Editha was probably King Edgar's aunt who died in the 960s and was canonized shortly after for her life of devotion and piety and then made the patron saint of the now collegiate church.

Begun in 1350 and completed in 1369, this edifice is a monument to the man whose task it became to rebuild and enlarge the church, Dean Baldwin de Witney.

He won the Victoria Cross in the Charge of the Light Brigade for saving the life of Trumpeter Hugh Crawford.

The church was extensively restored by Benjamin Ferrey and George Gilbert Scott in the 1850s, and William Butterfield, ca.

There is a rare example of a double spiral staircase in the tower; others are at the Château de Chambord, France and All Saints' Church, Pontefract.

Further work was carried out by George Holdich, Brycesons Bros and finally Nicholsons of Worcester.