It's always the case, isn't it? As you can tell from my previous post, a week or so ago I visited Whittingham in Northumberland. I had a walk around the surrounding countryside, then had a brief look around the village before setting off for home. Then, a few days later, I read through the 'Visitor Guide' to the church of St.Bartholomew ... and realised that I'd missed the most important spot in the little settlement.
First, of here's a map of the village, taken from said 'guide':
(click on image to enlarge)
Now, at the western extremity of the village can be seen the point where the Callaly Burn joins the River Aln. A track crosses the two waterways at the point marked '2 fords', named (by the modern-day drawer of the map!) as 'Twyforde on Alne'. It is speculated that this is where a very important synod was held in 684AD, at which Ecgfrith, King of Northumbria, appointed Cuthbert as Bishop of Lindisfarne. We can't be sure about the location, but ancient records say that the event took place at 'Twyforde (twin-ford) on Alne' - and the 'double ford' in question was, it is argued, this very spot in Whittingham. It should be noted, too, though, that Alnmouth also claims to have been the venue for the famous synod!
So, obviously, I didn't get a photo of the 'double ford', but here is an image from the Geograph website. You can, at least, see one of the two crossings:
© Copyright David Clark and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
In support of Whittingham's claim, it should be noted that the site lies very close to the Devils' Causeway, a Roman road that angles northwards towards Lindisfarne.
So, who knows?
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