conversion to a new faith set out to avenge what they thought was heresy. On finding the 1000 new Christians, they killed all except one. John Leland in his travels 1535 to 1543[3]  placed this massacre at Caerleon. The pagans returned to St Albans (some accounts have Rebourn 4 miles from St Albans) with Amphibalus and had him martyred. Matthew Paris considered the site of the massacre was at Lichfield and this was repeated at St Albans in a late 14^th century document. John Lydgate, 1370–1451, monk and poet, wrote about Alban and Amphibalus in 1439. John Rous of Warwick, 1411 or 1420–1492), a medieval historian and antiquary penned a local history of Warwickshire and repeated the story. John Leland, d. 1552, preserved Rous's account and being an antiquary helped to spread the story. It was referred to by John Stow, 1525–1605, William Camden, 1551–1623, Michael Drayton 1563–1631 and Thomas Fuller 1608–1661. Thus, the legend was consolidated. Ward, 1892, said the name of Lichfield can be naturally derived from the field of dead. Fuller,1655, claimed Lichfield in the ‘British’ tongue signified Golgotha, a place bestrewed with skulls. For Shaw, 1798, Amphibalus was mere fiction founded on ignorance and the whole story was ridiculous. The Cathedral Sacrist’s roll of 1345 included the dust of Amphibalus amongst its long list of relics, but it was not listed in the incomplete roll of 1445. There is no statue, image in glass or record of Alban and Amphibalus in the current cathedral.

Drawing of 1688 seal 

In the 16^th century the legend was again reimagined and restored by the townsfolk. The restoration of the myth began when Lichfield was granted its Royal Charter and to mark the occasion a new seal was made in 1549. Previous Guild seals had depicted Mary and child and another showed Chad. The new seal depicted three dismembered males on a green background with two trees depicted. The seal was replaced in 1688 with a similar scene, but now in black and white, and it is still used by                                                                     Lichfield City Council.  

 Heraldic escutcheon, 1679, depicting ‘diverse martyrs in several manners massacred’.

Emblem  used on a 1720 map, with Borrowcop Hill, cathedral and bodies.

         Plaque on the side of the railway bridge over Upper St. John Street, showing three victims (more like soldiers). Upton (2012) said the depiction appeared as part of the livery for the South Staffordshire Railway Company in the 1840s.

     Then came an enthusiasm to know where the martyrs were massacred. Local history with early excavations became a quest for those beginning to dabble in science. In 1686, Robert Plot wrote his second book, The Natural History of Staffordshire, and in it he  gave an account of how Lichefeld started. He said Romans in 286 from Verulam (St Albans) and Erocetum (Wall) found Christians in the exercise of their Religion. They brought them to the place where Lichefeld now is and he described this as Christianfield, near Stitchbrook. 1000 of the Christians where martyred leaving their bodies unburyed to be devowered by birds and beasts. Plot claimed the place had the name of Lichefeld or Cadaverum campus, the field of dead bodies. He took this event to be the utmost antiquity of the City, and so believed Lichefeld started in the year 286.     

   Portrait of Robert Plot in British Museum. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

                                 

This version was repeated by later antiquarians including: Thomas Cox,1738, John Jackson, 1805, John C, Woodhouse, 1811, T.G. Lomax, 1819, and John B. Stone, 1870. Dr Samuel Johnson believed Lic in Lichfield referred to a corpse and his definition of Lichfield was a city in Staffordshire, so named from martyred Christians. It is still referred to occasionally as if history. There have been other narratives. In 1570, Prebendary Whitlock wrote St Michaels held slain Christians, but this was from the result of heathen Saxons taking over the Christian Celtic homelands. Dean Savage, 1914, doubted the Roman persecution, and preferred instead the notion of Lichfield and St Michaels being the Saxon Valhalla of Mercia, the tribal burial-ground away from their centre at Repton. There is a tradition the site is where the church of St Chad lies. On John Speed’s Map c1610, there is a sketch resembling the City Seal, showing slain bodies and placed somewhere near the area now called Christian Fields (SK1146 1124).

Martyrs Wall in Beacon Park. A reconstructed sculpture originally on the front of the Guildhall in 1740s. It is said to show 3 dismembered kings who led the Christians into battle against the Romans. A lion, the cathedral and Borrowcop Hill, where the kings were supposedly buried, are depicted. Yet another twist to the story and can only be a source of confusion. Unsurprisingly it is in a very quiet corner of the park. The inclusion of the cathedral must have caused dismay.

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[1] Traditionally, Alban’s death was supposed to have occurred in 305, though Bede placed it in the reign of Diocletian (286 – 303).

[2] D. Johnson ‘Lichfield and St Amphibalus: The story of a legend. South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society for 1986–7. (1988), 28, 1–13.

[3] Leland left notes which were published later under the heading of Itinerary.