The Journey of St. Cuthbert's Coffin

Cuthbert had said "I would rather that you should take up my bones,and leave these places, to reside wherever God may send you,than consent in anyway to the wickedness of schismatics."

In 793 Ad Lindisfarne was attacked by Vikings. Saint Cuthbert's coffin was not disturbed at this time. Further Viking raids on Northumbria occurred. In 844 they killed King Raedwald of Northumbria. In 867 Vikings captured the Northumbrian centre of York and king Aelle was killed and butchered with the Viking “Blood eagle”.

In 875 the bishop of Lindisfarne decided in consultation with the Abbot of Carlisle to take up the coffin of the saint and leave Lindisfarne. In this they were obeying the words of the saint.
They took with them very many relics of other saints, the Lindisfarne gospels, known then as “Saint Cuthbert's book” and incredibly a stone cross.

They travelled the length and breadth of Northumbria.
At one stage they were considering going to Ireland but the weather was unfavourable. Here the Saint Cuthbert's book fell into the sea and was miraculously recovered by Hundred Eventually they settled at Chester-le-Street.

After 113 years another threat led them to move to Ripon. When they returned they could not move the coffin past warden law. A vision to Eared told them to go to Durham. Tradition said they found the place by following a woman and her Dun cow.

The body was placed in “a little church of boughs of trees” possibly on the site of the church called St Mary-le-Bow now a Heritage Centre.
It was then moved to the White Church for three years while a fine church of stone was made, this was dedicated on 4th September 998.
After the Norman Conquest, The French bishop William Carileph replaced the small Anglo-Saxon church with the grand Norman cathedral. The coffin was translated there on 4 September 1104AD.At this stage the coffin was opened and the body found to be incorrupt.
A small gospel of Saint John found therein was removed. It is the only early gospel to have its original binding in situ.

In 1824 The Dean of Durham, Raine determined to prove the incorruptibility was a myth, had workmen break open the coffin, they found only bones.

The original coffin can be viewed today in Durham Cathedral.
There is a rumour that the body was secretly moved and only 3 Benedictine monks know where it lies.