Home
NORTH EAST TIMELINE

Above: St. Aidan's Statue, Holy Island, Northumberland. Photo courtesy of freefoto.com

Prime Minister Tony Blair and The Millennium History of North East England by David Simpson. Photo courtesy of The Northern Echo

 

FreeFoto.Com

Back to top of page
About the Site

David Simpson / Books
North East England
The Timeline
Roots of the Region
Yorkshire Pages
Northumberland
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyneside
County Durham
Wearside
Durham City
Teesside
Coal and Railways
Coastal History
Kingdom of Northumbria
Dialect
Place Names
Surnames
The Borderlands
Hadrian's Wall
Christian history
Legends and Songs
Yorkshire Pages
City of York
Bibliography
Links
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Timeline of North East History

WILFRID AND CUTHBERT 657AD - 688AD

By David Simpson

657AD / 680AD

St. Cuthbert was a quiet, but athletic man, who loved nature and seclusion but who still had great compassion for his fellow men. St Wilfrid, by contrast, was a restless, controversial man who desired change. Wilfrid distanced himself from the austere Celtic style Christianity and favoured the grandeur of Roman practices. At the Synod of Whitby in 664AD, Wilfrid got his way and the North-East converted to Roman Christianity.


657AD – MONASTERIES AT RIPON AND WHITBY
(Ripon)
A monastery has been founded at Ripon by Irish monks from Melrose. Meanwhile St Hilda, abbess of Hartlepool, has established a monastery at Streanashalch (Whitby).

664AD – WILFRID MAKES BIG CHANGES AT WHITBY SYNOD
(Yorkshire Coast)
Today a great synod was held at Whitby to discuss the controversy regarding the timing of the Easter festival. Much dispute has arisen between the practices of the Celtic church in Northumbria and the beliefs of the Roman church which have a Bhold in the south of the country. The main supporters of the Celtic Christianity at Whitby are Colman of Lindisfarne, Hilda of Whitby and Cedd Bishop of Essex. St Wilfrid, a well travelled man, champions the Roman Christian cause and persuades the Northumbrians to reject old ways. Colman, Bishop of Lindisfarne resigns and returns to Iona. He is replaced by Bishop Tuda.

664AD – WILFRID BISHOP OF YORK
(York)
Tuda, Bishop of Lindisfarne, dies of plague and is succeeded by St Wilfrid who transfers the bishopric to York. Wilfrid claims no person in England can consecrate him and goes to France to be ordained. King Oswy replaces the absent Wilfrid with St Chad o f Lastingham.

669AD – KING ECGFRITH
(York)
Oswy, King of Northumbria, dies and is succeeded by Ecgfrith.

669AD – WILFRID’S SCHOOL
(York)
St Wilfrid returns to England as Bishop of York. He establishes a grammar school at St Peter’s minster in York and starts building a new minster in the city. He also establishes a new monastery at Ripon.

672AD – NORTHUMBRIAN EXPANSION CONTINUES
(North)
The Celts of Cumbria and Dumfries are conquered by Northumbria. The Picts of Caledonia are defeated in battle.

673AD – KING DIVORCES VIRGIN
(North)
King Ecgfrith divorces his virgin queen, Ethelreda of Ely, to marry his new love Ermenburga. Ethelreda becomes a nun and is given land at Hexham by the King. She gives the land to St Wilfrid to build a monastery. Ethelreda establishes a monastery at St Abbs Head (north of Berwick).

673AD – NORTH DEFEATS MIDLANDS
(England)
Ecgfrith of Northumbria defeats the Mercians (Midlanders) in battle.

674AD – MONASTERY AT WEARMOUTH
(Sunderland)
The Monastery of St Peter, Monkwearmouth, is founded by a noble called Benedict Biscop on land granted by King Ecgfrith. A great library will develop here with books from France and Rome, and the first coloured glass in England will be introduced into the monastery by continental glaziers. Gregorian chanting is also introduced.

676AD – ST CUTHBERT RETREATS TO REMOTE ISLAND
(Northumberland)
Cuthbert has retreated to the island of Inner Farne to live as a hermit.

678AD – ST WILFRID BANISHED
(North)
King Ecgfrith has banished Wilfrid from Northumbria. Ecgfrith may be jealous of Wilfrid’s long-standing friendship with his former wife.

WILFRID AND CUTHBERT (Anglo-Saxon period) Other dates

657AD / 680AD

THE TIMELINE BY ERA

ROMAN PERIOD

ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD

VIKING PERIOD

NORMAN PERIOD

MEDIEVAL PERIOD

TUDOR AND STUART PERIOD

GEORGIAN PERIOD

VICTORIAN PERIOD

TWENTIETH CENTURY

 

THE MILLENNIUM HISTORY OF NORTH EAST ENGLAND

by David Simpson

Published by leighton in association with The Northern Echo

ISBN 0-9536984-3-2

The Millennium History of North East England by David Simpson is published by Leighton, The Teleport, Doxford International, Sunderland, SR3 3XD, Tel +44 (0) 191 5252400 Fax +44 (0) 520 1815 www.bepl.com. The book is a 322 page full colour hard back book covering the history of the region from Roman times to the present day. To order copies of the book you can e-mail Andrea.Murphy@bepl.com

Author David Simpson and Paul Callaghan, Managing Director of leighton at the book launch held at Lumley Castle, Durham December 1999

www.northeastengland.talktalk.net