Little is known about his life, but according to tradition he was a companion of
Saint Oswald at
Iona. When Oswald became king of
Northumbria and moved his country residence to
Makerfield, Elphin accompanied him and Oswald built a wooden
church for him on the site of the
present parish church in
Warrington. The
Domesday Book also describes two
carucates of land in the
Hundred of
Newton-in-Makerfield as belonging to St Elphin. He was
martyred in 679. ==Dedications==