Hungerford Arcade has the St. George flag flying high outside in celebration of St. George’s Day.
The earliest documented mention of St George in England comes from the Venerable Bede. His feast day is also mentioned in the Durham Collectar, a 9th-century liturgical work. The will of Alfred the Great is said to refer to the saint, in a reference to the church of Fordington, Dorset. Early (c. 10th century) dedications of churches to St George are noted in England, for example at Fordington, Dorset, at Thetford, Southwark, and Doncaster.
St George rose to high popularity as a warrior saint during the time of the Crusades, but he had no special identity as a patron saint of England during the High Middle Ages. The saint most closely associated with England until the 14th century was Edward the Confessor.
In 1348, Edward III gave St George a special position as a patron saint of the Order of the Garter in thanks for his intervention at the Battle of Crécy.
From that time, his banner was used with increasing prominence alongside the Royal Banner and became a fixed element in the hoist of the Royal Standard.
St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was built by Edward IV and Henry VII in honour of the order. The badge of the Order shows Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon. Froissart observed the English invoking St. George as a battle cry on several occasions during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). Certain English soldiers displayed the pennon of St George.
St George’s Day was elevated to a “double major feast” in the declarations of the Province of Canterbury in 1415 and the Province of York in 1421.
Happy St. George’s Day everyone!
