MARTYR-PRINCE ALFRED OF ENGLAND The ancient town of Guildford is dominated by two hills, between which flows the River

Wey. On top of one hill there stands the church of St. Martha. It is li ely that the word !Martha! was ori"inally !Martyr!, for the parish and the church are called !Marterhill! in many early documents. Moreover, in a document dated #$%& it is called !the chapel of St. Martha the 'ir"in and all the holy Martyrs commonly called Marterhill near the town of Guldeforde!. (ccordin" to a well)established tradition, these martyrs were burned to death on the hill in Sa*on times, perhaps around %++ (.,. durin" a pa"an reaction a"ainst the missionary activities of St. (u"ustine, first archbishop of -anterbury. On the other hill, nown as Guildown, another martyrdom too place over $++ years later. The story is as follows. The holy Martyr).rince (lfred was the son of /in" 0thelred !the 1nready! of 0n"land, and brother of the future in" and saint, 0dward the -onfessor. With his brother, he spent many years in e*ile, followin" the e*pulsion of the 0n"lish royal family to 2ormandy in #+#% by the ,anish /in" -anute. On the death of -anute, however, in #+&3, the princes4 mother, 5ueen 0mma, 6ud"ed that the political situation had chan"ed in 0n"land, and invited her sons to 6oin her at Winchester. 0dward came first, but was forced to return to 2ormandy after a battle in the Southampton area. Then came (lfred, the youn"er prince. 7avin" selected some companions with his brother4s approval, he went first to 8landers, where he stayed with Mar9uis :aldwin. Then he set out from :oulo"ne and crossed the 0n"lish -hannel. On approachin" the shore, however, he was reco"ni;ed by the enemy, and was forced to land at another port further down the coast. 8indin" no opposition there, he set off inland. (s (lfred and his men approached the town of Guildford, thirty miles south) west of <ondon, they were met by the powerful 0arl Godwin of Wesse*, who professed loyalty to the youn" prince and procured lod"in"s for him and his men in the town. The ne*t mornin", Godwin said to (lfred= !I will safely and securely conduct you to <ondon, where the "reat men of the in"dom are awaitin" your comin", that they may raise you to the throne.! This he said in spite of the fact that the throne was already occupied by the son of -anute, 7arold !7arefoot!. 0vents were to show that Godwin was not sincere. 7e was actually in lea"ue with /in" 7arold to lure the youn" prince to his death... Then the earl led the prince and his men over the hill of Guildown, which is to the west of Guildford, on the road to Winchester, not <ondon. .erhaps the prince had insisted on continuin" his 6ourney to his ori"inal destination, his mother4s court in Winchester... In any case, Godwin repeated his temptin"

offer> showin" the prince the ma"nificent panorama from the hill both to the north and to the south, he said= !<oo around on the ri"ht hand and on the left, and behold what a realm will be sub6ect to your dominion.! (lfred then "ave than s to God and promised that if he should ever be crowned in", he would institute such laws as would be pleasin" and acceptable to God and men. (t that moment, however, he was sei;ed and bound to"ether with all his men. 2ine tenths of them were then murdered. (nd since the remainin" tenth was still so numerous, they, too, were decimated. (lfred was slun" na ed to a horse and then conveyed by boat to the monastery of 0ly. (s the boat reached land, his eyes were put out. 8or a while he was loo ed after by the mon s, who were fond of him, but soon after he died, probably on 8ebruary 3, #+&%, and was honourably buried by the mon s in the southern porch at the western end of the church. There wondrously beautiful visions of li"ht were often reported, and many miracles were performed. (lthou"h Godwin denied any complicity in the murder, both popular opinion and that of /in" 0dward, the prince4s brother, pointed the fin"er at him. On the Monday after .ascha, #+3&, the earl was feastin" with the in" when a waiter in his haste struc one foot a"ainst some obstacle and nearly fell. :ut, advancin" his other foot, he recovered his balance. Many of those present 6o ed, sayin" how ri"ht it was that one foot should help another. (nd the earl cried out= !So should one brother help another, and a man may support his friend in time of need.! (t which the in", turnin" towards him, immediately replied= !So should my brother have helped me if Godwin had allowed it.! (t this Godwin turned pale, and with a distorted countenance e*claimed= !Well do I now, O in", that in your mind you hold me "uilty of your brother4s death. Well do I now, alas, that you do not disbelieve those who say that I was a traitor to him and to you. :ut let God Who nows all secrets be my 6ud"e? May this crust of bread which I hold in my hand pass throu"h my throat and leave me unharmed to show that I was innocent of your brother4s death?! 7e spo e> and puttin" the crust into his mouth he thrust it into the midst of his "ullet. Then he tried to push it further but was unable. Then he tried to pull it out but it stuc ever more firmly. 7e cho ed> his eyes turned up> and his limbs "rew ri"id. The in" watched his wretched death, and then said to those standin" by=

!,ra" out that do".! In the #@A+s, archaeolo"ical e*cavations on Guildown, Guildford, discovered the bones of about two hundred men, their s ulls bein" of the round)headed, 2orman type, in a shallow "rave datin" bac to about #+$+. It appears that they had been stripped and their hands tied behind their bac s before bein" illed and thrust into the "rave. (n Orthodo* church dedicated to the holy (rchan"el Michael now stands about one hundred metres from this "rave. BSources= (ndrew 7olden, The Story of the -hurch of Saint Martha on the 7ill near Guildford, second edition, #@%C> 0ncomium 0mma Re"inae> The (n"lo) Sa*on -hronicle> (nonymous, 'ita (edwardi Re"is> <iber 0liensis, II, @+> Geoffrey Gaimar, <D0stoire des 0n"leis, p. CEE> William of .oitiers and Fohn of :rompton, in 0.W. :rayley, ( Topo"raphical 7istory of Surrey, vol. I, <ondon= Willis, #E3+, pp. AEC)EE> (ilred of Rievaul*, in ,.-. ,ou"las, William the -on9ueror, <ondon= 0yre Methuen, #@%@, pp. $#A)#&> (.W.G. <owther, !The Sa*on -emetery at Guildown, Guildford, Surrey!, Surrey (rchaeolo"ical -ollections, vol. GGGIG, #@A@)&+> <etter of the ,ean of 0ly, the 'ery Revd. M.S. -arey, Fanuary %, #@CEH