Back in the day, (1500 years ago give or take) the area we are cruising in now, was in the Kingdom of Mercia, the post Roman, Anglo Saxon region, not the rather trendy Marina south of Derby.
It’s a bit hard to pin down the specifics as literacy didn’t seem to take priority over Kingdom building. And to be honest, I still can’t make sense of who owned what or when. But if you look on Google maps there’s a purple historical landmark pin where we are moored. Well, well, well, as soon as the rain had stopped I needed to go and investigate. Right next to the canal is where you will find St Rufin’s Well.
Alas, it’s not all that remarkable at first sight,
And there was a nice circular route around the buttercup meadow, through the hamlet of Burston that would get me back to Firecrest.
Next to the village pond was an info board that told me a bit about St Rufin’s Well and the little chapel tucked away behind the cottages.
Rufin and his older brother Wulfad were the sons of the Pagan King Wulfhere. They had the “good fortune” to meet a prominent monk called Chad who converted them to Christianity. It is believed they were baptised here, in this well. However their father the king was furious and ordered them to be killed, an action he immediately regretted. He went on to meet with Chad and was also converted to Christianity. Chad went on to become the Bishop of Mercia, and both he, Rufin and Wulfad were all canonized for their martyrdom. This all happened in the 7th century and there are many legends and storys about what went on at this time. The power struggles between the Christians and the pagans led to many more slaughters. St Rufin’s Well was also known as the Druids well.
Whilst I was out researching a bit of history, Eric was communicating with his porthole spirit. Just like Aladin polishing his lamp, Eric was polishing his brass when his genie appeared.
This is obviously a spiritual place, there are many churches and memorials dedicated to Rufin, Wulfad and Chad, and there is a recognised pilgrimage walk between Lichfield and Chester cathedrals.
