River Glen, Northumberland
Encyclopedia
The River Glen in Northumberland
, England
is a tributary of the River Till
. The College Burn and Bowmont Water, both flowing out of the Cheviot Hills
, meet near Kirknewton
to form the River Glen. The Glen flows past the small settlements of Yeavering
, Lanton, Coupland, Akeld and Ewart, before joining the Till.
settlement and palace site at Yeavering
, where St. Paulinus
baptised new converts and, according to Bede
, "washed them with the water of absolution in the river Glen, which is close by" (Tomlinson, 1888, p. 504).
Because there is a reference to a similarly named river in Historia Brittonum by the Welsh
author Nennius
, some (Ekwal, 1928; Hunt, 2005) have hypothesized that the legendary British warrior Arthur
began his campaign against Anglo-Saxon
invaders near the confluence of the Glen and Till:
The area around the Glen was the setting for some of the bloodiest border warfare between Scotland
and England
. The Battle of Humbleton Hill
was fought near the river in 1402, as was the Battle of Geteryne
(Yeavering) in 1415.
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...
, 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...
is a tributary of the River Till
River Till
The River Till in Northumberland is the only tributary of the River Tweed which flows wholly in England. . The upper part of the Till, which rises on Comb Fell, is known as the River Breamish...
. The College Burn and Bowmont Water, both flowing out of the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots...
, meet near Kirknewton
Kirknewton, Northumberland
Kirknewton is a Northumbrian village to the north of the county of Northumberland, about from the town of Wooler and roughly the same distance to the Scottish Borders...
to form the River Glen. The Glen flows past the small settlements of Yeavering
Yeavering
Yeavering is a very small hamlet in the north-east corner of the civil parish of Kirknewton in the English county of Northumberland. It is located on the River Glen at the northern edge of the Cheviot Hills...
, Lanton, Coupland, Akeld and Ewart, before joining the Till.
History
The area around the Glen is rich in historical and archaeological interest. Iron Age hilltop forts on peaks to the south of the river overlook the AnglianAngles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
settlement and palace site at Yeavering
Yeavering
Yeavering is a very small hamlet in the north-east corner of the civil parish of Kirknewton in the English county of Northumberland. It is located on the River Glen at the northern edge of the Cheviot Hills...
, where St. Paulinus
Paulinus of York
Paulinus was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in England by 604 with the second missionary group...
baptised new converts and, according to 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...
, "washed them with the water of absolution in the river Glen, which is close by" (Tomlinson, 1888, p. 504).
Because there is a reference to a similarly named river in Historia Brittonum by the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
author Nennius
Nennius
Nennius was a Welsh monk of the 9th century.He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the Historia Brittonum, based on the prologue affixed to that work, This attribution is widely considered a secondary tradition....
, some (Ekwal, 1928; Hunt, 2005) have hypothesized that the legendary British warrior Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
began his campaign against 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...
invaders near the confluence of the Glen and Till:
- Then it was, that Arthur, with all the kings and military force of Britain, fought against the Saxons. And though there were many more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was as often conqueror. The first battle in which he was engaged, was at the mouth of the river Glein.
The area around the Glen was the setting for some of the bloodiest border warfare between Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and 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...
. The Battle of Humbleton Hill
Battle of Humbleton Hill
The Battle of Humbleton Hill was a conflict between the English and Scottish armies on September 14, 1402 in Northumberland, England. The battle was recounted in Shakespeare’s Henry IV...
was fought near the river in 1402, as was the Battle of Geteryne
Battle of Yeavering
The Battle of Yeavering was fought on 22 July 1415 between English and Scottish forces near Yeavering in Northumberland. A small English force consisting of 440 men led by the Earl of Westmoreland defeated 4,000 Scots...
(Yeavering) in 1415.
See also
- Battle of Humbleton HillBattle of Humbleton HillThe Battle of Humbleton Hill was a conflict between the English and Scottish armies on September 14, 1402 in Northumberland, England. The battle was recounted in Shakespeare’s Henry IV...
- YeaveringYeaveringYeavering is a very small hamlet in the north-east corner of the civil parish of Kirknewton in the English county of Northumberland. It is located on the River Glen at the northern edge of the Cheviot Hills...
- WoolerWoolerWooler is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, by the Cheviot Hills and so is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots"...
- History of NorthumberlandHistory of NorthumberlandNorthumberland, England's northernmost county, is a land where Roman occupiers once guarded a walled frontier, Anglian invaders fought with Celtic natives, and Norman lords built castles to suppress rebellion and defend a contested border with Scotland. The present-day county is a vestige of an...
- Kirknewton, NorthumberlandKirknewton, NorthumberlandKirknewton is a Northumbrian village to the north of the county of Northumberland, about from the town of Wooler and roughly the same distance to the Scottish Borders...
External links
See maps of the River Glen at:- the meeting of the waters near Kirknewton
- the Battle Stone for Geteryne
- its confluence with the Till