St Edmund was an Anglo-Saxon King and ruled East Anglia between 855AD and 869AD.

Almost nothing else is known about St. Edmund save for whisperings and myths. When King Aethelweard of East Anglia died in AD855 he was the last of the Royal House of East Anglia, so his subjects sent word to their homeland of Angeln for a successor. A distant cousin named Edmund arrived at what is now known as St. Edmunds point in Hunstanton to claim his kingdom.

Unfortunately for Edmund, the Vikings had their eyes on Norfolk. Lead by Ivarr the Boneless, they brought their Great Heathen Army to East Anglia, at first Edmund pacified them with gifts of horses which helped keep peace for a while. Eventually, though they returned, in an unidentified place near Diss, The Great Heathen Army and Edmunds forces engaged in battle.

Unfortunately, Edmunds forces were defeated in battle. The Vikings wanted Edmund to renounce his faith and when he would not they were merciless with him. They are said to have beaten him, tied him to a tree and used his back for target practise for their archers. Eventually, they beheaded him and played a barbaric game of rugby with his head before finally discarding it in the woodland.

Edmund’s body was found by his followers, they heard a voice shouting “Here,here,here” they followed the sound and found his body first and then his head, which lay between the paws of a great wolf, untouched by all the forest animals, seemingly at peace, When the head was put back with the body it miraculously become reattached.

This was felt to be a sign of sainthood and many miracles were then attributed to Edmund and his shrine in Bury St Edmunds became a place of pilgrimage. This resulted in the growth and prosperity of the Abbey and the town.