the history of bewcastle...
In AD 122, Emperor Hadrian embarked on an ambitious project to build a wall from one side of the country to the other. Its aim was to keep out the northern tribes and to demarcate the northern frontier of the vast Roman Empire. It became known as Hadrian's Wall and took six years to complete, with forts established at strategic locations and milecastles (small defensive gateways) placed every Roman mile (1.48 km). The Wall extended from Bowness-on-Solway in the west to Wallsend in the east, with fortifications continuing down the Cumbrian coast to Ravenglass. Some of the best- preserved sections are at Birdoswald (Banna) and Gilsland.
At the same time, the Romans built an outpost fort at Bewcastle - Fanum Cocidii (Temple of Cocidius), after a Celtic deity that the Romans adopted (plaques and altars dedicated to Cocidius can be seen at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle). The fort patrolled the territory north of Hadrian's Wall as part of the Wall's defences. Around 142 AD the Roman army moved north to the new frontier of the Antonine Wall, but only for a short time. Following retreat from the Clyde-Forth line in 163 AD, the Bewcastle fort was re-manned. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries upwards of 1000 men were garrisoned here, until the gradual withdrawal of troops in the 4th century.
During the so-called Dark Ages, there may have been a monastic cell at Bewcastle - a theory supported by the presence of the early Anglian cross in the churchyard that must have been placed near a pre-existing building of worship. The finely crafted cross is thought to have been erected in commemoration of King Alcfrith of Deira (reigned 641-670 AD) and indicates increasing Anglian influence in the old Celtic kingdom of Rheged.
After Cumberland was wrested from Scottish control by William Rufus (son of William the Conqueror), a line of castles was built to defend the newly acquired territory from future attack. One of these was at Bewcastle - conveniently sited in the north-eastern corner of the old Roman fort. The first castle was probably constructed of timber and later rebuilt in stone salvaged from the remains of the fort.
The problem of persistent Scottish incursions continued, and Edward I's unsuccessful attempts to subjugate the nation only added to the problem and led to 300 years of cross-border warfare. Living under a constant regime of violence created a tough, independent breed of Border folk, who turned to theft, arson, kidnap, blackmail and murder as a means of survival. They became known as the Border Reivers (or ‘stealers'). Families on both sides of the border were involved and the feuds so bloody and brutal that those that could made their homes as impregnable as possible by building sturdy pele towers or bastles (fortified farmhouses) - the remains of which survive as isolated ruins today or became part of later buildings. Some of these defensive structures can be seen at Pele o'Hill and Askerton Castle (see ‘Local Produce').Kershopeburn was taken as the boundary between England and Scotland. Here truce days were arranged so that grievances could be aired and decided by mutual agreement or individual combat.
Tullie House Museum has a fascinating 10-minute audio-visual presentation on the Reivers. The underground Millennium Walkway lists the names of the most notorious reiving surnames (Elliott, Armstrong, Graham, Bell, Nixon and Robson), while the Bishop's Stone is inscribed with the words of the Archbishop of Glasgow who publicly excommunicated the Reivers in 1525.
The border battles finally petered out with the union of the English and Scottish crowns in 1603. James I stamped his authority on the wayward clans by summarily executing many of the main protagonists and deporting others to where they couldn't cause any more trouble - namely, Ireland (many later emigrated to the newly established North American colonies).
Bewcastle is primarily a livestock-rearing area - Galloway cattle and Scottish black-faced sheep graze the fields, and the occasional sight of a lime kiln testifies to the historic need to ‘sweeten' the harsh acidic soils with quicklime to enhance growing conditions.
In the 1920s the Forestry Commission planted up huge swathes of the Bewcastle ‘wastes', which stretched across the Northumberland border. Kielder Forest is the largest man-made forest in Britain; its vast acres of conifer plantations are now managed for their amenity and recreation value as well as for timber production. The forest tracks offer ample opportunities for mountain biking, hiking and horse riding, while Kielder Water is ideal for sailing, boating, canoeing and fishing.
On the edge of Bewcastle Fell is Spadeadam, the largest RAF station in England and the focus for low-flying aircraft on training flights.
