Saint George
The life of Saint George is shrouded in legend. He has no historical
connection with England, but became associated with England in the Middle Ages.
He is believed to have been martyred at Lydda in Palestine (Nicomedia). He
held an important post in the Roman army - the rank of tribune, or perhaps
colonel in modern terms - during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian (245-313).
Diocletian was a great persecutor of Christians (from about 302) and when the
persecutions began George put aside his office and complained personally to the
Emperor of the harshness of his decrees and the dreadful purges of Christians.
For his trouble, though, he was thrown into prison and tortured. He would not
recant his faith however and the following day he was dragged through the
streets and beheaded.
It is also said that he tore down the Emperor's anti-Christian decrees as
they were posted in Nicomedia. So he was one of the first to perish. The
Emperor's wife, Alexandria was so impressed at the Saint's courage that she
became a Christian and so too was put to death for her trouble.
St George and the Dragon
Several stories have been attached to Saint George, the best known of which
is the Golden Legend.
A dragon lived in a lake near Silena, Libya. Whole armies had gone up against
this fierce creature, and had gone down in painful defeat. The monster ate two
sheep each day; when mutton was scarce, lots were drawn in local villages, and
maidens were substituted for sheep.
Into this country came Saint George. Hearing the story on a day when a
princess was to be eaten, he rode to battle against the serpent, and killed it
with a single blow with his lance. George then gave a magnificent sermon, and
converted the locals. Given a large reward by the king, George distributed it to
the poor, and then rode away.
Due to his chivalrous behaviour (protecting women, fighting evil, dependence
on faith, and might of arms, largesse to the poor), devotion to Saint George
became popular in the Europe after the 10th century. In the 15th century his
feast day was equated with Christmas. The celebrated Knights of the Garter are
actually Knights of the Order of Saint George. The shrine built for his relics
at Lydda, Palestine was a popular point of pilgrimage for centuries.
Recipe:
Lancashire Hotpot
Traditionally this dish might have been left to cook slowly all day while the
family worked.
Fresh lamb or mutton, will make a big difference to this dish.
Fry a chopped onion and add about 1 1/2 pounds of lamb, fry until brown. Boil
the lamb bones in water to make stock. (You can make this dish with lamb chops
on the bone, which should go into the hotpot standing on end. Include kidneys if
you can). Add a little flour and cook a little more. Add a couple of black
puddings, sliced up. Fry a little more.
Put this mixture in a casserole with a lid along with thyme and some sliced
carrots. Cover the stew with two or three layers of sliced potatoes. Pour in the
lamb stock to just cover the potatoes.
Put the lid on and cook in a medium heat oven for an hour. After the hour
remove the lid, add a few knobs of butter and continue cooking for another hour
to brown the potatoes and reduce the stock.
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