Sir John Schorne
(after whom the Schorne Bar is named)
Today’s occasional visitors to the quiet Buckinghamshire village of North Marston, near Aylesbury would be astonished to learn that in the Middle Ages thousands of pilgrims... flocked here to be cured of their ailments and delivered of evil.
Few people today have heard of the cause of this devotion, the now almost forgotten “saint” John Schorne .John Schorne, Rector of St. Mary's church, North Marston between 1290 and 1314, was recognized in his lifetime as a devout and holy man. One year, after a prolonged drought, he struck the ground with his staff, and like Moses, he was rewarded by water gushing forth.
Pilgrims flocked to bathe in the waters of this well, believed to banish evil and to have healing powers. Schorne and his well were said to have effected many miraculous cures for gout and toothache.
His reputation for holiness was such that he was believed to have banished the devil by tricking Satan into a boot and keeping him captive there. Schorne is often pictured holding a boot with a devil in it,some say the origin of the child’s jack-in-the-box toy.
Although never formally canonized, Schorne was popularly regarded as a saint and, whether or not you believe the legends attaching to his name he must have been a man of considerable charisma, in its proper sense [(Greek “kharisma,” meaning “gift,” “of/from/favoured by God/the divine”) refers to a trait found in persons whose personalities are characterized by a personal charm and magnetism (attractiveness), along with innate and powerfully sophisticated abilities of interpersonal communication and persuasion.]
Like many medieval rectors, Schorne was eventually buried before the high altar of the church he served as rector. But he was not allowed to remain at North Marston.
The pilgrim offerings which his shrine and well inspired (North Marston church was extensively remodelled from those offerings) were a tempting revenue source for other authorities, including King Edward IV, and in 1478, Schorne’s remains were moved (with papal sanction) to the new St George’s Chapel, Windsor. His shrine became one of the most important and lucrative pilgrimage sites in the south of England.
Schorne’s cult (and remains) at Windsor did not survive the Reformation, but his name continued to be remembered and honoured at North Marston. A wall painting of Schorne and the niche where his bones were probably originally laid may be seen in St Mary’s Church,
North Marston.
Schorne’s Well lies about 200 yards from the church. It was restored and a new well house built in 2004-2005.
If you pump the handle the devil appears in the boot!
Information about Sir John Schorne also appears around the pub.
Pilgrim Regulars
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February
6 Nations Rugby
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Sat 24th - Dinner & Jazz
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Saturday 12-11
Sunday 12-10.30
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