The legend of Botwulf, better known as St Botolph is full of intrigue. Some say that the mysterious land of Icanho where he built his minster was at Boston, Lincolnshire, and the residents there would argue their right to claim the legend for Botolphs Town. However, it is much more probable that the location of Botolphs famous minster was located where present day Iken stands amidst the marshes of the Alde estuary.
Botolph was born of noble Christian Saxon parents. Together with his brother Adulph, they was sent to the continent for Christian study. Adulph remained abroad, eventually becoming Bishop of Utrecht but Botuplph returned to England with the intention of building a monastry. In AD654 Botulph sought favour with the Anglian King Ethelmund and was granted a tract of desolate land at Icanho, 'The Isle of Oxen', on which he could build his monastry. In those days Icanho was indeed an island in the Alde estury surrounded by marshes and was considered a gloomy and evil place haunted by ghosts and marsh demons. Botolph intially attempted to build his monastry on Yarn Hill but during the night the stones would be moved and the workers were found dead, their bodies mutilated. The road to Scillasforda (Chillesford) was also said to be plagued by ghosts of restless souls. Botolph believed the island was posessed by the devil himself and built the Iken high Cross, a monolith of stone seven feet tall and inscribed with carvings of wild dogs and wolves. This was to ward off the evil spirits and banish the devil from the island. This appeared to work and the construction was shifted from Yarn Hill and onto where the modern day church stands.
During his excavations in 1977, Dr Stanley West found within the fabric of the church the lower part of a carved cross decorated with the heads of dogs or wolves and dating from the 9th or early 10th century. The shaft formed the lower part of a large stone cross perhaps ten or twelve feet in height and is now on display within the church. Local legend tells of a gamekeeper finding a similar peice of stone during the 19th century whilst digging for his dog in a rabbit burrow on Yarn Hill. A replica cross has been constructed in wood and is mounted at the entrance to the car park at Iken Cliff, though sadly this has been vandalised.
St Botulph died on 17th June AD680 and was buried at the site of his famous minster. It was proclaimed that Botolph was a man of unparalleled life and learning, and full of the grace of the Holy Spirit. His tomb survived the destruction wrought by the Vikings in the winter and AD869-870, and in AD970 his bones were moved with the consent of King Edgar to a site at Burgh-by-Woodbridge near Grundisburgh. It has been said the Burgh was suffering similar problems with ghosts and marsh demons as had beset Icanho and Botolphs bones were brought here to banish the evil spirits. Whether this worked or not is not told but his relics were housed at Burgh for around fifty years until the time of King Cnut who granted permission for them to be divided between several minsters, including Bury St Edmunds where they were venerated in a shrine. The ruined crypt can still be seen there today.
The present day thatched church of St Botolph at Iken consists of three parts. The most ancient bit is the nave which dates from before 1200. The chancel, like all others in England, fell into disuse after the reformation. By the 18th century it was ruinous, and was demolished and rebuilt in 1853. The tower is from the mid-15th century and is of typical Suffolk style.
2 comments:
Thanks for a fascinating write-up - I will definitely try to do a walk in that area sometime this year. The Suffolk coast and estuaries are truly little-known gems.
I am glad you liked this - it is a splendid area with a lot of hidden history. Iken can be included by walking the Suffolk Coast Path Orford extension and walking this as a circular walk by returning back to Iken from Chillesford along the inland route of the path (17 miles or so).
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