St. Swithin

St. Swithin (born c. 800—died July 2, 862, Winchester, Hampshire, England; feast day July 15) is a celebrated Anglo-Saxon saint who was bishop of Winchester, England, and a royal counselor. His name and feast day are associated with an old meteorological superstition. He served as counselor to Kings Egbert and Aethelwulf of the West Saxons. On or about October 30, 852, he was consecrated bishop of Winchester. He is revered as the patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. Nothing else is reliably known of his life.

There is a superstition that rain on St. Swithin’s feast day means rain for 40 days. A popular rhyme about this superstition is:

St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mair.

The first evidence for the weather prophecy seems to be a 13th- or 14th-century entry in a manuscript at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. St. Swithin’s feast day is the day his relics were transferred in 971 from the churchyard to Winchester Cathedral, after reports of miracles, by Bishop Aethelwold.

After 971, Swithin’s cult spread widely, and his name displaced those of Saints Peter and Paul in the dedication of the cathedral. His feast is observed in the Anglican calendar.