LI1IDI8FABMS
269
LDTDISFABMS
Xdndiiftniet Ancient Diocese (Lindihfarnen-
tns) and Monastery of. — ^The island of Lindisfame
li^ some two miles off the Northumberland coast,
nine and one-half miles south-east of the border-town
of Berwick. Its length is about three miles aiid its
breadth about one and one-half. At low water it is
joined to the mainland. Twice each day it is accessi-
ble by means of a three-miles track from Beal across
the sands. The wet and plashy road is indicated by
wooden posts. The population does not exceed 700.
This island is now usually called Holy Island, a desig-
nation dating back to the eleventh century. Lindis-
fame is famous as being the mother-church and reli-
gious capital of Northumbria, for here St. Aidan, a
Oolumban monk-bishop from lona, founded bis see in
635. The resemblance of Lindisfame to the island
whence St. Aidan came has obtained for it the title
of the lona of England. Aidan's mission was started
at the reouest of King Oswald, who had been educated
by the Celtic monk, and who then resided on the main-
land at the royal fortress of Bamborough. Holy Isle
became the centre of great missionary activity ami also
the episcopal seat of sixteen successive bishops. The
influence of these spiritual rulers was considerable, ow-
ing in great measure to the patronage afforded hy kings
such as St. Oswald. Not only did St. Aidan fix his see
here, but he also established a monastic community,
thus conforming himself, as Bede says, to the practice
of St. Au^stine at Canterbury (Hist, eccl., IV, xxvii).
Fit)m this monastery were founded all the churches
between Edinbui^gh and the Humber, as well as several
others in the great midland district and in the country
of the East Angles. Among the holy and famous men
educated in Lmdisfarne were St. Ceadda (Chad) of
Lichfield and his brothers Cedd, Cynibill, Caclin, also
St. Egbert, St. Edilhun, St. Ethelwin, St. Os\*^y the
King, and the foyr bishops of the Middle Angles: Di-
uma, Cellach, Trumhere, and Jaruman. Bishop Eata
was one of the twelve native Northumbrian boys
whom Aidan had taken to Lindisfame *'to be in-
structed in Christ ". St. Adamnan visited the monas-
tery, and St. Wilfrid received his early training there.
Ttis original buildings were probably of wood. We
rsome notion of their unpretending character from fact that St. Finan, Aidan's successor, found it necessary to reconstruct the church so as to make it more worthy of the see. This he did after the Irish fashion, using hewn oak with a roof of reeds. A later iHshop, Eadbert, removed the reeds and substituted sheets of lead. This modest structure was dedicated by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury in honour of St. Peter, and within it, on the right side of the altar, reposed the body of St. Aidan . Portions of this primi- tive cathedral existed in 1082, when they disappeared to make room for a more elaborate and lasting edifice. Owing probably to a desire to guard against irregulari- ties, such as had taken place at Coldingham, entrance to the church was not permitted to women. For the latter a special church was provided, called the Green Church from its situation m a ^reen meadow. This exclusion of women was for a tune observed at Dur- ham.
Lindisfame owes much of its glory to St. Cuthbert, who ruled its church for two years, and whose incor- rupt body was there venerated during two centuries. In 793 the Danes invaded the island, pillaged the church, and slaughtered or drowned the monks. In 875 they returned, bent on further destruction, but the monks had fled, bearing with them St. Cuthbert's shrine. This took place during the episcopate of Bishop Eardulf. who was the last to rule the See of Lindisfame. The half-ruined church, however, gave temporary shelter to the relics of St. Cuthbert at the time when William the Conqueror was engaged in sub- duing Northumbria, but the see was never re-estab- Hshed there. It was fixed for a time at Chester-le- Street by Eaniulf, and in 995 transferred to Durham.
Here it remained till the change of religion in the siX'^
teenth century. The Anglican succession, however,
still continues. When the hierarchy was restored to
England by Pius IX in 1850, this venerable Catholic
bishopric was refounded under the title of Hexham
and Newcastle.
The ecclesiastical ruins on Holy Island date from the eleventh century. By a charter of 1082 Bishop Carileph bestowed the church of Lindisfame on the Beneclictines, whom he had brought to Durham from Wearmouth and Jarrow; and for them he began the Norman church the remains of which still exist. His successor, Bishop Fiambard, completed the work, the architect l)eing a monk of Durham named ^Edward. The succession of priors and monks was always ai>- I>ointed hy the mother-church of Durham, and their yearly accounts were rendered to the same parent- house. From these statements, still extant, we gather that in its best days the priory income was equal to about £1200 of present money. During the priorate of Thomas Sparke (1536) the house was dissolved, and at his death, in 1571, the property passed into the hands of the Dean and Chapter of Durham. Since 1613 the site of the priory has belonged to the crown. The church, under the invocation of St. Cuthbert, was a copy of Durham cathedral on a small scale. The similarity is especially observable in the voluted and chevroned columns of the nave. Its length was 150 feet. The tower was still standing in 1728. A pil- grimage, consisting of 3000 persons, crossed the sands to Holy Island in 1887 — the twelfth centenary of St. Cuthbert's d^th. The following is a list of the bishops of Lindisfame, with dates of accession:— (1) Aidan, 635; (2) Finan, 652; (3) Colman, 661; (4) Tuda^ 664. (For fourteen vears Lindisfame was included in Diocese of York under Chad and Wilfrid.) (5) Eata, 678; (6) Cutbert, 685; (7) Eadbert, 688; (8) Eadfrid, 698; (9) Ethelwold, 724; (10) Cynewiilf, 740; (11) Higbald, 780; (12) Egbert, 803; (13) Hcathored, 821; (14) Ec- gred, 830; (15) Eanbert, 845; (16) Eardulf, 854.
The book called the "Lindisfame Gospels" ("St. Cuthbert's Gospels" or the "Durliam Book") is still preserved in the British Museum Library (Cotton MS. Nero D. iv) . This volume must not be confounded with a small copy of St. John's Gospel found in St. Cuth- bert's coffin in 1104, and now at Stonyhurst. The former was written at Lindisfame by Eadfrid "in honour of St. Cuthbert " about 700. It consists of 258 leaves of thick vellum, 13^ X 9| inches, and contains the Four Gospels in the Latin of St. Jerome's Version, written in double columns with an interlinear Saxon gloss — the earliest form of the Gospels in English. It also contains St. Jerome's Epistle to Pope Damasus, his Prefaces, the Eusebian Canons, arguments of each Gospel, ana " Capitula ", or headings of the lessons. The glossator, Aldred, states that the ornamentation was the work of Ethelwold (724-40), and that the precious metal cover was made by Bilfrid (Billfrith) the anchorite. It is written in a splendid uncial hand, and adorned with intricate patterns, consisting of interlaced ribbons, spiral lines, and geometrical knots, terminating sometimes in heads of birds and beasts. The intervening spaces are filled with red dots in va- rious designs. Before each Gospel is a representation of the Eyangelist. A table of festivals with special lessons seems to indicate that this manuscript was copied from one used in a church at Naples. It is sur- mised that the Neapolitan manuscript found its way into England in the time of Archbishop Theodore, whose companion, Adrian, was abbot of Nisita near Naples. (For a fiiller treatment of the origin of the manuscript, see Dom Chapman's "Early History of the Violgate Gospels ", where he gives a slightly differ- ent view of the subject.) The book remained at Lin- disfame till the fiignt of the monks, about 878, when it was carried away together with the relics. During the attempted passage to Ireland, it fell into the sea^
