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Saint · North Marston · Legendary

The Rector Who Put the Devil in a Boot

A humble village rector made North Marston one of medieval England's great pilgrim stops. His strangest miracle involved a devil, and a boot.

Open on the map: directions, what's there today and read-aloud →

Illustration: The Devil in the Boot
The legend
SaintLegendary

The Devil in the Boot

A rector's holy spring that could pull the devil from your foot.

See it clearly

What's there
Restored medieval holy well with pump on Schorne Lane
Legend from
Medieval, c.1300
Tone
Curious
Holy wellsSaintsThe DevilFolk cures

Before you go

The restored well stands on Schorne Lane and can be seen from the lane at any time. St Mary's church nearby, which held his shrine, is open every day in daylight according to the National Churches Trust (A Church Near You gives no hours).

  • John Schorne's Well
  • Near Schorne Lane / Church Street
  • The pin marks the spot.

Coming into North Marston: a medieval rector once struck the earth here, and people said his water could chase the devil out of a boot.

John Schorne became rector of North Marston in 1282. Local tradition says that during a summer drought he struck the ground with his staff and a spring burst out, saving the village. The water was soon believed to cure gout and ague. Gout was nicknamed the devil in the boot, so Schorne came to be pictured pulling a little devil out of a boot, and pilgrim badges show that scene. After his death his shrine and well drew crowds; by the 1400s it ranked among England's busiest pilgrimages, and Henry VIII is said to have come twice. His bones went to Windsor in 1478. Villagers still claim the image inspired the jack-in-the-box.

Sources

  1. John Schorne's Well, North Marston (Bucks HER 0132400000) â_x0080__x0094_
  2. The well, North Marston Parish Council â_x0080__x0094_
  3. John Schorne, Pilgrims and the Holy Well (North Marston History storyboard) â_x0080__x0094_