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The church is one of only two (the other being at Middleham in Wensleydale) dedicated to St Alkelda. Tradition has it that Alkelda was a Saxon lady martyred for her Christian faith by pagan Danish women.
An Old English name for spring or well is keld and the name Alkelda is very much like haeligkeld - Old English for holy well. Certainly, Alkelda as the patron saint of Giggleswick did not appear in a written record until the later Middle Ages. The Benedictine monks of Finchale Priory, Durham, who were meticulous historians and who held the patronage of Giggleswick from the early 13th century up to the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, never associated the church with the name of any saint, but yet Alkelda is herself a powerful symbol of a Christian presence since Anglo-Saxon times. At the present time, there is great interest in holy places and many Christians, realising
the value of pilgrimage, want to see the places which were sacred to Christians of bygone
days brought to the forefront of attention again.
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PATRON SAINT
Two stained glass windows in the church commemorate St
Alkelda. Her name and her existence as a historical personage have given rise to much
speculation. There are a number of wells and springs in and around Giggleswick, including
the famous Ebbing and Flowing well on Buckhaw Brow. It is maintained by some that because
of the local wells and springs, Giggleswick and its church were places of pilgrimage during
the Middle Ages. A cast lead figurine (c. Iron Age) was found in Bank Well, suggesting a
site sacred from pagan times. Rivers, wells and springs were sacred places for the Celtic
peoples. It was the custom of the early Christian Church to "baptise unto Christ" any site
formerly used for pagan practices.
