St. Swithun, July 15th

The name of Swithun is best known today for a British weather lore proverb, which says that it rains on St. Swithun’s day, 15th July, it will rain for forty days.

Saint Swithun ,c800 - C861/3 AD, was buried outside the Cathedral. It was his wish that men might walk over his grave and raindrops from the eaves drop upon it.

Over a hundred years later they decided to place his remains inside a new basilica in Winchester Cathedral. The day they tried to transfer his body into a new basilica was 15th July 971. It rained and according to the proverb it did for the next forty days. His remains were eventually placed in the new basilica inside.