Saint Elphin

Elphin of Warrington (died 679) was a Christian saint who lived in the North West of England in the 7th century,^[1] and is considered the patron saint of the town of Warrington.^[2]

Life

Little is known about his life, but according to tradition he was a companion of Saint Oswald at Iona. When Oswald became king of Northumbria and moved his country residence to Makerfield, Elphin accompanied him and Oswald built a wooden church for him on the site of the present parish church in Warrington.^[3] The Domesday Book also describes two carucates of land in the Hundred of Newton-in-Makerfield as belonging to St Elphin.^[3] He was martyred in 679.^[1]

Dedications

St Elphin's Church, Warrington, known for its 281-foot spire, is dedicated to St Elphin.^[4] Also dedicated to him was St Elphin's School, a boarding school founded in Warrington that moved to Darley Dale, Derbyshire; it closed in 2005.

References

^ ^a ^b Charles Hardwick (1882). On Some Ancient Battlefields in Lancashire. p. 87.
^ David Farmer,Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford University Press, 1996), p157.
^ ^a ^b "Saint Elphin of Warrington". The Tablet. 22 May 1886.
^ "Warrington St Elphin". Church of England.

[hardwick-1] Charles Hardwick (1882). On Some Ancient Battlefields in Lancashire. p. 87.

[2] David Farmer,Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford University Press, 1996), p157.

[tablet-3] "Saint Elphin of Warrington". The Tablet. 22 May 1886.

[4] "Warrington St Elphin". Church of England.

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