CatholicSaints.Info

Also known as

• Edith of Barking
• Eadgyth….
• Eadgith….
• Editha….
• Ediva….

Memorial

• 16 September

Profile

Daughter of King Edgar the Peaceable and Saint Wilfrida. Raised in the abbey in Wilton, England, which she never left. Educated at the royal court, learning to read, write, illuminate manuscripts, sew and embroider. Benedictine nun from age 15. Offered the position of abbess at three houses, and her father’s throne, but she refused them all. Built the Saint Denis Church at Wilton. Had a gift for communicating with wild animals. Saint Dunstan nursed her during her fatal illness, having received a vision of her passing.

Born

• 961 at Kensing, Kent, England

Died

• 15 September 984, a date foretold by Saint Dunstan of Canterbury, of natural causes
• a week later she appeared in a vision to her mother, claiming to have smacked the devil in the head

Representation

• Benedictine nun holding a book and with one hand raised

Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

Readings

She did not leave the world; she never knew it. – Roman Martyrology

MLA Citation

• “Saint Edith of Wilton“. CatholicSaints.Info. 22 April 2019. Web. 28 September 2020. <>