Description:Detail from a 19th century statue of St Werburgh, part of the sculptural decoration of the West Front at Lichfield Cathedral.
Werburgh was the daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia and his wife St Ermenilda, and was born at Stone circa 650. She was educated by St Chad before entering the Abbey Of Ely, which had been founded by her well known great aunt, Etheldreda.
A nun most of her life, she became the fourth Abbess of Ely and founded convents at Hanbury and (some believe) at Trentham. Werburgh died at Trentham in 700, but the nuns at Hanbury had her remains secretly removed to be buried there. In 708, her brother King Coenred decided to re-inter Werburgh's remains in a more conspicuous tomb in the church at Hanbury. When her tomb was re-opened, the body was found to be miraculously preserved and this was taken as a sign of her holiness.
Venerated as a saint, the most famous story of her miracles concerns a goose that she brought back to life. In return, a flock of geese left the village of Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire, where she had been abbess. Her shrine remained at Hanbury until the late 9th century, when the threat of Viking raids resulted in the removal of her remains to the fortified city of Chester. Her new shrine was dedicated at the Church of St Peter & St Paul, which itself was later re-dedicated to Werburgh. The church was later replaced by a much larger abbey church, and the shrine of St Werburgh was a popular destination for medieval pilgrims . The souvenir 'pilgrim badge' depicted a basketful of geese, referring to the tale of the resurrected goose. The tradition which continues today in the form of souvenir badges available at Chester Cathedral.
The shrine was destroyed at the dissolution of the Chester Abbey in 1540, although the abbey church became Chester Cathedral. In 1876 remaining portions of St Werburgh's shrine were re-assembled in the Cathedral's Lady Chapel, where they can still be seen today. Werburgh is considered Chester's patron saint.