president's address. 239 



success more apparent than real, he now strove to accomplish by 

 the aid of the holy Aidan, whom he had brought from Iona, 

 where he himself had found refuge and Christian instruction in 

 his youth, during the reign of his cousin, JEdwine. Few pic- 

 tures in old English history are so striking as that of the good 

 Scottish bishop, accompanied by the great Saxon Bretwalda, 

 his royal friend and interpreter, journeying throughout the wide 

 extent of ancient Northunibria in long mission journeys. It is 

 a subject on which our Northumbrian painters might find fitting 

 scope for their genius. Probably Ebchester was among the 

 places visited and evangelised ; and where, perhaps, some earlier 

 church, or basilica, had stood within the ruined ramparts of 

 Vindomora, the pious brother and sister would cause to arise a 

 new Christian sanctuary, built chiefly of Roman stones, like the 

 present church, "land and money," as Bede tells us, "being 

 provided by the King's bounty." The monastery on the banks 

 of the Derwent would in that dark age prove a centre of light 

 and civilization, till it was extinguished for a time by the 

 terrible Danish invasion. Ebba is still better known by her 

 connection with Coldingham, north of the Tweed, where St. 

 Cuthbert visited her new religious establishment, built like her 

 native Bamborough on the grand cliffs of the rock-girt headland 

 which still bears her name, St. Abb's Head. At Ebba's Nook, 

 also, was a chapel, not far from Holy Island. It is said that a 

 piece of cloth presented by Ebba was so regarded by St. Cuth- 

 bert that it was preserved, and used, like the sheet presented to 

 him by Virca, abbess of Tynemouth, as one of those in which 

 his body was swathed. Seven centuries after his death we find 

 among the precious relics at Durham "a particle of the cloth 

 which St. Ebba gave to St. Cuthbert, in which he lay for 418 

 years and five months."* The tradition of the Scottish Church is 

 that she received the veil from Finan, and was buried in her 

 own monastery of Coldingham, in whose deeds St. Ebba is as- 

 sociated with St. Cuthbert and St. Mary, so high was the 

 honour, after death, of her who has given to Ebchester its 

 name. 



* Hainc's "St. Cuthbert; - p. 199 



