April 8th. St. Guthlac.

The little town of Crowland stands in the Fens east of Peterborough and its famous 'three-way' medieval bridge, standing in the town centre over what is now dry land serves as a reminder that this was once a true water-town, a miniature Fenland Venice. The hermit St. Guthlac (673-714) was its most famous inhabitant. Originally a soldier, he had been a monk at Repton, near Derby, but was persuaded to leave the community because of the campaign he waged against any kind of alcohol. Reaching Crowland by boat, he established his hermitage there and became famous for his sanctity and religious dedication. His cult was spread by Kings and Archbishops alike; the abbey of Crowland was built round his cell, with his jewel-laden shrine at its centre. In the British Museum there survives the so-called Guthlac Roll, a 12th. century picture-biography of the saint. Along with St. Cuthbert in the North, Guthlac ensured that the life of the solitary, praying hermit was taken seriously, and that the hermit was seen as a powerful intercessor for the needs of those at work in the world.