Edward the Confessor Millennium Festival, Islip 2005
Edward the Confessor was born in Islip c.1005. He was King of England from 1042-1066. He re-founded Westminster Abbey and had the Palace of Westminster built. He was the first monarch thought to be able to cure skin diseases (known as the King’s Evil) just by touching the sufferer. His death led directly to the last successful invasion of England: the Battle of Hastings. He was declared a saint by Pope Alexander III in 1161. It is not every year that a village can celebrate the millennium of the birth of a king and saint.