Canny lass

Reminds me of the beadle in Dickens' Oliver Twist!

Thanks Eggy! It was one of Maggie's earlier posts that got me thinking about this. I planned to research it then but, as you know, other things got in the way and there hasn't been either time or opportunity do anything about it. However, we are now back to eight wheels and two drivers so I thought I might start now. Language development is a fantastic mirror of history, så it's worth looking at it from the linguistic aspect. While holly and holy are very similar in spelling and, to an extent, sound today, this has not always been the case so the development of both national language and dialect need to be looked at. It'll probably take a couple of months, depending on how far back I can go. I'll keep you informed. Meanwhile, I'm still looking for an earlier, proven, use of the place name Hollymount if anybody can help.

I'm researching the possibility that Hollymount may be a derivation of Holy Mount - it's an interesting theory. Does anybody know the earliest record of 'Hollymount' as a place name in Bedlington - on a map or document, for instance. 1860 is the earliest I've found to date.

Bedlington's 'yards' are fascinating places! All sorts of life were encapsulated in them! 1860's map is interesting for @Stuart because the 'Smithy' is also noted on the map.

Sorry, Stuart, I didn't manage to get any text with the map - from 1860. You'll find Wilsons Yard on the south side of Front Street West just behind Bedlington Hall.

Vic, this is the strangest autumn and winter I've experienced! We had our first snow in mid September! That's early even by Scandinavian standards. It didn't stay more than a day however and, with the exception of a 3 inch fall in December, it's been more like spring ever since. Haven't had the shovel out once. My arm muscles are wasting away. I've had to change my favourite whisky glass for one that's less heavy.

In that case I'll let yu off - but just this once!

Ahem ... Neither did mine! You're just trying to baffle me with science, aren't you young man. A birthday comes only once a year - fact. This year has an extra day - fact. Therefore 366 days, my birthday being on the 366th day from the day that neither you or I counted. I've had the steam-driven calculator cranked up so there's no arguing with it!

Thank you kind sirs! Missed my usual roll in the snow this year as there isn't a flake to be seen anywhere round here. Mind you, I didn't miss the shovelling snow which was a cause of great joy. Spent a quiet(ish) day planning a holiday in the sun before hubby starts being weaned off all his medications. Thanks again!

Ahem... 366 days surely. Leap year and all that ...

I'm trying hard to Vic, I'm trying hard!

A farce would be too kind a description even for that!

Sitting here in watching the 9 o' clock news and watching the devestation that is occurring in Australia and wondering how things are for you @Brian Cross? Are you in any of the danger areas and if so, how are you coping with the situation? The temperatures being talked about, 45-50 degrees, sound horrendous and the damage to property even more so. Sincerely hoping that everything is OK.

Any New Year resolutions waiting to be broken? PS. Happy birthday 3g!

Good morning all you lovely people! How are we all feeling this fine morning? Honest replies only! Myself, 1-2 and hoping for = by lunchtime.

Beginning of the financial year, mileage allowance 45p/mile. He can't have already clocked up 10,00 miles in 28 days to be getting the reduced rate of 25p/mile - can he? 90p gives him a two mile journey for each log entry. Maybe he just popped out for lunch: Hare & Hound, up Pimlico way, Star & Garter, south bank, Fiddler's Elbow, Camden Town, The Granny Knot, Bayswater, The Frog & Whistle, Lambeth - the list is endless depending on direction from place of work. Mind you, I'm assuming he was alone in the car because otherwise he'd be entitled to an extra 5p per mile for every "qualifying" passenger and that makes the maths too difficult (wish I'd paid more attention to Miss Wilkinson)!

That's an interesting brochure, Maggie! At first I thought it must be a printing mistake. Surely the relics of Cuthbert couldn't have been in Bedlington in 1069! They left Lindisfarne in 875, were nicely tucked up in Chester-le-Street in 883 and had found a permanent resting place in Durham by 995. A bit of digging showed that the relics did indeed leave Durham 1069-1070 when they were returned to Lindisfarne for a short period of time to escape the Norman invasion. I never knew that! That visit must have been well documented as there is an actual date, unlike the visit en route to Chester-le-Street.

continued from above: Then there's the work of John Hodgson, A History of Northumberland in Three Parts. Hodgson notes that the parish of Bedlington had already been given to the see of Durham soon after the year 900. I may be wrong but, to my way of thinking, if there’s a parish, there’s very likely to be a priest and if there’s a priest there is likely to be a church. Hodgson says of Bedlington that "there is little doubt that a church existed here prior to the Norman conquest. It continued a rectory, and in the patronage of the see of Durham till Bishop Farnham, about the year 1242, appropriated it to the prior and convent of Durham". Hodgson suggests that this may have happened in order to obtain financial backing for the improvements which started round about that time. Looking at the publication posted by Eggy, St Cuthbert’s Church, An Archeological Assessment, July 2015, page 10 https://cofenewcastle.contentfiles.net/media/documents/document/2019/01/Bedlington_St_Cuthbert_-_January_2015.pdf I see that even today there is a carved stone, previously situated on the eastern side of the nave and outside, which is now built into the internal face of the west wall to prevent further damage. This stone is dated to the 10th century while the earliest parts of the present church are from the 12th century. This seems to indicate that something has stood there prior to the present building. Who knows how long the ground may have been in use for religious purposes.

My school memories are that the monks rested for one night IN the church at Bedlington during their escape from Lindisfarne in 875 Rightly or wronly, I've also believed that the church in question was St Cuthberts, albeit an earlier version of the present. I’ve also always believed that the flight from Lindisfarne ended up at Durham in 995, the monks having taken the long way round via Chester-le-Street and Ripon. No GPS in those days evidently! I was, therefore, somewhat surprised to see, on reading Maggie’s brochure, that the relics had been in Bedlington in 1069, some 74 years after reaching their final resting place in Durham! This prompted a bit of revision on my part. It's not at all impossible that the ground upon which St Cuthbert's stands was concsecrated much earlier. Generally we tend to think of christianity as having arrived in Britain with the mass conversions of the sixth century. Such conversions in Northumbria are recorded by Bede. However, there's good proof in Northumberland that christianity was being practised in the roman fort at Housteads a couple of centuries prior to this , as a place of christian worship is built into the fort. Then there's the work of John Hodgson A History of Northumberland in Three Parts. Hodgson

Seemed such a shame to start a new topic when this one is waiting to be recycled! The biggest, warmast, most heartfelt wishes to you all for a very merry Christmas. Of course, it could have been even better if things had been different from the beginning .....

Hello Brian! Nice to have you among us again. Sorry to hear about your bad health but pleased to hear you are on the mend and back home - 90 days is a long, long time to spend in hospital, especially if you are the patient! This is the worst thing about being a pensioner - you finally have time to be ill. Hope things keep improving for you and that Christmas is kind to you.

I didn't know that, Malcolm. The commemorative plaque is a lovely idea and the design is just perfect. Thanks for taking the initiative to make it happen.