One of the monks
Here he became a Chrisitian, and fired with enthusiasm for his new faith.
Oswald was an intelligent, thoughtful and caring young man but he did not lack the courage to take up the sword.
In 633, when Edwin perished in the battle against Penda of Mercia and his ally Cadwallon, Oswald gathered up a comparatively small force. He marched against the enemy.
On the eve of the battle, St Columba appeared to Oswald in a vision and assured him that he would have victory.
Oswald against incredible odds won the battle for his new faith. The cross he had set up before the battle became the focus for pilgrimages. Little pieces of the cross were soaked in water and swallowed for healing.
Venerable Bede
"While dining one evening King Oswald waas served an extra special dish of regal delicacies on a superb silver platter of exquisite craftsmanship.A moment before he was about to begin his meal, someone whispered in his ear that a crowd of medicants was at the gate clamouring for food.
The saintly king bade his steward take the food from his own table and distribute it amongst them. He then divided the royal feast among them giving each an equal amount. That night the king fasted"
It is believed that fasting on August 4th, in honour of King Oswald, brings foreknowledge of one's own death.
St Aidan a missionary from Iona had been brought at Oswald's request to help convert the people to Christianity. At the time of the above incident he said of the hand that gave the feast to the mendicants "May it never perish" It is widely believed that the remains of King Oswald's body are incorruptable.
N.B. St Oswald's Day is given as August 5th by some sources and August 4th by others (eg Miracle of the Day page)
An earlier likeness of Bede.
The Venerable Bede wrote of St Aidan, Oswald's missionary, that "he neither sought nor loved anything of this world. He traversed both town and country on foot and never on horseback"
King Oswald's kingdom became the most powerful in the Heptarchy, the seven kingdoms into which the country was then divided.
A picture of King Oswald's Seal
In the battle of Maserfield on August 5th of that year Oswald was killed.
Maserfield is Maes Hir in Welsh meaning the long field which is a reference to the length and bitterness of the battle
Penda ordered that Oswald's body be dismembered and the head and hands nailed up to separate crosses as a sacrifice to Odin and a warning to other Chrisitians who threatened his rulership.
Ancient verses read
"Three crosses, raised at Penda's dire command, Bore Oswald's royal head and mangled hands"
An eagle flew off with one of Oswald's arms . The bird dropped it and there, waters gushed forth and have continued to flow to this day.
Above is a picture of Oswald's well taken on September 6th 1998. The photograph was taken through the bars which separate us from history so that more of a sense of the past can be better achieved. At the back you will see the eroded sculpted head of King Oswald which once bore a gold royal fillet.
According to Cathrall's "History of Oswestry" another writer says that in the year 1780 King Oswald's "skull was found in digging the pool just below the well".
There are many stories of miracle healings. The remarkable clarity of the water even to this day is persuasive of the belief that there is something special about it.
"If you throw a garment into the well the strength of any malady you may have will be denoted by the floating or sinking of it".
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If you care for some further reading you will see how different are the reports from each other!!!!.
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