On Friday 30th June, I had the privilege to visit St Mary's Junior School in Ely and take 'St Audrey - Eshet Chayil' to meet the students there.
I decided the least boring way to tell them all about Audrey and her life was to spin them a tale, a Tawdry Tale, whilst playing a film of me painting.
So pleased to report they all seemed suitably mesmerised and enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed being there. Some great questions about what it's like being an artist afterwards as well. Fabulous group of smaller humans.
I hope you enjoy the tale...
A Tawdry Tale
by Kristin VG Bailey
Many, many yesterday’s ago, there was a girl called Audrey.
She was a Princess, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce.
With a faith so fierce she made a vow of chastity to God, she wished to remain chaste and keep her personal space.
She desperately wanted to give her life completely to God’s service and become a Nun but that wasn’t to be so.
She had to marry, for political reasons.
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce.
Her first husband agreed, upon their marriage, that she could remain chaste with her own personal space, and so she was wed. Within only a few years sadness came, when her husband died in battle.
If only she could have her desire, and fulfil her faith’s calling.
But...
She had to marry, for political reasons.
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce.
Her second husband was only 14 when they wed!
Like her first husband, he agreed to Audrey’s vow to remain chaste, with her own personal space, and so they were wed.
Within a few years this husband came to regret his agreement and demanded she give up her vow to God so he could have his marriage ‘rights’ from his wife and invade her personal space.
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce
With a faith so fierce she fled from her second marriage to the Isle of Ely. The Island she had inherited from her first husband.
Legend says, while fleeing she became tired and needed a rest. She lay down to sleep among a field of wild flowers, having thrust her walking staff into the ground. When she and her companion's awoke, her staff had sprouted a miracle and a mighty Ash tree had grown.
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce.
Some tales tell of her reaching the Isle of Ely with her husband in hot pursuit. On arrival the water swelled up around to protect her from capture and her pursuers and husband were forced to retreat.
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce
Once on her Island she built a dual monastery and fulfilled at last her calling and first desire to become a Nun, an Abbess in fact! The boss!
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce
In her early 40’s something began to grow on her neck. It grew bigger and bigger. The physician was called and prognosed that this would be the end of her.
Audrey exclaimed that this must be a punishment from God for all the beautiful necklaces and jewellery she had loved to wear in her youth (she was into self-flagellation, they were in those yesterday’s.)
Audrey’s life came to an end.
She was a Princess, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce.
Many, many years afterwards they dug Audrey’s body up and found she had remained as beautiful as she was in life and that the neck affliction had miraculously disappeared!
They called her a Saint from that day on, some said a vampire.
She was a Princess you see, she was beautiful, she was full of faith and she was fierce
Every year after her death the Isle of Ely would celebrate this beautiful and fierce, faithful woman on her Feast Day in June.
They would have a celebration and market of beautiful necklaces and jewellery made of lace. Each year the necklaces' quality became worse and worse, cheaper and cheaper, poorly made and quite the gawdy collection.
This is where St Audrey morphed into ‘tawdry’, and so a new word was birthed in to the English language.
All because of our very own beautiful, faithful Princess and Saint, whose fierce faith founded this little City called Ely.
And so my dear friends, what I'd like you to remember from Audrey’s life, a tawdry tale of unkindness and plight, that no matter what happens to you in your days, remain beautifully you, remain faithful to who you want to be and the dreams you have of who you want to be and, I know, with help from God you’ll remain faithful and fierce.