Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey
Encyclopedia
Wearmouth-Jarrow is a twin-foundation
English monastery
, located on the River Wear
in Sunderland and the River Tyne
at Jarrow
respectively, in the Kingdom of Northumbria (now in the metropolitan county
of Tyne and Wear
). Its formal name is The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Wearmouth-Jarrow. Jarrow became the center of Anglo-Saxon learning in the north of England, producing the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar, Bede
. The twin Anglo-Saxon monastery is the UK nomination for World Heritage Site status in 2010.
, first with the establishment of the monastery of St Peter's, Monkwearmouth
on land given by Egfrid
, King of Northumbria
. His idea was to build a model monastery for England, sharing his knowledge of the experience of the Roman traditions in an area previously more influenced by Celtic Christianity
stemming from missionaries of Melrose
and Iona
. A papal letter in 678 exempted the monastery from external control, and in 682 the king was so delighted at the success of St Peter's, he gave Benedict more land in Jarrow and urged him to build a second monastery. Benedict erected a sister foundation (St Paul) at Jarrow
, appointing Ceolfrid
as its superior, who left Wearmouth with 20 monks (including his protégé the young Bede
) to start the foundation in Jarrow.
Benedict brought workmen from Francia to build these churches, the first ecclesiastical structures in Britain built of stone, and furnished it with glass windows, pictures, service books and the library he had collected on his travels. Window glass being unusual in England at the time, Benedict imported glassmakers from Francia, who established a workshop at the Monkwearmouth site, which stands on a nearby site on the river Wear.
The two monasteries were so closely connected in their early history that they are often spoken of figuratively as one, Jarrow, despite being seven miles apart. Benedict himself was the first abbot, and the monastery flourished under him and his successors Easterwin, St. Ceolfrid, and others, for two hundred years. Benedict, on leaving England
for Rome
in 686 established Ceolfrith as Abbot
in Jarrow, and Eosterwine at Monkwearmouth but, before his death, stipulated that the two sites should function as 'one monastery in two places'.
s (i.e. manuscripts containing the entire text of the Bible), intended to furnish the churches of St Peter's and St Paul's, with the third copy earmarked as a gift to the Pope
. The only survivor of the three bibles is the Codex Amiatinus
, now in Florence
, the oldest complete surviving Bible in the world, which was being carried to Rome by Ceolfrith himself when he died in 716. The Bible was carried to Rome by his companions, whence Pope Gregory II
sent his thanks to Ceolfirth's successor, Abbot Hwaetberht
.
but of English literature
– Jarrow is where the Venerable Bede received his early education under Ceolfrith's patronage and lived, wrote and died as a monk. By his death Bede had established himself as England's leading scriptural and historical authority, and was to have a vital post-mortem influence on the fortunes of the monastery. Bede's writings, most importantly his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
, became so popular in the 8th century that they not only assured the reputation of the houses, but influenced the development of Wearmouth-Jarrow's distinctive insular minuscule script, developed to increase the speed of book production.
raids, with Wearmouth-Jarrow itself being attacked in 794 (the second target in England of the Vikings, after raids on Lindisfarne
in 793). They were finally destroyed by the Danes about 860, and seem to have been finally abandoned in the late 9th century.
, prior of Winchcombe
, was inspired by Bede's Historia to tour the sites of the Northumbrian Saxon saints, including Jarrow where he held masses in the Saxon ruins and began (with his 23 colleagues from Evesham Abbey
) to build a new monastery. However, its southern and western ranges were still incomplete when they were recalled to Durham Cathedral Priory
in 1083. From then until the Dissolution, Jarrow was merely a minor cell of Durham, occupied by only one or two monks under a magister
or master. The names of only two of these superiors have been preserved-those of Alexander Larnesley and John Norton.
After the Conquest
, both monasteries suffered at the hands of Malcolm III of Scotland
.
by Henry VIII
. In 1545 "all the house and seite of the late cell of Wearmouth", valued at about £26 yearly, were granted by Henry VIII
to Thomas Whitehead, a relative of Prior Hugh Whitehead
of Durham, who resigned that monastery in 1540 and became the first dean
. Wearmouth passed afterwards to the Widdrington family, then to that of Fenwick. The remains of the monastic buildings at Wearmouth were incorporated into a private mansion built in James I
's reign; but this was burned down in 1790, and no trace is now visible of the monastery.
at Wearmouth (54.9131°N 1.3749°W), on the north bank of the River Wear
, occupies the ancient priory church building and is one of the oldest churches in Great Britain
. The tower dates from Norman times, and doubtless formed part of the building as restored after the Conquest. The church is now part of the Parish of Monkwearmouth
, which also includes All Saints' Church
and St. Andrew's Church. It is adjacent to the St. Peter's Campus of the University of Sunderland
and the National Glass Centre.
The ruins of the Jarrow Monastery are now associated with the former monastic church, which survives as the present-day church of The Saxon-Norman nave collapsed and was replaced with a Victorian one, but the Saxon chancel
survives, with the oldest stained-glass window in the world, made up of excavated fragments dating from about AD 600. Inside the church, cemented into the wall of the tower, is the original stone slab recording the dedication of the church on 23 April AD 685. Other than the chancel of St Paul's Church, none of the 7th century monastery survives above ground, but its layout is marked out with stone slabs. The whole site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
.
(54.9824°N 1.4739°W), a museum
dedicated to the life and times of Bede and to celebrating Anglo-Saxon
cultural achievements, including a working example of a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon farm
called Gyrwe after the Old English name for Jarrow, showing crop and animal husbandry with full-size reconstructions of 3 timber buildings from Northumbria based on the evidence of archaeological work. The farm animals are specially bred to simulate the type of animal seen in Anglo-Saxon
England; cattle are smaller and sheep more varied. Ancient strains of wheat and vegetables, such as those Bede
and his monastery brothers might have eaten, are grown. There are also interactive museum displays, with a permanent 'Age of Bede' exhibition and a collection of Anglo-Saxon to post Medieval
objects (mainly excavated from the monastic site of St Paul's, Jarrow), the historic and listed Jarrow Hall
and a herb garden.
See also the Novem Codices
and Codex Grandior
, formerly part of the Library, though written in Italy.
Double monastery
A double monastery is an institution combining a separate monastery for monks and an abbey for nuns. Examples include Coldingham Monastery in Scotland, and Einsiedeln Abbey and Fahr Abbey in Switzerland, controlled by the abbot of Einsiedeln...
English monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, located on the River Wear
River Wear
The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...
in Sunderland and the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
at Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
respectively, in the Kingdom of Northumbria (now in the metropolitan county
Metropolitan county
The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, typically with populations of 1.2 to 2.8 million...
of Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
). Its formal name is The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Wearmouth-Jarrow. Jarrow became the center of Anglo-Saxon learning in the north of England, producing the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar, Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
. The twin Anglo-Saxon monastery is the UK nomination for World Heritage Site status in 2010.
Foundation
The monastery was founded in 674 by Benedict BiscopBenedict Biscop
Benedict Biscop , also known as Biscop Baducing, was an Anglo-Saxon abbot and founder of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory and was considered a saint after his death.-Early career:...
, first with the establishment of the monastery of St Peter's, Monkwearmouth
Monkwearmouth
Monkwearmouth is an area of Sunderland located at the north side of the mouth of the River Wear. It was one of the three original settlements on the banks of the River Wear along with Bishopwearmouth and Sunderland, the area now known as the East End. It includes the area around St. Peter's Church...
on land given by Egfrid
Ecgfrith of Northumbria
King Ecgfrith was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life.-Early life:...
, King of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
. His idea was to build a model monastery for England, sharing his knowledge of the experience of the Roman traditions in an area previously more influenced by Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
stemming from missionaries of Melrose
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
and Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
. A papal letter in 678 exempted the monastery from external control, and in 682 the king was so delighted at the success of St Peter's, he gave Benedict more land in Jarrow and urged him to build a second monastery. Benedict erected a sister foundation (St Paul) at Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
, appointing Ceolfrid
Ceolfrid
Saint Ceolfrid was an Anglo-Saxon Christian abbot and saint. He is best known as the warden of Bede from the age of seven until his death in 716. He was the Abbot of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey, and a major contributor to the project Codex Amiatinus...
as its superior, who left Wearmouth with 20 monks (including his protégé the young Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
) to start the foundation in Jarrow.
Benedict brought workmen from Francia to build these churches, the first ecclesiastical structures in Britain built of stone, and furnished it with glass windows, pictures, service books and the library he had collected on his travels. Window glass being unusual in England at the time, Benedict imported glassmakers from Francia, who established a workshop at the Monkwearmouth site, which stands on a nearby site on the river Wear.
The two monasteries were so closely connected in their early history that they are often spoken of figuratively as one, Jarrow, despite being seven miles apart. Benedict himself was the first abbot, and the monastery flourished under him and his successors Easterwin, St. Ceolfrid, and others, for two hundred years. Benedict, on leaving 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...
for Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 686 established Ceolfrith as Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
in Jarrow, and Eosterwine at Monkwearmouth but, before his death, stipulated that the two sites should function as 'one monastery in two places'.
Ceolfrith
Ceolfrith as abbot continued Benedict's work in establishing the monastery as a centre of learning, scholarship, and especially book production, during which time a distinctive house style of half-uncial script emerged. Ceolfrith's major project was the production of three great "pandect" BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s (i.e. manuscripts containing the entire text of the Bible), intended to furnish the churches of St Peter's and St Paul's, with the third copy earmarked as a gift to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. The only survivor of the three bibles is the Codex Amiatinus
Codex Amiatinus
The Codex Amiatinus, designated by siglum A, is the earliest surviving manuscript of the nearly complete Bible in the Latin Vulgate version, and is considered to be the most accurate copy of St. Jerome's text. It is missing the Book of Baruch. It was produced in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of...
, now in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, the oldest complete surviving Bible in the world, which was being carried to Rome by Ceolfrith himself when he died in 716. The Bible was carried to Rome by his companions, whence Pope Gregory II
Pope Gregory II
Pope Saint Gregory II was pope from May 19, 715 to his death on February 11, 731, succeeding Pope Constantine. Having, it is said, bought off the Lombards for thirty pounds of gold, Charles Martel having refused his call for aid, he used the tranquillity thus obtained for vigorous missionary...
sent his thanks to Ceolfirth's successor, Abbot Hwaetberht
Hwaetberht
Hwaetberht was Abbot of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory where he had served as a monk.He was elected to succeed Abbot Ceolfrith in 716 or 717 when Ceolfrith set off on a pilgrimage to Rome...
.
Bede
The library Benedict had created on his travels to Rome and then given to the monastery made it the cradle not only of English artEnglish art
English art is the body of visual arts made in England. Following historical surveys such as Creative Art In England by William Johnstone , Nikolaus Pevsner attempted a definition in his 1956 book The Englishness of English Art, as did Sir Roy Strong in his 2000 book The Spirit of Britain: A...
but of English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
– Jarrow is where the Venerable Bede received his early education under Ceolfrith's patronage and lived, wrote and died as a monk. By his death Bede had established himself as England's leading scriptural and historical authority, and was to have a vital post-mortem influence on the fortunes of the monastery. Bede's writings, most importantly his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
, became so popular in the 8th century that they not only assured the reputation of the houses, but influenced the development of Wearmouth-Jarrow's distinctive insular minuscule script, developed to increase the speed of book production.
Viking attacks
The golden age of Wearmouth-Jarrow began to draw to a close in the late 8th century, as Northumbrian monasteries became vulnerable to VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raids, with Wearmouth-Jarrow itself being attacked in 794 (the second target in England of the Vikings, after raids on Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
in 793). They were finally destroyed by the Danes about 860, and seem to have been finally abandoned in the late 9th century.
Norman period
In the early 1070s AldwinAldwin (prior)
Aldwin was an Anglo-Saxon prior. Originally prior at Winchcombe, he wished to resurrect the monasteries of the Bedeian Northumbrian golden age, and refounded monasteries at Jarrow and Monkwearmouth in 1073 or 1074, becoming prior; his companion Elfwi took over the position while Aldwin was trying...
, prior of Winchcombe
Winchcombe Abbey
Winchcombe Abbey is a now-vanished Benedictine abbey in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, this abbey was once the capital of Mercia, an Anglo Saxon kingdom at the time of the Heptarchy in England. The Abbey was founded c. 798 for three hundred Benedictine monks, by King Offa of Mercia or King Kenulf. In...
, was inspired by Bede's Historia to tour the sites of the Northumbrian Saxon saints, including Jarrow where he held masses in the Saxon ruins and began (with his 23 colleagues from Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
) to build a new monastery. However, its southern and western ranges were still incomplete when they were recalled to Durham Cathedral Priory
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
in 1083. From then until the Dissolution, Jarrow was merely a minor cell of Durham, occupied by only one or two monks under a magister
Magister
Magister is Latin for "master" or "teacher." It may refer to:* The Magister , an academic degreePositions or titles* A magister equitum, or Master of the Horse...
or master. The names of only two of these superiors have been preserved-those of Alexander Larnesley and John Norton.
After the Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, both monasteries suffered at the hands of Malcolm III of Scotland
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
.
Dissolution and after
The Monastery was later dissolvedDissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. In 1545 "all the house and seite of the late cell of Wearmouth", valued at about £26 yearly, were granted by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
to Thomas Whitehead, a relative of Prior Hugh Whitehead
Hugh Whitehead
Hugh Whitehead was the last prior of the Benedictine monastery at Durham in England. The monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540. Whitehead would go on to become the cathedral's first dean.-References:...
of Durham, who resigned that monastery in 1540 and became the first dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
. Wearmouth passed afterwards to the Widdrington family, then to that of Fenwick. The remains of the monastic buildings at Wearmouth were incorporated into a private mansion built in James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
's reign; but this was burned down in 1790, and no trace is now visible of the monastery.
Today
The present parish church of St Peter'sSt Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth
St Peter's Church is the parish church of Monkwearmouth in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of three churches that make up the Parish of Monkwearmouth; the others being All Saints Church and St Andrew's Church, Roker....
at Wearmouth (54.9131°N 1.3749°W), on the north bank of the River Wear
River Wear
The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...
, occupies the ancient priory church building and is one of the oldest churches in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The tower dates from Norman times, and doubtless formed part of the building as restored after the Conquest. The church is now part of the Parish of Monkwearmouth
Parish of Monkwearmouth
The Parish of Monkwearmouth is a Church of England parish in Monkwearmouth, England, served by the churches of St Peter's, All Saints and St Andrew's.-History:...
, which also includes All Saints' Church
All Saints' Church, Monkwearmouth
All Saints’ Church is a church in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, England. A parish of All Saints was formed in 1844 when it became clear that there was no longer enough room in the only parish church for Monkwearmouth , and a church for the new parish was completed and consecrated in 1849...
and St. Andrew's Church. It is adjacent to the St. Peter's Campus of the University of Sunderland
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, north east England. The university has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries....
and the National Glass Centre.
The ruins of the Jarrow Monastery are now associated with the former monastic church, which survives as the present-day church of The Saxon-Norman nave collapsed and was replaced with a Victorian one, but the Saxon chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
survives, with the oldest stained-glass window in the world, made up of excavated fragments dating from about AD 600. Inside the church, cemented into the wall of the tower, is the original stone slab recording the dedication of the church on 23 April AD 685. Other than the chancel of St Paul's Church, none of the 7th century monastery survives above ground, but its layout is marked out with stone slabs. The whole site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
Bede's World
Near the remains at Jarrow is Bede's WorldBede's World
Bede's World is a museum in Jarrow dedicated to the life and times of Venerable Bede, a monk, author and scholar who lived in at the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Wearmouth-Jarrow, a double monastery at Jarrow and Monkwearmouth, , England.The main museum building features the 'Age of...
(54.9824°N 1.4739°W), a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
dedicated to the life and times of Bede and to celebrating Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
cultural achievements, including a working example of a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
called Gyrwe after the Old English name for Jarrow, showing crop and animal husbandry with full-size reconstructions of 3 timber buildings from Northumbria based on the evidence of archaeological work. The farm animals are specially bred to simulate the type of animal seen in Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
England; cattle are smaller and sheep more varied. Ancient strains of wheat and vegetables, such as those Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
and his monastery brothers might have eaten, are grown. There are also interactive museum displays, with a permanent 'Age of Bede' exhibition and a collection of Anglo-Saxon to post Medieval
Post Medieval
Post Medieval is an archaeological term, meaning anything of a period after the end of the medieval period. In England, this effectively means anything from the Tudor period or after. Some archaeologists consider the Post Medieval period to end around 1750 with a Modern period after this, but...
objects (mainly excavated from the monastic site of St Paul's, Jarrow), the historic and listed Jarrow Hall
Jarrow Hall
Jarrow Hall is a grade II listed building in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, North East, England. It was built around 1785 by local businessman Simon Temple; he later went bankrupt after a series of poor investments. The hall then passed through a number of hands before being let to the Shell Mex company in...
and a herb garden.
Manuscripts written in the Abbey
- Codex AmiatinusCodex AmiatinusThe Codex Amiatinus, designated by siglum A, is the earliest surviving manuscript of the nearly complete Bible in the Latin Vulgate version, and is considered to be the most accurate copy of St. Jerome's text. It is missing the Book of Baruch. It was produced in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of...
ca. 700-710 - Stonyhurst GospelStonyhurst GospelThe Stonyhurst Gospel, also known as the St Cuthbert Gospel or the St Cuthbert Gospel of St John, is a small 7th-century pocket gospel book, written in Latin, which was probably placed in the tomb of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a few years after he died in 687...
ca. 710 - Saint Petersburg Bede between 731-746
- Moore BedeMoore BedeThe Moore Bede is an early manuscript of Bede's eighth-century Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum,...
? ca. 735
See also the Novem Codices
Novem Codices
The Novem Codices were a copy of an Old Latin translation of the Bible in nine volumes which were created for or by Cassiodorus for his monastic foundation at Vivarium.- Acquisition :...
and Codex Grandior
Codex Grandior
The Codex Grandior was a large single volume copy of the Bible in an Old Latin translation that was made for or by Cassiodorus, for his monastic foundation at Vivarium. This codex was in Northumbria at the time of Bede. It was probably acquired in Italy by Benedict Biscop or Ceolfrid in 678 for...
, formerly part of the Library, though written in Italy.
Sources
- History of the English Church and People
- 4.18
- 5.19
- 5.21
- Bede, Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow
- Bede's World guidebook, 2004