The Legend of St Leonard
One Version
St Leonard, the patron saint of Thrybergh church was a Medieval knight. To distinguish him from the other St Leonards, and there are a few, he is known as St. Leonard of Reresby. His feastday is on November 6 and I understand that he is the patron saint of prisoners. Apparently there are several versions of the legend but this one is from the Reresby family records.
Leonard Reresby was taken prisoner by the Saracens whilst on Crusade. His wife was left at home to look after the property. After he had been missing for seven years his wife believed that he was dead. She was being forced to remarry and as the wedding bells rang Leonard was miraculously transported, chains and all from the Holy Land, to the old cross in Thrybergh.
The wedding was thus stopped mid-service and Leonard was carried into the church where he died soon afterwards.
At some time he was presumably papally sanctified but around here in the Middle Ages the doings of a pope far away in Rome did not always impinge too much on their beliefs. (The Venerable Bede has always been St Bede around here.) Seems a little daft to me that Old Leonard died as his wife or widow in this case, would have still been obliged to marry again one he'd snuffed it. Seems to negate the purpose of the miracle.
Another Version
Sir Leonard Reresby, after marrying his sweetheart, went off to the Holy Land as a knight to fight in the Crusades. After fighting in several battles he was captured and held prisoner by the Saracens. Seven years passed and having not heard of him at all, his family assumed he was dead and decided that his wife must marry another to protect the Reresby inheritance, so a marriage was arranged.
In prayer for her husband Leonard’s soul, her words somehow got through to him when he was still a prisoner of the Saracens. Ill and unable to escape he prayed and prayed with all his power and his prayers were answered! He opened his eyes and found he had been transported from his prison in the Holy Land to Thrybergh’s East Hill, where the graveyard now is. Unable to walk he hailed one of the villagers who, on recognising him, told him that his wife was remarrying that very day in one hour’s time. The villager was dispatched to Leonard’s wife who came as soon as she could, gathered him up, took him to the church and re-affirmed their marriage vows. She nursed him back to health and he served Thrybergh and Christianity for the rest of his life and was made a saint! Sounds a bit more sensible to me.