St Chad

St Chad was born in  the early 7th century in Northumbria. He was one of four brothers. His three brothers were called Cedd, Cynibill and Caelin.  When he was still young  he joined  the monastery at Lindsfarne and became a monk under St Aidan on the island of Lindisfarne.  He  subsequently became the bishop of Lichfield where he became famous for his hard work in spreading the Gospel and helping the poor.   He was a  humble man who chose to travel everywhere on foot. The story goes that  Archbishop Theodore had to persuade him to ride by lifting him bodily on to a horse. He made him ride everywhere due to his annoyance!

When plague broke out in Lastingham, Chad went to care for the monks.  He died on the 2nd March 672 of the plague.  Pilgrims soon began coming to his grave in  Lichfield at the church of Saint Mary which later became part of the Cathedral at Lichfield.   People remembered all the good things that he had done and the Church made him into a Saint. Eventually, his bones (or relics) were transferred from the graveyard to a magnificent tomb in Lichfield Cathedral and his shrine became one of the great centres of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.

St Chad's relics were eventually moved to St Chad's Cathedral on the day of its consecration on 21st June 1841. They were placed in a shrine designed by Pugin above the High Altar.