From the School Archives

This account is found in the "Legenda Aurea" of Caxton, the earliest English printer, and was included in the St George's School Magazine for 1906.

Saynt George was a Knyght borne at Capadose; on a tyme he came into the Provynce of Lybya to a cyte whyche is sayd Sylene, and by the cyte was a stgne or pond lyke a see, wherein was a dragon whych envenymed all the contre, and the peple of the cyte gave to hym every day two sheep to fede hym, and when the sheep fayled there was taken a man and a sheep.

Thenne was an ordaneunce made in the towne, that there should be taken the chyldren and yung peple of them of the towne, by lotte, and that so it happed the lotte fyl upon the Kynges doughter, whereof the Kyng was sory and sayd for the love of goddes take golde and silver and alle that I have and let me have my doughter and the peple sayd, how syr, ye have made and ordayned the lawe and our chyldren be now deed and now ye wold do the contrarye, your doughter shall be gyven or else we shall brenne you and your holdes. When the Kyng saw he might do no more he began to weepe, and returned to the peple and demanded viii days respyte, and when the eight days were passed, then did the Kyng araye his doughter like as she would be wedded and ledde hyr to the place where the dragon was. When she was there Saynt George passed by, and demanded of the ladye what she made there, and she sayde, go ye your ways fayre young man, that ye perish not also. The legend then relates that the dragon appeared and Saynt George upon his horse bore himself aginst the dragon and smote hym with his spere and three hym to the ground, and delivered the ladye to he fader who was baptysed and all hys peple.

It is further related that St George was afterwards beheaded by order of the Emperor Dacien in the year 287 and concludes: "This blessed holy martyr Saynt George is patrone of this royaume of England, and crye of men of Warre, in the worhip of whome is founded the Noble Order of the Garter, and also a noble College in the Castle of Wyndsore by Kynges of England, to whych College is the herte of Saynt George, whych Sygysmunder the Emperor of Almayne brought and gave for a grete and precious relique to K. Harry the Sythe, and also the sayd Sygysmunde was a broder of the sayd Garter, and also here is a pyece of hys head: Whyche College is nobly endowed to honour and worship of Almyghty God and his blessed martyr Saynt George."