In taking the next step on the journey to the shrine, and following the previous chapter’s establishment of who our cure-seekers were, this chapter addresses the geography of the cults. Considering the distance travelled by cure-seekers, as represented in the miracles, through statistical and literary analysis, provides better insight into the geographical scope of the cults. While local supporters were the primary demographic of cure-seekers, well-established and popular cults had the potential to attract widespread attention. As a result, it might be expected that hagiographies, in their promotion of their saint, would emphasise reports where journeys of longer length were made. An interesting issue therefore arises with regard to the representation of travel and geographic locale.

The geographical reach of the cults of saints has been a feature of studies produced since Finucane’s Miracles and Pilgrims. The importance of the reach of saints, for Finucane, was that it provided insight into the spread of the cult. Although his analysis revealed that cults found greater support in the local vicinity, Finucane noted that within the closing accounts in many miracula there were higher numbers of pilgrims from further afield, and concluded that this showed both the developing scope of the cult and also a dying down of interest in the cult’s immediate vicinity. That a hagiographer might wish to promote the increasing influence of their saint’s cult is understandable, although whether this should mean that interest closer to home was declining is worth querying. Just because there was an increase in accounts relating to those who were at a greater distance from the cult does not mean that there was a decrease in local devotion. Ward’s Miracles and the Medieval Mind and, more recently, Yarrow’s Saints and Their Communities have also seen the merits of considering the importance of geographic scope in understanding the shape of the cult. Both, like Finucane, recognised the value of the cults to their immediate area. For Ward, the shift in the saint’s patronage, from protector to healer, in the high Middle Ages reflected the changing relationship between the saints and their local communities. Yarrow too considered this element of care in highlighting that William’s cult might have acted as an extension of the bishop of Norwich’s own pastoral care.