England's holiest family
St Walburga was born in Devonshire in 710, the daughter of St Richard the Pilgrim. Her brothers were St Winibald and St Willibald and her uncle was St Boniface, making her a member of one of the saintliest families in English history.
When Walburga was 11 she was entrusted to the care of the nuns at Wimborne Abbey after her father travelled to the Holy Land (he is buried in the Basilica of San Fredo, Lucca, where he died on pilgrimage in 722.).
Walburga remained at Wimborne Abbey in Dorset for 26 years and then went to Germany with her mother and brothers. While there they assisted St Boniface (her mother’s brother) in evangelising pagans.
