Months ago, I heard on radio about the introduction of Australian plants along Scottish rivers and streams. A woman compiled a book about them some years ago however I haven't been able to track it down. Apparently they came to be growing there because when they washed the imported Australian wool, the seeds were released into the waterways and deposited on the banks when flooding.

If it's good enough for Australia, then why shouldn't New Zealand get in on the act. Lindisfarne has an ongoing problem with Pirri-pirri-bur. They regularly have days on which volunteers try to clear as much as possible to avoid being overrun.

As well as my unrestrained passion for all things medieval (ruins and castle and mills etc.) which Ches unsuccessfully tries to rein in, I'm also attracted by the unusual back story. Hence my difficulty in making a long story short. That's what drew me to Lindisfarne.

Lindisfarne is on Holy Island, just north of Alnmouth, as is Bamburgh Castle, both of which were on my "must see" list when driving down the North East coast.

Apart from having the remains of the 1,400 year old Priory, there is also a Tudor castle/Manor House and I was sure I had heard that in the 70's hippies were attracted by the belief that all sorts of exotic fruits and vegetable grew there defying the climate etc. Oh no, that's Findhorn in Scotland … never mind, Lindisfarne has enough back story to interest almost anyone.

I had checked the tide times weeks earlier to make sure that we arrived at a time when we could cross the tidal flats and return safely. It would appear that several thousands of people had made the same plans as there was a constant stream of people driving the 5km or so out and back.

You drive across a made road around a kilometre long that runs across the mud/sand flats onto the island itself which runs south to the settlement on the southern end. At the end, you are looking back across the water to the mainland and slightly south is Bamburgh Castle, so large that it looms up out of the landscape.

The population density of England is 413 people per sq km, while the U.S. is 33 and Australia 3. Even Victoria on its own only makes it to 26. Despite 58% of Brits planning on spending part of their summer holiday abroad, that's only for a couple of weeks and the rest of the time they are at home. Now imagine putting half this population on the roads over summer and you might get an idea of how long it takes to travel a short distance. I'll take this up later with a post about roads and ROUNDABOUTS.

A significant proportion of the total population seems to be holidaying in the North East where we were. The car park was huge but chockers, the streets so crowded that the road was the easiest place to walk. Local farmers were selling produce on the roadside and the Priory and ground between it and the castle overrun by tourists.

The castle is currently being restored and under scaffolding and canvas, so not particularly picturesque. We decided that as we also wanted to visit Bamburgh Castle, we would just walk around the outside of the Priory rather than join the thousands climbing every hillock in and around the place. Bamburgh Castle was visible across the water and called us on.

By the time we navigated back up the island and then the narrow country roads back to the main road and down to Bamburgh, it was 4.50 and the castle closed at 5.00. While Ches sat in the car in the carpark, I photographed the castle from the landward side and then climbed the sandhills to the south and suffered my second attack of the stinging nettles. The things I do to get a photograph.

Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau high above the Northumberland coastline Bamburgh is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country. And is often referred to as "The King of Castles"

I've been watching archaeology shows for years about various discoveries at Bamburgh Castle and while disappointed we didn't get the chance to go inside, I suspect it would require a full day. We have already decided to return to this area for a week of so on our next trip.

A little bit of information from the web for those that are interested:

Bamburgh's written history begins in the times of the Anglo-Saxons with one chronicler citing Bamburgh as probably the most important place in all of England. But even before this there were people living here, there is archaeological evidence that as early as 10,000 BC there were people here. There are Bronze Age (2,400 -700BC) burials nearby and pottery sherds dating to the Iron Age (700 BC - 43AD). With little evidence of their occupation only the name Din Guayrdi gives us a hint that Romans were sometime between 43AD and 410AD.

It was during the early medieval period between 411AD and 1066AD that Bamburgh grew in stature and importance. With the arrival of the Saxons, the creation of an important Christian site and the coming and going of the saints Oswald, Aidan and Cuthbert, it was a pivotal time. Following this period we saw the arrival of the Normans and the construction of our Great Tower, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses with the siege of 1464. The arrival of the Foster family, gifted the ruins by James 1 with the subsequent acquisition by Lord Crewe and the formation of the Crewe Trustees. A resurgence in stature as under the guidance of John Sharpe the castle became a leading surgery and dispensary for the poor and sick.

Finally the castle passed into the hands of the First Lord Armstrong, with the intention of creating a respite home he passed away before its restoration was complete and became the Armstrong family home. It is still owned by the Armstrong Family who opened it up to visitors in the mid 1900's and remains to this day an icon of the North East of England.

The rest is mainly for my own interest, however you are welcome to read on.

Lindisfarne Priory

Aidan of Lindisfarne

The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded by Irish monk Saint Aidan, who had been sent from Iona off the west coast of Scotland to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald. The priory was founded before the end of 634 and Aidan remained there until his death in 651. The priory remained the only seat of a bishopric in Northumbria for nearly thirty years. Finian (bishop 651-661) built a timber church "suitable for a bishop's seat". St. Bede however was critical of the fact that the church was not built of stone but only of hewn oak thatched with reeds. A later bishop, Eadbert removed the thatch and covered both walls and roof in lead. An abbot, who could be the bishop, was elected by the brethren and led the community. St. Bede comments on this:

And let no one be surprised that, though we have said above that in this island of Lindisfarne, small as it is, there is found the seat of a bishop, now we say also that it is the home of an abbot and monks; for it actually is so. For one and the same dwelling-place of the servants of God holds both; and indeed all are monks. Aidan, who was the first bishop of this place, was a monk and always lived according to monastic rule together with all his followers. Hence all the bishops of that place up to the present time exercise their episcopal functions in such a way that the abbot, who they themselves have chosen by the advice of the brethren, rules the monastery; and all the priests, deacons, singers and readers and other ecclesiastical grades, together with the bishop himself, keep the monastic rule in all things.

Lindisfarne became the base for Christian evangelism in the North of England and also sent a successful mission to Mercia. Monks from the Irish community of Iona settled on the island. Northumbria's patron saint, Saint Cuthbert, was a monk and later abbot of the monastery, and his miracles and life are recorded by the Venerable Bede. Cuthbert later became Bishop of Lindisfarne. An anonymous life of Cuthbert written at Lindisfarne is the oldest extant piece of English historical writing. From its reference to "Aldfrith, who now reigns peacefully" it must date to between 685 and 704. Cuthbert was buried here, his remains later translated to Durham Cathedral (along with the relics of Saint Eadfrith of Lindisfarne). Eadberht of Lindisfarne, the next bishop (and saint) was buried in the place from which Cuthbert's body was exhumed earlier the same year when the priory was abandoned in the late 9th century.

Cuthbert's body was carried with the monks, eventually settling in Chester-le-Street before a final move to Durham. The saint's shrine was the major pilgrimage centre for much of the region until its despoliation by Henry VIII's commissioners in 1539 or 1540. The grave was preserved however and when opened in 1827 yielded a number of remarkable artefacts dating back to Lindisfarne. The inner (of three) coffins was of incised wood, the only decorated wood to survive from the period. It shows Jesus surrounded by the Four Evangelists. Within the coffin was a pectoral cross 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) across made of gold and mounted with garnets and intricate tracery. There was a comb made of elephant ivory, a rare and expensive item in Northern England. Also inside was an embossed silver covered travelling altar. All were contemporary with the original burial on the island. When the body was placed in the shrine in 1104 other items were removed: a paten, scissors and a chalice of gold and onyx. Most remarkable of all was a gospel (known as the St Cuthbert Gospel or Stonyhurst Gospel from its association with the college). The manuscript is in an early, probably original, binding beautifully decorated with deeply embossed leather.

Following Finian's death, Colman became Bishop of Lindisfarne. Up to this point the Northumbrian (and latterly Mercian) churches had looked to Lindisfarne as the mother church. There were significant liturgical and theological differences with the fledgling Roman party based at Canterbury. According to Stenton: "There is no trace of any intercourse between these bishops [the Mercians] and the see of Canterbury". The Synod of Whitby in 663 changed this. Allegiance switched southwards to Canterbury and thence to Rome. Colman departed his see for Iona and Lindisfarne ceased to be of such major importance.

In 735 the northern ecclesiastical province of England was established with the archbishopric at York. There were only three bishops under York: Hexham, Lindisfarne and Whithorn whereas Canterbury had the twelve envisaged by St. Augustine. The Diocese of York encompassed roughly the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Hexham covered County Durham and the southern part of Northumberland up to the River Coquet and eastwards into the Pennines. Whithorn covered most of Dumfries and Galloway region west of Dumfries itself. The remainder, Cumbria, northern Northumbria, Lothian and much of the Kingdom of Strathclyde formed the diocese of Lindisfarne.

Lindisfarne Gospels

At some point in the early 8th century, the famous illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospels, an illustrated Latin copy of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, was made probably at Lindisfarne and the artist was possibly Eadfrith, who later became Bishop of Lindisfarne. Sometime in the second half of the 10th century a monk named Aldred added an Anglo-Saxon (Old English) gloss to the Latin text, producing the earliest surviving Old English copies of the Gospels Aldred attributed the original to Eadfrith (bishop 698-721). The Gospels were written with a good hand, but it is the illustrations done in an insular style containing a fusion of Celtic, Germanic and Roman elements that are truly outstanding. According to Aldred, Eadfrith's successor Æthelwald was responsible for pressing and binding it and then it was covered with a fine metal case made by a hermit called Billfrith. The Lindisfarne Gospels now reside in the British Library in London, somewhat to the annoyance of some Northumbrians. In 1971 professor Suzanne Kaufman of Rockford, Illinois presented a facsimile copy of the Gospels to the clergy of the island.

Vikings

The Ruins of Lindisfarne Priory, by Thomas Girtin, 1798. The priory's rainbow arch, which survives, is shown truncated for artistic effect.

In 793, a Viking raid on Lindisfarne caused much consternation throughout the Christian west and is now often taken as the beginning of the Viking Age. The D and E versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle record:

Her wæron reðe forebecna cumene ofer Norðhymbra land, ⁊ þæt folc earmlic bregdon, þæt wæron ormete þodenas ⁊ ligrescas, ⁊ fyrenne dracan wæron gesewene on þam lifte fleogende. Þam tacnum sona fyligde mycel hunger, ⁊ litel æfter þam, þæs ilcan geares on .vi. Idus Ianuarii, earmlice hæþenra manna hergunc adilegode Godes cyrican in Lindisfarnaee þurh hreaflac ⁊ mansliht.

In this year fierce, foreboding omens came over the land of the Northumbrians, and the wretched people shook; there were excessive whirlwinds, lightning, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the sky. These signs were followed by great famine, and a little after those, that same year on 6th ides of January, the ravaging of wretched heathen men destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne.

The generally accepted date for the Viking raid on Lindisfarne is in fact 8 June; Michael Swanton writes: "vi id Ianr, presumably [is] an error for vi id Iun (8 June) which is the date given by the Annals of Lindisfarne (p. 505), when better sailing weather would favour coastal raids."

Alcuin, a Northumbrian scholar in Charlemagne's court at the time, wrote:

Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race ... The heathens poured out the blood of saints around the altar, and trampled on the bodies of saints in the temple of God, like dung in the streets.

The English seemed to have turned their back on the sea as they became more settled. Many monasteries were established on islands, peninsulas, river mouths and cliffs. Isolated communities were less susceptible to interference and the politics of the heartland. The amazement of the English at the raids from the sea must have been matched by the amazement of the raiders at such (to them) vulnerable, wealthy and unarmed settlements.

These preliminary raids, unsettling as they were, were not followed up. The main body of the raiders passed north around Scotland. The 9th-century invasions came not from Norway, but from the Danes from around the entrance to the Baltic. The first Danish raids into England were in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent during 835 and from there their influence spread north. During this period religious art continued to flourish on Lindisfarne, and the Liber Vitae of Durham began in the priory.

By 866 the Danes were in York and in 873 the army was moving into Northumberland. With the collapse of the Northumbrian kingdom the monks of Lindisfarne fled the island in 875 taking with them St Cuthbert's bones (which are now buried at the cathedral in Durham).

Prior to the 9th century Lindisfarne Priory had, in common with other such establishments, held large tracts of land which were managed directly or leased to farmers with a life interest only. Following the Danish occupation land was increasingly owned by individuals and could be bought, sold and inherited. Following the Battle of Corbridge in 914 Ragnald seized the land giving some to his followers Scula and Onlafbal.

Middle Ages

The priory was re-established in Norman times in 1093 as a Benedictine house and continued until its suppression in 1536 under Henry VIII. The standing remains date from this later priory, while the site of the original priory is now occupied by the parish church. The site is a grade I listed building number 1042304. The earliest parts of the area are a scheduled ancient monument number 1011650.

In 1462, during the Wars of the Roses, Margaret of Anjou made an abortive attempt to seize the Northumbrian castles. Following a storm at sea 400 troops had to seek shelter on the Holy Island, where they surrendered to the Yorkists.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Lancelot Errington, one of a number of locals who supported the Jacobite cause, visited the castle. Some sources say that Lancelot asked the Master Gunner, who also served as the unit's barber, for a shave. While inside it became clear that most of the garrison were away. Later that day he returned with his nephew Mark Errington, claiming that he had lost the key to his watch. They were allowed in, overpowered the three soldiers present, and claimed the castle as a landing site for the Jacobite group led by Thomas Forster, Member of Parliament for the county of Northumberland. Reinforcements did not arrive to support the Erringtons, so when a detachment of 100 men arrived from Berwick to retake the castle they were only able to hold out for one day. Fleeing, they were captured at the tollbooth at Berwick and imprisoned, but were later able to tunnel out of their gaol and escape.

Modern

A Dundee firm built lime kilns on Lindisfarne in the 1860s, and lime was burnt on the island until at least the end of the 19th century. The kilns are among the most complex in Northumberland. Horses carried limestone, along the Holy Island Waggonway, from a quarry on the north side of the island to the lime kilns, where it was burned with coal transported from Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. There are still some traces of the jetties by which the coal was imported and the lime exported close by at the foot of the crags. The remains of the waggon way between the quarries and the kilns makes for a pleasant and easy walk. At its peak over 100 men were employed. Crinoid columnals extracted from the quarried stone and threaded into necklaces or rosaries became known as St Cuthbert's beads.

Workings on the lime kilns stopped by the start of the 20th century. The lime kilns on Lindisfarne are among the few being actively preserved in Northumberland.

Bamburgh Castle and its environs together form one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain. The Castle contains within its bounds layers representing more than 2000 years of continuous occupation, while the landscape around the castle rock is textured by over 6000 years of human history. The following page provides a brief overview of the history of this fascinating building and its landscape.

Bede and the Golden Age of Northumbria Northumbria produced many notable scholars, among them was the monk Bede, who was born in Monkwearmouth in Sunderland. He joined the monastery at Jarrow in 681 AD aged 9. Jarrow became famous for it's manuscripts and the monks of Lindisfarne are thought to have borrowed their copy of Jerome's translation of the Gospels, which had been brought from Rome, to use as the basis for the Lindsfarne Gospels. Bede spent much of his life translating the Bible from Latin into Anglo Saxon English. He progressed to writing a history of the English Church, and a life of Saint Cuthbert. His works added much to our knowledge of the origins of Anglo Saxon England. His great work of scholarship, "The Ecclesiastical History of the English People" became the equivalent of an early medieval best-seller.

In Bede's history, Bamburgh was accorded the dual status of "urbs" and "civitas", terms that indicate an extensive site of foremost importance. Further indication of this high status can be gleaned from the finds that have already come to light from the excavations within the castle. These include small gold objects such as the famous Bamburgh Beast, strap ends, and fragments of a carved stone seat or even throne, recovered from beneath foliage within the grounds. All of these finds are currently on display in castle's archaeology museum. The recovery of such material supports the written evidence for the high status of the site during this period.

Oswold The heir to the Bernician royal line was Oswald, younger brother of Eanfrith and one of the many sons of Aethelfrith. He had been in exile in the west of Scotland and Ireland, under the protection of the Irish lords of Dal Riada. During his exile, Oswald became a Christian, schooled in the Celtic brand of Christianity of the monks of Iona. Assisted by troops from the Irish king, he gathered his forces and marched to meet the British king Cadwalla. Bede gleefully paints a picture of the devout Christian king, describing how the night before the battle, Oswald had a vision of Saint Columba, who told him "Be strong and act manfully. Behold, I will be with thee. This coming night go out from your camp into battle, for the Lord has granted me that at this time your foes shall be put to flight and Cadwalla your enemy shall be delivered into your hands and you shall return victorious after battle and reign happily." Oswald recounted the vision to his war council and it was agreed that if they survived the battle they would all be baptised into the Christian faith.

Oswald ordered a wooden cross to be erected, and he held it in place as his men fastened it into the earth. He then knelt in prayer and asked his army to pray with him. When the battle was joined, Oswald faced far superior numbers, but his band of loyal followers, feeling God was on their side, routed the British enemy and their king, Cadwallon perished in the fighting. Bede's use of Oswald as an exemplar of Christian superiority somewhat colours the narrative of Oswald's achievements, but it is clear that he became a renowned and beloved leader to his followers, and he was formidable in battle. Following his victory, Oswald established himself as ruler of a united Northumbria. He was recognised as Bretwalda and according to Bede's account, he "brought under his dominion all the nations and provinces of Britain".

Oswald sent for monks from Iona to set about the conversion of his people. The first priest was not well received but when his replacement Aidan arrived from Iona, his gentle approach endeared him to the Northumbrians. Oswald granted him the island of Lindisfarne to build his monastery, which flourished, particularly in the latter years of the 7th century and throughout the 8th century, which saw the production of the Lindisfarn Gospels

The success of Aidan's ministry was due perhaps in no small part to the fact that Oswald himself acted as interpreter, having learned Gaelic in exile. He translated the monk's native Irish preaching for his Northumbrian court. Oswald is noted for his piety and good deeds in life, and Bede recounts several acts of kindness that particularly stood out. Among them is the tale of the blessing of his arm by Aidan after Oswald broke up silver platters from his feast to be distributed to the poor at his door.

The Mercian Saxons had been somewhat held in check by Oswald's defeat of their British allies under Cadwalla when Oswald came to power, but by the 640s AD, their king, Penda, who had previously defeated Edwin, had resumed his military ambitions and he began a campaign against the Northumbrians, gathering allies from the Welsh kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd. Penda's machinations culminated in the battle of Maserfelth which may have been in the midlands in Shropshire, in the territories bordering the two realms. Oswald's army was defeated and he was slain on the 5th of August 642 AD aged 38.

His body was ritually dismembered and left on the battlefield with his limbs and head placed on poles and his torso tied to a tree in mock crucifixion. Before he was killed Oswald knelt and prayed. Bede records, " …his life closed in prayer; for when he saw the enemy forces surrounding him and knew that his end was near, he prayed for the souls of his soldiers. 'God have mercy on their souls, said Oswald as he fell' is now a proverb…the king who slew him ordered that his head and hands with the forearms be hacked off and fixed on stakes." Oswald's last words have also been interpreted as asking for forgiveness of his murderers, an ultimate expression of the Christian ideal of turning the other cheek.

Following his death, Oswald's dismembered body was eventually rescued and distributed as relics. According to Bede, "when Oswald was killed in battle, his hand and arm were severed from his body, and they remain uncorrupted to this day. They are preserved and venerated in a silver casket at the church of Saint Peter in the royal city, which is called after a former queen named Bebba." Which is to say, that Oswald's arm was venerated as a relic in the 8th century church in the fortress of Bamburgh during Bede's lifetime.

Bede's use of Oswald as a Christian martyr gives us an insight into the world of the Anglo-Saxons. At this time, books were incredibly valuable and rare, so for the new Christian movement to flourish preaching and oral storytelling were vital. The Christians had to demonstrate the advantages and power of their religion, and stories that demonstrated the efficacy of their faith and which legitimised it in terms of the endorsement of the ruling classes were important in strengthening the faith of new converts and encouraging non Christians to accept the faith.

Oswald was an ideal figurehead as his pious conviction and commitment to Christian beliefs was a hallmark of his reign. His political power and popularity could be equated with his faith, so by bolstering his holiness with tales of miracles, the Christians were able to create him as a Christian Hero, every bit as powerful as the heroes of sagas that were the familiar ideology of traditional Saxon heritage. The famous author and scholar of Old English, J.R.R Tolkien, speculated on the existence of an epic poem centred around Oswald, and though such a poem has not survived, the idea that it could have existed clearly shows the power of the Oswald story as his cult grew after his death. Members of the Northumbrian royalty and their retainers began to take positions of authority within the church. One of the most famous is Hilda, a distant niece of Edwin. Bishop Aidan installed her as the second Abbess of Hartlepool Abbey, where she instigated a fervent remodelling of the original site, creating a beacon of Christian worship with her new buildings. In 657 AD she founded a new Abbey at Whitby, which became the site of burial for the Christian kings of Bamburgh.

Oswy After Oswald's death, the Northumbrian kingdom was divided. Bernicia came under the rule of Oswald's brother Oswy and the Deira was inherited by Oswine who was the son of one of the two kings that had ruled for a year in Northumbria after the death of Edwin. For a time there was peace between the kingdoms as they were under thrall to Penda of Mercia who had defeated Oswald. However, in 651 AD Oswy moved against the southern kingdom, declaring war on it's king Oswin. Bede records the events that followed: "Oswin realised that his opponents forces were far stronger than his own, and decided not to risk an engagement but to await a more favourable opportunity. So he disbanded the army that he had raised…and sent all his men to their homes. He himself, accompanied by a single trusted soldier named Tondhere, went back and lay concealed in the house of the nobleman Hunwald, whom he regarded as his greatest friend. Alas, it was far otherwise: for Hunwald betrayed Oswin and his man to Oswy, who amid universal disgust ordered his commander Ethelwin to put them both to death."

Clearly, Oswy was no saint. He was also troubled by the persistence of Penda who brought a campaign against Northumbria in 655AD. Penda drove Oswy's forces ahead of him and took the fight at least as far as northern Bernicia , where Oswy was forced to offer great treasures and hostages. This appeased the Mercian king for a time, but their armies clashed again later that year at the Battle of the Winwaed. Penda was killed along with many of his British allies and Oswy seized his chance to claim d ominion over the defeated Mercians. His son in law Paeda was installed as client king and Oswy solidifed his dominance of a vast territory, earning his title of Bretwalda. His success was cut short when Paeda was killed by the sons of Penda and Oswy was forced to concede the Mercian kingdom, but as king of Northumbria he was still formidable. Oswy's most lasting achievement was to preside over and ultimately determine the outcome of the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD

It is no accident that the most crucial meeting of the new Christian church leaders was held at Whitby, in the province of Deira. The Northumbrian dominance of the early church is readily apparent. However, the Northumbrian traditions varied from those of the church in Rome and the Whitby gathering was intended to redress this imbalance and agree on crucial interpretations, most notably the timings of the important Christian festivals such as Easter. Oswy decided to adopt the Roman calendar, and to this day our modern western calendar retains this dating.

The 7th century was clearly a time where Christian Orthodoxy was still being debated. Even in the cemetery of Bamburgh, there are a bewildering array of burial types and varying positions. Burials provide some of the best archaeological evidence for the prevailing belief systems of a culture. How the dead were treated is a reflection of the individual and the cultural milieu as well as the personal circumstances of death, be it peaceful or violent, and whether it was a representation of orthodox practices or social taboos such as those with criminal or superstitious associations.

By Oswy's death in February 670 AD, the Christian dominance of the Northumbrian royal house was irrefutable. Oswy was buried at Whitby Abbey alongside Edwin, and his wife and later his daughter became Abbess there before their own death and burial at the site.

Oswy was succeeded by Ecgfrith, who was later succeeded by Aldfrith as Northumbrian overlord.

Edwin The rival dynasty of Northumbrian Kings was represented by Edwin of Deira. Edwin inherited an expanded territory, and added to it with extensive military campaigns that brought him great success. For a time, Northumbria stretched as far south as the river Humber and west as far as Anglesey. Bede records, "Edwin king of the Northumbrians, that is, the people living north of the Humber…was a powerful king and ruled all of the people's of Britain, both Angles and Britons, with the exception of the Kentish folk."

As shrewd politically as he was in battle, Edwin married into the Kentish royal family, solidifying his connections with his southern rivals. Through this marriage, Edwin was courted by the Christians. Edwin was non-committal at first but he did not stop the Pope's emissary Bishop Paulinus from freely preaching within the kingdom. Bishop Paulinus travelled with Edwin's new wife to win Edwin over. In 627 AD, Bede tells us that Ad Gefrin, now called Yeavering, was the site of a mass baptism of Northumbrian converts. Excavation by Dr. Brian Hope Taylor in the 1950's revealed the royal lodgings, including a large timber hall and amphitheatre.

During Edwin's reign the royal court was likely to have been peripatetic, moving between royal centres at York and Bamburgh, and throughout the realm. Finally Edwin's reign was brought to an end with his death in battle in 633 AD fighting the armies of the Mercian king, Penda and the British king Cadwalla at Heathfelth near Doncaster. His son Osfrid also died in battle and his other son, Eadfrith was held captive and later killed. After Edwin was killed the Bishop Paulinus was forced to flee from Northumbria along with the Queen and her daughter Eanfled.

Osric, the son of Edwin's Uncle ruled Deira for a time, and Bernicia passed to Eanfrith, the elder son of Aethelfrith. Both these kings had only a short time in office. Death in battle or assassination left the kingdom in the hands of their enemy, the British king Cadwalla. The two dynasties of Deira and Bernicia were once again sundered and the Northumbrian throne was left open. It was now the turn of the Bernician royal house to wrest power from Cadwalla, and the marauding Penda, who spent a year harrying the people of Northumbria.

Post Medieval Bamburgh The Castle was badly damaged by gunfire during a siege by the Yorkists during the War of the Roses in 1464 and left in a ruinous state. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, having lost its military usefulness, the Castle was granted into the hands of the Forster family.

The Forsters were bankrupt by the beginning of the 18th century and the estate passed into the ownership of Nathaniel Lord Crewe, Archbishop of York, on whose death it formed part of a charitable trust, administered in the later 18th century by Dr John Sharp. It was Dr Sharp who began the restoration process creating a school for girls and hostel for shipwrecked mariners.

At the end of the 19th century, William 1st Lord Armstrong purchased the castle and rebuilt the living quarters of the castle on a lavish scale. The castle is still occupied in the present day.

Today, as it has always done, the castle rock and the structures on it have an impressive brooding presence over the surrounding landscape, perhaps the most recognisable structure in the Northumbrian landscape