Northumberland Yesterday And To Day - Jean F. Terry (i want to read a book TXT) 📗

Ballad Or The Fact Of The Bridge,

It Is The Duty Of All Leal North-Country People To Swear By The Ballad.

Perhaps The Good Bishop Did Not Personally Oversee The Rebuilding Of

Chollerford Bridge: More Probably The Wear And Tees Do Not Come Down

With The Angry Impetuosity Of The Tyne In Flood!

 

The Remains Of The Great Roman Camp Of Cilurnum (The Chesters) May Be

Seen Here Within Mrs. Clayton's Park. This Was The Largest Military

Station In Northumberland, Corstopitum, Which Is Very Much Larger, Being

More Of A Civil Settlement. At Some Little Distance Below The Present

Bridge Some Of The Piers Of The Old Roman Bridge Are Still To Be Seen

When The River Is Low.

 

Eastward From Chollerford Is The Little Church Of St. Oswald, Standing

Where The Battle Of Heavenfield Took Place. When Penda Of Mercia, And

The British Prince Cadwallon, Were Warring Against Northumbria, The

Greatest Northumbrian King, Edwin, Was Defeated And Slain By Them; And

On Their Return To The Attack, Ethelfrith's Eldest Son, Called Back From

Exile To Take The Vacant Throne, And Rule In His Father's Seat Of

Bamburgh, Also Fell Before Their Fierce Onslaught. His Brother Oswald

Now Took Command Of The Bernicians And Prepared To Lead Them Against The

Foe. Oswald Posted His Men In A Strong Position On The North Side Of The

Great Wall; And, Setting Up A Huge Cross Of Wood, Called Upon All His

Followers To Bow Before The God Of Whom He Had Learnt During His Exile

In Iona, And To Pray To Him For Victory. His Army Obeyed, And, In The

Battle Which Followed, Oswald's Forces Were Completely Victorious. The

Mercians, And Their Allies, The Western Britons, Were Routed, And Driven

Out Of Bernicia, And Cadwallon Was Pursued As Far As The Denise Burn,

And There Slain. The Denise Burn Is Supposed To Have Been The Rowley

Burn, Which Flows Into The Devil's Water, On Whose Banks Stands Dilsten

Castle. Some Time Later, On The Spot Where Oswald's Cross Had Stood, A

Church Was Erected And Dedicated To The Royal Saint. It Was Served From

Hexham Abbey.

 

After Passing Wall, Which, However, Is Not Quite So Near The Roman Wall

As Chollerford Is, We Come To The Pretty Village Of Warden, Nestling

Beneath The Woods Of Warden Hill; And Here, Just Above Hexham, The North

Tyne Unites With Its Sister River In The Rich Meadow Lands Which Lie

Near The Old Town.

 

The South Tyne Has Journeyed From Cross Fell, Where It Takes Its Rise,

Northward Through A Corner Of Cumberland, Past Garrygill And Alston,

Until It Enters Northumberland Where The Ayle Burn On The One Hand, And

The Gilderdale Burn On The Other, Flow Into It. Here Is Whitley Castle,

Where Was A Small Roman Station Called Alio, And Kirkhaugh Church,

Charmingly Placed On The Bank Of The River, Which Continues Its Course

Northward Past Slaggyford, Knaresdale, Eals, And Lambley, Till It Flows

Past The Fine Castle Of Featherstone, And The Ruins Of Bellister, Where

It Turns Eastward To Haltwhistle.

 

The Little Streams Which Enter The South Tyne Up To This Point Flow

Through Wild And Romantic Glens, Two Of Them Owning The Celtic Names Of

_Glen Cune_ And _Glen Dhu_.

 

The Family Of Featherstonehaugh Is One Of The Oldest In The North; And

It Was Concerning The Death Of One Of This Family--Sir Albany

Featherstonehaugh, Who Was High Sheriff Of Northumberland In The Days Of

Henry Viii.--That Mr. Surtees, The Antiquary, Wrote The Well-Known

Ballad, Which, When Surtees Gave It Him, Deceived Even Sir Walter Scott

Into Thinking It Genuinely Ancient. The First Verse Of The Ballad Shows

With What A Verve And Swing The Lines Go.

 

  "Hoot Awa', Lads, Hoot Awa'

  Ha' Ye Heard How The Ridleys, An' Thirlwalls, An' A'

  Ha' Set Upon Albany Featherstonehaugh;

  And Taken His Life At The Deadmanshaw?

  There Was Willimoteswick,

  And Hard-Riding Dick,

  An' Hughie O' Hawdon, An' Will O' The Wa'

  I Canno' Tell A', I Canno' Tell A'

  And Mony A Mair That The De'il May Knaw."

 

The Ruins Of Bellister Castle Stand Against A Sombre Background Of

Woods, Only A Little Way From Haltwhistle. The Castle Once Belonged To

The Blenkinsopp Family, Who Also Owned Blenkinsopp Castle, About Two

Miles Away. The Name Was Formerly Spelt Blencan's-Hope--The Hope Being

Valley Or Hollow--And The Castle, Like Many Other Places, Has Its

Legendary "White Lady."

 

Haltwhistle Is A Little Straggling Town Lying On Both Sides Of The Main

Road Above The South Tyne, Where It Is Joined By The Haltwhistle Burn.

By Going Up The Valley Of This Pretty Little Stream We Shall Arrive Near

The Roman Station Of Aesica, On The Wall. The Town Of Haltwhistle Is

Peaceful Enough Now, But It Had A Stirring Existence In The Days When

Ridleys, Armstrongs, And Charltons, To Say Nothing Of The Men Of

Liddesdale And Teviotdale, Had So Strong A Partiality For A Neighbour's

Live-Stock And So Ready A Hand With Arrow And Spear. In The Old Ballad

Of "The Fray Of Hautwessel," We Are Told That

 

  "The Limmer Thieves O' Liddesdale

  Wadna Leave A Kye In The Haill Countrie,

  But An[3] We Gi'e Them The Cauld Steel,

  Our Gear They'll Reive It A' Awaye,

  Sae Pert They Stealis, I You Saye.

  O' Late They Came To Hautwessel,

  And Thowt They There Wad Drive A Fray.

  But Alec Ridley Shot Too Well."

  [Footnote 3: But An = Unless.]

 

The Most Notable Feature Of Present-Day Haltwhistle Is The Finely Placed

Parish Church, Of Which The Chancel Is The Oldest Part, Having Been

Built In The Twelfth Century, So That It Was Already An Old Church When

Edward I. Rested Here For A Night In 1306, On His Way To Scotland For

The Last Time. When William The Lion Of Scotland Returned From His

Captivity, After Being Taken Prisoner At Alnwick In 1174, He Founded The

Monastery Of Arbroath In Thanksgiving For His Freedom, And Bestowed On

The Monks The Church Of Haltwhistle.

 

All That Remains Of The Old Castle, Or "Haut-Wysill Tower," Is The

Building Standing Near The Castle Hill, Which Latter Has Been Fortified

By Earthworks. The Red Lion Hotel Is A Modernised Pele-Tower. The

General Aspect Of The Place Is Singularly Bare And Bleak; But From

Several Points In The Town, Notably From The Churchyard Terrace, Fine

Views Of The River Valley May Be Obtained.

 

Henshaw (Hethinga's-Haugh) Is A Little Village Which King David Of

Scotland, When He Was Lord Of Tynedale, Gave To Richard Cumin And His

Wife, Who Afterwards Bestowed It On The Cathedral Of Durham. It Lies By

The Side Of The Main Road To Bardon Mill, Which Is The Most Convenient

Station For Travellers To Alight At Who Wish To Visit The Roman Wall And

The Roman City Of Borcovicus, And The Northumberland Lakes. Some Little

Distance Up The Hill From Bardon Mill Station Is A Very Pretty Little

Village Whose Name Speaks Eloquently Of Other Invaders Than The

Romans--The Village Of Thorngrafton (The "Ton" Or Settlement On Thor's

"Graf" Or Dyke). Near At Hand There Are Quarries From Which The Romans

Obtained Much Building Material For The Wall; And In One Of These Old

Quarries Some Workmen Discovered A Bronze Vessel Full Of Roman Coins, A

Few Of Gold, But Most Of Silver. This Was Known As The "Thorngrafton

Find," And The Interesting Story Of It Is Told By Dr. Bruce.

 

On The Opposite Side Of The South Tyne From Henshaw, Willimoteswick

Castle Stands On The Level Plains Which Are As Characteristic Of The

South Bank Of The River As Are The Steep Slopes Of The North Bank. One

Of The Towers Of This Old Castle Yet Remains, And Forms Part Of The More

Modern Farm-House Which Stands There. Willimoteswick Was Long In The

Possession Of The Ridleys, And It Is Generally Accepted As Having Been

The Birthplace Of Bishop Ridley, Though Unthank Hall, Nearer To

Haltwhistle, And Also A Home Of That Family, Disputes The Honour. The

Bishop, Who Suffered Death At The Stake In The Troublous Times Of Queen

Mary, In Touching Letters Bids Farewell To His Cousin At Willimoteswick

And His Sister And Her Children At Unthank.

 

On The Same Side Of The Tyne Is Beltingham Church, With Some Wonderful

Old Trees In The Churchyard, And Ridley Hall, Which Takes Its Name From

That Family, Although Not Now Occupied By Them. Here The Allen Flows

Into The South Tyne, And Nowhere In The Whole Of The County Is There A

More Beautiful And Romantic Scene. By The Side Of The Stream The Ridley

Woods Stretch For A Mile Or Two, And The Delightful Mingling Of Graceful

Ferns, Overhanging Trees, Tall, Rugged Cliffs, Flowering Plants, And

Sparkling Waters Forms A Succession Of Lovely Scenes Throughout Their

Length, Which, With The Play Of Lights And Shadows On The Dimpled

Surface Of The Stream, And Frequent Glimpses Of Grassy Glades And Cool

Green Alleys, Make A Walk Through These Enchanting Woods An

Unforgettable Delight.

 

The Allen Burn, Which Gives Its Name To The Beautiful District Of

Allendale, Is, Like The Tyne, Formed By The Junction Of Two Streams, The

East And West Allen, Which Rise Near Each Other In Hills On The Border

Of Northumberland And Durham, Down The Opposite Slopes Of Which Run The

Little Streams Which Feed The Wear. After Flowing Apart For Some Miles,

The East And West Allen Unite Not Far From Staward Railway Station. Both

Rivers Flow, For The First Part Of Their Course, Through A Wild And

Hilly Region, Rich, However, In Minerals. On The East Allen Are The

Towns Of Allenheads, Formerly A Busy Centre Of The Lead-Mining Industry,

And Allendale Town, Which Lies About 1,400 Feet Above The Sea-Level.

 

As The Lead-Mining Industry Has Decreased, Allendale Has Turned Its

Attention To Other Methods Of Living, And Now Caters For The Army Of

Visitors Who, Each Summer, Climb Its Hills And Wander Through Its Woods

And Lanes, And By Its Riverside, As Did The Allendale Maid Whose Memory

Is Perpetuated In The Simple Lines Of The Little Poem, "Lucy Gray Of

Allendale."

 

  "Say, Have You Seen The Blushing Rose,

  The Blooming Pink, Or Lily Pale?

  Fairer Than Any Flower That Blows

  Was Lucy Gray Of Allendale.

 

  Pensive At Eve, Down By The Burn,

  Where Oft The Maid They Used To Hail,

  The Shepherds Now Are Heard To Mourn

  For Lucy Gray Of Allendale."

 

Not Far From The Village Of Catton, The Name Of "Rebel Hill" Reminds Us

That It Was A Vicar Of Allendale, Mr. Patten, Who Joined Young

Derwentwater In The Rising Of "The Fifteen," And Was Appointed Chaplain

Of The Little Army. He Met Some Half-Dozen Men Of The Neighbourhood At

This Hill, When They Set Off Together To Join The Rest Of The Forces At

Wooler.

 

On The West Allen Is The Lonely Little Hamlet Of Ninebanks, With

Ninebanks Tower, Concerning Which Little Is Known With Certainty; And On

This Stream Also Are Two Of The Most Strikingly Beautiful Places In

Northumberland--The Delightfully Picturesque Village Of Whitfield, And

The Well-Known Staward-Le-Peel.

 

The Ruins Of The "Pele" Tower Stand On A High Grassy Platform,

Safeguarded On Three Sides By Tall Cliffs And Tumbled Boulders; The

Remains Of A Ditch May Also Be Traced. From This Point A Splendid View

Of The River Valley, With Its Steep Precipices, Overhanging Pinewoods

Intermingled With Trees Of Less Sombre Hue, And The Bright Course Of The

River, May Be Obtained. At A Point A Little Higher Up The Valley, Where

The Waters Of The Stream Are Held Back By Some Huge Rocks, They Form A

Deep Pool, And Then Flow Onwards Through A Narrow Gorge Called Cyper's

Linn. Following The Stream Now Until It Has Merged Its Waters In Those

Of The South Tyne, We Turn Eastward With The Main Stream And Come To

Haydon Bridge.

 

This Considerable Village, Gradually Growing To The Proportions Of A

Small Town, Lies On Both Sides Of The River, Which Is Here Crossed By

The Substantial Bridge From Which The Village Takes Its Name; For The

Original Village Of Haydon Stood At Some Distance Up The Hill On The

North Side Of The Stream. On The Hillside May Still Be Seen The Ruins Of

The Old Church, In Which Services Are Occasionally Held In The Summer

Time. The Chancel, Apparently Dating From The Twelfth Century, And A

Later Little Chapel To The South Of It, Are All That Are Left Of The

Building. Some Very Quaint Inscriptions Are To Be Seen In The

Churchyard, And There Are Many Sculptured Grave-Covers Within The

Church. Many Of The Stones Used In The Building Have Evidently Been

Brought From The Great Wall, Or Probably From The Roman Station Of

Borcovicus, Some Six Or Seven Miles To The North; And What A Rush Of

Bewildering Fancies Crowds Upon One's Mind On First Discovering That The

Font Was Originally A Roman Altar!

 

The Old Church Must Have Looked Down On Many A Wild And Curious Scene In

The Days When Scot And Englishman Sought Only Opportunities To