St Plegmund was of Mercian descent who became a hermit at Plemstall in Cheshire. He was brought to the notice of King Alfred as a scholar at a time when the King was having difficulties finding men of scholarship who could fill posts in the church in the aftermath of the Danish invasions. The King needed books translated to assist bishops and one of the works St Plegmund worked on was St Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Rule. St Plegmund was elected as Archbishop of Canterbury by popular acclaim. When the King died in 899 he crowned the new king Edward the Elder. His holy well at Plemstall has been restored.
