Peter Robins, his website

The Roads to Santiago - Britain: Cult of St James

Sites with major associations with St James and pilgrimage to Santiago

  • Reading: abbey formerly contained relic of hand of St James, donated by Matilda, daughter of Henry I; will have been the English destination par excellence for pilgrims to Santiago. See also Friends website. Reading was set up with monks from Lewes, Cluniac HQ in England. Leominster Priory was a daughter establishment of Reading.
  • Marlow: where the hand is now claimed to be
  • Bury St Edmunds: the current cathedral, in the grounds of the former abbey which contained a shrine to (of course) St Edmund, is based on a church founded as a substitute for a pilgrimage to Santiago
  • Wigmore: abbey founded in 1131 by Oliver de Merlimond, steward of Hugh Mortimer, following a pilgrimage to Santiago (remnants now incorporated in farmhouse, though parish church, a Norman collegiate church, is dedicated to St James)
  • though it no longer exists, the Augustinians of Roncesvalles maintained St Mary Rouncival, a community with hospital at Charing Cross, London

Churches with early depictions of St James

Many churches have representations of St James, generally as pilgrim but also as Matamoros or simply as an apostle. Most of these are however C19 or later.

Dedications to St James

The Confraternity of St James publishes a map of churches in England and Wales dedicated to St James, distinguishing medieval and post-medieval churches, superimposed on the Roman road network. Of course, just because a church is dedicated to St James does not necessarily mean there is any direct link to the pilgrimage. The Church of England website includes the ability to search on St James (though also includes St James the Less, and gives no indication of the date of the church/dedication); the Church in Wales ditto.

Besides Benedictine Reading and Augustinian Wigmore (see above), Northampton also had an Augustinian abbey of St James (in the part of town still called St James's End), and a fair was held for the saint's Feast-day. At least 5 Benedictine priories were dedicated to St James: Bristol; Freiston and Deeping St James (both in Lincs); Birkenhead; and the nunnery at Huntingdon. Benedictine Denny priory was dedicated to St James and St Leonard. There were also at least 2 Cluniac priories, Dudley and Exeter, plus the Augustinian priory at Tandridge. Aynho (Northants), Seaford and Chichester all had a Hospital of St James.

St James Day Fairs

The University of London's Centre for Metropolitan History lists various medieval charters granting the right to hold fairs or documenting the existence of a fair on July 25, St James Day:

  • Cornwall: Boscastle, 1312; Goldsithney (St Michael's Mt), 1334; Sheviock, 1314; Tregony, 1227
  • Derby, 1229
  • Devon: Bishopsteignton, 1256; Bridgetown, Totnes, 1267; Langford, 1333; Okehampton, 1221; Tiverton, 1257
  • Dorset: Hanford, 1241; Holt (chapel of St James), 1368
  • Essex: Hadleigh, 1181; Hatfield Regis/Broad Oak, changed to St James Day between 1336 and 1460; Saffron Walden (ch of St James), 1136, to abbey 1248
  • Gloucs: Ashley, 1304; Chipping Campden, 1218; Fairford, 1307; Staunton, 1347
  • Lincs: Braceborough, 1271; Brigg, 1235; Castle Bytham, 1253; Caythorpe, 1253; Freiston, 1263; Gainsborough, 1242; Helpringham, 1259; Kirkby Laythorpe (Hospitallers), 1246; Spilsby, 1255; Sutton St James, 1252; Temple Bruer (Templar), 1259
  • Northants: Aynho (hospital of St James), 1207; King's Cliffe, 1249; King's Sutton, 1252; Northampton (abbey of St James), 1268; Thrapston, 1245
  • Somerset: Chard, 1271; Cleeve (abbey), 1466; Long Sutton, 1267
  • Sussex: Chichester (hospital of St James), 1288; E Grinstead, 1247; S Malling (collegiate ch), 1343; Seaford (hospital of St James), 1301
  • Yorks: Boroughbridge, 1310; Burton in Lonsdale, 1293; Carperby 1305; Doncaster, 1200; Kildale, 1253; N Duffield, 1313; Pocklington, 1325; S Kilvington, 1257; Thirsk, 1327; Warter priory, 1251; Wetherby (Templar), 1240

April 2005