Legendary roots of the yews of Beltingham
Last updated at 14:40, Friday, 02 January 2009
THE three ancient yew trees that stand in the churchyard of a Tynedale church are well celebrated in the area.
It is no surprise that the parishioners of St Cuthbert’s Church, Beltingham, take great pride in the giant trees, with the largest one thought to be around 2,000 years old.
It is said that the yews at St Cuthbert’s are probably the oldest in the country.
The oldest tree, which is supported by iron bands, stands on the north side of the church.
The yews are so popular in the hamlet of Beltingham that a book consisting of poems and prose inspired by the trees was launched back in April 2007.
The Sacred Yew: The Ancient Roots of Beltingham proved to be a top seller in the area with local people lining up at the double to purchase the unique compilation.
The book was a culmination of the efforts put in by Sacred Yew Ancient Roots of Beltingham project that aims to spread the word about the ancient trees.
High profile contributions came from naturalist David Bellamy and British actor Robert Hardy, who concentrates on longbows which were made from yew trees.
There is no doubt that trees at Beltingham would have been used for making longbows in the past.
Yews were also planted to protect the church from wind and rain storms, and the strategic placing of the tree to the north of the church served the purpose of screening the building from the bitter blasts that sweep across the valley during the winter months.
The yew was classed as a sacred tree at one point and the trees were planted when the original churches were erected in many parts of the country.
Throughout St Cuthbert’s long history, the name Ridley has been strongly linked with the church.
None more so than the martyr Dr Nicholas Ridley who was believed to have been born in nearby Willimontswick.
Dr Ridley was the most famous person to have been baptised at St Cuthbert’s and went on to become Bishop of London.
His family was one of the Border Reiver families and was prominent in the Haltwhistle area, but Dr Ridley chose the path of religion.
During the reign of the Protestant Edward VI, he became Bishop of Rochester in 1547, before becoming Bishop of London three years later.
He was revered for his compassion for the poor, but his refusal to renounce his Protestant faith when the Catholic Mary Tudor ascended the throne led to his arrest.
On October 16, 1555, he was burned at the stake opposite Balliol College, Oxford.
Offered a last opportunity to renounce his faith and therefore save his life, Dr Ridley steadfastly refused.
As the fire flamed towards him he was heard to courageously shout, ‘Lord, Lord receive my spirit’.
Another Ridley who was famed for his role in the preservation of St Cuthbert’s was Major John Ridley.
By 1650 the church had fallen on hard times and was in a dilapidated condition, so in stepped Major Ridley to restore the building in 1663.
There have been two further restorations to the church, in 1812 and 1884, which have helped the building survive over the years.
But it is not only the beauty of the building itself that makes St Cuthbert’s a wonderful place of worship. The picturesque surroundings add to the appeal of the church.
Situated on a prominent site above the ravine of Beltingham Burn and close to the south bank of the River South Tyne, the congregation is spoiled by the treats of nature on the church’s doorstep.
Visitors to the church pass through a lych gate which was donated by the Queen Mother’s uncle, the Hon. Francis Bowes-Lyon in 1904.
The gate was donated along with around 400 square yards of land on which farm buildings once stood. These buildings were demolished to clear the view of the church and illuminate the importance of St Cuthbert’s as a place of worship.
The church had a long association with the Bowes-Lyon family who once lived at nearby Ridley Hall.
On the far right hand side of the churchyard is a separate plot containing the graves of family members, and close by is a tree planted in 1988 by the Queen Mother, who was from another branch of the Bowes-Lyon family.
The earliest evidence of a place of worship in the hamlet is to be found in the form of a shaft of a Saxon cross at the east end of the church.
Little more evidence of the history dating back to the Saxon church exists, but it is believed that St Cuthbert preached there during his missions to the remote parts of Northumberland in the ninth century.
The present building is in the perpendicular style – the only church solely in this style in Northumberland – and dates back to around 1500.
St Cuthbert’s witnessed the violence of the Border wars and Reiver raids, with the vicar reportedly being carried off by Scots raiders in 1311 and his house put up for rent to pay a ransom.
The church was originally used as a chapel-of-ease to Haltwhistle Parish Church, and was also thought to have served as a private chapel to the Ridley family.
The link with Haltwhistle ended in May 1890 and ties between the parishes of Beltingham and Henshaw were formed.
Since then, a single congregation has shared worship at either St Cuthbert’s or All Hallows, Henshaw.
There are a number of ancient graves at the church but some of them are worn beyond legibility.
The oldest grave that can still be read is that of Thomas Dodd, who died on October 13, 1781, with a carving of a face supported by a pair of wings accompanying his details.
First published at 13:40, Friday, 02 January 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk
