The legend is that St

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, who died 862, desired to be buried in the church-yard of the minster, that the "sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “The legend is that St” mean?

Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, who died 862, desired to be buried in the church-yard of the minster, that the "sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave.

Is “The legend is that St” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.