ON THIS DAY: IN 1211 SAINT SIMON OF ATHERFIELD WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED BY HIS WIFE

Simon de Atherfield was brutally murdered by his wife Amicia on 21st March 1211.

His wife was sentenced to be burnt at the stake for the crime the following year.

Sadly, the history of this medieval saint has been largely lost in the mists of time. However, Simon’s cult fits a pattern of victims of violence being turned into popular local saints. The martyr was portrayed as a person of spotless innocence, unfairly killed.

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Simon is believed to have come from humble origins. For his death to have been regarded as ‘martyrdom’ – and therefore for him to have come to be regarded as a ‘saint’ – his demise must have been dramatic. Furthermore, the method of execution of Amica – being burnt at the stake – was regarded as horrific even for that time, suggesting the crime was more than commonplace.

Amica’s violent disposition may have been a result of her family background: in 1255, 2 of her kinsmen were accused of the murder of a man named Peter of Whippingham.

The exact location of Simon’s tomb is currently unknown; however, many miracles of the Middle Ages were said to have taken place at his final resting place. Within 6 months of the saint’s death, his tomb had attracted offerings of more than £7 (over £10,000 in 2023 values).

It is believed that this money was appropriated by Bishop Peter of Winchester – lord of the manor of Calbourne – who possessed rights to the land at Atherfield. The Bishop is then believed to have suppressed the cult of Saint Simon.

Although his murder and the subsequent execution of his wife appear in official records, no hint of St Simon’s murder survives in Island folklore or legends.

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