Medgaud

Lindesfarne, Lindisfarne, Holy Island, Holy Island of Saint Cuthbert

Site of the Abbey of the Holy Island of Saint Cuthbert, Medgaud Island is five or six miles over the sands at low tide or a mile by boat from Bamborough (Bamburgh), Glennie's Castle Orgulus. At low tide, twice a day, it is connected to the mainland of Northumberland.

It has a recorded history from the sixth century AD. The Irish monk Saint Aidan founded the monastery of Lindisfarne before the end of 634, where he remained until his death in 651. King Oswald had sent him from Iona off the west coast of Scotland to Northumbria.

Saint Cuthbert was a monk at the monastery and he later became the abbot, and later Bishop of Lindisfarne. The Venerable Bede recorded Cuthbert's miracles and life. Saint Cuthbert is Northumberland's patron saint.

The Lindisfarne Castle was built in 1550, using the stones from Lindisfarne Priory, which went out of use about this time.