Christmas day 855 a 14 year old boy was anointed as the King of the East Angles, this boy was Edmund the heir of King Offa, and the coronation was documented as ‘Burva’, a hilltop above the village of Bures St Mary.

Unfortunately for Edmund his reign last only 16 years, after a battle invading Danes captured him and demanded he renounce his faith which he refused, he was led out and bound to a tree where he became a target for their arrows deliberately avoiding killing him, he was given one last chance to renounce his faith, he refused, and was decapitated without mercy on the 20th of November 869. It is not certain where he died, Hoxne in Suffolk, Bradfield St Clare near Bury St Edmunds and one other account is Maldon in Essex. What is known is that his remains were moved to Bedricsworth, now known as Bury St Edmunds where a stone abbey was built by King Canute to house a shrine in 1020 and for centuries Edmunds shrine was patronised by the Kings of England.

During the Third Crusade, King Richard I visited the tomb of St George in Lydda, (Lod, Israel), after a victory in battle King Richard adopted St George as his personal patron and protector of his army, this is when the influence of St Edmund began to fade over the succeeding centuries, and the flag of St Edmund was still carried into battle by the English Army, by the time of Edward I the flag of St George was used. in 1348, Edward III made St George the patron of the order and also declared him the patron saint of England.

It is commonly accepted today that St George is the patron saint of England and some celebrate St George’s day on the 23rd of April, when in fact the 20th of November should be celebrated and St Edmund celebrated as the real patron saint of England.