As The Glittering North opens at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, an event celebrating the region’s Norse and Viking heritage, Curator Julie Biddlecombe-Brown looks back at Raby’s connection to those legendary times

The word “Viking” conjures for many people images of ferocious looking invaders, advancing longships, helmets adorned with vast cow horns, or, for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Network, of actor Chris Hemsworth depicting the mighty Norse god Thor.

Chris Hemsworth as ThorBut who were the Vikings really?

From around AD700 to 1100 many Scandinavians, or “Norse”, sailed from their homelands to far-flung countries from modern day Turkey to North America and their contacts included the British Isles.

These intrepid explorers, known better to us as “Vikings”, travelled for many reasons. Some were violent raiders, others wanted to trade or, later, to settle as farmers.

People seem to be coming under attack from above on this stone in Lindisfarne Priory depicting the Viking raidsViking raids famously took place on British shores from the late AD700s, giving them their fearsome reputation. The most famous of these in this area was the raid on the monastery at Lindisfarne in AD 793 – one of many raids on wealthy monastic sites.

Almost a century later, an army of Vikings came to conquer Britain, eventually controlling most of England, including the old Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, which included Northumberland, County Durham and parts of Yorkshire.

The Glittering North at Raby Castle. Pictures: Sarah CaldecottThe Vikings were pagans, with a rich tradition of folklore, represented not only in their runic alphabet, intricate metal and woodwork.

They left their mark in many ways on Britain – many of our days of the week still have names rooted in Viking mythology, including Wednesday and Thursday (Odin’s Day and Thor’s day) which are named after Viking gods).

The name “Raby” probably dates from this period, being derived from the Danish “ra”, meaning a secluded corner or boundary, and “by” meaning a settlement. The place name “Råby” can be found in both Denmark and Sweden.

The earliest mention of the name Raby comes from the reign of King Canute, who ruled England, Norway and Denmark from around AD 1017-1036, styling himself as The Emperor of the North. The earliest evidence for King Canute’s ownership of the nearby village of Staindrop, including land at Raby, comes from the History of St Cuthbert (Historia Sancto Cuthberto), compiled sometime in the mid-to-late 11th Century.

This important text states that Raby, along with other local lands around Staindrop, were given by Canute around AD1031 to the shrine of St Cuthbert – then in located in Durham’s White Church, as the cathedral had yet to be built.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Canute travelled to Scotland in that year and a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Cuthbert would have been a politically and religiously important stop on the king’s journey northward. The king is believed to have walked five miles barefoot from Garmondsway, near Trimdon, to Durham on pilgrimage, and he gave the church a large estate around Staindrop and Gainford – his route is now part of The Way of Love saints’ trail.

Raby Castle in July 2024At the time Raby was given to the shrine at Durham, it was probably no more than a simple settlement site with fields, pasture, woods and a handful of small dwellings rather than the castle it later grew into under the ownership of the powerful Neville family.

No material traces of Raby’s ancient past can now be seen and much of the present-day castle dates from the AD1300s, but there are rumours that a Viking-age drinking horn was discovered during landscaping works around Raby Castle in the 1800s. This chance find was said to have been beautifully carved with the symbol of a raven (the bird traditionally associated with the god Odin) and shipped straight to London where the Duke and Duchess of Cleveland, the owners of the castle, were in residence. It has never seen since.

The Raby team are looking to track down what happened to this mysterious item, but for now, it remains a tantalising myth associated with this fascinating period of Viking history.

The Glittering North at Raby Castle

  • The Glittering North is a spectacle of live music, dance, puppetry and light which comes alive after dark, allowing groups of family or friends to move through it at their own pace.

Tickets can now be booked for October 19, 20, 26, 27, 30, 31 and November 1, 2, 3, with timeslots available from 4pm to 8pm.

Tickets cost £20 for adults, £13 for children, £66 for families (two adults + three children) and under threes are free.

To book, go to raby.co.uk/events/the-glittering-north/

 

The Glittering North at Raby Castle, by Sarah Caldecott