St. Alphege (953 – 1012) is the patron saint of Solihull, Greenwich and kidnap victims and has his feast day on 19th April. Why he is the patron of Solihull is uncertain as he appears to have no direct links to the area, but the site of his death is thought to be Greenwich. His emblem is an axe, and he is depicted in his pontifical vestments or as a shepherd defending his flock. He was born near to Bath in Somerset and entered the monastic life at Deerhurst in Gloucestershire and later received permission to become a hermit to pursue his devotions. Around 984, Alphege or as he was variously known Elphege, Alfege, or Godwine took the position of abbot of Bath which had been established by St. Dunstan. Many of Alphege’s followers from Somerset joined him. In the same year he succeeded as Bishop of Winchester, serving there for twenty years and being renowned for his austerity and care of the poor. In this post he was responsible for the installation of an organ that supposedly required twenty-four men to operate it. He also built and enlarged many of the city’s churches and promoted the cult of his predecessor, Swithum. Following an invasion by the Danes in 994, King Athelred the Unready used Alphege’s skills to mediate with the Danish chiefs, Anlaf and Swein, with the results that Anlaf converted to Christianity and vowed never to lead his troops against ‘Britain’ again. It appears that Swein wasn’t so keen on the religion. However, both Danes demanded tribute from the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of the time as a security (against further fighting). In 1005 succeeding as Archbishop of Canterbury, Alphege received his pallium in Rome from Pope John XVIII. He returned to England where in 1011 marauding Danes lay siege to Canterbury and took Alphege captive. Alphege refused to pay the ransom, which resulted in Alphege being axed and beaten to death. His death marked him as the first martyr of Canterbury and his remains were interred in St. Paul’s Church in London but were transferred back to Canterbury around 1023. He was canonized in 1078. Relics of St. Alphege are said no to be in Bath, Glastonbury, Reading, Durham, York Minster and Westminster Abbey.