St Swithins Day is here again

Legend has it that the weather on St Swithins Day sets the scene for the following 40 days.

So let's hope a few sunny spells break through those clouds...

An old rhyme which has been part of oral tradition for centuries sums up the superstition:

'St Swithin’s Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin’s Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no mair.'

St. Swithin (alternative spelling spelt Swithun) was a Saxon Bishop of Winchester and legend has it that as he lay on his deathbed, he asked to be buried out of doors, at one with nature, where the rain would fall on his grave.

For nine years, his wishes were followed, but then, on 15 July 971, the monks of Winchester attempted to remove his remains to a splendid shrine inside the cathedral. According to legend there was a heavy rain storm during the ceremony, which was taken to be a sign of St Swithin’s protest at the move.

This tale became embellished over time and embedded in folklore, although records suggest it is not always a reliable indicator of summer weather.