2952 – Pilgrim Badge (replica)
- Physical description:
- A pewter badge depicting John Shorne with solar-tinged halo, holding a Bible, and a long boot with a winged devil emerging from the top. A replica of a pilgrim badge of around the late 15th century. With explanatory leaflet.
- Museum classification:
- Magic in Christianity / Protection
- Size:
- 42 x 25 x 8
- Information:
Sir John Shorne, a canon from Dunstable Priory, was the rector at North Marston church from 1282 to 1314. A strong local following in Norfolk together with royal patronage culminated in a cult of Shorne, although he was never canonized by the Catholic Church. His name was often invoked in cures for the 'ague', and it is said that he performed a number of miracles; discovering a spring of fresh water at a time of great drought, and most famously, conjuring the Devil into a boot.
The practice of depositing shoes in buildings as apotropaic devices may have a tangential link to Shorne folklore, although this needs further research.
- Resource:
- Object
- Materials:
- Metal (pewter)
- Copyright ownership:
- Lionheart Historical Replicas
Sir John Shorne, a canon from Dunstable Priory, was the rector at North Marston church from 1282 to 1314. A strong local following in Norfolk together with royal patronage culminated in a cult of Shorne, although he was never canonized by the Catholic Church. His name was often invoked in cures for the 'ague', and it is said that he performed a number of miracles; discovering a spring of fresh water at a time of great drought, and most famously, conjuring the Devil into a boot.
The practice of depositing shoes in buildings as apotropaic devices may have a tangential link to Shorne folklore, although this needs further research.