St Swithin’s Day

On this day... 15 July

According to tradition, if rain falls on St Swithin’s Day, the same weather will continue until the summer’s end. Upon his deathbed in 862, St Swithin – a bishop and miracle-worker at Winchester Cathedral – had one request: to be buried in a modest grave beside the Old Minster. His wishes were granted. But 100 years on, monks dug his remains from the ground and moved him to a shrine in the cathedral. Set on retribution, legend tells that St Swithin conjured a great storm that raged for 40 days and 40 nights. And so the fable was born.