Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England. It is part of the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. People have lived there since the 6th century AD.

The island was very important for Celtic Christianity. Saints like Aidan, Cuthbert, Eadfrith, and Eadberht of Lindisfarne worked there. The island had a monastery, which was destroyed by Viking invasions but later became a priory after the Norman Conquest of England.

Today, Lindisfarne has many interesting places, such as St Mary the Virgin parish church, Lindisfarne Castle, lighthouses, and lime kilns. The island is part of the Northumberland Coast National Landscape and is popular for tourism and bird watching.

Name and etymology

Name

Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, has many old names. Records from the year 793 call it Lindisfarena in Old English. A 9th-century book calls it Medcaut in Old Welsh. Some think this name came from Latin, meaning "Healing Island," because people believed the island had special plants that could help heal.

By the 11th century, people started calling it Holy Island, referring to Saints Aidan and Cuthbert. Today, the area is known as Holy Island, and the people who live there are called Islanders. Both names, Holy Island and Lindisfarne, are used, but Lindisfarne is often used when talking about old buildings like the priory and castle there.

Etymology

The name Lindisfarne is not fully understood. One idea is that "farne" comes from an Old English word meaning "traveller," and "Lindis" might refer to people from the Kingdom of Lindsey in modern Lincolnshire. Another idea is that the name has a Brittonic origin, relating to a stream or pool. Some also think it might be from an old Irish word for "land." There is also a thought that the name could be connected to the nearby Farne Islands, which look like ferns.

Geography

Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is located along the northeast coast of England, near the border with Scotland. It is 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, covering about 1,000 acres at high tide. The closest point to the mainland is less than a mile away.

The island can be reached during low tide using a modern causeway or an old path for walkers. Both cross sand and mudflats that are covered by water at high tide. Around Lindisfarne is a large nature reserve that protects its sand dunes and habitats, and many birds visit the area during certain times of the year.

Warning signs remind visitors to follow marked paths, check tide times, and get local advice. Drivers should look at tide tables at both ends of the causeway and where the road leaves the A1 Great North Road at Beal. The causeway is usually open from about three hours after high tide until two hours before the next high tide. Tide tables showing safe crossing times are published by Northumberland County Council.

History

Early

The north-east of England was mostly not settled by Roman civilians except in the Tyne valley and near Hadrian's Wall. The area was not much changed during Roman times. Raiders from both Scots and Picts often attacked the region, and it was not attractive to early Germanic settlers. Anglian King Ida, who ruled from 547, began settling the coast by sea, creating a "royal settlement" at Bamburgh across the bay from Lindisfarne. However, this conquest was difficult. Records tell us that in the 6th century, Urien, prince of Rheged, with help from other kingdoms, surrounded Angles led by Theodric of Bernicia on the island for three days and nights, until internal conflicts led to the Britons' defeat.

Lindisfarne Abbey

The Lindisfarne Abbey was first established in 634 AD. The island served as the site of a monastery for about 900 years. Today, the site, mostly in ruins, is a popular tourist spot and a place for pilgrimages. The church of St Mary the Virgin is the only original building that has been kept and remains standing within the old monastery area. Parts from before the Norman/Anglo-Saxon time can be seen in the wall of this church's chancel. The monastery was called an abbey by Bede, but when it was rebuilt after the Norman Conquest, it was called a smaller priory.

Founding and early years

The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded around 634 by the Irish monk Aidan, who was sent from Iona off the west coast of Scotland to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald. The abbey was founded before the end of 634, and Aidan stayed there until he died in 651. It became a center for spreading Christianity in Northumbria. The abbey and its church were the only place for a bishop in Northumbria for nearly thirty years. Finan (bishop from 651 to 661) built a wooden church suitable for a bishop's seat. Bede criticized that the church was not made of stone but only of oak covered with reeds. A later bishop, Eadbert, removed the reeds and covered the walls and roof with lead. An abbot, who could also be the bishop, was chosen by the community members to lead.

Cuthbert as bishop

Northumbria's patron saint, Cuthbert, was a monk and later abbot of the monastery. St Cuthbert is considered one of the most respected saints in England. Bede wrote about Cuthbert's miracles and life. Cuthbert was Bishop of Lindisfarne from 684 until 686, just before he died. An anonymous "Life of Cuthbert" written at Lindisfarne is the oldest surviving piece of English historical writing.

While he was bishop and abbot, Cuthbert decided to follow the see of Canterbury and therefore Rome, leaving behind its Celtic traditions. After his death in 687, Cuthbert was first buried in Lindisfarne. Because people believed his body had not changed and many came to his shrine reporting miracles, the island became a major pilgrimage destination for the next few hundred years.

During one of the many times the monks had to leave Lindisfarne because of increasing Viking raids, in 793, Cuthbert's body was taken away by the monks, first to the nearby village of Chester-le-Street, then to Durham Cathedral around 995. Eadberht of Lindisfarne, the next bishop and later saint, was buried where Cuthbert's body had been exhumed in the same year, 793.

8th and 9th centuries

In 735, the northern ecclesiastical province of England was created, with the archbishopric at York. There were only three bishops under York: Hexham, Lindisfarne and Whithorn, whereas Canterbury had the 12 envisioned by St Augustine.

At that time the Diocese of York covered roughly the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Hexham covered County Durham and the southern part of modern Northumberland up to the River Coquet, and eastwards into the Pennines. Whithorn covered most of the Dumfries and Galloway region west of Dumfries itself. The rest of Cumbria, northern Northumbria, Lothian and much of the Kingdom of Strathclyde formed the diocese of Lindisfarne.

In 737, Ceolwulf of Northumbria stepped down as King of Northumbria and entered the abbey at Lindisfarne. He died in 764 and was buried next to Cuthbert. In 830, his body was moved to Norham-upon-Tweed, and later his head was placed in Durham Cathedral.

Lindisfarne Gospels

The illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospels, a Latin copy of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, was made in the early 8th century, probably at Lindisfarne. The artist was possibly Eadfrith, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne. It is also thought that a team of artists and writers (monks of Lindisfarne Abbey) worked on the text, but if so, their names are unknown. In the second half of the 10th century, a monk named Aldred added an Old English explanation to the Latin text, creating the earliest surviving Old English/Northumbrian copies of the Gospels. Aldred said the original was made by Eadfrith (bishop from 698 to 721). The Gospels were written clearly, but the pictures, done in an insular style mixing Celtic, Germanic and Roman elements, are considered the most valuable. 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 a hermit known as Billfrith. The Lindisfarne Gospels are now in the British Library in London, a place which has caused some disagreement among Northumbrians. In 1971, professor Suzanne Kaufman of Rockford, Illinois gave a copy of the Gospels to the clergy of the island.

Viking raid on the monastery (793)

Main article: Sack of Lindisfarne

In 793, a Viking raid on Lindisfarne caused shock throughout the Christian world, and is often seen as the start of the Viking Age. There had been other Viking raids, but this one was particularly important because it attacked the heart of the Northumbrian kingdom, damaging "the very place where the Christian religion began in our nation". Records from the West Saxon Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describe omens that appeared over Northumbria, followed by great hunger, and then, on 6th ides of January, the destruction of God's church at Lindisfarne by "ravaging heathen men".

During the attack, many of the monks were killed or captured and made to work for others.

As the English people became more settled, they seemed to stop traveling by sea. Many monasteries were set up on islands, peninsulas, river mouths and cliffs, because isolated communities were less likely to be disturbed. These early raids, despite their harsh nature, were not followed up. The main group of raiders moved 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 time, religious art continued to grow on Lindisfarne, and the Liber Vitae of Durham started in the abbey. By 866, the Danes were in York, and in 873 the Danish army moved into Northumberland. With the fall of the Northumbrian kingdom, the monks of Lindisfarne left the island in 875, taking with them St Cuthbert's bones (which are now buried at Durham Cathedral), who had been a prior and bishop of Lindisfarne; his body was buried on the island in the year 698.

Before the 9th century, Lindisfarne Abbey, like other such places, owned large pieces of land which were managed directly or rented to farmers with only a right to live there. After the Danish takeover, land was more often owned by individuals, and could be bought, sold and inherited. After the Battle of Corbridge in 914 Ragnald took the land and gave some to his followers Scula and Onlafbal.

Prior to dissolution of the monasteries

After the area became stable again under the government of William the Conqueror, the chances for rebuilding the island's monastery improved. The first Norman Bishop of Durham, William of St Calais gave land and property in Northumberland, including Holy Island and much of the nearby mainland, to his new Benedictine monastery at Durham. 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 managed as a sub-monastery of the Durham priory. Smaller monasteries are often called priories while larger ones are more commonly called 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 new chapel included an empty tomb marking the spot where Cuthbert's body was believed to have been buried. Although his body had been moved to Durham Cathedral by then, the place of his old shrine on Lindisfarne was still seen as sacred ground and continued to attract pilgrims. The old island bishopric of Lindisfarne was not restored under Norman rule, perhaps because the newer and more centrally located bishopric of Durham was better able to meet the church's 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 successor royal houses for the next four centuries until its final dissolution in 1536 as a result of Henry VIII's decision to separate the English church from Rome, and his closing of the monasteries.

After dissolution of the priory

Even with the closing of the island's priory in 1536, the tradition of making religious trips to the island never stopped. In the 20th century (around 1980 to 1990), religious writer and church leader David Adam said he had helped thousands of visitors and pilgrims as priest of Holy Island. In the 21st century the tradition of making trips to Lindisfarne continues yearly, as shown by the Northern Cross Pilgrimage among others. The priory ruins which are a popular tourist and pilgrimage spot, were built just after the Norman conquest, and date back nearly 1,000 years. The chancel wall of the church goes back even further into Anglo-Saxon times.

Architecture and archaeology

In 1838 Henry George Charles Clarke wrote a detailed description of the priory. Clarke thought that this Norman priory was special because the main aisle had a stone roof. Of the six arches, Clarke said "as if the builder had not previously calculated the space to be filled by his arcade. The effect here has been to create a horseshoe arch instead of a semicircular arch, from its being of the same height, but smaller width, than the others. This arch is very rare, even in Norman buildings". The Lindisfarne Priory (ruin) is a grade I listed building, List Entry Number 1042304. Other parts of the priory are a scheduled monument, List Entry Number 1011650. These are described as "the site of the pre-Conquest monastery of Lindisfarne and the Benedictine cell of Durham Cathedral that followed it in the 11th century".

Archaeologists from DigVentures and the University of Durham have been doing community excavations since 2016 outside the priory. Nine seasons of digging (including those planned for 2024) have uncovered many discoveries for the site. Important finds included a rare board game piece, copper-alloy rings and Anglo-Saxon coins from both Northumbria and Wessex. The discovery of a cemetery led to finding markers "unique to the 8th and 9th centuries". The group also found evidence of an early medieval building, "which seems to have been built on top of an even earlier industrial oven" which was used to make copper or glass.

Historical island economy

Middle Ages economy

Records from monasteries from the 14th to the 16th century show evidence of a well-established fishing way of life on the island. Both line fishing and net fishing were done, close to shore in shallow water and far out to sea, using different kinds of boats: records mention small 'cobles' and larger 'boats', as well as certain special boats (such as a 'herynger', sold for £2 in 1404). As well as providing food for the monastery, the island's fisheries (together with those of nearby Farne) supplied the mother house at Durham with fish, often on a weekly basis. Fish caught included cod, haddock, herring, salmon, porpoise and mullet, among others. Shellfish of various kinds were also caught, with lobster nets and oyster dredges being used. Fish that was more than the monastery needed was traded, but had to pay a tithe. There is also evidence that the monks operated a lime kiln on the island.

In 1462, during the Wars of the Roses, Margaret of Anjou tried to take the Northumbrian castles. After a storm at sea 400 soldiers had to stay on Holy Island, where they gave in to the Yorkists.

Post priory dissolution economy

After King Henry VIII closed the monasteries in 1536, Lindisfarne Priory was shut down for the last time. The buildings of the old priory were then used as a store for naval supplies. As a result, one of the main economic activities on the island became a military post which would sometimes be staffed by military personnel, instead of the old work of the monastery. Over the centuries, most of the priory buildings slowly fell into ruin. In 1613 the ownership of the island (and other land in the area that used to belong to Durham Priory) was passed to the Crown.

In the 1860s a Dundee company built lime kilns on Lindisfarne, and lime was made 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 brought from Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. There are still signs of the jetties where the coal was brought in and the lime was sent out close to the bottom of the cliffs. The remains of the waggonway between the quarries and the kilns make for an easy walk.

At the height of the limestone quarrying and processing on the island, over 100 men worked on these operations. Crinoid columnals, a certain kind of detailed fossil with a hole in the middle sometimes found in limestone, were separated from the stone and then made smooth into beads. The remaining limestone material would then be turned into lime. These more valuable beads would then be strung onto necklaces and rosaries and sent away from the island. The beads became known as St Cuthbert's beads.

The large-scale quarrying in the 19th century greatly damaged the limestone caves, but eight sea caves remain at Coves Haven. Work on the lime kilns stopped by the beginning of the 20th century. The lime kilns on Lindisfarne are among the few being actively cared for in Northumberland.

Holy Island Golf Club started in 1907 but closed in the 1960s.

21st-century economy

Lindisfarne has been mostly a fishing community for many years, with farming and making lime also important.

Lindisfarne is well known for mead. When the monks lived on the island, it was believed that if the soul was with God, the body needed to be strengthened with Lindisfarne mead.^{[self-published source]} Lindisfarne Mead is made at St Aidan's Winery, and sold widely. The mead recipe is a secret of the family which makes it.

Lindisfarne Abbey and St Mary's

Lindisfarne lobster pots

Lindisfarne Castle from the harbour

A Lindisfarne fisherman in 1942

Upturned boats in the harbour of Lindisfarne used as sheds

Community and demographics

In 2021, the island of Holy Island had 151 people living in 77 homes.

In 2020, the island had three pubs and one hotel. The shop was closed, but the post office was still open. People had to drive to Berwick-upon-Tweed for groceries and other supplies because there were no professional or medical services on the island.

In 1996, some people from the island created a charity called the Holy Island of Lindisfarne Community Development Trust. They built a visitor centre using money from sales. They also built 11 homes for community members who wanted to live on the island. The trust also takes care of the inner harbour. In 2009, the Holy Island Partnership was created by community members and groups on the island.

Additional points of interest

Church of St Mary the Virgin

The current parish church stands where St Aidan built a wooden church in AD 635. When the Normans rebuilt the site, they turned the old abbey church into a stone parish church. This is the oldest building on the island that still has a roof. Parts of the old Anglo-Saxon church remain in the wall and arch of the chancel. A Norman addition led east from the chancel, and the nave was later extended with arcades on both sides.

After the Reformation, the church fell into disrepair until it was restored in 1860. It is made of coloured sandstone, and the north aisle is known as the “fishermen’s aisle.”

St Cuthbert's Isle (Hobthrush)

St Cuthbert's Isle, also called Hobthrush, is a small rocky islet described as being near the monastery where Cuthbert began his solitary life. You can sometimes walk to it across sand and rocks when the tide is low. There are remains of a medieval chapel there, including stone walls, earthworks, and a modern wooden cross.

Lindisfarne Castle

Lindisfarne Castle was built in 1550 using stones from the old priory. It sits on the highest point of the island, a hill called Beblowe. Over time, it was strengthened and used as a fort. Later, it was turned into a beautiful home in a special style by a famous architect. Today, the castle and its garden are cared for and open to visitors.

Green Shiel

Green Shiel is an important old farmstead from the 9th century. Stone foundations of five buildings have been found there, showing what life was like a long time ago.

Navigational markers

There are three beacons near the island to help ships find their way into Holy Island Harbour. Two stone towers called Guile Point East and West guide ships from the east. A tower on Heugh Hill also helps ships know when they are safe. There is also a white pyramid-shaped marker on Emmanuel Head, built in 1810, which helps sailors during the day.

Tourism

Tourism grew steadily during the 1900s, and the island of Lindisfarne became a favorite place for visitors. Tourists who stay on the island when it is separated by the tide enjoy a quieter time, as most day visitors leave before the water rises. At low tide, it is possible to walk across the sand using an old path called the Pilgrims' Way (see the note about safety). This path has markers and safe spots for walkers who get stuck, just like a road with places to wait if you leave too late. The island is the ending point of the St Cuthbert's Way walking trail, and walkers can choose either the Pilgrims' Way or a newer road to cross.

Lindisfarne is surrounded by a large natural area called the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, which draws bird lovers to the tidal island. Because of its location and different types of land, the island is a good place for birds resting during their journeys, and as of 2016, 330 kinds of birds had been seen there.

The island is part of the Northumberland Coast National Landscape, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The old ruins of a building called a priory are looked after by English Heritage, which also runs a museum and visitor center nearby.

You can sometimes see old wooden boats turned over on the land, used as small buildings. These boats inspired a Spanish architect named Enric Miralles when he designed the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh.

Media

Local news and television programmes come from BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees. People watch TV using signals from the Chatton transmitting station. There are several local radio stations including BBC Radio Newcastle, Capital North East, Heart North East, Smooth North East, Hits Radio North East, Greatest Hits Radio, and Holy Island Radio, a community station. The island’s newspaper is the Northumberland Gazette.

Culture

The island of Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, has inspired many artists. Famous painters like J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh all created artwork there. It was also shown on a TV show called _Seven Natural Wonders as one of the north’s amazing places.

The island has been part of many songs and stories. A band named Lindisfarne got its name from the island. Other musicians like James Blake and Iona have also made songs about it. Some books and TV shows, like parts of Vera and Vikings, are set there too. Movies such as Cul-de-sac and 28 Years Later have used the island as a location.

Arms

Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a special place that rises out of the water near the northeast coast of England. It has been important since the 6th century AD when religious leaders helped spread their beliefs there. Over time, the place faced challenges but remained a meaningful spot for many people.