No, not that Christopher upstart.
The original and best patron saint of wayfarers is St Botolph, a member of the Saxon nobility and founder of a monastery on land given to him by King Anna.
This story proves that having a girl’s name was no barrier to success in AngloSaxon England, just as having a beard is no barrier to winning Eurovision if you are also rocking a fishtail evening gown.
St Botolph’s church is just opposite my office and normally before I go travelling I pop in and say hello, but this week I have been working at home while a succession of practical chaps build me a new garden fence. So in a very modern twist, I am checking in virtually.
It’s not terribly clear how St Botolph got displaced by St Christopher. Perhaps St Christopher had better PR.
transport of delight 