Edlingham
Encyclopedia
Edlingham is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland
in the north of England
. At the 2001 census it had a population of 196. The road to Alnwick
passes close by the village and the town of Rothbury
is about 6 miles (10 km) away.
The name Edlingham means The home of Eadwulf in Anglo-Saxon. Its recorded history goes back as far as 737 when King Coelwulf gave Edlingham and three other royal Northumbrian villages to Cuthbert.
dates largely from the 11th and 12th centuries, with a remarkable fortified tower added c.1300.
Situated close to the church, Edlingham Castle
has its origins in a house built by John de Edlingham in the 12th century, which was subsequently strengthened and fortified over the next three centuries. In the 15th century the castle had a moat
, gate tower and strong palisade
. However, agricultural requirements overtook the need for defence over the following 200 years, and after 1514 the buildings were let to local tenant farmers for housing animals and crops, and fell into disrepair. By 1650 the castle was abandoned and over the next 300 years the theft of stonework left the building in ruins. Excavations were started in 1978 by English Heritage
to make the remaining masonry safe for visitors.
The Devil's Causeway
passes the western edge of the village. The causeway is a Roman
road which starts at Port Gate on Hadrian's Wall
, north of Corbridge
, and extends 55 miles (89 km) northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the River Tweed
at Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in the north of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the 2001 census it had a population of 196. The road to Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
passes close by the village and the town of Rothbury
Rothbury
Rothbury is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is located on the River Coquet, northwest of Morpeth and north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne...
is about 6 miles (10 km) away.
The name Edlingham means The home of Eadwulf in Anglo-Saxon. Its recorded history goes back as far as 737 when King Coelwulf gave Edlingham and three other royal Northumbrian villages to Cuthbert.
Landmarks
St. John the Baptist's ChurchSt John the Baptist, Edlingham
St. John the Baptist Church is a Mediaeval Church in Edlingham, Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The church is mostly 11th century, however the remarkable defensible tower is a 14th-century addition...
dates largely from the 11th and 12th centuries, with a remarkable fortified tower added c.1300.
Situated close to the church, Edlingham Castle
Edlingham Castle
Edlingham Castle is a small castle ruin, having Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building status, in the care of English Heritage, in a valley to the west of Alnwick, Northumberland, England...
has its origins in a house built by John de Edlingham in the 12th century, which was subsequently strengthened and fortified over the next three centuries. In the 15th century the castle had a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, gate tower and strong palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
. However, agricultural requirements overtook the need for defence over the following 200 years, and after 1514 the buildings were let to local tenant farmers for housing animals and crops, and fell into disrepair. By 1650 the castle was abandoned and over the next 300 years the theft of stonework left the building in ruins. Excavations were started in 1978 by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
to make the remaining masonry safe for visitors.
The Devil's Causeway
Devil's Causeway
The Devil's Causeway is a Roman road in Northumberland, in North East England. It branches off Dere Street north of Corbridge and can be traced through Northumberland for about north to Berwick-upon-Tweed.-Description:...
passes the western edge of the village. The causeway is a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
road which starts at Port Gate on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, north of Corbridge
Corbridge
Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...
, and extends 55 miles (89 km) northwards across Northumberland to the mouth of the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
at Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
.
See also
- Edlingham CastleEdlingham CastleEdlingham Castle is a small castle ruin, having Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building status, in the care of English Heritage, in a valley to the west of Alnwick, Northumberland, England...
- St John the Baptist, EdlinghamSt John the Baptist, EdlinghamSt. John the Baptist Church is a Mediaeval Church in Edlingham, Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The church is mostly 11th century, however the remarkable defensible tower is a 14th-century addition...
- HMS EdlinghamHMS EdlinghamHMS Edlingham was one of 93 ships of the of inshore minesweepers.Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Edlingham in Northumberland.-References:...
, a Ham class minesweeperHam class minesweeperThe Ham class was a class of inshore minesweepers , known as the Type 1, of the British Royal Navy. The class was designed to operate in the shallow water of rivers and estuaries. It took its name from the fact that all the ship names were British place names ending in -"ham"...
, named after the village.
External links
- GENUKI (Accessed: 24 November 2008)
- Lumbylaw Farm: Edlingham