Medieval Minds and the St Ursula Pilgrim Badge: A Hidden Hoards & Fascinating Finds Spotlight

One of the stars of the Hidden Hoards exhibition is a late medieval pilgrim badge associated with the cult of St Ursula that was discovered by a metal detectorist near Preston.  It raises many questions, where did it come from, how did it end up in Lancashire, why is it bent in half, why is it made of silver when so many pilgrim badges were cast in much cheaper materials?  In this illustrated talk Dr Sam Riches will discuss the ways that people thought about pilgrimage during the late Middle Ages.

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales tells us about pilgrimage as a form of tourism, but were there more profound reasons to undertake these visits to saints' shrines?  How did expectations of saintly help and healing fit in?  Why did people buy pilgrim badges and other souvenirs of their visits?  Sam is a cultural historian of the late medieval period with a specialism in the cult of saints.  She has published widely on the cults of St George, St Ursula and a number of other pseudo-historical saints and is interested in uncovering understandings and motivations across the social spectrum.

The Hidden Hoards & Fascinating Finds exhibition is not to be missed.  Showcasing some of Lancashire's most remarkable archaeological discoveries, from a 4000-year-old gold armlet to a silver thimble lost in the 1600s, the exhibition also features many finds from the Ribble Valley including the Waddington Hoard, Ribchester Intaglios, Pendleton Bead and Mitton Hoard.

Thumbnail image credit:  miniature of Henry VI kneeling before the shrine of St Edmund, British Library, Harley 2278 (c.1434-1439), f. 4v, detail. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Clitheroe Castle Museum is managed by Lancashire County Council's Museum Service on behalf of Ribble Valley Borough Council.