Richard Ward PINS Reference 3253194; 3253230; and 3253232

The Battle of Maserfeld 05 August A.D.642 detailed by the Venerable Bede (673-735): from his works Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Book III

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Medieval Sourcebook: Bede (673-735): Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Book III

1. The Battlefield Maserfeld 05 August A.D.642

Extracts tith comments of the Venerable Bede’s Book III In relation to King Oswald and the Battle of Maserfeld: (Highlight to emphasis specific events)

“CHAPTER IX HOW MIRACULOUS CURES HAVE BEEN FREQUENTLY DONE IN THE PLACE WHERE KING OSWALD WAS KILLED; AND HOW, FIRST, A TRAVELER'S HORSE WAS RESTORED AND AFTERWARDS A YOUNG GIRL CURED OF THE PALSY. [A.D. 642.]

OSWALD, the most Christian king of the Northumbrians, reigned nine years, including that year which is to be held accursed for the brutal impiety of the king of the Britons, and the apostasy of the English kings; for, as was said above, it is agreed by the unanimous consent of all, that the names of the apostates should be erased from the catalogue of the Christian kings, and no date ascribed to their reign. After which period, Oswald was killed in a great battle, by the same pagan nation and pagan king of the Mercians, who had slain his predecessor Edwin, at a place called in the English tongue Maserfield, in the thirty-eighth year of his age, on the fifth day of the month of August.

How great his faith was towards God, and how remarkable his devotion, has been made evident by miracles since his death; for, in the place where he was killed by the pagans, fighting for his country, infirm men and cattle are healed to this day. Whereupon many took up the very dust of the place where his body fell, and putting it into water, did much good with it to their friends who were sick. This custom came so much into use, that the earth being carried away by degrees, there remained a hole as deep as the height of a man. Nor is it to be wondered that the sick should be healed in the place where he died; for, whilst he lived, he never ceased to provide for the poor and infirm, and to bestow alms on them, and assist them. Many miracles are said to have been wrought in that place, or with the earth carried from thence;…...”

The name “at a place called in the English tongue Maserfield”, this would be Saxon tongue (not Welsh, if Maserfeld was at Oswestry), whereas, today in the locality of Winwick there are numerous places stlll with the name Maserfeld: Newton-le-Willows (formally Newton-in-Makerfield); Ashton-in-Makerfield; Ince-in-Makerfield…. to mention just a few references.

For King Oswald “fighting for his country”, clearly indicates that King Oswald was in not in . King Penda of Mercia before August A.D.642 had not invaded Northumbria, according to the Bede, so for King Oswald invading the Kingdom of Mercia whilst “fighting for his country”, does not follow. This indicates that it was King Penda of Mercia who in Summer A.D.642 decided to invade Northumbria to restore Pagan worship and increase his kingdom. Therefore strongly indicating that Maserfeld was indeed in the area of the Saxon chiefdom of Winwick.

The Bede writes, “Whereupon many took up the very dust of the place where his body fell, and putting it into water”, and “there remained a hole as deep as the height of a man.”, this place today, is St Oswald Well, the condition and description of which is virtually the same as the Bede wrote over thirteen hundred years earlier. No likely place or name an area Maserfeld in either Oswestry or Mirfield exists.

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“CHAPTER XI OF THE HEAVENLY LIGHT THAT APPEARED ALL THE NIGHT OVER THE BONES OF KING OSWALD, AND HOW PERSONS POSSESSED WITH DEVILS WERE DELIVERED BY HIS BONES. [A.D. 697.]

AMONG the rest, I think we ought not to pass over, in silence, the heavenly favors and miracles that were shown when King Oswald's bones were found, and translated into the church where they are now preserved. This was done by the zealous care of Osthrida, queen of the Mercians, the daughter of his brother Oswy, who reigned after him, as shall be said hereafter. There is a noble monastery in the province of Lindsey, called Beardeneu, which that queen and her husband Ethelred much loved, and conferred upon it many honors and ornaments. It was here that she was desirous to lay the venerable bones of her uncle. When the wagon in which those bones were carried arrived towards evening at the aforesaid monastery, they that were in it refused to admit them, because, though they knew him to be a holy man, yet, as he was originally of another province, and had reigned over them as a foreign king, they retained their ancient aversion to him, even after death. Thus it came to pass that the relics were left in the open air all that night, with only a large tent spread over them; but the appearance of a heavenly miracle showed with how much reverence they ought to be received by all the faithful; for during that whole night, a pillar of light, reaching from the wagon up to heaven, was seen by almost all the inhabitants of the province of Lindsey. Hereupon, in the morning, the brethren who had refused it the day before, began themselves earnestly to pray that those holy relics, so beloved by God, might be deposited among them. Accordingly, the bones, being washed, were put into a shrine which they had made for that purpose, and placed in the church, with due honor; and that there might be a perpetual memorial of the royal person of this holy man, they hung up over the monument his banner made of gold and purple; and poured out the water in which they had washed the bones, in a corner of the sacred place. From that time, the very earth which received that holy water, had the virtue of expelling devils from the bodies of persons possessed…..”

“CHAPTER XII OF A BOY CURED OF AN AGUE AT ST. OSWALD'S TOMB. [A.D. 642.]

SOME time after, there was a certain little boy in the said monastery, who had been long troubled with an ague; he was one day anxiously expecting the hour that his fit was to come on, when one of the brothers, coming in to him, said, "Shall I tell you, child, how you may be cured of this distemper? Rise, go into the church, and get close to St. Oswald's tomb; stay there quiet, and do not leave it; do not come away, or stir from the place, till the time that your fit is to go off: then I will go in and fetch you away." The boy did as he was advised, and the disease durst not affect him as he sat by the saint's tomb; but fled so absolutely, that he felt it no more, either the second or third day, or ever after. The brother that came from thence, and told me this, added, that at the time when he was talking with me, the young man was then still living in the monastery, on whom, when a boy, that miraculous cure had been wrought. Nor is it to be wondered that the prayers of that king who was then reigning with our Lord, should be very efficacious with him, since he, whilst yet governing his temporal kingdom, was also wont to pray and take more pains for that which is eternal. In short, it is reported, that he often continued in prayer from the hour of morning thanksgiving till it was day; and that by reason of his constant custom of praying or giving thanks to God, he was wont always, wherever he sat, to hold his hands turned up on his knees. It is also given out, and become a proverb, "That he ended his life in prayer;"for when he was beset with weapons and enemies, he perceived he must immediately be killed, and prayed to God for the souls of his army. Whence it is proverbially said, "Lord, have mercy on their souls, said Oswald, as he fell to the ground." His bones, therefore,

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were translated to the monastery which we have mentioned, and buried therein: but the king that slew him commanded his head, hands, and arms to be cut off from the body, and set upon stakes. But his successor in the throne, Oswy, coming thither the next year with his army, took them down, and buried his head in the church of Lindisfarne, and the hands and arms in his royal city.”

For King Oswy to have “coming thither the next year” being A.D.643, if Maserfeld had been at Oswestry in the Kingdom of Mercia, The Bede would have recorded King Oswy of Northumbria to have fought against King Penda of Mercia where King Penda would have been defending his Kingdom. Indicating that Oswestry was not the place called Maserfeld. Therefore King Oswy marched from the Royal City to the occupied Northumbria, expecting conflict, to which the Bede does not relate. To reclaim the body of the late King Oswald, But where the Pagan King Penda had set Oswald’s head, hands and arms on stakes as a warning to the Northumbrian people.

The Bede wrote that Oswy only took the Head, Hands and Arms of Oswald. This indicated the remains of Oswald’s body were not in the same location, to have been placed with those buried Northumbrian army killed on 05 August A.D.642, or had been removed by loyal followers of Oswald. Unfortunately the Bede had not written what happened to Oswald’s body at A.D.642, even though the Bede wrote about the miracles that occurred at the place where King Oswald was slain. If Oswald’s body had been moved by followers there would have been some mention of this fact. Tending to indicate that King Oswald’s Body was placed along with his fellow Northumbrian soldiers killed in action.

The Bede only wrote what happened to the body (bones) of Oswald about 40 years later.

The remains from A.D.642 to the moment to about forty years later: “Osthrida, queen of the Mercians, the daughter of his brother Oswy, who reigned after him [Oswald]”, where she once, “when King Oswald's bones were found, and translated into the church where they are now preserved.”, and “It was here that she was desirous to lay the venerable bones of her uncle.”

So what actually happened to King Oswald’s body during the 40 years, after the battle of Maserrfeld can only be theoretical. The Bede offers no suggestions only that Oswald’s body was in a place not unknown to people he had spoken to whilst he rote his “Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation”. No Miracles were known at the place of King Oswald’s burial location, no place of honour was recorded. As the Bede wrote “when King Oswald's bones were found”, by “Osthrida, queen of the Mercians”, indicates the Bede had at the time had not been informed or that no-one knew, apart from maybe Mercian Pagan Army spoken tales about the battle of Maserfeld of what happened afterwards.

It could be? Similar to We put the defeated kings head and arms of stakes and threw his body along with the dead to either let the animals feast or got the defeated to bury the bodies in a nearby pit. Once Osthrida, became queen of the Mercians she found those who were present to reveal the location. But no-one knows, no-one wrote it down. The only known fact from the Bede is Oswald’s bones were found and placed at the monastry in the province of Lindsey, called Beardeneu.

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2. The Battlefield Maserfeld 05 August AD642.

The battlefield Maserfeld is under a long standing debate: Is Maserfeld at the Woodhead area, or Oswestry, or Mirfield? For a battlefield to be recognised whether designated or non- designated there must be records of the event -

The Bede (673 - 735) to me fits the criteria as he wrote the account about 70 years after, maybe from information from the daughter of Oswy, Osthryth, Queen of the Mercians and niece to King Oswald. Osthryth died in AD 697 which meant she could have been a child when Oswald was alive (hence, maybe why Osthryth searched for her uncles bones and at the famous monastery in the province of Lindsey, called Beardaneu, which Queen Osthryth and her husband King Ethelred of Mercia greatly loved and venerated, conferring upon it many honours. It was here that she was desirous to lay the revered bones of her uncle.

The other record for a battlefield to be recognised whether designated or non-designated there must be archaeology.

First, the Bede writes in Chapter IX:

“for, in the place where he was killed by the pagans, fighting for his country,”

This strongly indicates King Oswald was not the aggressor, but fighting to defend his country, so the battle of Maserfeld was in Northumbria the lands north of the River Mersey and the River Humber. This rules Oswestry out as Oswestry is in Mercia.

What more archaeology does one need than St Oswald's well, current dimensions are 0.7 m square and 1.9m deep. This fits in virtually to what the Bede wrote Chapter IX:

“How great his faith was towards God, and how remarkable his devotion, has been made evident by miracles since his death; for, in the place where he was killed by the pagans, fighting for his country, infirm men and cattle are healed to this day. Whereupon many took up the very dust of the place where his body fell, and putting it into water, did much good with it to their friends who were sick. This custom came so much into use, that the earth being carried away by degrees, there remained a hole as deep as the height of a man. Nor is it to be wondered that the sick should be healed in the place where he died; for, whilst he lived, he never ceased to provide for the poor and infirm, and to bestow alms on them, and assist them. Many miracles are said to have been wrought in that place, or with the earth carried from thence; but we have thought it sufficient to mention two, which we heard from our ancestors…..”

"…..Whence it came to pass that many took up the very dust of the place where his body fell, and putting it into water, brought much relief with it to their friends who were sick. This custom came so much into use, that the earth being carried away by degrees, a hole was made as deep as the height of a man….."

Finally, as Winwick Church was given to Nostell Priory in the 12th Century and that Warrington/Winwick are/were dedicated to St Augustine. It is written or said that a sect of Augustan friars know as Hermits protected St Oswald's Well, where travellers paid

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Alms to the monks/friars, The Hermit Friars are commonly known to have stayed in places called a Hermitage. With again from the Bede under the Miracles in Chapter IX transcribed:

" the horse happened in his struggles to come to the very place where the great king died. Immediately the pain abated, the beast ceased from his frantic kicking, and, after the manner of horses, as if resting from his weariness, he rolled from side to side, and then starting up, perfectly recovered, began to graze hungrily on the green herbage. The rider observing this, and being an intelligent man, concluded 'that there must be some wonderful sanctity in the place where the horse had been healed, and he marked the spot."

And in Chapter X

“About the same time, another person of the British nation, as is reported, happened to travel by the same place, where the aforesaid battle was fought, and observing one particular spot of ground greener and more beautiful than any other part of the field, he judiciously concluded with himself that there could be no other cause for that unusual greenness, but that some person of more holiness than any other in the army had been killed there. He therefore took along with him some of that earth, tying it up in a linen cloth, supposing it would some time or other be of use for curing sick people, and proceeding on his journey, came at night to a certain village, and entered a house where the neighbours were feasting at supper; being received by the owners of the house, he sat down with them at the entertainment, hanging the cloth, in which he had brought the earth, on a post against the wall. They sat long at supper and drank hard, with a great fire in the middle of the room; it happened that the sparks flew up and caught the top of the house, which being made of wattles and thatch, was presently in a flame; the guests ran out in a fright, without being able to put a stop to the fire. The house was consequently burnt down, only that post on which the earth hung remained entire and un- touched. On observing this, they were all amazed, and inquiring into it diligently, understood that the earth had been taken from the place where the blood of King Oswald had been shed. These miracles being made known and reported abroad, many began daily to frequent that place, and received health to themselves and theirs.”

Maybe the reasoning behind current name Hermitage Green given by the Hermit Friars and that where Oswald fell was so written by the Bede: “began to graze hungrily on the green herbage.”, “observing one particular spot of ground greener and more beautiful than any other part of the field”, and “there could be no other cause for that unusual greenness”.

So with the designated Heritage Asset St Oswald's Well having such a modern day recognition as a Holy Well and scheduled monument gives more credence that the Battle of Maserfeld strongly indicates it is indeed at Hermitage Green, Winwick.

“CHAP. IX. How miracles of healing have been frequently wrought in the place where King Oswald was killed; and how, first, a traveller’s horse was restored and afterwards a young girl cured of the palsy. [642 A.D.] OSWALD, the most Christian king of the Northumbrians, reigned nine years, including that year which was held accursed for the barbarous cruelty of the king of the Britons

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and the reckless apostacy of the English kings; for, as was said above, it is agreed by the unanimous consent of all, that the names and memory of the apostates should be erased from the catalogue of the Christian kings, and no year assigned to their reign. After which period, Oswald was killed in a great battle, by the same pagan nation and pagan king of the Mercians, who had slain his predecessor Edwin, at a place called in the English tongue Maserfelth, in the thirty-eighth year of his age, on the fifth day of the month of August.

How great his faith was towards God, and how remarkable his devotion, has been made evident by miracles even after his death; for, in the place where he was killed by the pagans, fighting for his country, sick men and cattle are frequently healed to this day. Whence it came to pass that many took up the very dust of the place where his body fell, and putting it into water, brought much relief with it to their friends who were sick. This custom came so much into use, that the earth being carried away by degrees, a hole was made as deep as the height of a man. Nor is it surprising that the sick should be healed in the place where he died; for, whilst he lived, he never ceased to provide for the poor and the sick, and to bestow alms on them, and assist them.

Many miracles are said to have been wrought in that place, or with the dust carried from it; but we have thought it sufficient to mention two, which we have heard from our elders.

It happened, not long after his death, that a man was travelling on horseback near that place, when his horse on a sudden fell sick, stood still, hung his head, and foamed at the mouth, and, at length, as his pain increased, he fell to the ground; the rider dismounted, and taking off his saddle, waited to see whether the beast would recover or die. At length, after writhing for a long time in extreme anguish, the horse happened in his struggles to come to the very place where the great king died. Immediately the pain abated, the beast ceased from his frantic kicking, and, after the manner of horses, as if resting from his weariness, he rolled from side to side, and then starting up, perfectly recovered, began to graze hungrily on the green herbage. The rider observing this, and being an intelligent man, concluded that there must be some wonderful sanctity in the place where the horse had been healed, and he marked the spot. After which he again mounted his horse, and went on to the inn where he intended to stop. On his arrival he found a girl, niece to the landlord, who had long been sick of the palsy; and when the members of the household, in his presence, lamented the girl’s grievous calamity, he gave them an account of the place where his horse had been cured. In brief, she was put into a wagon and carried to the place and laid down there. At first she slept awhile, and when she awoke, found herself healed of her infirmity. Upon which she called for water, washed her face, arranged her hair, put a kerchief on her head, and returned home on foot, in good health, with those who had brought her.”

“CHAP. X. How the dust of that place prevailed against fire. [After 642 A.D.] ABOUT the same time, another traveller, a Briton, as is reported, happened to pass by the same place, where the aforesaid battle was fought. Observing one particular spot of ground greener and more beautiful than any other part of the field, he had the wisdom to infer that the cause of the unusual greenness in that place must be that some person of greater holiness than any other in the army had been killed there. Ide therefore took along with him some of the dust of that piece of ground, tying it up in a linen cloth, supposing, as was indeed the case, that it would be of use for curing sick people, and proceeding on his journey,

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came in the evening to a certain village, and entered a house where the villagers were feasting at supper. Being received by the owners of the house, he sat down with them at the entertainment, hanging the cloth, with the dust which he had carried in it, on a post in the wall. They sat long at supper and drank deep. Now there was a great fire in the middle of the room, and it happened that the sparks flew up and caught the roof of the house, which being made of wattles and thatch, was suddenly wrapped in flames; the guests ran out in panic and confusion, but they were not able to save the burning house, which was rapidly being destroyed. Wherefore the house was burnt down, and only that post on which the dust hung in the linen cloth remained safe and untouched by the fire. When they beheld this miracle, they were all amazed, and inquiring into it diligently, learned that the dust had been taken from the place where the blood of King Oswald had been shed. These wonderful works being made known and reported abroad, many began daily to resort to that place, and received the blessing of health for themselves and their friends.

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