Edmund and the Great Heathen Army
This summer at Moyse’s Hall we will celebrate Edmund in life and in death like never before
- Date
- 6th June 2026 - 4th October 2026
About this event
A king will fall, a saint will rise…
According to legend, in 869AD, King Edmund met the ‘Great Heathen Army’ in battle, was defeated, and brutally martyred. His cult would spread across Christendom in the centuries that followed and he would become England’s Patron Saint.
In death, Edmund’s spirit would be credited with healings, comfort, protection, and enforcing justice upon criminals and rulers. His name and relics would inspire political endeavours and combat. The Kings that followed would fear his spectral wrath.
This summer at Moyse’s Hall we will celebrate Edmund in life and in death like never before. Through academic partnership, we will meet Edmund in his 9th Century world, before exploring the rise and fall of his cult.
It includes a re-creation of St Edmund’s gold tomb, which is being specially built by Andy Stubbs of Scenic Productions who supplies set design to the West End and the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmund.
Family trails every day, with workshops and daytime events on selected dates, as well as an evening lecture series.
Dates: Saturday 6 June – Sunday 4 October
Times: Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm (last admission 4pm)
Sunday 12pm – 4pm (last admission 3pm)
Admission: Adults £5.50, Child(6 – 16) £4, Full Time Student £4. Family ticket (2 adults & 3 children) £19. Under 5s FREE (no ticket required)
Venue: Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds
Advance booking recommended.
From Edmund to Jàtmundr: St Edmund in the Norse World
Join Moyse's Hall Museum for a fascinating talk by Dr Francis Young: From Edmund to Jàtmundr: St Edmund in the Norse World.
While St Edmund's death at the hands of the Vikings is well known, one of the most remarkable features of Edmund's story is that within 30 years of his death he was being venerated by the very people who killed him.
Edmund was one of the first saints with whom Norse people felt a connection, easing their transition to Christianity between around 890 and 1000.
From Northumbria to Norway, from Ireland to Iceland, St Edmund was an immensely popular saint among Norse Christians and set the pattern for the warrior king-saints so popular in medieval Scandinavia. Norse people told their own stories about Edmund and made him their own, leaving a deep religious legacy that endures to this day in the Scandinavian world.
Times: 7pm-8.15pm (Doors 6.40pm)
Tickets: £12
Booking: Essential. Please click the ‘book now’ button or call The Apex Box Office on 01284 758000
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About the Venue
This beautiful medieval museum in the heart of Bury St Edmunds houses rich and eclectic collections and changing exhibitions, and hosts events ranging from themed craft workshops for all the family to historical talks and lectures.
Steeped in history, Moyse's Hall has looked out over Bury St Edmunds market place for almost 900 years.
The landmark 12th century building rich and varied past has included serving as the town Bridewell, workhouse and police station, first opening as a museum in 1899.
Today the museum offers a fascinating view into the past with collections that document the foundation of the early town - from the creation and dissolution of the Abbey of St Edmund to fascinating insights into local superstitions and witchcraft.
Winner of Suffolk's Family-Friendly Museum of the Year 2017, Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary has helped Moyse’s Hall Museum bring Bury St Edmunds’ gruesome history to life for children.
The Museum's Crime and Punishment Gallery not only features six Terrible Tales by Terry Deary, best-selling author and creator of the hugely popular Horrible Histories books, but also some grisly and gruesome interactive displays for children and adults. Step inside a gibbet cage (made for the museum by blacksmiths Kingdom Forge).
You can even trace the artefacts in The Red Barn Murder including the murder weapon and the disease box where visitors can smell a pus ridden hand is a museum favourite! The Battle of Fornham is told through the eyes of a blacksmith, a nun tending to the body of St Edmund tells of his grisly end. The stories of Mary Tudor, Queen of France (who is buried in St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds), the Red Barn Murder, the Nichols Murder, witchcraft and Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, all feature. Every story links back to an artefact, bringing the museum’s stories to life.
Moyse's Hall Museum is also known as home to a world class collection of exquisite collections of clocks and timepieces including rare items bequeathed by musician and clock collector Frederic Greshom-Parkington and fine art by Sir Peter Lely, Angelica Kauffman, James Tissot, and England's first professional female painter Mary Beale. Fine art is displayed on rotation, call to check if studying a specific artist.
Assistance dogs only. Dogs are welcome in the reception for tourist information enquires and to access the gift shop.
