St Cuthbert's Cave
{{Short description|Sandstone cave in Northumberland, England}}
{{For|the cave in Somerset|St Cuthbert's Swallet}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox historic site
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|other_name = Cuddy's Cave
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| locmapin = United Kingdom Northumberland
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| location = Northumberland
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St Cuthbert's Cave, known locally as Cuddy's Cave or Cove, can refer to one of two natural sandstone caves in Northumberland, England, that have been traditionally associated with Saint Cuthbert, the 7th-century Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop and hermit.
Doddington cave
File:Cuddy's Cave - geograph.org.uk - 1085849.jpg, near Wooler]]
The first cave, in sandstone, is near Doddington in Northumberland. It is a very small cave, which seems to have been artificially enlarged, but there is a tiny natural elliptic tube at the back.Scaife, Chris: The Caves of Northumberland, Sigma Leisure, 2019 Neolithic cup and ring markings, now no longer visible, were sketched there by George Tate in 1865 who wrote that, "On the scalp of the rock where it dips into the hill, four figures are traceable; but from being very much defaced, it is difficult to make out these forms, even when viewed under a favourable light."[http://rockart.ncl.ac.uk/view/97 Cuddy's Cave], Beckensall archive, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Recent excavations, revealing extensive cup and ring markings, have been conducted at nearby Dod Law.[http://rockartmob.ncl.ac.uk/d/m/s3d.php Dod Law], illustrated interactive guide, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The project RAMP [http://rockartmob.ncl.ac.uk/indexD.php "Rock Art on Mobile Phones"] allows exploration of these neolithic sites using information from a mobile phone as a guide.
The cave's WGS84 coordinates are: {{coord|55.572709|-1.995802|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline}}.
Holburn cave
File:St Cuthbert's Cave - geograph.org.uk - 93124.jpg, between Belford and Lowick]]
The second cave, also of sandstone, is in the Kyloe Hills near Holburn, between Belford and Lowick. The woodlands and cave have been the property of the National Trust since 1981.{{cn|date=December 2024}} The cave is formed of overhanging rock, sufficiently large to provide shelter for a small group,[http://www.showcaves.com/english/gb/caves/Cuthbert.html English caves] with a width of 24m and height of 3m. The back wall is 7m from the face and there is a natural rock pillar in the middle of the cave.Scaife, Chris: The Caves of Northumberland, Sigma Leisure, 2019
The cave's WGS84 coordinates are: {{coord|55.610819|-1.907852|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline}}.
Legend of St Cuthbert
File:St-Cuthbert-Incorrupt.png of Saint Cuthbert]]
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 875 as the Danes ravaged Lindisfarne and
"... destroyed all the monasteries. Eardulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, and abbot Eadred, taking the body of St Cuthbert from the island of Lindisfarne, wandered about for seven years."
According to legend, these caves might have been among the places in which either the monks took shelter with their holy relic or where Cuthbert himself lived as an anchorite hermit before moving to the Farne Islands.{{harvnb|Colgrave|1985|p=324}}{{harvnb|Raine|1828|p=21}}
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See also
Notes
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References
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- {{citation|title=Saint Cuthbert: With an Account of the State in which His Remains Were Found Upon the Opening of his tomb in Durham in the year 1827|year=1828|url=https://archive.org/details/saintcuthbertwi00raingoog|first=James|last=Raine|publisher=G. Andrews}}
- {{citation|title=The ancient British sculptured rocks of Northumberland and the eastern borders: with notices of the remains associated with these sculptures|first=George|last= Tate|publisher=H.H. Blair|year= 1865}}
- {{citation|title=Two Lives of St. Cuthbert|first=Bertram|last= Colgrave|isbn=978-0-521-31385-8|year=1985|publisher=Cambridge University Press}}
Category:Tourist attractions in Northumberland
Category:History of Northumberland