Saint Rumwold

Tucked away in an almost-forgotten manuscript from the 11th century is the extraordinary tale of St Rumwold, an infant saint who lived on this earthly plane for only three days. But in that short time, the story goes, he not only spoke with the eloquence of a fully grown man, but he declared himself a Christian and gave a sermon to those who had gathered for his birth. The story itself may seem nothing short of preposterous to a 21st century reader, but to an 11th century audience, the tale would not have actually seemed at all strange or far-fetched. In bygone centuries, historians concluded that medieval people readily believed these miraculous stories because they were simple or gullible. In