St. Werstan was a monk of the Anglo-Saxon monastery of Deerhurst in Gloucestershire which was destroyed by the Northmen.

[3] Legend tells that the settlement in Great Malvern began following the murder of St. Werstan.

Although the legend may be monastic mythology, historians have however concluded that he was the original martyr.

[4] A 15th-century stained glass window in Great Malvern Priory depicts the story of St. Werstan, with details of his vision, the consecration of his chapel, Edward the Confessor granting the charter for the site, and Werstan's martyrdom.

[2] Grindrod (p. 168) states that Deerhurst was an Abbey before becoming a Priory, that Werstan was its Abbot, and that he founded the religious community in Malvern.