Bamburgh Castle can be seen for miles, and as you get closer to it you can see that it sits on top of an outcrop of igneous rock which forms part of the Great Whin Sill – a geological formation that for anyone who has been along Hadrian’s Wall will probably recognise.

The site was occupied by Ancient Britons even before the Romans arrived, and when the Romans left in the early 5^th century the Celts were back in control – but not for long.

The Dark Ages brought an influx of invaders from the continent which resulted in the land the Romans called Britannia being carved up into various kingdoms – Anglo-Saxon Northumbria being one of them.

The first Anglo-Saxon King to rule from Bamburgh was King Ida who took control from the Din Guarie tribe in 547 and even though there must have been a fortress here before, it was from this time that we have the first written record of one.

The castle was of wooden construction and, according to that great early historian the Venerable Bede, it didn’t get its name of  ‘Bebbanburgh’ until King Ida’s grandson, Æthelfrith, passed it on to his wife Bebba.

The original wooden fortification was destroyed by the Vikings in 993, but William the Conqueror could see that he would have the same trouble as the Romans if he didn’t build another one to keep the Scots at bay and the northerners in check, but this time it was built in stone.

Continue reading →

Originally posted 2019-08-04 22:33:57.