Lindisfarne
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  Lindisfarne Location withinNorthumberland | |
| Population | 180 (27 March 2011)[1] |
| Demonym | Lindisfarnian |
| OS grid reference | NU129420 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BERWICK UPON TWEED |
| Postcode district | TD15 |
| Dialling code | 01289 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Northumberland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
| Designated | 5 January 1976 |
| Reference no. | 70[2] |
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Lindisfarne, also known asHoly Island, is atidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes thecivil parish of Holy Island inNorthumberland.[3] Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important centre ofCeltic Christianity underSaintsAidan,Cuthbert,Eadfrith, andEadberht of Lindisfarne. The island was originally home to a monastery, which was destroyed during theViking invasions but re-established as a priory following theNorman Conquest of England. Other notable sites built on the island are St Mary the Virgin parish church (originally built AD 635 and restored in 1860),Lindisfarne Castle, several lighthouses and other navigational markers, and a complex network of lime kilns. In the present day, the island is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a hotspot for historical tourism and bird watching. As of February 2020, the island had three pubs, a hotel and a post office as well as a museum.
Both the Parker andPeterborough versions of theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle for 793 record theOld English nameLindisfarena.[4]
In the 9th-centuryHistoria Brittonum the island appears under itsOld Welsh nameMedcaut.[5] ThephilologistAndrew Breeze, following up on a suggestion by Richard Coates, proposes that the name derived from LatinMedicata [Insula] (English: Healing [Island]), owing perhaps to the island's reputation formedicinal herbs.[6][7]
The name Holy Island was in use by the 11th century when it appears in Latin as'Insula Sacra'. The reference was to SaintsAidan andCuthbert.[8]
In the present day, Holy Island is the name of the civil parish[9] and native inhabitants are known as Islanders. TheOrdnance Survey uses Holy Island for both the island and the village, with Lindisfarne listed either as an alternative name for the island[10] or as a name of 'non-Roman antiquity'.[11] "Locally the island is rarely referred to by its Anglo-Saxon name of Lindisfarne" (according to the local community website).[12] More widely, the two names are used somewhat interchangeably.[13] Lindisfarne is invariably used when referring to the pre-conquest monastic settlement, the priory ruins[14] and the castle.[15] The combined phrase "the Holy Island of Lindisfarne" has begun to be used more frequently in recent times, particularly when promoting the island as a destination for tourists and pilgrims alike.[16][17]
The nameLindisfarne has an uncertain origin. The-farne part of the name may be Old Englishfearena,genitiveplural offara, meaning traveller.[18] The first part,Lindis-, may refer to people from theKingdom of Lindsey in modernLincolnshire, referring to either regular visitors or settlers.[19][20][21][22] Another possibility is that Lindisfarne isBrittonic in origin, containing the elementLind- meaning stream or pool (Welshllyn),[18] with the nominal morpheme-as(t) and an unknown element identical to that in theFarne Islands.[18] Further suggested is that the name may be a whollyOld Irish formation, from correspondinglind-is-, plus–fearann meaning land, domain, territory.[18] Such an Irish formation, however, could have been based on a pre-existing Brittonic name.[18]
There is also a supposition that the nearby Farne Islands are fern-like in shape and the name may have come from there.[8]
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The island of Lindisfarne is located along the northeast coast of England, close to the border with Scotland. It measures 3.0 miles (4.8 km) from east to west and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from north to south, and comprises approximately1,000 acres (400 hectares) at hightide. The nearest point to the mainland is about 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometres). It is accessible at low tide by a modern causeway and an ancientpilgrims' path that both run over sand andmudflats and which are covered with water at high tide. Lindisfarne is surrounded by the 8,750 acres (3,540 hectares)Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, which protects the island's sand dunes and the adjacent intertidal habitats. As of 27 March 2011[update], the island had a population of 180.[23]
A February 2020 report provided an update on the island. At the time, three pubs and a hotel were operating; the shop had closed but the post office remained in operation. No professional or medical services were available and residents were driving toBerwick-upon-Tweed for groceries and other supplies.[citation needed] Points of interest for visitors included Lindisfarne Castle operated by theNational Trust,[15] the priory, the historic church, the nature reserve and the beaches. At certain times of year, numerous migratory birds can be seen.[24]
Warning signs urge visitors walking to the island to keep to the marked path, to check tide times and weather carefully, and to seek local advice if in doubt. For drivers, tide tables are prominently displayed at both ends of the causeway and also where the Holy Island road leaves theA1Great North Road atBeal. The causeway is generally open from about three hours after high tide until two hours before the next high tide. Tide tables giving safe crossing periods are published byNorthumberland County Council.[25]
Despite these warnings, about one vehicle each month is stranded on the causeway, requiring rescue byHM Coastguard and / or theSeahousesRNLI lifeboat. A sea rescue costs approximately £1,900 (quoted in 2009, equivalent to £3,220 in 2023[a]), while an air rescue costs more than £4,000 (also quoted in 2009, equivalent to £6,780 in 2023[a]).[26] Local people have opposed a causeway barrier, primarily on convenience grounds.[27][26] One cause of issues is that the causeway may flood before the end of an officially "safe" period due to stormy weather.[28]
The north-east of England was largely not settled by Roman civilians apart from theTyne valley andHadrian's Wall. The area had been little affected during the centuries of nominal Roman occupation. The countryside had been subject to raids from bothScots andPicts and was "not one to attract early Germanic settlement".[29] TheAnglianKing Ida (reigned from 547) started the sea-borne settlement of the coast, establishing anurbis regia (meaning "royal settlement") atBamburgh across the bay from Lindisfarne. The conquest was not straightforward, however. TheHistoria Brittonum recounts how, in the 6th century,Urien, prince ofRheged, with a coalition of North Brittonic kingdoms, besiegedAngles led byTheodric of Bernicia on the island for three days and nights, until internal power struggles led to the Britons' defeat.[30][31]
The LindisfarneAbbey was first established in AD 634. The island served as the site of amonastery for roughly 900 years. The site, most of which has fallen into a state of ruin, has since become a popular tourist destination and focus of pilgrimage journeys. The church of St Mary the Virgin is the only original building that has been more or less continually maintained and which remains standing within the original monastic compound. Remains from the pre-Norman/Anglo-Saxon era can be found in the chancel wall of this church. The monastery was described as an abbey byBede but when it was rebuilt after theNorman Conquest it was described as a (relatively smaller)priory.
The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded around 634 by the Irish monkAidan, who had been sent fromIona off the west coast of Scotland toNorthumbria at the request ofKing Oswald. The abbey was founded before the end of 634 and Aidan remained there until his death in 651.[32] The abbey and its church remained the only seat of a bishopric in Northumbria for nearly thirty years.[32]Finan (bishop 651–661) built a timber church "suitable for abishop's seat".[33]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.[34] An abbot, who could be the bishop, was elected by the brethren and led the community. 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.[35]
Following the death of bishopFinan in 661, Colman becameBishop of Lindisfarne. There were significant liturgical and theological differences with the fledgling Roman party based atCanterbury. According to Stenton: "There is no trace of any intercourse between these bishops [the Mercians] and the see of Canterbury".[36] TheSynod of Whitby in 663 changed this, as allegiance switched southwards to Canterbury and then to Rome. Colman departed his see for Iona, and for the next few years Lindisfarne had no bishop. Under a new line of bishops aligned with Canterbury Lindisfarne became the base for Christian evangelism in theNorth of England, and also sent a successful mission toMercia. Monks from the Irish community ofIona settled on the island.
Northumbria'spatron saint,Cuthbert, was a monk and laterabbot of the monastery. St Cuthbert has been described as “possibly the most venerated saint in England”.[37] Cuthbert's miracles and life are recorded by Bede. Cuthbert was Bishop of Lindisfarne from 684 through 686, shortly before his death. An anonymous "Life of Cuthbert" written at Lindisfarne is the oldest extant piece of English historical writing.
From the "Life of Cuthbert"'s reference to "Aldfrith, who now reigns peacefully", the work is considered to date from between 685 and 704.[38] While bishop and abbot, Cuthbert took it upon himself to align his bishopric with the see of Canterbury, and therefore with Rome, while leaving its Celtic leanings and traditions behind. After his death in 687 Cuthbert was initially buried in Lindisfarne. Due to the claim that Cuthbert's body was untouched by 'corruption', and also due to there being several miracles associated with those who had come to visit Cuthbert's shrine, the island became a major destination for pilgrimages for the next few hundred years.
During one of the many evacuations of Lindisfarne by the monks due to the increasing frequency of Viking raids upon the island at the time, in 793 Cuthbert's body was carried away by the monks, first to where they temporarily re-settled in the nearby village ofChester-le-Street, then toDurham Cathedralc. 995.Eadberht of Lindisfarne, the next bishop (and later saint), was buried in the place from which Cuthbert's body had beenexhumed earlier in the same year (793).[39]
In 735, the northern ecclesiastical province of England was established, with the archbishopric atYork. There were only three bishops under York:Hexham, Lindisfarne andWhithorn, whereas Canterbury had the twelve envisioned bySt Augustine.[40]
At that time theDiocese of York roughly encompassed the counties ofYorkshire andLancashire. Hexham coveredCounty Durham and the southern part of modernNorthumberland up to theRiver Coquet, and eastwards into thePennines. Whithorn covered most ofDumfries and Galloway region west ofDumfries itself. The remainder,Cumbria, northern Northumbria,Lothian and much of theKingdom of Strathclyde formed the diocese of Lindisfarne.[41]
In 737,Ceolwulf of Northumbria abdicated asKing of Northumbria and entered the abbey at Lindisfarne. He died in 764 and was buried alongside Cuthbert. In 830, his body was moved toNorham-upon-Tweed, and later his head wastranslated to Durham Cathedral.[42]
In the early 8th century the illuminated manuscript known as theLindisfarne Gospels, an illustratedLatin copy of theGospels ofMatthew,Mark,Luke andJohn, was made, probably at Lindisfarne. The artist was possiblyEadfrith, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne. It is also speculated that a team of illuminators and calligraphers (monks of Lindisfarne Abbey) worked on the text, but if so, their identities are unknown. In the second half of the 10th century, a monk named Aldred added anOld English gloss to the Latin text, producing the earliest surviving Old English/Northumbrian copies of theGospels. Aldred attributed the original to Eadfrith (bishop 698–721). The Gospels were written with a good hand, but it is the illustrations, done in aninsular style containing a fusion of Celtic, Germanic and Roman elements, that are considered to be of the most value. According to Aldred, Eadfrith's successor Æthelwald was responsible for pressing and binding the book, before it was covered with a fine metal case made by ahermit known as Billfrith.[36] The Lindisfarne Gospels reside in theBritish Library in London, a location which has caused controversy amongst some Northumbrians.[43] In 1971, professor Suzanne Kaufman ofRockford, Illinois presented a facsimile copy of the Gospels to the clergy of the island.
In 793, aViking raid on Lindisfarne[44][b] caused consternation throughout the Christian west, and is often taken as the beginning of theViking Age. There had been other Viking raids, but according toEnglish Heritage this one was particularly significant, because "it attacked the sacred heart of the Northumbrian kingdom, desecrating 'the very place where the Christian religion began in our nation'".[48] The D and E versions of the West SaxonAnglo-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.[49]
("In this year fierce, forebodingomens came over the land of the Northumbrians, and the wretched people shook; there were excessive whirlwinds, lightning, and fierydragons 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 8 June;Michael Swanton writes: "vi id Ianr, presumably [is] an error forvi id Iun (8 June) which is the date given by theAnnals of Lindisfarne (p. 505), when better sailing weather would favour coastal raids."[50][c]
Alcuin, a Northumbrian scholar inCharlemagne'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."[51] During the attack many of the monks were killed, or captured and enslaved.[52]
BiographerPeter Ackroyd suggests: "The monasteries of Lindisfarne and Jarrow were not attacked at random; they were chosen as examples of revenge. The onslaught of the Christian Charlemagne on the ‘pagans’ of the north had led to the extirpation of their shrines and sanctuaries. The great king had cut down Jôrmunr, the holy tree of the Norse people. What better form of retaliation than to lay waste the foundations devoted to the Christian God? The Christian missionaries to Norway had in fact set out from Lindisfarne."[53]. However, the raid on Lindisfarne took place decades after Charlemagne’s campaigns against the Saxons. Neither the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle nor any surviving Norse document ascribes a motivation to the raid on the monastery.
As the English population became more settled, they seemed to have abandoned seafaring.[54] Many monasteries were established on islands, peninsulas, river mouths and cliffs, as isolated communities were less susceptible to interference and the politics of the heartland.[54] These preliminary raids, despite their brutal nature, were not followed up. The main body of the raiders passed north aroundScotland.[55] The 9th-century invasions came not fromNorway, but from theDanes from around the entrance to the Baltic.[55] The first Danish raids into England were in theIsle of Sheppey,Kent during 835 and from there their influence spread north.[56] During this period religious art continued to flourish on Lindisfarne, and theLiber Vitae of Durham began in the abbey.[57] By 866, the Danes were in York, and in 873 the Danish army was moving into Northumberland.[58] 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 Durham Cathedral),[59] who during his life had been prior and bishop of Lindisfarne; his body was buried on the island in the year 698.[60]
Prior to the 9th century, Lindisfarne Abbey had, in common with other such establishments, held large tracts of land which were managed directly or leased to farmers with alife interest only. Following the Danish occupation, land was increasingly owned by individuals, and could be bought, sold and inherited. Following theBattle of Corbridge in 914Ragnald seized the land giving some to his followersScula andOnlafbal.[61]
Once the region had been restored to political and military stability under the government ofWilliam the Conqueror, the prospects for the rebuilding of the island's monastery began to improve. The first NormanBishop of Durham,William of St Calais endowed his newBenedictinemonastery at Durham with land and property in Northumberland, including Holy Island and much of the surrounding mainland.Durham Priory then re-established a monastery on the island in 1093. The monastery was re-established as a smaller "priory" which was to be administered as a sub-monastery of the Durham priory.[62] Smaller monasteries are often referred to aspriories while larger monasteries are more commonly referred to as abbeys.
Under Norman rule, by 1150 the island's parish church had also been fully rebuilt over part of the site of the pre-Norman abbey. The newly constructed chapel included a cenotaph (an empty tomb) marking the spot where Cuthbert's body was believed to have been buried. Although his body by then had been relocated in Durham Cathedral, the place of his former primary shrine on Lindisfarne was still considered by many to be sacred ground and continued to draw pilgrims.[63] The pre-Norman island bishopric of Lindisfarne was not restored under Norman rule, perhaps because the newer and more centrally located bishopric of Durham was then better able to meet the church's administrative needs in the area.
As such, the island's restored but slightly smaller Benedictine monastery (sized as a priory under Norman rule) was then able to continue in relative peace under the new Norman monarchy and its successorroyal houses for the next four centuries until its finaldissolution in 1536 as a result ofHenry VIII's dissolution of the English church's ties to Rome, and his subsequent closing of the monasteries.
Even with the closure of the island's priory in 1536, the tradition of making religious pilgrimages to the island never ceased. In the 20th century (c. 1980~1990), religious author and clericDavid Adam reported that he had ministered to thousands of pilgrims and other visitors as rector of Holy Island.[64] In the 21st century the tradition of making pilgrimage to Lindisfarne continues to be observed annually, as can be attested to by theNorthern Cross Pilgrimage amongst others.[65] The priory ruins which make for a popular tourist and pilgrimage destination, were built just after the Norman conquest, and date back to nearly 1,000 years ago. The chancel wall of the church dates back even further into Anglo-Saxon times.
In 1838 Henry George Charles Clarke wrote a scholarly description of the priory. Clarke surmised that this Norman priory was unique in that the centre aisle had a vault of stone. Of the six arches, Clarke stated "as if the architect had not previously calculated the space to be occupied by his arcade. The effect here has been to produce ahorseshoe instead of asemicircular arch, from its being of the same height, but lesser span, than the others. This arch is very rare, even in Norman buildings". The Lindisfarne Priory (ruin) is aGrade I listed building, List Entry Number 1042304.[66] Other parts of the priory are ascheduled monument, List Entry Number 1011650. The latter are described as "the site of the pre-Conquest monastery of Lindisfarne and the Benedictine cell of Durham Cathedral that succeeded it in the 11th century".[67]
Archaeologists led byDigVentures and theUniversity of Durham have been conducting community excavations since 2016 outside the priory. A total of nine consecutive field seasons (including those planned for 2024) have unearthed numerous insights for the site. Artefacts of note recovered included a rare board game piece,[68] copper-alloy rings and Anglo-Saxon coins from both Northumbria and Wessex. The discovery of a cemetery led to finding commemorative markers "unique to the 8th and 9th centuries". The group also found evidence of an early medieval building, "which seems to have been constructed on top of an even earlier industrial oven" which was used to make copper or glass.[69]
Monastic records from the 14th to the 16th century provide evidence of an already well-established fishing economy on the island.[70] Bothline fishing andnet fishing were practised, inshore in shallow waters and in the deep water offshore, using a variety of vessels: contemporary accounts differentiate between small 'cobles' and larger 'boats', as well as singling out certain specialised vessels (such as a 'herynger', sold for £2 in 1404).[71] As well as supplying food for the monastic community, the island's fisheries (together with those of nearby Farne) provided the mother house at Durham with fish, on a regular (sometimes weekly) basis. Fish caught includedcod,haddock,herring,salmon,porpoise andmullet, among others.Shellfish of various types were also fished for, withlobster nets andoyster dredges being mentioned in the accounts. Fish surplus to the needs of the monastery was traded, but subject to atithe. There is also evidence that the monks operated alime kiln on the island.[62]
In 1462, during theWars 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 Holy Island, where they surrendered to theYorkists.[72]
After KingHenry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, Lindisfarne Priory was made to close its doors for the last time. The buildings of the old priory were then repurposed for use as a naval storehouse. As such, one of the economic focal points of the island became the military post which would be staffed by military personnel from time to time, instead of the former activities of the defunct monastery. Over the coming centuries, most of the priory complex buildings gradually fell into ruin.[62] In 1613 ownership of the island (and other land in the area formerly pertaining to Durham Priory) was transferred tothe Crown.
In the 1860s aDundee firm builtlime kilns on Lindisfarne, andlime was burnt on the island until at least the end of the 19th century. The kilns are among the most complex in Northumberland. Horses carriedlimestone, along theHoly 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 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 thewaggonway between the quarries and the kilns makes for an easy walk.
At the peak of the limestone quarrying and processing operations on the island, over 100 men were employed by these operations.Crinoid columnals, a certain type of intricate fossil with a hole in the middle which is sometimes found in limestone, were separated from the quarried stone and then milled smooth into beads. The remaining quarried limestone material would then be processed into lime. These more valuable beads would then be threaded onto necklaces and rosaries and exported from the island. The beads became known asSt Cuthbert's beads.[73]
The large-scale quarrying in the 19th century had a devastating effect on the limestone caves, but eight sea caves remain at Coves Haven.[74][page needed] Workings on the lime kilns stopped by the start of the 20th century.[75] The lime kilns on Lindisfarne are among the few being actively preserved in Northumberland.[75]
Holy Island Golf Club was founded in 1907 but closed in the 1960s.[76]
The island is within anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty on theNorthumberland Coast. The ruined monastery is in the care ofEnglish Heritage, which also runs a museum/visitor centre nearby. The neighbouring parish church is still in use.[77]
Holy Island was considered part of theIslandshire unit along with several mainland parishes. This came under the jurisdiction of theCounty Palatine of Durham until theCounties (Detached Parts) Act 1844.[78]
Lindisfarne was mainly a fishing community for many years, with farming and the production of lime also of some importance.[79]
Lindisfarne is well known formead. When monks inhabited the island, it was thought that if the soul was in God's keeping, the body must be fortified with Lindisfarne mead.[80][self-published source]Lindisfarne Mead is produced at St Aidan's Winery, and sold widely. The mead recipe remains a secret of the family which produces it.[81]
It is possible to see old wooden boats turned upside down on the land, used as sheds.[82] It is possible that this type of settlement was used by seafaring Vikings that exploited their ships as protection while away from home.[83] These upturned boats near the foreshore provided the inspiration for Spanish architectEnric Miralles'Scottish Parliament Building inEdinburgh.[84]
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The parish church stands on the site of the wooden church built by St Aidan in AD 635. When the site was rebuilt by the Normans, the site of the original abbey church was redeveloped in stone as the parish church. It is the oldest building on the island that has been maintained in some fashion, and which has a roof on it. Remains of theAnglo-Saxon church exist as the chancel wall and arch. A Normanapse (subsequently replaced in the 13th century) led eastwards from the chancel. The nave was extended in the 12th century with a northern arcade, and in the following century with a southern arcade.[85]
After theReformation the church slipped into disrepair until the restoration of 1860. The church is built of coloured sandstone which has had theVictorian plaster removed from it. The north aisle is known as the "fishermen's aisle" and houses the altar of St. Peter. The south aisle used to hold the altar of St. Margaret of Scotland, but now houses the organ.[85]
The church is a Grade I listed building number 1042304, listed as part of the whole priory.[66] The church forms most of the earliest part of the site and is a scheduled ancient monument number 1011650.[67]
. . . "Now indeed
at the first beginning
of his solitary life,
he retired to
a certain place[d]
in the outer precincts
of the monastery
which seemed to be
more secluded..."[e]
(Latin:sēcrētus)
St Cuthbert's Isle, also known asHobthrush, is a small islet ofblack dolerite rock, described by Bede as being
"...in the outer precincts of the monastery..."[f]The islet is reputed to be the place whereCuthbert spent
"...the first beginning of his solitary life..."[g]
The islet is a short distance from Holy Island.[90][91]It is possible to walk across sand and rocks to the islet when tidal conditions allow.[h][i]
There are the remains of a medieval chapel, designated as ascheduled monument:[88]
The name "Hobthrush" relates toHob (folklore) – the similarly named "Hob-trush" is also found inNorth Yorkshire.[j] It is possible that the name was introduced bymigrant workers while working on Holy Island.
Lindisfarne Castle was built in 1550, around the time that Lindisfarne Priory went out of use, and stones from the priory were used as building material. It is very small by the usual standards, and was more of a fort. The castle sits on the highest point of the island, awhinstone hill called Beblowe.[93]
After Henry VIII suppressed the priory, his troops used the remains as a naval store. In 1542 Henry VIII ordered theEarl of Rutland to fortify the site against possible Scottish invasion.Sir John Harington and the Master Mason of Berwick started to plan to build two earth bulwarks, although the Rutland advised the use of stone from the priory.[94] In September 1544 a Scottish fleet led by John Barton in theMary Willoughby threatened the English coast. It was thought the Scottish ships might try to burn Lindisfarne, so orders were given to repair the decayed bulwark or blockhouse at Holy Island.[95]
By December 1547, Ralph Cleisbye, Captain of the fort, had guns including a wheel-mounteddemi-culverin, two brasssakers, afalcon, and another fixed demi-culverin.[96] However, Beblowe Crag itself was not fortified until 1549 and Sir Richard Lee saw only a decayed platform and turf rampart there in 1565.Elizabeth I then had work carried out on the fort, strengthening it and providing gun platforms for the developments in artillery technology. WhenJames VI and I came to power in England, he combined theScottish and English thrones, and the need for the castle declined. At that time the castle was still garrisoned from Berwick and protected the small Lindisfarne Harbour.[citation needed]
During theJacobite rising of 1715 theEarl of Mar (later commander of the Jacobite army) planned for a Franco-Spanish invasion of North-East England to link up with indigenous Jacobites and the Scottish army marching south. The Holy Island was regarded by Mar as the ideal place for a landing.[97] The following day, however, he decided on a more southerly landing.[98]
Lindisfarne was close toBamburgh which at that time was owned byThomas Forster who was a committed Jacobite.[99] The Jacobites wanted to secure the castle on Holy Island so as "to give signals to the ships from which they expected succours from abroad". The castle was sealed but only held by around 6 men. The brigantineMary of the Tyne, ex France was anchored in the bay. The master,Lancelot Errington, went ashore on 10 October 1715 to ask Samuel Phillipson, the castle'sMaster Gunner who also served as the unit'sbarber, for a shave.[100] The men knew each other and so this seemed entirely innocent. Errington established that only two soldiers (Phillipson and Farggison) and Phillipson's wife were actually in the castle, the rest of the garrison being off duty. Errington returned with his nephew later in the day claiming to have lost the key to his watch then pulled a pistol on Phillipson and ejected the three people. Forster was expected to send reinforcements to the castle but never did.[101]
The following day Colonel Laton with a hundred troops arrived from Berwick and was joined by fifty of the islanders in retaking the castle. The Erringtons fled, were caught and imprisoned in the tollbooth at Berwick but tunnelled their way out and escaped back to Bamburgh.[102] On 14 October two French ships signalled to the castle, but on receiving no reply withdrew.[103]
The castle was refurbished in theArts and Crafts style by SirEdwin Lutyens for the editor ofCountry Life,Edward Hudson. Lutyens also designed theHoly Island War Memorial on the Heugh.
One of the most celebrated gardeners of modern times,Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932), laid out a small walled garden just north of the castle in 1911.[15] Thecastle, garden and nearby lime kilns are in the care of theNational Trust and open to visitors.[15]
This monument on the north coast includes afarmstead dated to the early medieval period. The stone-built foundations of five rectangular buildings have been uncovered by excavation within the dune system. The settlement at Green Shiel is a rare example of an early medieval farmstead in Northumberland. There are no other known examples of stone-built farmsteads of this period in the region, and as such it is of particular importance.[104] The settlement has been dated to the 9th century.[105]
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| Location | Old Law,Middleton, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°42′N1°48′W / 55.7°N 1.8°W /55.7; -1.8 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1859 |
| Designed by | John Dobson |
| Construction | Unpainted square stone obelisk topped by alignment beacon. |
| Height | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Power source | solar power |
| Operator | Trinity House (1995–),Newcastle-upon-Tyne Trinity House (–1995) |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Range | 4 nmi (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) |
| Characteristic | Oc WRG 6s |
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| Location | Old Law,Middleton, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°39′29″N1°47′42″W / 55.658°N 1.79503°W /55.658; -1.79503 |
| Constructed | 1820s |
| Designed by | John Dobson |
| Construction | Unpainted square stone obelisk topped by alignment beacon. |
| Height | 25 metres (82 ft) |
 | |
| Location | Lindisfarne,Lindisfarne, Holy Island, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°40′06″N1°47′59″W / 55.66821°N 1.7996°W /55.66821; -1.7996 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1826 |
| Height | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Shape | quadrangular tower with balcony, red triangle and light |
| Power source | solar power |
| Operator | Trinity House |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Range | 5 nmi (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) |
| Characteristic | Oc WRG 6s |
Trinity House operates twoalignment beacons (which it lists aslighthouses) to guide vessels entering Holy Island Harbour. The alignment beacons areleading marks which, when aligned, indicate the safe channel over thebar. When Heugh Hill bears 310° (in line with the church belfry) the bar is cleared and there is a clear run into the harbour.[106] Until 1 November 1995 both alignment beacons were operated byNewcastle-upon-Tyne Trinity House (a separate corporation, which formerly had responsibility for navigation marks along the coast from Berwick-upon-Tweed toWhitby). On that day, responsibility for marking the approach to the harbour was assumed by the London-based Corporation.[107]
The Heugh Hill Light is a metal framework tower with a black triangular day mark, situated on Heugh Hill (a ridge on the south edge of Lindisfarne). Prior to its installation, a wooden beacon with a triangle topmark had stood on the centre of Heugh Hill for many decades.[108][page needed] Nearby is a former coastguard station, recently refurbished and opened to the public as a viewing platform. An adjacent ruin is known as the Lantern Chapel; its origin is unknown, but the name may indicate an earlier navigation light on this site.[citation needed]
Guile Point East and Guile Point West are a pair of alignment beacons built atop two stone obelisks standing on a small tidal island on the other side of the channel. The beacons were established in 1826 by Newcastle-upon-Tyne Trinity House (in whose ownership they remain). Since the early 1990s, asector light has been fixed about one-third of the way up Guile Point East.[109]
The Emmanuel HeadDaymark is for daytime maritime navigation only. It is a white brick pyramid 35 feet high and built in 1810. It stands at Emmanuel Head at the north-eastern point of Lindisfarne. It is said to be Britain's earliest purpose-built daymark.[110][page needed]
In response to the perceived lack of affordable housing on the isle of Lindisfarne, in 1996 a group of islanders established a charitable foundation known as the Holy Island of Lindisfarne Community Development Trust. They built avisitor centre on the island using the profits from sales. In addition, eleven community houses were built and are rented out to community members who want to continue to live on the island. The trust is also responsible for management of the inner harbour. The Holy Island Partnership was formed in 2009 by members of the community as well as organisations and groups operating on the island.[citation needed]
Tourism grew steadily throughout the 20th century, and the isle of Lindisfarne is now a popular destination for visitors. Those tourists staying on the island while it is cut off by the tide experience the island in a quieter state, as most day trippers leave before the tide rises. At low tide it is possible to walk across the sands following an ancient route known as the Pilgrims' Way (see thenote about safety, above). This route is marked with posts and has refuge boxes for stranded walkers, just as the road has a refuge box for those who have left their crossing too late. The isle of Lindisfarne is surrounded by the 8,750-acre (3,540-hectare)Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve which attracts bird-watchers to thetidal island. The island's prominent position and varied habitat make it particularly attractive to tired avian migrants, and as of 2016[update] 330 bird species had been recorded on the island.[111][page needed]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North East and Cumbria andITV Tyne Tees. Television signals are received from theChatton TV transmitter.[112] Local radio stations areBBC Radio Newcastle,Capital North East,Heart North East,Smooth North East,Hits Radio North East,Greatest Hits Radio and Holy Island Radio, a community based station.[113] The island is served by the local newspaper,Northumberland Gazette.
J. M. W. Turner,Thomas Girtin andCharles Rennie Mackintosh all painted on Holy Island.[citation needed]
The island was featured on the television programmeSeven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the north. TheLindisfarne Gospels have also featured on television among the top few Treasures of Britain. It also features in anITV Tyne Tees programmeDiary of an Island which started on 19 April 2007 and on a DVD of the same name.[citation needed]
The English folk-rock bandLindisfarne takes its name from the island. The Englishdubstep/electro-soul musicianJames Blake wrote twosongs named after Lindisfarne, both appearing on his2011 album.
Most ofLJ Ross'scrime novelHoly Island (2015) is set on Lindisfarne. Much ofAnn Cleeves' mystery novelThe Rising Tide is also located here and was filmed on the island for the TV seriesVera based on the lead character in Cleeves' novels, DCI Vera Stanhope as played byBrenda Blethyn.
The Viking raid appears in season one of the television seriesVikings. A dramatised version of the first Viking raid on the island appears in the final episode of season 3 of the comedy series Norsemen.
It is also mentioned as background inAnne Perry's novelA Question of Betrayal (2020).
The Viking raid appeared in theBig Finish ProductionsDoctor Who audio storyEscape from Holy Island (2024), starring theSixth Doctor and his companionPeri Brown.
Lindisfarne was the location for filming of director Roman Polanski's 1966 comedy thrillerCul-de-sac (starring Donald Pleasence, Françoise Dorléac, Lionel Stander and Jack MacGowran).
The first trailer released in December 2024 for the film28 Years Later shows Lindisfarne and the causeway (although the aerial view of the entire island is CGI).[114]
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heathen men came and miserably destroyed God's church on Lindisfarne, with plunder and slaughter.
a new glimpse at life on the island before, during, and after the 8th century Viking raid that struck its monastic community.
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