Aidan came to Bamburgh from the monastery of Iona in 635.
He came at the request of King Oswald for a bishop to bring the
message of the gospel to the people of Northumbria.
He was a wise and gentle man who lived a simple life, travelling mostly
on foot so that he could meet and talk to as many people as possible.
He got on well with rich and poor alike and was loved by all for his
generous spirit.
He founded a church on this spot and established a monastery on
Lindisfarne, which became a centre for prayer, learning and training of
missionary priests.
He taught people to love God, and understand the scriptures.
He gave away any gifts to the poor and used money to ransom slaves.
There has been a Christian community in Bamburgh ever since his time.
The Venerable Bede (673-735) wrote of Aidan that he
. . .
. . . gave his clergy an inspiring example of self-
discipline, and the highest recommendation of his teaching to all was that
he and his followers lived as they have taught.
. . . never sought or cared for any worldly
possessions, and loved to give away to the poor who chanced to meet him
whatever he received from kings or wealthy folk.
.
. . always travelled on foot unless compelled by necessity to ride; and
whatever people he met on his walks, whether high or low, he stopped and
spoke to them.
Oswald, son of the King of Northumbria, spent much of his childhood on
in exile on Iona, and was educated by the monks there.
He regained the kingdom in 633 when he defeated Cadwallon at the Battle
of Heavensfield, near Hexham, raising a large cross before fighting a much
larger force. Bamburgh was his royal castle.
He gave Lindisfarne to Bishop Aidan and helped him as an interpreter to
teach the people of the area in their own language.
King Oswald increased the spread of Christianity by persuading the King
of Wessex to accept preachers from Northumbria
Through marriage, alliances and diplomacy, as well as through battles,
he became recognised as king of all Saxon England.
Bede wrote of
Oswald that he
. . . always listened humbly and readily to Aidans
advice.
. . . while the bishop preached the Gospel, it
was most delightful to see the king himself interpreting the word of God
to his ealdorman and theigns.
. . . at length brought under his sceptre all the
peoples and provinces of Britain speaking the four languages, British,
Pictish, Irish, and English.
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