Connections: King Edward I - Lanercost - Holiday Cottages

One relatively well known fact around here is that way back in medieval times Lanercost Priory was, for a short time, the centre of government for the UK. However, the circumstances around this are less well known.

The King at the time was Edward 1st....and we have been reading the biography by Marc Morris: "A great and terrible King"

Anyway...this is how he came to Lanercost. It was 1307 and the King was at the end of his life...he had been earning his nick name as the "Hammer of the Scots". August 1306 saw him travelling across Northumberland and staying at Hexham Abbey. From here progress westward was slow but eventually the retinue reached Lanercost. Here they stayed as 1306 turned into 1307.

However reversals in the Scottish campaigns galvanized him and by mid March 1307 he finally reached Carlisle. It was from here that he planned his next campaign. Even though seriously ill he rode out at the head of the hastily assembled army and headed for the Solway Firth. It took 10 days to cover just 6 miles....a truly sad indication of his health and on the 6th of July he stopped at Burgh by Sands. The next morning, a Friday and the Feast of St Thomas, he died.

STOP PRESS ...
Northumbria-Bways are proud to offer a selection of luxury cottages close to Lanercost Priory for holiday lettings. All of these cottages have been awarded 4 stars + Gold Award by EnjoyEngland and include De Vaux Cottage (pictured left) and De Moulton Cottage (both sleep up to 4 persons). The nearby Lanercost Tea Rooms, after only a few months of opening, made the final in the CN Group Business Awards 2009 for Cumbria's Best Day Out.

Carlisle Castle

For this post we are going a little way over the Northumberland/Cumbria border...to the border city of Carlisle. It tends to be one of the less glamorous castles but there is real history here.
For instance these are just three lesser known facts

1. Carlisle is a Crown castle. One of the only ones outside London.
2. Apart from the Tower of London there is no other Castle who has had a regimented billeted there for so long.
3. When Rudolf Hess flew into Scotland during WW2 he was captured and taken south. One of his overnight stops was at the Carlisle Castle.

We have the Ostlers at Gilsland which is only a few miles east of Carlisle. Anyway this is just a short blog to remind our visitors of what is up here.