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Nuns in Northumbria
Hartlepool
19 March 2000
In 640, on a storm-swept headland surrounded on three sides by the sea, St Aidan founded a monastery at what is now modern-day Hartlepool. Occupied by both monks and nuns, it survived for three centuries before finally being destroyed by the Danes in the ninth century. Time Team spent three days trying to track down evidence of where it once stood.
The Team were invited to help investigate the Hartlepool site by Tees Archaeology and county archaeologist Robin Daniels, who has been working in the area for several years. In 1833, workmen building houses on the headland discovered human burials and Anglo-Saxon artefacts, including namestones, or grave markers. This was the first hard evidence that the headland was the location of the 'lost' monastery of Hereteu. Subsequent excavations have found further evidence of burials and monastic buildings in the vicinity.
What was first thought might be a hook for a nun's suspenders, turned out more probably to be a clasp from a book used at the monastery.
Any archaeological investigations are inevitably difficult on a site as heavily developed as this. 'Keyhole archaeology', therefore, was the order of the day. Front gardens on the seafront, a strip of green to the north of the church and even a traffic island, Jimmy's Green, were to be subject to the Time Team trench diggers. Given the nature of the site, and the fact that early Christian monasteries such as these were far less regular in form (and used wood rather than stone), the picture that emerged was not a complete one. Enough evidence was found, however, to confirm the presence of the monastery here, including the seafront cemetery, and to add to the slowly growing knowledge of the site.
Among the finds unearthed during Time Team's excavations were two worthy of special mention. One, a piece of metal which it was first thought might be a hook for a nun's suspenders, turned out more probably to be a clasp from a book used at the monastery. Time Team's reconstruction for the programme involved the production of a leather-bound, illuminated book, using techniques that would have been familiar to the makers of the Lindisfarne Gospels, produced at another Northumbrian monastery on this North Sea coast.
As often seems to be the case with Time Team, though, the trenches kept their best till last. The discovery on the third day of a complete female burial confirmed the existence of the seafront cemetery first unearthed in 1833. And radiocarbon dating placed the burial as taking place when the monastery was active here. The nun, for we must assume that that is what she was, was subsequently reburied in consecrated ground at the present-day St Hilda's church.
Why was Time Team so keen to investigate another monastery?
Mick Aston explains: This is a special one because it's very early. It's one of the seventh-century ones. We know very little about them. We don't know what the layout was or how people lived in it. It's a double monastery as well, which a lot of them were. It had monks and nuns in it within the same enclosure, ruled over by an abbess. They were very common in the Anglo-Saxon period. You have to put the idea of something like Tintern, Riveaux or Fountains abbeys right out of your mind. This is a much more irregular plan, scattered buildings, mainly of timber, and probably more than one church – a very different sort of establishment altogether. We know less about these monasteries than we know about Roman villas or even many prehistoric sites. They are a really unknown area of British archaeology.
Mick Aston has a new version of his book Monasteries in the Landscape (originally published as Monasteries by Batsford in 1993) published by Tempus in May 2000. He is also working on a book on early Christian monasteries, such as the one at Hartlepool, but says it will be several years in the writing.
Old Hartlepool and the Anglo-Saxon monastery
The headland called the Heugh at Hartlepool is known locally as Old Hartlepool. In prehistoric times it was probably a tidal island covered by dense woodland inhabited by deer. Indeed, the Anglo-Saxon name for Hartlepool was Hereteu, or Stag Island, which could refer to either the deer then present there or the stag's shape of the headland.
Hereteu later became known as Hart or Hartness, covering an area which included the Heugh headland and nearby villages. One of these villages, named Hart, gave its name to the headland -– and later to Hartlepool itself. The 'pool' was added in reference to the bay on the sheltered side of the headland, which probably acted as a mini-harbour for visitors to the Anglo-Saxon monastery.
St Hilda
This natural harbour provided the focus for the old fishing town of Hartlepool. But this was long after the foundation of the monastery associated with St Hilda. This was founded in 640 by St Aidan. Its first abbess was an Irish princess called Hieu, whose name may be the origin of the headland's name Heugh. In 649 Hieu was succeeded by St Hilda who remained until 657, when she founded the monastery at Whitby.
Hilda was the great niece of Edwin, one of the most powerful kings of Northumbria. When Edwin took the Christian faith and was baptised in 627, so was she. The Venerable Bede writes her up at length, although she merits only a line in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Bede wrote: 'So great was her prudence that not only ordinary folk but kings and princes used to come and ask her advice in their difficulties and take it'. Her importance can be measured by the fact that the Synod of Whitby, in 664, at which it was agreed to go along with the Roman Church over matters such as calculating the date of Easter and so on, took place at her abbey.
The monastery at Hartlepool appears to have declined in importance in subsequent years. It was finally destroyed by the Danes in the ninth century. The church of St Hilda dates from the 13th century, being originally built as a burial place for the Norman De Brus family, who owned a great deal of land in the area.
The Venerable Bede
Bede lived at a time of great artistic and intellectual achievement to which he made a remarkable contribution. He entered St Peter's monastery at Wearmouth at the age of seven and when he was about 13 he went to Jarrow, where he spent most of his life. He wrote a great number of books, including numerous Commentaries on the Bible and works on natural history, the art of writing, poetry and time – indeed it was Bede who popularised the BC/AD dating system, based on the birthdate of Christ, which has become our fundamental calendar tool. But Bede's most famous work is his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed in 731, which earned him the title 'Father of English History'. Based on ground-breaking methods of historical research it has been described as a 'unique and authoritative record of our national history' (Leo Sherley-Price 1988). We are greatly indebted to Bede for the knowledge he has given us of the history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the fifth century up to his own time, particularly in relation to the spread of Christianity.
Resources
This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.
Museum of Hartlepool: Time Team Exhibition
Museum of Hartlepool, Jacksons Dock, Maritime Avenue, Hartlepool TS24 OXZ
(adjacent to the Hartlepool Historic Quay)
Tel: 01429 860 077
E-mail: arts-museums@hartlepool.gov.uk
(A collaboration between Hartlepool Arts and Museums Service and Tees Archaeology)
Following on from the Time Team programme, the Museum of Hartlepool exhibited information about the Time Team visit. This included information about the archaeology of the area, photos of the Time Team dig, the skeleton (temporarily – after which she was re-interred) and the magnificent leather-bound book made for the programme – plus a display of archaeologists' 'tools of the trade' and a 'discovery pit' sandbox for visitors to have a go at 'digging up an artefact'. The calf-mould used to make the seal on the book (found in 1984) is also on view at the Museum, along with a vast range of objects and artefacts cataloguing the history of Hartlepool.
Bede's World
Church Bank
Jarrow
Tyne and Wear
NE32 3DY
Tel: 0191 489 2106
Website: www.bedesworld.co.uk/
Bede's World tells the remarkable story of the life and times of the Venerable Bede (673–735 AD), the Northumbrian boy who grew up to be one of the greatest scholars of the early Middle Ages. Visitors can explore the origins of early medieval Northumbria and Bede's life and achievements, both through his own writings and through archaeological excavations of the monasteries at Jarrow and other sites.
Bede's World aims to preserve the Jarrow site as a centre of historical, religious and cultural importance in the north of England, focusing on the life, times and work of the Venerable Bede.
Bede's World includes a monastic workshop/cell thatched timber building based on excavated remains at Hartlepool and a reconstruction of King Edwin's 7th-century great hall at the royal residence of Adgefrin (Yeavering, near Wooler in Northumbria). The world outside the monastery is being recreated on Gyrwe (the Anglo-Saxon name for Jarrow), a reclaimed site landscaped and planted with species of native trees that Bede would have recognised.
Here, using farming methods and other skills familiar to the people of Bede's day, an experimental farm keeps rare breeds of animals, including cattle, pigs, hens and geese, while ancient strains of cereals and vegetables are grown and harvested by hand. Experimental ploughing using cattle and primitive ploughs is also carried out at the site.
St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool
The Rev Peter Kashouris
The Rectory
Church Close
Hartlepool
TS24 0PW
Tel: 01429 267030
E-mail: rectory@cwcom.net
Website: http://homepages.tesco.net/~ian.pounder/
The beautiful church of St Hilda dominates the headland on which the Anglo-Saxon monastery at Hartlepool once stood. Dating from the 13th century, it was built as a burial place for the Norman De Brus family who owned much land in the area. One of the Anglo-Saxon namestones, or grave markers, is now kept at the church. For those who can't visit in person, there is a virtual tour of St Hilda's on the website above.
Angelcynn Anglo Saxon Living History 400–900
Ben Levick, 2 Prospect Row, Old Brompton, Gillingham, Kent ME7 5AL
Tel: 01634 845558
Website: www.angelcynn.org.uk
Angelcynn (pronounced 'Angle-kin') is an Old English word meaning 'the English People'. In the 21st century Angelcynn is a living history society which aims to recreate, as authentically as possible, the richness of the birth of a nation which has passed into legend and into lore.
Other websites
The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/subjects/british_isles/anglo-saxon/anglo-saxon.html
The Labyrinth provides free, organised access to electronic resources in medieval studies through a world wide web server at Georgetown University. The Labyrinth's easy-to-use menus and links provide connections to databases, services, texts and images on other servers around the world. The emphasis is on the study of Old English, so there are plenty of links off the usual beaten track (such as to a language study site offering 'Old English Aerobics' or others offering sound recordings of Old English poetry), but it is also an excellent 'gateway' to all things Anglo-Saxon on the web.
The bookbinding reconstruction
www.ncl.ac.uk/bindery/timeteam1.html
Owen Bradford is a national vice chairman of the Society of Bookbinders and the craftsman responsible for the leather binding made as a reconstruction for the Hartlepool programme. He has set up a website tracing the process by which he created it.
ORB: The Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/early/pre1000/ASindex.html
Another excellent Anglo-Saxon 'gateway' site with lots of links (see the Hereford programme from the 2000 series for more details on this and other Anglo-Saxon web links).
Anglo-Saxon recipes
www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/Web/People/mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html
Fancy 'small bird and bacon stew' or a 'jellie of fyshe'? A selection of Anglo-Saxon and medieval recipes are provided on this website for those whose archaeological interests have a culinary side to them.
Anglo-Saxon clothing
www.angelcynn.org.uk/
This section of the Anglecynn website – Anglo-Saxon Living History – specialises in clothing and appearance of Anglo-Saxons.
Britannia
www.britannia.com/history/saxontime.html
Histories, biographies, timelines and links, including complete online copies of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other Old English manuscripts.
Hartlepool and the north east coast history
www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk
Local history website including information on Hartlepool.
Further reading
The Lindisfarne Gospels: A Masterpiece of Book Painting by Janet Backhouse (British Library) £4.99
This book describes how the famous illuminated manuscript was made, placing it in the context of early Christian Northumbria. With all the major pages and many details reproduced in colour, this handsomely produced book is an ideal introduction for anyone with an interest in manuscript illustration and the early history of the book in Britain.
The British Library also publishes a 35-minute video The Lindisfarne Gospels (£12.95), which includes location footage from Holy Island, Durham and Chester Le Street and allows the viewer to see and admire the superb quality of the manuscript illumination of the Gospels in far greater detail than is normally possible. The video is available in PAL, VHS and NTSC formats.
Both the video and book are available (postage free to UK addresses) from Turpin Distribution Services, Blackhorse Road, Letchworth, Herts SG6 1HN (tel: 01462 672555).
The Lindisfarne Gospels are on display at the New British Library at St Pancras, London.
The Anglo-Saxons by James Campbell, Eric John and Patrick Wormald (Penguin, 1991) paperback £15.99
Three distinguished historians open a window on the dimly lit centuries spanning the gap between the decline of the Roman empire and the Norman Conquest – an era marked by the ravages of the Viking invasions, the conversion to Christianity and the bloody rivalries of the neighbouring kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. Major figures such as Offa, Alfred, Edgar and Cnut are discussed in detail. This is the introduction to the period: handsomely produced, readable and crammed with hundreds of stunning photographs of the Anglo-Saxon legacy, from the glittering treasures of Sutton Hoo to the exquisite Bayeux Tapestry. A beautiful book.
Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest by H R Loyn (Addison Wesley Longman Higher Education, 1991) paperback £20.99
More than 30 years since its first edition, this book still remains a standard text on the social and economic development of Anglo-Saxon England from the first settlements in the fifth and sixth centuries AD to the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest. It draws on surviving legal and literary sources, as well as the latest findings of archaeologists, numismatists and art historians.
The Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England edited by Catherine E Karkoy (Garland Publishing, 1999) hardback £50
This volume offers comprehensive coverage of the archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England, bringing together essays on specific fields, sites and objects, and offering the reader a representative range of both traditional and modern methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches to the subject. Individual sections deal with settlement archaeology, the archaeology of church and monastery, death and burial and women and the material record.
The Anglo-Saxon World by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Oxford University Press, 1999) paperback £6.99
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle translated and edited by Michael Swanton (Dent, 1996) paperback £12.99
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is the first continuous national history of any Western people in their own language. This translation is the most complete and faithful yet published, with extensive notes referring the entries to current knowledge as well as to maps and genealogical tables.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle translated and edited by Michael Swanton (Exeter University Press, 1999) £5.99
A basic translation without the notes, maps and tables that accompany the above.
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