February 8 -- Feast of Saint Cuthman of Steyning

Cuthman watching his sheep: better days.

Cuthman was Cornish, but that wasn't the worst of his problems.  He was a shepherd until all his sheep died; then he was a beggar.  To make matters worse (though it probably made the begging easier), he cared for his paralyzed mom.  Since he was a transient beggar, he built a little wheel barrow to transport his mom.  He secured a rope to the handles and looped it over his shoulders to help bear the weight. 

They had been on the road for quite some time when the rope broke.  He fashioned a new rope from willow fronds.  Some local farmers laughed at his misfortune and weak little willow rope; a sudden rain storm then destroyed the crops of the merry farmers.  Who's laughing now, Emmit?  (Not Cuthman and his mom -- they were cold, wet, and homeless).  Cuthman  declared that when the willow rope broke, he'd stay in that spot and build a church.  He and his mom made tracks for some time, but eventually the  rope broke near Steyning.  He built a small hut for himself and his mom, and then set about building a church. 

Before beginning the construction of the church, he offered up this prayer:  Moved by his enthusiasm, locals showed up to help build it. Their help was handy because Cuthman was not a master builder (though the wheel barrow had held up well).  But even they had some trouble with the roof.  Then a stranger wandered up and provided the technical expertise to solve the problem.  Cuthman asked the stranger who he was; the man replied, "I am he in whose name you are building this church."  Oh, well, ummm, thanks Jesus. 

Devil's Dyke, an abortive flood plain

There's a later legend about how Cuthman tricked the Devil, who had become discouraged at the increase  in Christianity in Anglo-Saxon Britain.  The Devil decided to flood the island and drown all the Christians, so at sundown he started digging a trench to the sea.  Cuthman figured this out and carried a candle and a rooster down to the dig site.  Seeing the light and hearing the rooster, the Devil gave up his plan and fled back to the Inferno.