Excavating new ideas on Lindisfarne

Rethinking the past

John Woodhurst

As the Lindisfarne Gospels visit the Laing Art Gallery on September 17th, an archaeological dig on Holy island has led local historian John Woodhurst to come up with a revised theory about the history of the religous buildings there.

A local historian from Wooler has come up with a new interpretation of how the Lindisfarne monastery on Holy Island looked in the 9th and 10th centuries.

John Woodhurst was involved in an archaeological dig on the heugh, the ridge overlooking the Priory ruins, between 2016-19. The stone foundations of two chapels were found: a nave and chancel was discovered in 2017, and a second chapel was found under the existing Lantern Chapel at the end of the heugh a year later.

Radiocarbon dating proved inconclusive so John, a volunteer warden with Natural England on Lindisfarne Nature Reserve, decided to do some research. “Covid and lockdowns gave me time to focus on the historical research and examination of sources to arrive at a best-fit historical solution, given this lack of radiocarbon dates, and I feel we have come up with a radical new interpretation of the early medieval monastery.”

Searches for churches... Over the summer John is leading a series of walks on Lindisfarne, entitled ‘Searches for Churches’. The walks are free, but booking is essential. Contact john.woodhurst@yahoo.com or ring 01289 381470. Dates and times are in Glendale Live’s ‘what’s on’ section. John is also giving a talk to local history societies in the autumn about his findings. Any group or society which would like hear his talk can contact him on the above email.

The excavation of the Lantern chapel on Holy Island, carried out by Newcastle’s Archaeological Practice as part of the Lottery funded Peregrini-Lindisfarne Project.

Archaeologists discovered another, earlier chapel underneath.

He believes both chapels date from the late 9th or early 10th century and were commemorative stone buildings; one replacing the wooden St Aidan’s chapel dating from 635, and the other replacing Finan’s second chapel, also wood, built between 651-661.

“This means the heugh represents the inner vallum – or core – of the early medieval monastery, and somwhere in the vicinity therefore must be the site of the scriptorium in which Eadfrith designed the Lindisfarne Gospels in 720.” “I’m hoping this breaks the common belief that the Priory – built in 11301150 – was the home of St Cuthbert, who died in 687, or the Lindisfarne Gospels themselves.”

Richard Carlton, Director of Newcastle’s Archaeological Practice which sponsored the project, agrees.

“With few radiocarbon dates to go on, John’s interpretation does indeed offer a best-fit historical solution,” he says.