A Medieval Sick Role? Evidence of Illness Behaviour in the Twelfth Century Miracle Collections of Three English Saints

This thesis is a study of miracle accounts produced in twelfth century England, as evidence for contemporary experiences of illness. Using the miracle accounts of William of Norwich, Dunstan of Canterbury and Frideswide of Oxford this research assesses illness behaviours expressed by sick individuals in these miracle collections. Through the evidence found in miracle accounts this research seeks to construct a representation of a twelfth century sick role, which provides insight into contemporary beliefs concerning health and illness. This work is divided into three parts each dealing with a saint who represents a distinct type of cult found in the long twelfth century: new, continuous and revived. Each collection is examined according to socio-demographic factors, evidence of sick-role fulfilment, and the role of social networks Part One, the largest of the three parts, focuses on the miracle collection of William of Norwich written by Thomas of Monmouth, representing a new cult established in the twelfth century. The cult of William of Norwich has attracted significant attention in relation to the blood libel myth, however his miracles have previously not enjoyed the same level of scrutiny. The doubt surrounding William’s sanctity on the basis of martyrdom created a necessity for the performance of miracles. Due to this heightened need to perform miracles, those recorded by Thomas of Monmouth are more likely to represent cultural norms in an effort to appear reliable and legitimate. The categories of analysis within this research include behaviours of children and women, and how social status affected access to health resources, including contact relics. Illness perception, the various health-seeking behaviours expressed by individuals, as well as evidence of the impact of social networks on the behaviours of sick individuals are all assessed as well. Part Two focuses on a continuous cult of sainthood through the miracle collection of the tenth century Anglo-Saxon saint, Dunstan of Canterbury, written by Eadmer. Special attention is paid to children and their lack of agency or active behaviours in miracle stories and what this suggests about perceptions of children, sin, innocence and the capacity to understand the process of miracle cure. Other topics discussed here include delays in seeking treatment, and the role of social networks in facilitating access to miracle cures.
Part Three looks at the miracle stories recorded in Prior Philip’s collection for Frideswide of Oxford, representative of a revived cult of sainthood. Here focus falls on women in terms of socio-demographic categories as Frideswide’s collection includes a majority of female cure recipients. One unique aspect of Frideswide’s miracle stories in comparison to Dunstan and William of Norwich is the noticeable inclusion of extensive references within miracle stories which inform perceptions of illness and health in relation to the body and soul connection. Overall, this research emphasizes the value of miracle accounts, due to their nature as personal stories and the wealth of information they contain concerning various aspects of health and illness in twelfth century England. Studies of pilgrimage to a saint’s shrine, invocation of saints from afar or use of contact relics by sick individuals often focus on the devotional aspects of miracle cures. This research suggests that on top of these devotional aspects, miracle cures and the illness behaviours associated with this process of cure-seeking should be considered and were in fact an integral part of the wider ‘healthcare systems’ operating in twelfth century England.