Saint Elphin
Quick Facts
Biography
Elphin of Warrington (died 679) was a Christian saint who lived in the North West of England in the seventh century. Little is known about his life, but according to tradition he was a companion of Saint Oswald at Iona. When Oswald became King of Northumbria and moved his country residence to Makerfield, Elphin accompanied him and Oswald built a wooden church for him on the site of the present parish church in Warrington. The Domesday Book also describes two carucates of land in the Hundred of Newton-in-Makerfield as belonging to St. Elphin. He was martyred in 679.
Dedications
The original parish church of Warrington, known for its 281-foot spire, is dedicated to St Elphin. Also dedicated to him was St Elphin's School a former boarding school founded in Warrington that moved to Darley Dale, Derbyshire.