Medieval Painting of St. Edmund, Boxford, Suffolk

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St. Edmund, King & Martyr : Boxford, Suffolk (‡St.Edmundsbury & Ipswich). Late C.14/Early C.15

Photo:T.Marshall
St. Edmund, Boxford, Suffolk [25KB]

St. Edmund, king of the East Angles from before 865, is painted on the right, standing frontally beneath the remains of a painted canopy. Beside him on the left is a recess (there is another above it), with some faded unidentifiable painting in it. Edmund is crowned and wears royal robes (in red, lined with blue) and what was probably an ermine cape over his shoulders. It is very hard to see here, but he holds (in his hands clasped in front of him) the arrow of his martyrdom, his attribute. Whether or not he was actually shot through with arrows by the invading Danes for refusing to deny the Christian faith, there are several paintings of him being martyred in this way in the English parish church and some of them are now on this site.
However he died, Edmund did so at Hellesdon in Norfolk and he was always enormously popular among the East Angles as their martyred king. The town of Bury St. Edmund’s was of course his original burial place, but his body suffered many vicissitudes after his death. Hoxne in Suffolk has always claimed to be the true place of his martyrdom and where his body lay for over 30 years before being taken to Bury - certainly there was a St. Edmund’s chapel there in the later Middle Ages. His body was also moved to London for three years after a Danish landing at Ipswich in 1010 and then removed to Bury again. And there was a cult of Edmund at Toulouse in France, whence the French claimed to have taken, and ever after kept, his remains after the battle of Lincoln in 1217.
Whatever the truth, together with St. Edward the Confessor, Edmund was joint patron of England, presenting King Richard 11 to the Virgin in the famous Wilton Diptych (National Gallery, London) and his huge popularity remained even after Agincourt in 1415 when St. George gained primacy over him as patron saint of England.

Website for St Mary’s, Boxford

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St. Andrew Martyred, Stoke Dry, Rutland	St. Anne teaching the Virgin to read-Corby Glen, Lincolnshire	St. Antony and the Pig, Barton, Cambridgeshire	St. Barbara : Hessett, Suffolk	St. Bartholomew : Selling, Kent	St.Catherine of Alexandria, life of : Castor, Cambs	St Catherine of Alexandria, Cold Overton, Leicestershire *NEW*	St.Catherine of Alexandria : Hardley Street, Norfolk
St.Catherine of Alexandria : Old Weston, Northants	St.Catherine of Alexandria : Pickering, N. Yorks	St.Catherine of Alexandria, life of : Sporle, Norfolk	St. Catherine of Alexandria, Martyrdom of: Burton Latimer, Northants *NEW*	St. Catherine of Alexandria or another female saint : Ashley, Hampshire *NEW*	St. Clement : South Leigh, Oxon.	Scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert : Pittington, Co. Durham *NEW*	St. Dunstan holding the Devil by the nose : Barton, Cambs
St.Edmund : Boxford, Suffolk	St. Edmund : Lakenheath, Suffolk	St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Bishopsbourne, Kent	St.Edmund, Martyrdom of : Fritton, Norfolk	St. Edmund (or St. Walstan) : Gisleham, Norfolk	St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Pickering, N.Yorks	St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Stoke Dry, Rutland	St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Troston, Suffolk
St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Weare Giffard, Devon	St.Eloi, Broughton, Bucks	St. Eloi and the possessed horse, Slapton, Northants	St. Eloi, as bishop & blacksmith, Wensley, N.Yorks	St.Erasmus, Martyrdom of : Chippenham, Cambs	St. Etheldreda : Willingham, Cambs	St. Francis Preaching to the Birds : Little Kimble, Bucks	St.Francis Preaching to the Birds : Wissington, Suffolk
St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, Slapton, Northants	St. George & Dragon : Banningham, Norfolk	St. George & Dragon : Broughton, Bucks	St. George & Dragon : Earl Stonham, Suffolk	St. George & Dragon : Fritton, Norfolk	St. George & Dragon : Hornton, Oxon	St. George dedicating himself to the Virgin : Astbury, Cheshire	St. George, with the princess : Little Kimble, Bucks
St. George & the Dragon : Kirtlington, Oxon *NEW*	St.Helena, Broughton, Bucks	St.James the Great : Hales, Norfolk	Life of St. James, Stoke Orchard, Gloucestershire	St. James the Great, meeting pilgrims : Wisborough Green, Sussex	St. James the Great, Yelden (or Yielden), Beds *NEW*	St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks	St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Heydon, Norfolk
St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Idsworth, Hampshire	St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Old Weston, Northants	St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Pickering, N. Yorks	Life of St. John the Baptist : Cerne Abbas, Dorset	St. John the Evangelist, Selling, Kent	St. John the Evangelist, Weston Longville, Norfolk	St. Margaret of Antioch : Old Weston, Northants	St. Margaret and the dragon : South Newington, Oxfordshire
St. Margaret of Antioch Martyred, Stoke Dry, Rutland	St. Margaret of Antioch, Life of : Charlwood, Surrey	Life of St. Margaret, Wendens Ambo, Essex	Martyrdom of St. Margaret, Duxford, Cambridgeshire	Martyrdom of St. Margaret, Ashby St Ledgers, Northamptonshire *NEW*	St. Martin dividing his cloak, Chalgrave, Beds	St. Martin dividing his cloak, Wareham, Dorset	St Michael, with kneeling donor, South Newington, Oxfordshire
St.Nicholas of Myra, life of : Little Horwood, Bucks
St. Nicholas of Myra, two miracles of : Wissington, Suffolk	St. Nicholas of Myra & the Boys in the Barrel, Padworth, Berkshire	St. Nicholas of Myra & the Boys in the barrel, Bishopsbourne, Kent *NEW*	St.Paul : Black Bourton, Oxon	St. Paul : Beckley, Oxon	St. Paul : Selling, Kent	St. Peter : Beckley, Oxon
St.Peter : Black Bourton, Oxon	St. Peter, Martyrdom of : Chacombe, Northants	St. Peter : Selling, Kent	SS. Peter & Paul, Old Idsworth, Hampshire *NEW*	St. Roch : Pinvin, Worcs	St. Sexburga? : Willingham, Cambs	S. Stephen, Martyrdom of, North Stoke, Oxon	St. Stephen, Stoning of: Black Bourton, Oxon
St. Stephen, Stoning of: Catfield, Norfolk	St.Swithun (?) enthroned : Old Weston, Northants	Scenes from the life of St. Swithun : Corhampton, Hampshire	St. Thomas Becket, blessing, Hauxton, Cambs.	Archbishop, possibly Thomas Becket, blessing, Shorthampton, Oxfordshire *NEW*	St. Thomas Becket, Murder of, Marston Magna, Somerset	St. Thomas Becket, Murder of, North Stoke, Oxfordshire	St.Thomas Becket, Murder of : South Burlingham, Norfolk
St. Thomas Becket, Murder of : South Newington, Oxfordshire	St. Walstan of Bawburgh? or St. Edmund : Gisleham, Norfolk	St. Zita : Horley, Oxon	St. Zita : Shorthampton, Oxon	Unidentified female saint : Heydon