History of Northumberland - Revision history

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	==Prehistory==		==Prehistory==
	[[File:WestHorton Aron D Mazel Wik.PNG\|thumb\|280px\|Rock art near [[West Horton]]]]		[[File:WestHorton Aron D Mazel Wik.PNG\|thumb\|280px\|Rock art near [[West Horton]]]]
	As attested by many instances of [[rock art]], the [[Northumberland]] region has a rich prehistory. Archeologists have studied a [[Mesolithic]] structure at [[Howick house\|Howick]], which dates to 7500 BC and was identified as Britain's oldest house until it lost this title in 2010 when the discovery of the even older [[Star Carr house]] in North Yorkshire was announced, which dates to 8770 BC. They have also found tools, ornaments, building structures and cairns dating to the [[Bronze Age\|bronze]] and [[Iron Age\|iron]] ages, when the area was occupied by [[Celtic Britons\|Brythonic]] [[Celt]]ic peoples who had migrated from continental Europe, most likely the [[Votadini]] whose territory stretched from Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth to Northumberland. It is not clear where the boundary between the Votadini and the other large tribe, the [[Brigantes]], was, although it probably frequently shifted as a result of wars and as smaller tribes and communities changed allegiances. Unlike neighbouring tribes, Votadini farms were surrounded by large walls, banks and ditches and the people made offerings of fine metal objects, but never wore massive armlets. There are also at least three very large hillforts in their territory ([[Yeavering Bell]], [[Eildon Hill]] and [[Traprain Law]], the latter two now in Scotland), each was located on the top of a prominent hill or mountain. The hillforts may have been used for over a thousand years by this time as places of refuge and as places for meetings for political and religious ceremonies.<ref>"Ancient Tribes of Britain." BBC. 2013. Online: ~~http~~://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/iron_01.shtml#nine</ref> [[Duddo Five Stones]] in North Northumberland and [[the Goatstones]] near [[Hadrian's Wall]] are [[stone circle]]s dating from the Bronze Age.<ref>{{NHLE\|num=1008566 \|desc=The Goatstones stone circle, 280m south west of Ravensheugh Crags\|access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref>		As attested by many instances of [[rock art]], the [[Northumberland]] region has a rich prehistory. Archeologists have studied a [[Mesolithic]] structure at [[Howick house\|Howick]], which dates to 7500 BC and was identified as Britain's oldest house until it lost this title in 2010 when the discovery of the even older [[Star Carr house]] in North Yorkshire was announced, which dates to 8770 BC. They have also found tools, ornaments, building structures and cairns dating to the [[Bronze Age\|bronze]] and [[Iron Age\|iron]] ages, when the area was occupied by [[Celtic Britons\|Brythonic]] [[Celt]]ic peoples who had migrated from continental Europe, most likely the [[Votadini]] whose territory stretched from Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth to Northumberland. It is not clear where the boundary between the Votadini and the other large tribe, the [[Brigantes]], was, although it probably frequently shifted as a result of wars and as smaller tribes and communities changed allegiances. Unlike neighbouring tribes, Votadini farms were surrounded by large walls, banks and ditches and the people made offerings of fine metal objects, but never wore massive armlets. There are also at least three very large hillforts in their territory ([[Yeavering Bell]], [[Eildon Hill]] and [[Traprain Law]], the latter two now in Scotland), each was located on the top of a prominent hill or mountain. The hillforts may have been used for over a thousand years by this time as places of refuge and as places for meetings for political and religious ceremonies.<ref>"Ancient Tribes of Britain." BBC. 2013. Online: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/iron_01.shtml#nine</ref> [[Duddo Five Stones]] in North Northumberland and [[the Goatstones]] near [[Hadrian's Wall]] are [[stone circle]]s dating from the Bronze Age.<ref>{{NHLE\|num=1008566 \|desc=The Goatstones stone circle, 280m south west of Ravensheugh Crags\|access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref>

	==Roman occupation==		==Roman occupation==
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	* [[Kingdom of England]]		* [[Kingdom of England]]
	* [[Timeline of Northumbria and Northumberland]]		* [[Timeline of Northumbria and Northumberland]]
			* [[Timeline of Newcastle upon Tyne]]

	==References==		==References==
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	* [http://rockartuk.fotopic.net/g1117.html Northumbrian Rock Art on the British Rock Art Collection]{{Dead link\|date=January 2020 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }}		* [http://rockartuk.fotopic.net/g1117.html Northumbrian Rock Art on the British Rock Art Collection]{{Dead link\|date=January 2020 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }}
	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051121014127/http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/wallnet/brig/brig1.htm Brigantium]		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051121014127/http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/wallnet/brig/brig1.htm Brigantium]
	* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/~~wales/gododdin.shtml~~ The Gododdin (BBC)]		* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/ The Gododdin (BBC)]
	* [http://www.bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/history-of-bamburgh.htm History of Bamburgh]		* [http://www.bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/history-of-bamburgh.htm History of Bamburgh]
	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050628074128/http://rockart.ncl.ac.uk/ Northumberland Rock Art]		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050628074128/http://rockart.ncl.ac.uk/ Northumberland Rock Art]
	* [~~http~~://www.nspipes.co.uk/nsp/ww3hist.htm History of the Northumbrian Smallpipes]		* [https://www.nspipes.co.uk/nsp/ww3hist.htm History of the Northumbrian Smallpipes]
	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210174940/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Anglo/part5.html Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1052–1069]		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210174940/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Anglo/part5.html Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1052–1069]
	* [~~http~~://www.keystothepast.info Keys To The Past – archaeological website covering Northumberland and County Durham]		* [https://www.keystothepast.info Keys To The Past – archaeological website covering Northumberland and County Durham]
	* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2005/07/04/coast05walks_stage5_walk.shtml Glassworks on the Tyne]		* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2005/07/04/coast05walks_stage5_walk.shtml Glassworks on the Tyne]
	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071132/http://www.hadrianswallphotos.com/index.php/gallery/list/0/Northumberland Photographs of Northumberland]		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071132/http://www.hadrianswallphotos.com/index.php/gallery/list/0/Northumberland Photographs of Northumberland]

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:507C:445E:62F7:256D: /* Norman Conquest */

2025-06-16T00:10:09Z

Norman Conquest

New page

{{Short description|History of English county}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2009}}
[[File:EnglandNorthumberland.png|thumb|right|[[Northumberland]], as its boundaries are today, shown here within [[England]]]]

[[Northumberland]], [[England]]'s [[north]]ernmost [[county]], is a land where [[Roman Empire|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 independent kingdom that once stretched from [[Edinburgh]] to the [[Humber]], hence its name, meaning literally 'north of the Humber'.<ref>englandsnortheast.co.uk/PlaceNameMeaningsKtoO</ref> Reflecting its tumultuous past, Northumberland has more [[castle]]s than any other county in England,<ref>Long, B. (1967). ''Castles of Northumberland''. Newcastle, UK: Harold Hill.</ref> and the greatest number of recognised battle sites. Once an economically important region that supplied much of the coal that powered the [[Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]], Northumberland is now a primarily rural county with a small and gradually shrinking population.<ref>Dowson, J. (2009) Northumberland's Economy 2009. Northumberland Information Network http://www.northumberlandinfonet.org.uk/EconomicAssessment/documents/NorthumberlandsEconomy2009ExecutiveSummary.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812071919/http://www.northumberlandinfonet.org.uk/EconomicAssessment/documents/NorthumberlandsEconomy2009ExecutiveSummary.pdf |date=12 August 2011 }}</ref>

==Prehistory==
[[File:WestHorton Aron D Mazel Wik.PNG|thumb|280px|Rock art near [[West Horton]]]]
As attested by many instances of [[rock art]], the [[Northumberland]] region has a rich prehistory. Archeologists have studied a [[Mesolithic]] structure at [[Howick house|Howick]], which dates to 7500 BC and was identified as Britain's oldest house until it lost this title in 2010 when the discovery of the even older [[Star Carr house]] in North Yorkshire was announced, which dates to 8770 BC. They have also found tools, ornaments, building structures and cairns dating to the [[Bronze Age|bronze]] and [[Iron Age|iron]] ages, when the area was occupied by [[Celtic Britons|Brythonic]] [[Celt]]ic peoples who had migrated from continental Europe, most likely the [[Votadini]] whose territory stretched from Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth to Northumberland. It is not clear where the boundary between the Votadini and the other large tribe, the [[Brigantes]], was, although it probably frequently shifted as a result of wars and as smaller tribes and communities changed allegiances. Unlike neighbouring tribes, Votadini farms were surrounded by large walls, banks and ditches and the people made offerings of fine metal objects, but never wore massive armlets. There are also at least three very large hillforts in their territory ([[Yeavering Bell]], [[Eildon Hill]] and [[Traprain Law]], the latter two now in Scotland), each was located on the top of a prominent hill or mountain. The hillforts may have been used for over a thousand years by this time as places of refuge and as places for meetings for political and religious ceremonies.<ref>"Ancient Tribes of Britain." BBC. 2013. Online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/iron_01.shtml#nine</ref> [[Duddo Five Stones]] in North Northumberland and [[the Goatstones]] near [[Hadrian's Wall]] are [[stone circle]]s dating from the Bronze Age.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1008566 |desc=The Goatstones stone circle, 280m south west of Ravensheugh Crags|access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref>

==Roman occupation==
[[File:ShepherdMapRomanBritain410.PNG|thumb|left|280px|A section of Shepherd's (1923) map of Roman Britain]]
When [[Gnaeus Julius Agricola]] was appointed [[Roman governors of Britain|Roman governor of Britain]] in 78 AD, most of northern Britain was still controlled by native British tribes. During his governorship Agricola extended Roman control north of Eboracum ([[York]]) and into what is now Scotland. Roman settlements, garrisons and roads were established throughout the Northumberland region.

The northern frontier of the Roman occupation fluctuated between [[Pons Aelius]] (now [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]) and the [[River Forth|Forth]]. [[Hadrian's Wall]] was completed by about 130 AD, to define and defend the northern boundary of [[Roman Britain]]. By 142, the Romans had completed the [[Antonine Wall]], a more northerly defensive border lying between the [[Firth of Forth|Forth]] and [[Firth of Clyde|Clyde]]. However, by 164 they abandoned the Antonine Wall to consolidate defences at Hadrian's Wall.

Two important Roman roads in the region were the [[Stanegate]] and [[Dere Street]], the latter extending through the [[Cheviot Hills]] to locations well north of the [[River Tweed|Tweed]]. Located at the intersection of these two roads, [[Coria (Corbridge)|Coria]] ([[Corbridge]]), a Roman supply-base, was the most northerly large town in the [[Roman Empire]]. The Roman forts of [[Vercovicium]] (Housesteads) on Hadrian's Wall, and [[Vindolanda]] (Chesterholm) built to guard the [[Stanegate]], had extensive civil settlements surrounding them.

The Celtic peoples living in the region between the Tyne and the Forth were known to the Romans as the [[Votadini]]. When not under direct Roman rule, they functioned as a friendly [[Roman client kingdoms in Britain|client kingdom]], a somewhat porous buffer against the more warlike Picts to the north.

The gradual Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century led to a poorly documented age of conflict and chaos as different peoples contested territories in northern Britain.

=== Archaeology ===
Nearly 2000-year-old [[Roman Empire|Roman]] boxing gloves were uncovered at [[Vindolanda]] in 2017 by the Vidolanda Trust experts led by Dr [[Andrew Birley]]. According to the Guardian, being similar in style and function to the full-hand modern boxing gloves, these two gloves found at Vindolanda look like leather bands date back to 120 AD. It is suggested that based on their difference from gladiator gloves warriors using this type of gloves had no purpose to kill each other. These gloves were probably used in a sport for promoting fighting skills. The gloves are currently displayed at Vindolanda's museum.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/19/rare-roman-boxing-gloves-found-hadrians-wall|title=Rare Roman boxing gloves found near Hadrian's Wall|last=Alberge|first=Dalya|date=2018-02-19|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=2019-08-20|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/found-boxing-gloves-from-2000-years-ago|title=Found: A Pair of Boxing Gloves From 2,000 Years Ago|last=Traverso|first=Vittoria|date=2018-02-20|website=Atlas Obscura|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-roman-boxing-gloves-discovered-northern-england-vindolanda-813641|title=2,000-year-old Roman boxing gloves were discovered in England|last=EST|first=Sydney Pereira on 2/20/18 at 3:04 PM|date=2018-02-20|website=Newsweek|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/vindolanda-boxing-gloves-05853.html|title=1,900-Year-Old Boxing 'Gloves' Unearthed at Vindolanda {{!}} Archaeology {{!}} Sci-News.com|website=Breaking Science News {{!}} Sci-News.com|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bjpenn.com/mma-news/photo-beautifully-persevered-ancient-roman-boxing-gloves-unearthed-uk-1/|title=PHOTO {{!}} Beautifully preserved Ancient Roman boxing gloves unearthed in UK {{!}} BJPenn.com|last=Taylor|first=Tom|date=2018-02-20|website={{!}} BJPenn.com|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/history/roman-boxing-gloves-14312805|title="Astonishing" Roman boxing gloves found near Hadrian's Wall|last=Gibbons|first=Duncan|date=2018-02-20|website=coventrytelegraph|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/315842/pair-of-ancient-roman-boxing-gloves-unearthed|title=Pair of ancient Roman boxing gloves unearthed – Unexplained Mysteries|website=unexplained-mysteries.com|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/knock-out-find-roman-boxing-14311448|title=Knock out as Roman boxing gloves are discovered in North East|last=Henderson|first=Tony|date=2018-02-20|website=nechronicle|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref>

==Anglian Kingdoms of Deira, Bernicia and Northumbria==
[[File:Meister des Book of Lindisfarne 001.jpg|thumb|280px|An illustration from the [[Lindisfarne Gospels]]]]
{{Main|Northumbria}}
Conquests by [[Angles (tribe)|Anglian]] invaders led to the establishment of the kingdoms of [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]] and [[Bernicia]]. The first Anglian settlement was effected in 547 by [[Ida of Bernicia|Ida]], who, accompanied by his six sons, pushed through the narrow strip of territory between the Cheviots and the sea, and set up a fortress at [[Bamburgh Castle|Bamburgh]], which became the royal seat of the Bernician kings. About the end of the 6th century Bernicia was first united with the rival kingdom of Deira under the rule of [[Æthelfrith]] of Northumbria, and the district between the Humber and the Forth became known as the kingdom of [[Northumbria]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=791}}

After Æthelfrith was killed in battle around 616, [[Edwin of Northumbria|Edwin of Deira]] became king of Northumbria. Æthelfrith's son [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]] fled northwest to the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] where he was converted to Christianity by the monks of [[Iona]]. Meanwhile, [[Paulinus of York|Paulinus]], the first [[bishop of York]], converted King Edwin to Roman Christianity and began an extensive program of conversion and baptism. By his time the kingdom must have reached the west coast, as Edwin is said to have conquered the islands of [[Anglesey]] and [[Isle of Man|Man]]. Under Edwin the Northumbrian kingdom became the chief power in [[Britain in the Middle Ages|Britain]]. However, when [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]] defeated Edwin at [[Battle of Hatfield Chase|Hatfield Chase]] in 633, Northumbria was divided into the former kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira and Christianity suffered a temporary decline.

In 634, Oswald defeated Cadwallon ap Cadfan at the [[Battle of Heavenfield]], resulting in the re-unification of Northumbria. Oswald re-established Christianity in the kingdom and assigned a [[Diocese|bishopric]] at [[Hexham]], where [[Wilfrid]] erected a famous early English church. Reunification was followed by a period of Northumbrian expansion into Pictish territory and growing dominance over the Celtic kingdoms of Dál Riata and [[Kingdom of Strathclyde|Strathclyde]] to the west. Northumbrian encroachments were abruptly curtailed in 685, when [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]] suffered complete defeat by a Pictish force at the [[Battle of Dun Nechtain|Battle of Nechtansmere]].

===Monastic culture===
When [[Aidan of Lindisfarne|Saint Aidan]] came at the request of Oswald to preach to the Northumbrians he chose the island of [[Lindisfarne]] as the site of his church and monastery, and made it the head of the [[diocese]] which he founded in 635. For some years the [[Episcopal see|see]] continued in peace, numbering among its bishops [[Cuthbert of Lindisfarne|Saint Cuthbert]], but in 793 [[Vikings]] landed on the island and burnt the settlement, killing many of the monks. The survivors, however, rebuilt the church and continued to live there until 883, when, through fear of a second invasion of the Danes, they fled inland, taking with them the body of Cuthbert and other holy relics.

Against this background, the monasteries of Northumbria developed some remarkably influential cultural products. [[Cædmon]], a monk at [[Whitby Abbey]], authored one of the earliest surviving examples of [[Old English]] poetry some time before 680. The [[Lindisfarne Gospels]], an early example of [[insular art]], is attributed to Eadfrith, the bishop of Lindisfarne from 698 to 721. Stenton (1971, p. 191) describes the book as follows.
<blockquote>
In mere script it is no more than an admirable example of a noble style, and the figure drawing of its illustrations, though probably based on classical models, has more than a touch of ''naïveté''. Its unique importance is due to the beauty and astonishing intricacy of its decoration. The nature of its ornament connects it very closely with a group of Irish manuscripts of which the ''[[Book of Kells]]'' is the most famous.
</blockquote>

[[Bede]]'s writing, at the Northumbrian monasteries at [[Wearmouth-Jarrow|Wearmouth]] and [[Jarrow]], gained him a reputation as the most learned scholar of his age. His work is notable for both its breadth (encompassing history, theology, science and literature) and quality, exemplified by the rigorous use of citation. Bede's most famous work is ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum|Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]'', which is regarded as a highly influential early model of historical scholarship.

==Earldom of Northumbria==
{{Main|Earl of Northumbria}}
The kingdom of Northumbria ceased to exist in 927, when it was incorporated into England as an earldom by [[Athelstan of England|Athelstan]], the first king of a united [[Kingdom of England|England]]{{Citation needed|reason=There is ample evidence to suggest that Northumberland and Durham were outside of the English Kingdom until the Norman invasion.|date=May 2023}}.. In 937, Athelstan's victory over a combined Norse-Celtic force in the [[battle of Brunanburh]] secured England's control of its northern territory.

The Scottish king [[Indulf of Scotland|Indulf]] captured [[Edinburgh]] in 954, which thenceforth remained in possession of the Scots. His successors made repeated attempts to extend their territory southwards. [[Malcolm II]] was finally successful, when, in 1018, he annihilated the Northumbrian army at [[Carham]] on the Tweed, and Eadulf the earl of Northumbria ceded all his territory to the north of that river as the price of peace. Henceforth [[Lothian]], consisting of the former region of Northumbria between the Forth and the Tweed, remained in possession of the Scottish kings.

The term Northumberland was first recorded in its contracted modern sense in 1065 in an entry in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' relating to a rebellion against [[Tostig Godwinson]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=791}}

==Norman Conquest==
[[File:Hulne Priory, geograph.jpg|right|280px|thumb|[[Hulne Priory]], west of [[Alnwick]].]]
The vigorous resistance of Northumbria to [[William the Conqueror]] was punished by ruthless [[Harrying of the North|harrying]], mostly south of the [[River Tees]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=791}} As recounted by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'':

<blockquote>
A.D. 1068. This year King William gave Earl Robert the earldom
over Northumberland; but the landsmen attacked him in the town of
Durham, and slew him, and nine hundred men with him. Soon
afterwards Edgar Etheling came with all the Northumbrians to
York; and the townsmen made a treaty with him: but King William
came from the South unawares on them with a large army, and put
them to flight, and slew on the spot those who could not escape;
which were many hundred men; and plundered the town. St. Peter's
minster he made a profanation, and all other places also he
despoiled and trampled upon; and the ethelling went back again to
Scotland.
</blockquote>

The [[Normans]] rebuilt the Anglian monasteries of Lindisfarne, Hexham and Tynemouth, and founded Norman abbeys at [[Newminster Abbey|Newminster]] (1139), [[Alnwick]] (1147), [[Brinkburn Priory|Brinkburn]] (1180), [[Hulne Priory|Hulne]], and [[Blanchland]]. Castles were built at [[History of Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] (1080), [[Alnwick Castle|Alnwick]] (1096), [[Bamburgh Castle|Bamburgh]] (1131), [[Harbottle]] (1157), [[Prudhoe]] (1172), [[Warkworth Castle|Warkworth]] (1205), [[Chillingham Castle|Chillingham]], [[Ford, Northumberland|Ford]] (1287), [[Dunstanburgh Castle|Dunstanburgh]] (1313), [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]], [[Langley Castle|Langley]] (1350), [[Wark on Tweed Castle|Wark on Tweed]] and [[Norham Castle|Norham]] (1121), the latter an [[enclave]] of the palatine bishops of [[Durham, England|Durham]].

Northumberland county is not mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, but the account of the issues of the county, as rendered by Odard the sheriff, is entered in the Great Roll of the [[Exchequer]] for 1131.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=791}}

In 1237, Scotland renounced claims to Northumberland county in the [[Treaty of York]].

During the reign of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] (1272–1307), the county of Northumberland was the district between the [[River Tees|Tees]] and the [[River Tweed|Tweed]], and had within it several scattered [[Liberty (division)|liberties]] subject to other powers: [[County Palatine of Durham|Durham]], [[Sadberge (wapentake)|Sadberge]], [[Bedlingtonshire]], and [[Norhamshire]] belonging to the [[bishop of Durham]]; [[Hexhamshire]] to the [[archbishop of York]]; [[Tynedale]] to the [[king of Scotland]]; Emildon to the [[earl of Lancaster]]; and [[Redesdale]] to [[Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus]]. These franchises were exempt from the ordinary jurisdiction of the shire. Over time, some were incorporated within the county: Tynedale in 1495; Hexhamshire in 1572; and Norhamshire, Islandshire and Bedlingtonshire by the [[Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=791–792}}

* [[Council of the North]]

The [[county court]] for Northumberland was held at different times at Newcastle, Alnwick and Morpeth, until by statute of 1549 it was ordered that the court should thenceforth be held in the town and castle of Alnwick. Under the same statute the [[High Sheriff of Northumberland|sheriffs of Northumberland]], who had been in the habit of appropriating the issues of the county to their private use, were required thereafter to deliver in their accounts to the [[Exchequer]] in the same manner as the sheriffs of other counties.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}}

==Border wars, reivers and rebels==
[[File:Dunstanburgh Castle2.jpg|thumb|right|280px|[[Dunstanburgh Castle]] (built c. 1320) was garrisoned by the Lancastrians in 1462.]]
From the Norman Conquest until the union of England and Scotland under [[James VI and I|James I and VI]], Northumberland was the scene of perpetual inroads and devastations by the Scots. [[Norham]], [[Alnwick]] and [[Wark on Tweed|Wark]] were captured by [[David I of Scotland]] in the wars of [[Stephen of England|Stephen]]'s reign.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}} In 1174, during his invasion of Northumbria, [[William I of Scotland]], also known as William the Lion, was captured by a party of about four hundred mounted knights, led by [[Ranulf de Glanvill]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} This incident became known as the [[Battle of Alnwick (1174)|Battle of Alnwick]]. In 1295, [[Robert de Ros (Athol)|Robert de Ros]] and the earls of Athol and Menteith ravaged [[Redesdale]], [[Coquetdale]] and [[Tynedale]]. In 1314 the county was ravaged by [[Robert I of Scotland|king Robert Bruce]]. And so dire was the Scottish threat in 1382, that by special enactment the earl of Northumberland was ordered to remain on his estates to protect the border. In 1388, [[Henry Hotspur Percy|Henry Percy]] was taken prisoner and 1500 of his men slain at the [[battle of Otterburn]], immortalised in the [[ballad of Chevy Chase]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}}

Alnwick, Bamburgh and [[Dunstanburgh Castle|Dunstanburgh]] were garrisoned for the Lancastrian cause in 1462, but after the Yorkist victories of [[Battle of Hexham|Hexham]] and [[Battle of Hedgeley Moor|Hedgley Moor]] in 1464, Alnwick and Dunstanburgh surrendered, and Bamburgh was taken by storm.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}}

In September 1513, King [[James IV of Scotland]] was killed at the [[Battle of Flodden]] on [[Branxton, Northumberland|Branxton]] Moor.

Roman Catholic support in Northumberland for [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], led to the [[Rising of the North]] in 1569.

*[[Harbottle]]
*[[Border Reivers]]
*[[Peel tower]]

==Union and Civil War==
After uniting the English and Scottish thrones, [[James VI and I]] sharply curbed the lawlessness of the border reivers and brought relative peace to the region. There were [[Church of Scotland]] congregations in Northumberland in the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Hew |title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation |date=1928 |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc07scot/page/504 504]-521 |volume=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc07scot |access-date=8 July 2019}}</ref>

During the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] of the 17th century, Newcastle was garrisoned for the king by the [[earl of Newcastle]], but in 1644 it was captured by the Scots under the [[earl of Leven]], and in 1646 [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] was led there a captive under the charge of [[David Leslie (Scottish general)|David Leslie]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}}

Many of the chief Northumberland families were ruined in the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] rebellion of 1715.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}}

==Industrialisation==
The mineral resources of the area appear to have been exploited to some extent from remote times. It is certain that coal was used by the Romans in Northumberland, and some coal ornaments found at Angerton have been attributed to the 7th century. In a 13th-century grant to [[Newminster Abbey]] a road for the conveyance of sea coal from the shore about [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth]] is mentioned, and the Blyth coal field was worked throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. The coal trade on the Tyne did not exist to any extent before the 13th century, but from that period it developed rapidly, and Newcastle acquired the monopoly of the river shipping and coal trade. Lead was exported from Newcastle in the 12th century, probably from Hexhamshire, the lead mines of which were very prosperous throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. In a charter from [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] to [[Hugh de Puiset]] creating him earl of Northumberland, mines of silver and iron are mentioned. A [[Salt pan (evaporation)|salt pan]] is mentioned at Warkworth in the 12th century; in the 13th century the salt industry flourished at the mouth of the [[River Blyth, Northumberland|river Blyth]], and in the 15th century formed the principal occupation of the inhabitants of North and South Shields. In the reign of [[Elizabeth I]], glass factories were set up at Newcastle by foreign refugees, and the industry spread rapidly along the Tyne. [[Tanning (leather)|Tanning]], both of leather and of nets, was largely practised in the 13th century, and the [[salmon]] fisheries in the Tyne were famous in the reign of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=792}}

*[[John Smeaton]] designed the [[Coldstream Bridge]] and a bridge at [[Hexham]].
*[[Stephenson's Rocket|Stephenson's ''Rocket'']]
* Invention of the [[steam turbine]] by [[Charles Algernon Parsons]]

==See also==
* [[Northumbria]]
* [[Northumbria's golden age]]
* [[Earl of Northumberland]]
* [[History of England]]
* [[Kingdom of England]]
* [[Timeline of Northumbria and Northumberland]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Northumberland|volume=19|pages=790–793}}
* Stenton, F. M. (1971). ''Anglo-Saxon England''. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
* Trevelyan, G. M. (1959). ''A shortened history of England''. New York City: Pelican.
* Waters, I. (1999). Northumberland: England's Border Country. ''Contemporary Review, 275''(1605), 203–210.

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author=[[Samuel Tymms]] |location=London |publisher=J.B. Nichols and Son |year=1837 |series=The Family Topographer: Being a Compendious Account of the ... Counties of England |oclc=2127940 |volume=6 |title=Northern Circuit |chapter=Northumberland |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/familytopograph00tymmgoog#page/n135/mode/2up }}

==External links==
* [http://rockartuk.fotopic.net/g1117.html Northumbrian Rock Art on the British Rock Art Collection]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051121014127/http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/wallnet/brig/brig1.htm Brigantium]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/wales/gododdin.shtml The Gododdin (BBC)]
* [http://www.bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/history-of-bamburgh.htm History of Bamburgh]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050628074128/http://rockart.ncl.ac.uk/ Northumberland Rock Art]
* [http://www.nspipes.co.uk/nsp/ww3hist.htm History of the Northumbrian Smallpipes]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210174940/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Anglo/part5.html Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1052–1069]
* [http://www.keystothepast.info Keys To The Past – archaeological website covering Northumberland and County Durham]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2005/07/04/coast05walks_stage5_walk.shtml Glassworks on the Tyne]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071132/http://www.hadrianswallphotos.com/index.php/gallery/list/0/Northumberland Photographs of Northumberland]
* {{citation |work=Historical Directories |publisher=[[University of Leicester]] |location=UK |title=Northumberland |url=http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/findbylocation.asp }}

{{Northumberland}}
{{History of England|bar=yes}}

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[[Category:History of Northumberland| ]]
[[Category:History of England by county|Northumberland]]