The wrong George
Sir: It was a delight to receive the St George’s Day special issue and to read what were, for the most part, well-balanced and interesting articles about England and the English. That delight was only marred by reading Beryl Bainbridge’s classic error (Diary, 19 April) in confusing our patron saint with another George, George of Cappadocia, who was an early bishop of Alexandria. Gibbon’s reference to that bishop is a well-recorded error and has been made use of on many occasions as a put-down to the English, most recently by Ken Livingstone.
Our patron saint was executed on 23 April 303, on the orders of Emperor Diocletian. He was never a bishop but was a tribune in the Imperial Guard who was martyred for his faith and whose fame spread rapidly throughout Europe following the accession of Constantine, the renowned Christian emperor. We share this saint with many countries and cities throughout Europe.
John Clemence QPM
Vice President of the Royal Society of St George, Battle, East Sussex
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