We’ve allowed a day for visiting Bamburgh Castle, once home of King Oswald (later St. Oswald). The site has been occupied since Iron Age times.
Richard and Simon visited St. Cuthbert’s cave while Jan caught up with laundry, then it was off to Bamburgh while we had access to Simon’s car. Tomorrow we will hike together, and Simon’s car will stay in Belford while we’re hiking.
Richard’s ReLive video is here: https://www.relive.com/view/vevYzNAXyyO
The castle is an imposing sight on the hill above the village.
In AD 593-616, Din Guayrdi (the Bamburgh area) is ruled by King Aethelfrith, the first King of the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria, and is renamed Bebbanburg after Queen Bebba. On Aethelfrith’s death, his sons Oswald and Oswi and Queen Acha flee to the monastic Isle of Iona.
In AD 634, Oswald returns to Bamburgh. He grants land for a monastery to be built at Lindisfarne, established by St. Aidan.
AD 642: Penda of Mercia defeats Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Masefield and a shrine is established at Bamburgh. Venerable Bede wrote that Oswald spent his final moments praying for the souls of his dying soldiers. Today his head rests in Durham Cathedral alongside St. Cuthbert.
AD 731: Venerable Bede writes of Anglo Saxon Kings living and ruling in Northumbria.
AD793: Vikings launch bloody attacks on Lindisfarne. For 70 years they raid the Northumbrian coast yet its ancient rulers remained independent.
1087: William the Conqueror’s son, William Rufus, is crowned King of England. In 1095, he leads an army against the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Mowbray, who loses Bamburgh Castle to the Crown.
In 1464, Bamburgh Castle becomes the first castle to fall to cannon fire under King Edward IV’s bombardment.
Today, Bamburgh Castle remains the private family seat of the Armstrong family. Fourteen castle rooms are available to view, including elements of the castle’s 1400 years on the Northumbrian coastline.
From the castle, we have views of the North Sea and the Farne Islands.
The Battery Terrace was built in 1781/1782 to protect Bamburgh Castle from possible invasion from the sea.
Ironically, Bamburgh Castle was the first castle to be destroyed by cannon fire three centuries earlier during the War of the Roses.
Richard and Simon tried out the stocks for size.
This is the intricately carved arm of a “gift stool” from 775-825 AD. The kings of Northumbria sat on their gift stool to publicly give weapons and treasures to their warriors in exchange for the men to pledge loyalty to their King until death.
Gift stools are mentioned in Anglo-Saxon poems such as Beowulf.
The great hall is lined with portraits of royalty.
We tried to visit the Church of St. Aidan at Bambrugh but never hit the timing right. However, there is a monument to a national heroine, Grace Darling, in the church cemetery.
Grace Darling was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper in the Farne Islands. In 1838, in a violent storm, Grace saw the wreck of a steamship and spotted survivors. Her father thought conditions would prevent the launching of the Seahouses lifeboat, so together he and Grace launched their small boat. They had to row nearly a mile to avoid jagged rocks and reach the survivors, and her father went ashore while she kept the boat in position. They took five survivors back to the lighthouse, and then her father and two others went back for the rest.
Sadly only four years after the famous rescue, Grace Darling died of tuberculosis. The public raised money for the monument at St. Aidan’s Churchyard overlooking the sea. Queen Victoria was the first to contribute to the cost.
2 Responses
Enjoyed the highlights from this day. Some special places you were able to visit. The Bamburg Castle was well worth the visit.
It’s wonderful you got to explore Bamburgh Castle. This is the mythical castle home of Sir Lancelot in the Arthurian legend “Le Morte D’Arthur” by medieval British author Thomas Malory.
One of Great Britain’s most iconic landmarks, this castle looks so familiar because it’s the location for many well-known movies and tv series—including both Macbeth films.
Thank you for sharing your experiences here!