Saint Herbert
Saint Herbert of Derwentwater (died March 20, 687 AD on Derwentwater, Cumberland, modern Cumbria, England) was an Anglo-Saxon hermit who lived on an island in Derwentwater (near modern Keswick, Cumbria) and was a close friend of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The two saints died on the same day — having prayed for this gift — which was regarded as a miraculous grace. The island on Derwentwater is still called St. Herbert's Island. His feast day is March 20.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Herbert
| Saint Herbert | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | March 20 |
| Profession | Hermit; priest |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Anglo-Saxon monastic tradition; friend of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne |
| Patronage | Derwentwater; Keswick; Cumbria; hermits; close friendships; those who pray to die in the friendship of God; the Lake District |
| Attributes | Island in a lake (Derwentwater); Cuthbert (his friend); hermit's habit; dove or bird (Lake District symbolism); simultaneous death |
| Birthplace | Northumbria, England (exact location unknown) |
| Death Place | Derwentwater, Cumberland (modern Cumbria), England |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died on the same day as his friend Saint Cuthbert — March 20, 687 AD — a simultaneous death both had prayed for as a gift from God |
| Primary Shrine | St. Herbert's Island, Derwentwater, near Keswick, Cumbria, England — his island hermitage; ruined chapel; still bears his name; accessible by boat; one of the most evocative hermitage sites in England |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast March 20; observed in Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and Cumbria |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; observed in England |
Biography
Herbert was an Anglo-Saxon priest and hermit who established his cell on an island in Derwentwater, the lake near modern Keswick in the Lake District of Cumbria. He was a devoted friend of Saint Cuthbert, the great hermit-bishop of Lindisfarne, and made annual pilgrimages to visit Cuthbert — a journey of over a hundred miles — to receive spiritual counsel and companionship.
The most famous episode of his life is recorded by the Venerable Bede in his Life of Saint Cuthbert (prose version, Chapter 28). When Cuthbert visited Carlisle in 686 AD for the last time before his final illness, Herbert came to meet him. At their parting, Herbert wept and said he could not bear to be separated from Cuthbert in death as they had never been separated in their pursuit of God. He begged Cuthbert to pray that they might die on the same day. Cuthbert agreed and prophesied that it would be granted.
Both died on March 20, 687 AD: Cuthbert at his hermitage on the island of Inner Farne off Lindisfarne, and Herbert on his island in Derwentwater — simultaneously, on the same feast day of the same year.
Bede records this as a miracle of divine grace rewarding their holy friendship. Herbert is buried on his island, which has been called St. Herbert's Island ever since. A small ruined chapel on the island marks the site of his hermitage.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Northumbria, England (exact location unknown)
Death location: Derwentwater, Cumberland (modern Cumbria), England
Notable location: The island in Derwentwater (near Keswick) where he lived as a hermit; it still bears his name today; a small ruined chapel marks the site; one of the most beautiful natural settings of any English hermitage (St. Herbert's Island, Derwentwater, Cumbria, England)
Notable location: He made annual visits to Lindisfarne to see his friend Saint Cuthbert; Bede records that on Cuthbert's last visit to the mainland before Cuthbert's final illness, Herbert asked him to pray that they might die on the same day; Cuthbert granted this prayer; they died together on March 20, 687 (Lindisfarne (Holy Island), Northumberland, England)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- St. Herbert's Island, Derwentwater, Cumbria, England — his island hermitage; ruined chapel; accessible by boat; a place of great natural beauty and historical sanctity.
Feast day
March 20
Veneration
Saint Herbert of Derwentwater is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on March 20, observed in Cumbria and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
Prayers
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Intercessory
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