Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-09-24
THE MIRACLE OF WALTHAM
The Finding of a Cross and the Founding
of q Church.

The Finding of Gross and the Founding
of a Church.
The history of Waltham begins with
famous wedding feast. It. Is that of
Tofg, the Royal Standard bearer, and
it caused the death OF a King, because
Hardeknut at this feast drank himself
to death. The great Danish Thane
built here a hunting-lodge, writes
Walter Besant IN Harper's Magazine
the place being in the midst of
mighty forest, of which vestiges re-
main to this day at Hampstead, Horn
sey, and Epping. Now fofg held lands
in Somorsetshire as well as in Middle
sex. And at place then called Lut-
garsbury, which is now Montacute
('nons acwt4s), a singular peaked hill,
there lived d smith, who was moved
in a dream to dig for certain cross
which, it was revealed to him, lay
buried underground. He did so, and
Was rewarded by finding a splendid
cross Of black marble covered with
silver and set with precious stones.
When he had found it, he naturally
thought it his duty to convey 1t to the
nearest great monastery. In these days
quite another course would suggest it.
self to the fortunate rustic This
smith of Lutgarsbury, therefore, placed
the cross on a cart and informed the
oxen (Which was quite in the spirit of
the time) that he was going to drive
them to Glastonbury, that holy house
sacred to the memory of Joseph of
Arimathea himself, and illustrious for
its thorn Towering in mid-winter.
Miracle! The oxen refused to move.
The parish priest called in to advise,
suggested Canterbury, second only to
Glastonbury in sanctity. Still these
inspired animals refused to move.
Perhaps Winchester might be tried.
There they had the bones of St. Swith-
in. No not even to Winchester would
they carry the cross. Then" said
the priest, 'let them carry the cross
TO your master, Tofg, at Waltham.n
Strange to say, though Waltham had
as yet no special sanctity the intelli-
gent creatures Immediately set off
with the greatest alacrity in the direc-
ton of Waltham a hundred and fifty
miles away, and reached it after ten
days journey, bearing the cross safely.
The story is preserved in tract De
Inventione Sanctoe Crucis Walthamen-
sis, and must be believed by all the
faithful. Thane Tofg showed his
sense Of what was due to a miracle bv
building a church for the reception of
the cross and appointing two canons
to serve the church. 1t is also said
that at least sixty persons were cured
by means of this miraculous cross,
and that many of them continued to
live near the church in order to testify
to its powers When, a few wears
later, Harold obtained possession of
the estate, he built larger and more
splendid church on the site, and placed
twelve instead of two canons in it,
with a dean and a school The
church was consecrated in the year
1860, in the presence Of King Edward,
and Edith, his queen. On his way
south to meet William, Harold stopped
to pray before the CT oss. While he
prayed, the head on the cross, which
had before looked upward, bent for
ward and so remained downcast. On
the field OF SenIac, Harold's cry was,
The Holy Cross. "
The body of the dead king was
brought to the church and buried in
the chancel. Only the nave remains.
| but there still stretches to the east a
green space which was once the chan
cel and here lies the body Of the last
Saxon king.