Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple, Here’s the Pig!

I will be upfront and reveal that I’m not at all a religious man. That doesn't mean that I cannot appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry that has built the endless parade of churches and cathedrals across Britain. You scan the horizon of any motorway, any succession of fields and, of course cities and town, and you soon glimpse a spire on the horizon of the landscape if it’s not already in front of you. Aside from the aesthetic wonder of these man-made structures and engineering feats I often find myself getting caught up in the legends that stem from many of these places of worship.

One such church is only a couple of miles or so from my current residence. The neighbourhood of Winwick within the town of Warrington in North West England isn’t going to register on many travel brochures. Winwick’s St. Oswald’s church sits within a fairly non-descript patch on the A49 road that cuts a scenic route from the North West to the Midlands of England. I say that the patch is nondescript, but the church occupies a site that has ancient roots to the days of early Druid altars. Christian associations with the church date back to around the year of 634AD. The church gets its name from St. Oswald, who ruled as King of Northumbria between 634 and 642AD. Kings were more common back then as they are now. King St. Oswald came to grief as he took on King Penda of Mercia somewhere near the site of the church…although some scholars believe that his resting place is nearer to Oswestry, Shropshire...which is approximately 50 odd miles away.

I could continue about the history of the church across the ages, but really I’m only concerned about a particular event or fable. The top of the spire of St. Oswalds church is adorned with a particularly distinct ornament – that of a pig. The pig isn't commemorated as the feast upon the church’s completion or any hangover from pagan symbolism. The most interesting explanation – albeit the least reasonable it’s fair to say – is that a fairy pig by the name of Peg made a direct contribution to the construction of the church. 

Peg was a female pig with a bell around her neck. The stonework that constructed the church was supposedly built and laid on lower ground.  Overnight, these solid stones were moved mysteriously uphill by Peg, the resident pig, using her snout Peg is not unique around the country…or at least the concept of a fairy or goblin helper. But not content with helping construct the church itself, legend has it that Peg had a distinct squeal as she nudged the bricks uphill of ‘Win-ick, Win-ick’… which coincidentally happens to be the name of the village upon which the church sits.