Published: Thursday, 28th February, 2008 10:00
Honouring St Baldred
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MEMBERS of St Baldred’s Episcopal Church have dug deep to help raise awareness of the famous East Lothian saint on the 1400th anniversary of his death.
A special collection taken last autumn has resulted in a £1,000 donation to the RNLI, with the money set to provide new equipment for the North Berwick Lifeboat Station.
In addition, the art department at North Berwick High School has been commissioned to create a ceramic statue of St Baldred, for permanent display within the church that bears his name.
Canon John Lindsay, minister at St Baldred’s, told the Courier: “We wanted to mark the 1400th anniversary of St Baldred’s death because of his links with this area.
His name is synonymous with North Berwick in particular and marking this important anniversary has really caught the imagination of our communicants.
“We consider this donation is an appropriate way to mark the anniversary and strengthen our ties with the community of North Berwick.”
Baldred was an evangelist and hermit sent by St Mungo to spread Christianity to the Lothians in the sixth century.
He founded a monastery at Tyninghame and later lived as a hermit in a cell on the Bass Rock, where he is believed to have died in 608. He also sometimes resided in St Baldred’s Cave on Seacliff Beach.
His name is remembered in St Baldred’s Boat, the point immediately south of the Bass Rock, opposite Tantallon Castle, and St Baldred’s Cradle, which lies at the north-west end of the John Muir Country Park, near Dunbar.
Following Baldred’s death, there was a dispute between the parishes of Auldhame, Tyninghame and Prestonkirk, as to which should have his body.
Legend has it that, on the advice of a holy man, the congregations spent the night in prayer. In the morning, three bodies were found, in all respects alike, each in its winding sheet, prepared for burial. Historians believe this story was probably invented to explain the claims of each church to house the shrine of St Baldred.
The Tyninghame monastery lasted more than 300 years before being sacked by the Danes in 941.
“There is no painting of St Baldred in our church, so it will be nice to have a visible reminder of him,” said Mr Lindsay.
“Once completed, later this year, the statue will stand in the church, probably on one of the pillars beside the lecturn.
“Like the other Celtic saints, there are no contemporary images of St Baldred to copy, so we have no idea what he looked like. I am sure the pupils at the high school will come up with a suitable design.”
A £1,000 cheque will be presented by the Bishop of Edinburgh, the Rt Rev Brian Smith, to RNLI officials before Sunday’s morning service at St Baldred’s.
A spokesman for North Berwick Lifeboat Station said: “It is a fantastic gesture by the church and we are delighted that this money will be coming in. We are a charitable organisation and every donation is vital in helping us to save lives.”
The annual Feast of St Baldred is on Wednesday.
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Honoured by Her Majesty