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.

Lanercost, Hadrian's Wall - Enjoy Holiday Cottages With History

Lanercost is almost a forgotten gem set in the heart of the North Cumbrian countryside. Just a few miles north of the market town of Brampton lies the famous Priory founded in 1165. As is usual for Cumbria a quick visit to Visit Cumbria shows the Priory both at ground level and from the viewpoint of aerial photography. English Heritage also have facts to add to the history.

But researching Lanercost on google also brought up the "chronicle of Lanercost" from 1272 - 1346. It's long and quite dry but goodness me, the detail can be fascinating and allows us to start to see the true depth of the history in this part of the world. As if all that is not enough, there's even the world heritage site of Hadrian's Wall nearby! So if you want to stay in this historic area, you might want to consider renting one of several, luxury Lanercost holiday cottages - just give us a call.

Northumbria Byways are pleased to offer a selection of 6 cottages. These include...

Howard House - A Lanercost cottage that sleeps up to 8 - pictured right

De Botherton - A Lanercost cottage that sleeps 6

Greystoke - One of the Lanercost cottages that sleeps up to 4 persons

Dacre - Another of the Lanercost cottages that sleeps up to 4