SolomonKey,
Very good post !!
Brinkburn Priory lies on a small haugh in a bend of the River Coquet, some four miles east of Rothbury.
Founded in the reign of Henry I by William Bertram, Baron of Mitford as a house for Augustine canons, the exact date is not known but thought to be somewhere between 1130 and 1135 as Henry died in this latter year. The architects responsible for Longframlington Church a few miles away are likely to have been the builders.
The Priory acquired scattered lands in Northumberland and Durham over the years but the house was never very wealthy. Little is known of the history of the house other than that gleaned from the records now housed in the British Museum. It survived some troubled times and as late as 1419 was raided and robbed. In 1535 the value was recorded as £69 and the house was finally dissolved in 1536 along with all those other minor house with an income of less than £200.
Services continued to be held at Brinkburn and the church was retained in a fair state of repair till the end of the 16th century. In 1602 it was reported to be in a state of decay, a situation which worsened over the years and eventually the roof collapsed.
In the middle of the 18th century Dr Sharpe, Archdeacon of Northumberland tried to effect repairs and although there was considerable support for the project work could not continue due to a dispute between the owner, William Fenwick, and the Vicar of Felton.
In the 19th century the owner of Brinkburn tried to revive the restoration of the church and work began in 1858. The roof was completed along with a number of masonry repairs in 1859 and the stained glass windows inserted between 1861 and 1864; but the church was not furnished till 1868.
A number of interesting finds were made during the reconstruction. The tombstone of Prior William, suffragan Bishop of Durham who died in 1484 was found among the debris and the original altar stone with five crosses is still preserved along with an ancient font. In 1834 another discovery was made about 50 yards from the church when a bronze pot containing almost 300 Rose Nobles of Edward III, Richard II, and Henry IV were discovered.
Tradition tells of a party of marauding Scots who were unable to find the Priory, although close by. The band failed in their bid to plunder and started off for home when they were startled to hear the sound of bells, which the monks rang in joy at their departure. The Scots returned and following the sound of the bells, forced their way through a dense wood to the Priory. Pillage was the order of the day and the Priory burned.
However this story should be taken with a pinch of salt: a similar tale is told of Blanchland.
Nearby, a deep part of the river bears the name of "Bell Pool". The ubiquitous Scots during one of their raids flung the Priory bells into the river at this spot. And tradition also tells us that whoever recovers the bells will be well rewarded by other treasures.
Other tales tell of the burial place of the Northumbrian fairies within the Priory lands whilst Gawen's Field on the estate takes its name from Gaweb Redhead, a border reiver, whose abode was a hollow oak tree, so large that a half dozen calves were wintered in it.
Digman.
