Baring-Gould’s sources: Milburgh or Milburga is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology, and in that bearing the name of Bede. Authority:—William of Malmesbury and Capgrave.
Perhaps no higher commendation can be passed upon Domneva, the saintly wife of Merewald, than this, that she was the mother of three eminent saints, Milburgh, Mildred, and Mildgytha. S. Milburgh was the eldest, if the names are mentioned according to the order of birth, and this being most probably the case, the date of her birth would be about the year of grace, 662. We are told that from her earliest years she dedicated herself to God with all the ardour of her soul. Whatever she did, she did it for the love of Christ alone, endeavouring always to please Him, and to grow up in His holy service. The world, which would have many attractions to a highborn maiden, she thoroughly despised, and even life itself she counted as nothing, unless it were spent in entire devotion to God. That she might live such a life with greater freedom, and in holy companionship with others, moved by the same heavenly desire, she founded a monastery for religious virgins at Wenlock, in Shropshire. Wenlock Magna it was afterwards called, and Much Wenlock at the present day. Her father, and her uncle Wulfhere, king of Mercia [the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the English Midlands], assisted her in this pious undertaking, and the monastery was endowed with ample possessions, many precious relicts of saints, and great privileges. Milburgh was consecrated abbess by Archbishop Theodore, and under her gentle rule the monastery became like a paradise in which Our Lord had planted the fairest flowers, and the sweetest fruits; and among them all S. Milburgh was pre-eminent in every virtue, and more especialty did the grace of humility shine forth in her. But the more she humbled herself, so much the more did God manifest His power in her by many gifts, enabling her to restore sight to the blind, and life to the dead. Her exhortations, full of heavenly unction, and the teaching of her saintly life, had a marvellous effect in bringing many souls from the darkness of error to the light of truth; and from the death of sin to a life of righteousness. Among the many wonderful things related of her, we read, that one day she went on some good errand to a village called Stoke, (Stoke S. Milburgh), when she was seen by the son of some neighbouring king, who wished to carry her off by force, that he might marry her. He got together a few soldiers, and formed a plan for intercepting her; but she, divinely admonished of the wicked scheme, fled at once with a companion she had with her. On her way she crossed a shallow stream called the Corve. As soon as the rash man heard of her flight, he followed in great haste, but when he came to the stream, the water suddenly rose, and rendered further pursuit impossible; so Christ's lamb escaped, while he stood still, confounded and amazed.
One night she had continued longer than usual in prayer and contemplation, and, overcome with fatigue, fell asleep; nor did she awake till the rays of the morning sun fell upon her. Then she started up so suddenly that the sacred veil fell from her head, but a slanting sunbeam caught it ere it touched the ground, and held it suspended in mid-air until she had time to rouse herself. Then she perceived the divine manifestation, and gave thanks to God, praising and magnifying Him.
Upon another occasion, when she was alone in her oratory, a widow came in carrying her dead child, and fell down at the feet of the holy virgin, and with many tears implored her to intercede for her, that her child might be restored to life. Milburgh rebuked her for making such a strange request, and recommended submission to the divine will. "Go," she said, "and bury thy dead, then prepare to follow thy son, for man is born to die." But the widow refused to go. "No, I will not leave thee, unless thou restore my child to life." When the holy virgin saw the woman's faith, she prostrated herself in prayer by the body of the child. Immediately she was surrounded by fire, which came down from heaven, and so entirely enveloped her, that it seemed impossible that she could escape being consumed by it. One of the sisters coming in, cried out to her to fly, but she had no sooner spoken, than all trace of fire was gone, and S. Milburgh, rising from her knees, presented the now living child to his mother.
S. Milburgh is represented as having authority over the birds of the air, and protecting crops from their ravages. In the parable, the fowls that came and devoured the good seed, were, we know, evil spirits.
After many years spent in good works and holy exercises, she was further purified and fitted, by long and painful illnesses, for those eternal mansions for which her soul longed. When the time of her departure drew near, she called together the whole community, and exhorted them all to have ever before them those two heavenly sentences: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." She then recommended them to choose the most pious of the sisters for their future abbess. Taking leave of them, she said, "Most dear sisters, I have loved you as my own bowels, and have been over you, as a mother over her children, with pious care. A higher call now in mercy invites me, I go the way of all flesh, and commend you to God and the Blessed Virgin." Having armed herself for her passage with the holy sacraments, she gave up her pure soul into the hands of her Maker, on Feb. 23rd, 722, and was buried with honour near the altar, in the church of the monastery.
The monastery was afterwards destroyed by the Danes [Viking raiders from Scandinavia], and, in course of time, all trace of the tomb of the saint was lost. But many ages after, when it was being re-built by some Cluniac monks, two boys who were playing there, fell through the pavement, and sunk down to their knees in the ground. This accident occasioned some surprise, and the monks had the ground opened, and found human bones in the very foundation of the altar. An odoriferous exhalation, as of a most precious balsam, perfumed the whole church when the tomb was opened, and numerous miracles are said to have taken place at the tomb of the saint; so many, that of all the crowds who went to it, none came away without receiving some benefit. On May 26th, 1501, the relics [the bodily remains of a saint, or objects they used, kept with honor] were enclosed in a costly chest, and deposited in a conspicuous and eminent place in the same monastery, where they remained till its destruction in the time of Henry VIII.
Some ruins of the abbey church, built in the year 1080, may still be seen at Wenlock. They consist of south aisle and transept, and part of the cloister, sufficient to shew the magnificence of the ancient building.