Way, way back many centuries ago in the land of Mercia to the west of England there was a prince of the royal family of Mercia called Guthlac. Guthlac liked to spend his time as a youth terrorising the Welsh with his band of followers. They would go about the countryside pillaging from houses, burning crops and causing general havoc.

One night, the LORD appeared to Guthlac in a dream, he told Guthlac to amend his ways and see the suffering caused by his wrong-doings. He told him to find a way to repent of his sins and help others. Guthlac decided that he would join a monastery and become a monk.

So Guthlac journeyed until he came to the abbey of Repton in Lincolnshire. Once here, he took his vows and became a monk.

After two years, Guthlac decided that he wanted to become even further away from his past life and decided to leave the abbey and go and live as a hermit.

So, with the Abbot's blessing, Guthlac decide to journey to the fens. A wild desolate part of Lincolnshire. So Guthlac travelled to the east, through wild forests and along the River Welland, by the hamlets of Melton Mowbray and Stamford, past Medehamstede until he reached Cambridge. After staying there for a short while, he met with the boatman Tatwin. Tatwain was told by Guthlac to let the boat drift across the Fens until it came to rest on an island. At the time of Guthlac, the entire area was under water with only small raised areas of land being visible. Guthlac's boat landed on one of these islands- the island of Crowland.

So Guthlac set about building himself a shelter in the wilds of the island. The natives claimed that the place was haunted with evil spirits and ghosts who dwelt in the marshes. Guthlac however soon began to realise that the life of solitude that he had wanted to lead was not going to last as the local people came to him constantly as his faith could cure them of many illnesses.

One night, in a dream, St Bartholomew appeared to Guthlac in a dream, he told Guthlac to become a priest and spread the word of the LORD among the people. Guthlac obeyed Bartholomew and became a priest.

However, one day Guthlac fell ill; in his fevered dreams demons tormented him and insulted Guthlac and began to drag him off into the mouth of hell. Suddenly Bartholomew appeared and gave Guthlac a scourge with which to drive the tormentors away.

For many years, Guthlac helped the sick, rid people of Demons, offered help and counselling and prayed to God. Even so, his life had to end - ague and fever once again took their hold and he died.

Guthlac was laid to rest in the soil of his special island, fifteen years after his arrival there.

St Guthlac is not one of the most well known saints but he has had and still does have a special place as our patron, for those in the eleven churches named for him. From Saxon soldier to Saxon saint, his memory has endured for twelve hundred years, the man who sought solitude and yet who ended up helping so many.

This has been based upon the Guthlac Roll and has been a fairly liberal interpretation of the pictures in the British museum.