Died c. 812-821. According to a popular legend of the Middle Ages,
Kenelm was seven when his father, King Kenulf (Coenwulf) of Mercia,
died, and he succeeded to the throne. His sister Quendreda (Cynefrith or
Quoenthryth) bribed his tutor, Ascebert, to murder him in the forest of
Clent so that she could claim the throne. Ascebert did, but when the
body was discovered and enshrined at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire, all
kinds of marvels occurred at his grave. All three are actual figures,
but Kenelm did not die at seven and may even have died before his
father. It is certain that he lived until his adolescence and may have
been killed in battle
(
Attwater,
Benedictines,
Delaney,
Encyclopaedia).
He was highly honoured in England during the Middle Ages as a saint and
martyr, and still is venerated at Gloucester and Winchcombe, where his
relics are enshrined
(
Encyclopaedia,
Roeder).
In art, Saint Kenelm is depicted as a young prince with a blossoming
rod. The picture may also contain a dove with a letter in its mouth
(
Roeder).