The Hindmarsh Family

Home | Armory | Origins | Early Records| Branches| Famous| Surnames| Anedotes| Contact

Bch 15. Holy Island, Aislaby, Durham - 1545

Holy Island, Northumberland

"Holy Island Castle, Northumberland"

Holy Island or Lindisfarne as it was originally known, is one of the most important sites in the history of Christianity in Britain. It was here in AD635 that St Aidan founded a monastery that was to become the spiritual and educational heart of Northumbria in its 'golden age'. Here, amongst his beloved animals and birds, St Cuthbert sought respite from his missionary work. Today that same peace can still be found, for twice each day the tide sweeps across the sands, severing the link with the mainland for several hours.
The 6th and 7th centuries were a period of outstanding brilliance both for Holy Island and the whole of Northumbria. Aidan and Cuthbert travelled and preached throughout the kingdom, which became the envy of Europe. Eidfrith, Bishop-Abbot 698-721, produced with his monks the magnificent illuminated texts known as the Lindisfarne Gospels. This 'golden age' was renowned for it's standing stone crosses, poetry and gold metalwork - but above all for the saintliest of men.
In 793, the first Vikings came in their longboats to burn, steal and kill. Time after time they returned to ravage the holy places, and in 875 the monks were forced to flee in terror, bearing their Gospels, the body of St Cuthbert and other precious relics. For 200 years the monastery remained uninhabited.
In 1082 the Benedictines revived the community, renaming Lindisfarne 'Holy Island' to commemorate the holy blood shed during the Viking invasions. The rebuilt sandstone priory remained inhabited for 450 years until Henry VIII ordered it's Dissolution in 1537. The priory was once more abandoned, to become a quarry for the new castle being built on the island against possible Scots incursions.
After the union of England and Scotland in 1603 the strategic importance of the castle diminished, although it remained in use as a garrison. At the beginning of the Civil War, the castle was a Royalist stronghold but soon fell to the Parliamentarians. After a long, slow decline. the castle became a private residence in 1880, being restored by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. In 1944 the castle was given to the National Trust.
The route across the Holy Island sands used in the time of Aidan and Cuthbert remains the only access to the mainland. In 1954 the causeway was opened, forming a permanent man-made link with the mainland, and extended in 1965. Nevertheless, the tide still renders the road impassable for 2 hours before high tide and 3 hours after, and once more Lindisfarne is restored to its island status.

Aislaby, Co. Durham

"Aislaby,Co Durham Map" Stockton Town Hall 1735 "Stockton Town Hall - 1735"

On the north side of the Tees is the village of Aislaby, a Viking place name which means Aislac's village. It is one of only a small number of Viking 'by' names on the north side of the river. Nearby, within 2 miles, is the market town of Yarm. It is this town rather than Aislaby which has attracted most attention in local history studies. Since the locations are close together the life style was probably similar, although the commercial activity in Yarm made it more of a place for the merchant rather than the farmer intent on rural activities. That said, the presence of the market would have drawn people from the surrounding area, including farmers, seeking to sell their produce and livestock. The following extract helps to create something of the atmosphere that prevailed in the area in prior to 1820:
"The River Tees at Yarm forms a northward pointing horse-shoe meander which encloses this attractive little Georgian market town on three sides. For many centuries Yarm was called Yarum, a name deriving from the Anglo Saxon word Gear. Pronounced 'yair', this was a pool for catching fish and would have been formed by a weir with a specially constructed channel to trap the fish. The 'um' on the end of the original name Yarum was an Anglo-Saxon plural, so Yarm means 'fish pools' or 'fish weirs'. Yarm may have been a place of importance in Anglo-Saxon times and there are traces of what are believed to be Anglo-Saxon stones in Yarm's parish church of St Mary Magdalene. From medieval times Yarm was the most important town and port on the River Tees and was, therefore, home to ropemakers, brewers, tanners, nailers, clockmakers and shipbuilders. In 1207 King John granted Yarm a weekly market and two annual fairs and from then on Yarm's prosperity grew. The wealth of Yarm was so great that it was frequently a target for Scottish raiders who sacked the town five times in the fourteenth century under the leadership of Robert the Bruce. As ships grew in size and became unable to navigate far up river, Yarm's importance declined and the role of the old town was taken over by Stockton and ultimately Middlesbrough, both of which are much further downstream."
At the same time as the development of Stockton as a major port, so Stockton’s surrounding town continued to grow. From just 120 non-brickdwellings in 1666, Stockton had grown into a busy Hanoverian town by the mid 1700’s. It was at this time that it was decided to build a new Town Hall on the site of an old toll booth & cells. Stockton’s new Town Hall was completed in 1735 and extended further in 1744. It has since provided the town with a focal point and landmark and is still used to this day.

To view the family tree for this Branch click here.