Durham St Cuthbert, Durham Genealogy: Difference between revisions

DURHAM, a '''city''', the '''capital '''of the county of Durham, and the '''head of a union''', 67 miles (E. S. E.) from Carlisle, 87 (N. E.) from Lancaster, 67 (N. W. by W.) from York. The city is surmounted by the '''cathedral '''and the remains of the ancient '''castle''', together with other ecclesiastical residences. The '''college''' was established at the same time as the university. The city comprises several '''parishes: St. Giles (1584), St. Mary Le Bow (1571), St. Mary-the-less (1560), St. Nicholas' (1540), St. Oswald's (1538), St. Margaret's (1557)''', as well as '''The (Durham) Cathedral (1609)'''. The parish of Durham St Oswald's also includes the village and chapelry of '''Shincliffe''' (1826) and part of the chapelry of '''Croxdale''' (1696) [see also Merrington Parish]. The chapelries of '''Belmont''' and  '''St Cuthbert''' were built respectively in the years 1858 and 1863 both of which also stood within the boundary of Durham ancient parish.  

There are places of worship for the '''Society of Friends, Independents, Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, and Roman Catholics'''. <ref>Lewis, Samuel A., [http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50932#s1 ''A Topographical Dictionary of England''], (1848), pp. 110-121.  Adapted. Date accessed: 12 December 2013.</ref>  

The Cathedral, originally dedicated to '''St Cuthbert''' until the Reformation, was then changed to '''Christ and St Mary'''. In 1863, a chapelry was created with a chapel, built within the ancient and civil parish of Durham, dedicated to St Cuthbert and is still in existence and in use, today.  

The earliest account of the place is in 995, when the bishop and monks of Lindisfarne, afterwards called Holy Island, who had removed to Chester-leStreet, and subsequently to Ripon, for sanctuary from the violence of Danish aggression, were returning to their church at Chester-le-Street, after an absence of four months, with the disinterred body of '''St. Cuthbert, '''which had been buried at Lindisfarne, in 687. According to the superstitious legend, on their arrival at the spot where Durham now stands, a miraculous interposition rendered the carriage which conveyed the body, and other relics, immoveable; and this incident they construed into a divine prohibition against the return of the saint's remains to their former resting-place. They likewise interpreted some other circumstances into an intimation that Dunholme was destined to receive the sacred relics; and on the west corner tower of the east transept of the cathedral are still some emblematic devices designed to commemorate the occurrence. They forthwith proceeded to construct a sort of ark, or tabernacle, of wicker-work, wherein they deposited the saint's body; subsequently a more appropriate edifice was erected, called the White Church. <ref>Lewis, Samuel A.[http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50932#s1 '', A Topographical Dictionary of England''] (1848), pp. Adapted. Date accessed: 12 December 2013.</ref>