The Siege of Tynemouth
By Thomas Bainbridge The English Civil War seemed to be over. Charles I had been captured and peace prevailed throughout England. But in a last bid… Read More »The Siege of Tynemouth
Penbal Wizard
Bassus of Elmet
By Crasterfarian One of the earliest written works still available to us today is The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. It was written by the… Read More »Bassus of Elmet
Charles I’s Time in Newcastle Under House Arrest
By Thomas Bainbridge The capture of Charles I in 1646 portended the end of the First English Civil War. After having fled from the Royalist… Read More »Charles I’s Time in Newcastle Under House Arrest
The Madness of the Newcastle Witch Trials
The Town Under Puritan Tyranny in the 1650s By Thomas Bainbridge With the conclusion of the English Civil War in 1648, the Parliamentarian forces led… Read More »The Madness of the Newcastle Witch Trials
Holy Cross Church, Wallsend: Echoes of Rome and Anglo-Saxon Faith
By Crasterfarian Tucked quietly above the wooded valley of the Wallsend Burn, on a high spur of land and buried in the back of a modern… Read More »Holy Cross Church, Wallsend: Echoes of Rome and Anglo-Saxon Faith
The Wall They Forgot to Rob — A Message for the New Year
By Crasterfarian Many people travel from all around the world to visit our World Heritage Site at Hadrian’s Wall, and rightly so. They “ooohh” and “ahhh”… Read More »The Wall They Forgot to Rob — A Message for the New Year
The Origin of the Newcastle-Sunderland Rivalry
By Thomas Bainbridge The Tyne and Wear Derby is the most fiercely contested rivalry in English football. The two cities, thirteen miles apart, harbour a bitter animosity. But… Read More »The Origin of the Newcastle-Sunderland Rivalry
‘Ubbanford’ — Norham: Northumbria’s Gateway
By Crasterfarian Ubbanford, or Norham as it is now known, owes its existence to one simple, decisive fact: this is the closest reliable ford on the… Read More »‘Ubbanford’ — Norham: Northumbria’s Gateway
SOL INVICTUS: When Light Turns Back the Tide of Darkness
By Crasterfarian Long before Christmas had a name, before shepherds and kings, mangers and virgins, before carefully chosen dates, people here already knew this time of… Read More »SOL INVICTUS: When Light Turns Back the Tide of Darkness
The Whin Sill: Craster’s Ancient Spine
By Crasterfarian As a born and bred Crasterfarian, I’ve always wondered about the history of where I was brought up. The very fabric of the village… Read More »The Whin Sill: Craster’s Ancient Spine