St Swithin

Born in 1046 to Edward the Atheling, the Anglo-Saxon king, Margaret and her family were exiled to Hungary when the Danes invaded and took over most of England. Edward died in 1057, but Margaret remained on the Continent, she grew up to be a well educated and it was said, beautiful young woman, with a loving for fine clothes this intelligent and devout woman finally felt it was time to return to her homeland. But it was after 1066 and with the Normans in charge England was not the place for an Anglo-Saxon princess, so Margaret found refuge in the Scottish court of Malcolm III, She settled well and in 1069 married Malcolm, the union was exceptionally happy and fruitful for all of Scotland.

Malcolm was very much a rough diamond but through her influence both he and the court achieved a high standard of civilization and a high reputation throughout Europe. Margaret bore eight children, her sons Alexander and David both became kings of Scotland and her daughter, Matilda married Henry I of England, thus the present day British royal family can trace its origins back to the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon kings of England.

It is through her Christian works that Margaret is best remembered. With her faith and strength she reformed the Church in Scotland, then at a very low ebb. Her influence also got the Councils to propagate communion at Easter and to ban servile work on Sundays, while she took a prominent part in the foundation of monasteries, churches and hostels for pilgrims. She revived the abbey of Iona and built Dunfermline to be a Scottish Westminster Abbey as a burial place for its royal family. All this public work brought a strong English influence through the land so bringing her both praise and criticism.

In her private life, Margaret was devoted to prayer and reading, her lavish almsgiving helped many Anglo-Saxon captives to be freed, she was also a noted ecclesiastical needle worker. She had a great influence over Malcolm, so much in love; he came to value what she valued. He saw in her, as her biographer, Tugot wrote, 'that Christ truly dwelt in her heart ... what she rejected he rejected ... what she loved, he for the love of her loved too'. Some of her books survive, a pocket Gospel with Evangelist portraits, certainly hers, is in the Bodhean Library in Oxford, also at University College Oxford is a life of Cuthbert, reputedly hers, while at Edinburgh University Library there is a Psalter which could well have been hers. Malcolm, although he could not read loved her books and would get them illustrated and bound in precious metals.

Malcolm and one of their sons were killed fighting William Rufus who had confiscated her relation Edgar's estates. Heart-broken by the news of their deaths, worn out with her austerities and childbearing Margaret died in 1093, at the age of 47. She was buried beside her husband at Dunfermline and they remained there until the reformation, when their bodies were translated to a specially built chapel in the Escorial in Madrid, while the Jesuits at Douai obtained her head. Margaret was canonised during the thirteenth century and was named patron of Scotland in 1673 and is the only Scottish saint to have a universal cult in the Roman calendar.

John Hayward.