19 September 2026

Of all the people whose gifts were brought to birth through Hilda’s extraordinary leadership at Whitby, Caedmon, the herdsman, must be the most extraordinary. In his old age, he knew nothing of poetry nor music. He was shy of the harp and didn’t participate in communal singing on feast days.

One night, he was in the stable looking after the beasts. He had a dream. ‘Caedmon,’ said  man, ‘sing me a song.’ Caedmon was surprised. ‘What should I sing about?’ he asked. ‘Sing about the creation of all things.’ And this is his song:

How must we praise

The guardian of heaven’s realm

The Creator’s might

And his mind’s thought

The glorious works of the Father

How of every wonder

He the Lord Eternal

Laid the foundation.

When he awoke, Caedmon remembered everything and added more verses to his song. He told his superior who took him to see Hilda. She invited him to sing ‘in the presence of many learned men, so that a decision might be reached by common consent as to their quality and origin’. Caedmon had been given a gift from God.

They gave him some verse of Scripture which he transcribed into song. Abbess Hilda encouraged Caedmon to become a member of the community and ordered him ‘to be instructed in the events of sacred history’. In this way, he was able to write hymns on the Creation, the Exodus, the life of Christ, the doctrines of the Church!