Patrick Comerford
I was back in Lichfield and Tamworth at the end of last week for one of those short pilgrimages and self-guided mini-retreats that a make a few times in the year, and that are important for my spiritual health and well-being.
But I was visiting Lichfield and Tamworth too to hear about the ‘Saint Editha’s Way’ pilgrim route, a 14-mile journey celebrating the story of ancient Mercia. The pilgrim route starts at Polesworth Abbey and weaves its way through along canal tow-path to Amington, through to Tamworth, including Tamworth Castle and Saint Editha’s Church, then on to Wigginton and through Hopwas, finishing at Lichfield Cathedral.
The total distance is about 14 miles and takes about five hours at walking pace or 1.5 hours on a bicycle. An interactive map of the route that can be download to your phones is available on the Footpaths App, just click here.
Some people may decide to walk the whole of Saint Editha’s Way in one go, while others may walk it in sections over a longer period, perhaps over several days.
For a shorter route, walkers can start at Polesworth Abbey and stop at Saint Editha’s Church, Tamworth – this is about 6.5 miles and takes about 2.5 hours. Alternatively, walkers can start at Tamworth and proceed to Lichfield Cathedral – this is about 7 miles and takes about three hours. There are good bus services along the whole route and regular connections between Lichfield and Polesworth, so walkers need not walk the whole way back.
There is information about the churches and castles on the route in the Pilgrim Guidebook, a special handbook for the journey with details about landmarks on the route and other tips and information. Much of it has been researched and compiled by Dr David Biggs, chair of the Tamworth and District Civic Society. I picked up my copy in Saint Editha’s Church, Tamworth, on Friday morning and it is also available at Polesworth Abbey and Lichfield Cathedral.
Saint Editha was a 10th century princess in Mercia, one of several kingdoms making up what we now call England. Tamworth was the political capital of Mercia and Lichfield was the ecclesiastical capital.
Saint Editha was probably the sister of Athelstan, who was crowned first King of all England in 925 CE. Renowned for her charity and good works, she renounced royal luxury to live a holy life. She was married in Tamworth Church in 926 CE but was abandoned later by her pagan husband Sihtric, the Viking ruler of York and Northumbria. She then led a life of saintly devotion and good works in her convent in Tamworth until she died in the year 960.
She became a saint by popular acclaim, her shrine in Tamworth became a place of pilgrimage. The church in Tamworth was named in her honour in 963 by her nephew King Edgar when he completed the rebuilding of the church and its foundation as a collegiate church. Other churches in the area with her name include Polesworth Abbey.
The mediaeval tradition of pilgrimages to Tamworth to venerate Saint Editha is recalled in an anonymous poem from the Middle Ages:
Over ye river broad, ye pilgrims onward speed
By olden Tamworth altars fare, for ghostly good to speed.
Soundeth ye church bells merrily, about ye lofty aisle
Through tinctured shapes of saints and kings ye shafted sunbeams smile.
Standeth ye marble of Saint Edith, all in bright array.
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus [pray for us sinners] each rich one doth say.
Gentles from embroidered silk scraps scattereth pence around
To simple men, with dusty feet, weeping upon ye ground.
The marble statue referred to was likely removed or destroyed in the Reformation in the 16th century. But a new statue of Saint Editha in Saint Editha’s Church, Tamworth, was commissioned this year (2025) to mark the inauguration of the new pilgrimage route. She is depicted with a crozier, as an abbess, and a church, representing the churches where she is the patron.
The principal stopping points along the way include Polesworth Abbey in the heart of Polesworth, Saint Editha’s, Amington, a Victorian parish church with Burne-Jones glass, Tamworth Castle, Saint Editha’s Church, Tamworth, Spital Chapel, Wigginton, a mediaeval chapel that was originally part of a hospital, and Lichfield Cathedral.
The route meanders through beautiful countryside including Pooley Country Park, a substantial stretch of peaceful canal, the grounds of Tamworth Castle, and past the woods and fields of Hopwas. The route traverses several busy main roads, but the entire journey is along footpaths. Each stop along the route has a special pilgrimage marker, and entry is free at each stop with the one exception of Tamworth Castle.
Other sights along the way include Alvecote Priory, now an atmospheric derelict ruin, Saint Rufin’s Well in the grounds of Tamworth Castle, and Saint Chad’s Well in the churchyard at Saint Chad’s Church, Lichfield.
I travelled part of the way on Friday afternoon, from Tamworth through Hopwas and Whittington to Lichdield, but travlled by bus for most of the journey by bus. In Lichfield, I stopped to pray in the Chapel of Saint John’s Hospital before continuing on to Lichfield Cathedral.
Later in the afternoon, I walked along part of Cross in Hand Lanethe old pilgrim route along Cross in Hand Lane, the first (or final) stage on ‘The Two Saints Way’ between the shrine of Saint Chad in Lichfield and the shrine of Saint Werburgh in Chester. I had a late lunch at the Hedgehog before returning at the end of the day to Lichfield Cathedral for Evening Prayer.
Pilgrims who complete the route along ‘Saint Editha’s Way’ may present their handbook at the front desk of Lichfield Cathedral during visiting hours to receive a special stamp and certificate to prove they have successfully completed the Saint Editha’s Way.
The Pilgrim’s Prayer in the handbook:
O Lord of Heaven and Earth,
guide my steps as I journey through this land of Mercia,
where saints have walked and holy lives were lived.
I lift my heart to you, O God,
with the spirit of a pilgrim – seeking not only places, but peace.
Teach me, like Saint Editha, to set aside pride and vanity,
and to walk humbly with you in all things.
O Lord, as O walk this pilgrim way,
be my compass and my strength.
Through the prayers of Saint Editha and all the Mercian saints,
draw me nearer to your heart.
In the name of Jesus Christ the King of all things.
Amen.
