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Excerpt from “A Backpackers Guide to Angland”

2009, Global Child Press

Dunholm Castle should not be confused with Dunholm castle. The smaller stone and wood structure is some mile away from the larger, more recent and well known structure. The older castle in question was built in 679 by king Ecgfrith and finished under his son Aethelfrits2.4h by 690. It is a common story, though mostly conjecture to have been proposed by Prince Aedwine as a way of keeping Ecgfrith from the court at the then capital of Bamburgh and so to cement his own power. It was around this time that Dunholm Abbey and the surrounding monastery was built and can be found about a mile away from the castle (see page 83) and the proximity to the Abbey made the castle a popular residence for both Ecgfrith and his son Aethelfrith who were both highly spiritual. The prosperity of the abbey and it being the home of a bishophric is probably due to the king’s patronage.

The castle became centre of Northumbria when in 707 Osred, son of Aedwine and also regent of Northumbria, moved the capital to the more central and accessible town of Dunholm. This would mark the start of the “Dunholm period” of Anglish history, which would last for almost a century and a half

The castle would later decline when the royal castle was moved elsewhere upon the death of Aethelred the Great. It would later become tradition to move the royal residence with the death of each king. The castle fell into ruins but since the 1980s has been restored to look like it did in Aethelfrith’s reign and has a good interactive tour, gift shop and café with locally sourced traditional meals.



Excerpts from A History of Britain

By Bede of Jarway

Book III

CHAPTER XIII : KING AETHELFRITH OF NORTHUMBRIA TRAVELS TO LINDESFARNE TO BE MARRIED TO CYNEDRYTH, SISTER OF KING WULFGAR OF MERCIA (690AD)

Seeking to bring the two kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia Aethelfrith of Northumbria, son of Ecgfrith and Nephew of regent Aedwine was married to Cynedryth, first child of Wulfhere of Mercia and sister of Wulfgar, King of Mercia. The marriage was carried out by Eadfrith, Archbishop of Lindisfarne and head of the Anglish Church who was previously Bishop of Whitby. The two then returned to the royal residence at nearby Bamburgh. The two would later have a son, Eanfrith. Who would become king of Angland.


CHAPTER XIV: WULFGAR OF MERCIA DIES AND A WAR BEGINS OVER HIS SUCCESSION (694AD)

In 694 AD a crisis of succession befell the kingdom of Mercia when in a twist of fate, Wulfgar, King of Mercia fell from his horse. In going so, he broke his leg and brought upon an infection to his body. Wulfgar was taken unto the lord without an heir as all his children had been taken from him at young ages. There came a split within the peoples of Mercia in where their loyalties lay. Some pledged to Cynedryth, sister of the king and as mentioned before, wife of Aethelfrith of Mercia. Others could not declare themselves to a woman nor a different kingdoms king and instead pledged their loyalty to Paedwyn a distant cousin of Wulfgar and a descendent of the old king Penda. With this split, war raged across Mercia between the two factions. Though clearly god had plans for the child of Cynedryth and Aethelfrith for by 696AD they prevailed and captured the rebel Paedwyn’s last stronghold of Hereford.

Upon the Queen’s victory it was decreed that Aethelfrith and Cynedryth’s child would be king of both Northumbria and Mercia and bear the title “King of the Anglish” and as it shall be discussed later this came to pass with Eanfrith’s ascension to the throne in 709 AD.