Where it all started for Aelred

Libby’s first blog

09/09/24

Hello, my name is Libby Pearson and I hope to meet some of you at the Gathering Walk this coming Saturday. The photographer, Gareth Jenkins and I, as a writer and tale collector, are hoping to collect stories over the next months and possibly years, of people connected in whatever way, to the 12 churches that form The Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail. If you have a tale to tell please get in touch.

I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Northumberland and the Scottish borders. We went away in summer and have returned in autumn, and no we haven’t been galivanting for months, it has only taken a week to notice the change in the light and the colours. The vegetation is changing, as is the temperature, but the North Yorkshire Moors are always the North Yorkshire Moors and lots of areas may be relatively unchanged since the days of the monasteries and Saint Aelred himself.  Oh, if only he could talk, what tales would he tell.

On our return journey, we stopped in at Hexham as I wanted to remind myself of the beautiful place where Saint Aelred was born, my own mini pilgrimage you might say. Even in the rain, the town is stunning and the Abbey majestic in its centre. I was very much hoping there would be some reference to Saint Aelred in the abbey, on the walls, or a kneeler, or, let’s think big here, a stained glass window. No luck, but as I wandered around, checking under the choir stalls and in the dark corners of the pews, a Hexham Abbey volunteer approached me ( I can look rather suspicious) and we got into a wonderful chat. I told him about the pilgrimage walk and how I was looking for mention of Saint Aelred or his father Eilaf who had been hereditary priest of the church of St Andrew, Hexham. “Ah yes, Eilaf, yes I can help you there” he said, and pointed me towards the “roll call” of Priests, Provosts and Priors on a wall. This clearly shows Eilaf, hurrah! While I was looking at this another volunteer hurried over (word had got out that I was on the hunt) and explained that they have dedicated prayers every year to Saint Aelred in the Abbey. He promised to try and find out when that is, so hopefully, he will manage to do that and let me know.

Quite magically, as we were leaving, a junior choir sang a few chords from a set of steps near the pulpit - talk about the hairs on your head standing up. I managed to capture a very brief part of the music.

So here are some Hexham Abbey pictures and a brief, yet uplifting sound to help us get ready for the Gathering Walk this Saturday.