The cuddy’s corse project

A Series of Walks and routes throughout the North East following the path of Saint Cuthbert’s Body, (Corse= Body), from Farne Island and Lindisfarne to Durham.

•          The original walk took 7 years to reach Chester-le-Street.

•          They visited many parts of the North.

•          Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, and parts of Scotland.

•          All these places were in the old Kingdom of NORTHUMBRIA.

Preface

“If it should happen that you must decide one of these two things, it would be much more pleasing to me that you should take my bones up from the tomb, and remove them from this spot, and should continue to reside wherever God shall provide an abode for you, rather than that you should tamely submit to evil”. Simeon.

These words were credited to Saint Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, as he lay dying in his hermitage on Farne Island. He had intended that he should be buried there but agreed that his body should be transferred to nearby Lindisfarne so that the community there could more easily look after his tomb.

In 875 AD Saint Cuthbert’s words were recalled. Viking attacks which had begun spectacularly at Lindisfarne in 793 AD became more insistent, and in this year the Danes had destroyed the Northumbrian army, killed two kings and settled down in York. Now the terrifying Halfdan arrived to winter on the Tyne and plan the destruction of Northumbria north of the river.

Eardulf Bishop of Lindisfarne called in The Abbot of Carlisle Eadred and they decided that they must obey the wishes of Cuthbert and take up his body and flee.

Although there was urgency this was not a panicked flight, “Raising then the holy and uncorrupt body of the Father, they placed beside it in the same shrine the relics of the saints, that is to say, the head of Oswald the king and Martyr, part of the bones of Aidan, the bones of Eadbert, Eadfrid, and Aethelwold, this occurred in 875AD, 241 years since King Oswald and Bishop Aidan founded that church and 189 years after the death of father Cuthbert, and 83 years since this church had been devastated under bishop Higbald.”

They also took with them the stone cross of Bishop Aethelwald broken by Vikings in an earlier raid but now rejoined by running lead between the pieces. Also it did not involve only the monks of Lindisfarne, but many of the local community.

And the men of the shire when they found St Cuthbert was gone left their lands and their goods and followed after. Rites.

It is also clear that the men who actually carried the coffin were not monks; and if clerics, were married priests, for when Simeon was writing 200 years later, he says that men still boasted how they were descended from those who carried the saint’s body. It is the boast of many persons in the province of the Northumbrians, as well clerks as laymen, that they are descended from  one of these families: for they pride themselves upon the faithful service which their ancestors rendered to St Cuthbert.

The plan

• To produce a series of walks throughout the North following what might be the route taken from Lindisfarne by the Community of Saint Cuthbert. Some might be accessible by bike or car.
• To produce a recognizable waymarker, and to waymark and leaflet the route.
• To produce other information by way of talks and literature to promote the use of the walks in particular on Saint Cuthbert’s day, March 20^th.

SO WHERE DID THEY GO ? Our source Simeon, a monk of Durham was living in the 11^th and 12^th centuries, he attended the Translation of Cuthbert’s body into the new Durham Cathedral in 1104 AD, so although writing over 200 years after the event, few were closer to the rich oral tradition passed down through Cuthbert’s community. Simeon, however, mentions only; FOUR PLACES,

• The mouth of the Derwent (in modern Cumbria, near Workington,
• The Isle of Whithorn ( now in South West Scotland, )
• Crayke near York, and
• Chester-le Street in County Durham.

This was not just a panicked flight, this group led by their bishop were an important political group. They were keeping alive the identity of the Northumbrian English and their religion and they possessed the greatest talisman of that people, the uncorrupted body of their Saint. So, as Aird has suggested, there was also something of a flag waving exercise rallying the Northumbrians in the hour of need.

LINKING SAINT CUTHBERT CHURCHES

There are many churches named after Saint Cuthbert in the North, and many claim that the body rested there. As well they might since association with the saint was good for business. But it was not uncommon for crosses to be raised where a coffin rested, particularly if it contained an important person. (The most spectacular being the Eleanor crosses raised by her husband King Edward I, the final one being Charing Cross in London.) The list of these Cuthbert churches was placed on the wall of the choir door in Durham Priory by Prior Wessington, whose family were the ancestors of George Washington, the First American President. Although present day remains are nearly all medieval, most churches contain stone remnants of the Anglian period. That list has led a number of historians to a route of these travels, Raine, Pease, and Rollanson. Any route must be fanciful, we cannot tell if they backtracked. We cannot tell the order in which they visited these sites.

1 , Holy Island, 2, Norham, 3, Carham, 4, Kelso, 5, Melrose,
6, Edinburgh, 7, Cavers, 8, Elsdon, 9, Bellingham, 10, Haydon Bridge, 11, Whithorn, 12, Kirkcudbright, 13, Carlisle, 14, Salkeld, 15, Edenhall, 16, Plumbland, 17, Embleton (Cu.), 18, Lorton, 19, Cockermouth,
20, Chester-le-Street, 21, Marske, 22, Cowton, 23, Darlington,
24, Kirkleatham, 25, Wilton, 26, Ormesby, 27, Marton, 28, Middleton-under-Leaven, 29, Forcet, 30, Billingham, 31, Ireleth, 32, Aldingham, 33, Over Kellet, 34, Lytham, 35, Halsall, 36, Mellor, 37, Burnsall, 38, Bolton, 39, Ackworth, 40, Fishlake, 41, Overton, 42, Barton,
43, Peaseholme Green (York), 44, Ripon, 45, Crayke, 46, Warden Law, 47, Durham.

There are other sites, not churches, which mention Cuthbert, eg Cuddys cave, Cuddy’s well, Cuddy’s loup, and Cuddy’s crags. Since the abbot of Carlisle was involved in organising the move one would expect Carlisle, an important Northumbrian centre, to feature.

Looking at the lists of churches there are some obvious clusters, The Tweed Valley, The North Tyne, The Eden valley, the Cumbrian coast, and the Tees valley.

USING THE ROMAN ROADS

It does seem sensible that the community, like the Northumbrian armies had done, would use the best roads available were possible, and these were the roman roads. Also in the initial move it mentions that other bones and a stone cross were taken up on first leaving, this would suggest that they may have begun their journey by water. We know that before finally leaving Lindisfarne, there was a temporary move to Norham in 844 AD and back. There is a Saint Cuthbert’s church at Norham with a collection of cross fragments randomly stuck together.

Using all this information we can devise a route, which at least is an arguable possibility.

We chose to begin at the end. After 113 years at Chester-le-street the Community moved to Durham, (They actually went via Ripon, but we decided this was a bit far for a one day walk.) We began walking this route on Saint Cuthbert’s Day some years ago and now it is an established event over 120 people attended last year.

The People

Chris Kilkenny came up with this idea as part of the Cuthbert project. He has and is researching Cuthbert and the journey. The late Henry Clegg did some useful early work on the project. Chairman John Danby took the role of project manager for the first Cuddy’s Corse, Chester-le-Street to Durham.

With the backing of Durham CC’s then Chief Executive, we received enormous help from Durham CC, in particular, Elaine Field of the Parish Pathways organisation who was a fountain of knowledge and encouragement, and Kevin Telford the pathways officer, who played a major part in negotiating and marking the route.

Northumbria water have been enormously supportive for the Cuthbert Day walk, providing lunches for the walkers, and many of their staff have participated, including their MD John Cuthbert who is also our President.

The Process

Having established a Cuddy’s corse waymarker, and leafleted our first walk, we are now hoping to roll out the project in other parts of the North, here we need the support of stakeholders.

We work mainly by linking existing rights of way, to minimize costs and hassle. We now have contacts with suppliers and a degree of expertise, but always need the help and advice of the professionals. We always seek to involve the public in the use of these trails, and to encourage in them an appreciation of our Northumbrian Heritage. Our next trails are Lindisfarne-Berwick-Norham-Melrose; then Elsdon-Corsenside-Bellingham.

Cdk 30.09.09