Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam

Much of Ilam church is Norman or early English; the base of the tower, for example, is 13th Century. Like many other churches, however, there have been later additions. Mainly, these came in the 17th and 19th century and included two chapels.

There is also evidence of the Saxon origins of this church, most notable of which is the stone font, carved with dragons and people.

The Saxon connection goes back to St Bertram, an 8th century Saxon Prince of Mercia. Bertram travelled to Ireland to marry an Irish princess. On the way back, they stopped off at Ilam because his wife had given birth. While she rested, Bertram went off to find food, only to discover on his return, that a wolf had attacked and killed his wife and child. Heartbroken, he remained here, giving up his royal claims and devoting himself to prayer and meditation for the remainder of his days..

His tomb is inside the church in the chapel built specifically for that purpose in 1618. In the Middle Ages, the tomb was a place of pilgrimage and believed to have miraculous healing powers.

These days, the pilgrims are mainly tourists, including us, on our walk :)

We're heading on past the church and up the side of Bunster Hill.