bewcastle...
A journey through the ‘wastes' around Bewcastle stirs the imagination with visions of Roman soldiers patrolling the forward defences of Hadrian's Wall,
Norman barons holding sway in their fortified castles and the activities of the notorious Border Reivers - reared on a family-fed diet of blackmail, theft, murder and mayhem.
About the area
History & Heritage
In AD 122, Emperor Hadrian embarked on an ambitious project to build a wall from one side of the country to the other.
bewcastle history
bewcastle heritage
Oddities
Reiver baptisms
At Reiver baptisms, the right hand of a male child was deliberately left unchristened so that it might deal a ‘more deadly . . . blow to the enemy'.
Reiver conflicts
The word ‘bereaved' comes from ‘to be reived', i.e. to lose your life through bloody Reiver conflicts.
Bewcastle Church
Legend says that at one time only women were buried in Bewcastle Church, as their menfolk were usually hanged in Carlisle for reiving crimes.
Oldest Carboniferous rocks
Some of the oldest Carboniferous rocks in Britain are exposed on the fells east of Bewcastle.
RAF Spadeadam
RAF Spadeadam was opened in the 1950s as a test area for the Blue Streak ballistic missile.
Bewcastle accommodation
Using this search
This quick search allows you to find properties around within 5 miles of Bewcastle. For more detailed searches click on the advanced option.Eric Robson's Bewcastle
Chair of gardener's question time on BBC radio 4, acclaimed writer and broadcaster Eric Robson gives his own unique introduction to Bewcastle.
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