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A STORY LINKING TWO SAXON KINGS WITH A COUNTRY CHURCH IS OUTLINED IN A CHILDREN'S TRAIL CREATED BY VOLUNTEERS FROM THE ARTS SOCIETY HEREFORD MURDER MOST FOULETHELBERT’S WELL CAN STILL BE SEEN IN THE VESTRY OF THE CHURCHNestled in the Herefordshire countryside lies the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, Marden – a tranquil spot today, but 1,000 years ago the site of a brutal murder.That story takes place in 794, when young King Ethelbert of East Anglia came to Marden to visit King Offa of Mercia, whose daughter he planned to wed. But while he was there Ethelbert was beheaded – perhaps because the marriage would have prevented Offas’s dream of becoming ruler of all England.1 A wooden statue of King OffaIt is said that King Offa began to feel so guilty about the murder that he asked Pope Adrian how he could be forgiven. The Pope told Offa to have a church built around the sacred place where Ethelbert had been killed – St Mary the Virgin replaced an earlier building. Pope Adrian also told King Offa to have a stone church built in Hereford (the cathedral) and to move Ethelbert’s body there. These intriguing aspects of the history of St Mary the Virgin form part of a new Children's Trail, designed for eight- to 12-year-olds, to help them learn about local heritage.The trail was created by Chris Hemming and Jan Tucker from The Arts Society Hereford. They commented: “It was such fun finding out about the important part this little church has played in the history of our county.” There are many legends too. One claims that a spring bubbled up from the place where Ethelbert’s body lay, which became an important pilgrimage site. These days the spring (now a well) has been capped, but St Ethelbert’s Well can still be seen in the vestry of the church. Another legend says that while King Ethelbert’s remains were being moved to Hereford, his head fell off the cart. A blind man is said to have stumbled upon the head, whereupon his sight was miraculously restored. Ethelbert was canonised and his head enshrined in Westminster Abbey. However a stone head of St Ethelbert – and that of Pope Adrian – sit either side of the main church entrance and offer a reminder of that turbulent time.IMAGE: FLICKR.COM/LES HAINES1PROJECTS51The Arts Society ReviewAutumn 2017