Botwulf of Thorney
| Botwulf of Thorney | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7th century |
| Died | 680 |
| Venerated in |
Anglican Communion Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Lutheran Church (particularly in Denmark & Sweden) |
| Feast | 17 June (England) 25 June (Scotland) 1 December (translation of relics) |
| Patronage | Travellers and farming |
Botwulf of Thorney (also called Botolph, Botulph or Botulf; died around 680) was an English abbot and saint. He is the patron saint of travellers and the various aspects of farming. His feast day is celebrated either on 17 June (England) or 25 June (Scotland), and his translation falls on 1 December.
Little is known about Botwulf's life, other than doubtful details in an account written four hundred years after his death by the 11th-century monk Folcard. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records for the year 6531: "The Middle Angles, under earldorman Peada, received the true faith. King Anna was killed and Botulf began to build the church at Ikanho". Botolph founded the monastery of Ikanhoe in Suffolk. Icanho, which means 'ox hill', has been identified as Iken, located by the estuary of the River Alde in Suffolk; a church still remains on top of an isolated hill in the parish.2 The Life of St Ceolfrith, written around the time of Bede by an unknown author, mentions an abbot named Botolphus in East Anglia, "a man of remarkable life and learning, full of the grace of the Holy Spirit".3 In common with many early English Christians, he is believed to have studied at Rath Melsigi in Ireland.
Botwulf is supposed to have been buried originally at his foundation of Icanho, but in 970 Edgar I of England gave permission for Botwulf's remains to be transferred to Burgh, near Woodbridge, where they remained for some fifty years before being transferred to their own tomb at Bury St Edmunds Abbey on the instructions of Cnut. The saint's relics were later transferred again, along with those of his brother Adulf, to Thorney Abbey, although his head was transferred to Ely Cathedral and various body parts to other houses, including Westminster Abbey.
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