Northumbria in the Days of Bede by Peter Hunter Blair

Northumbria in the days of Bede is that rare phenomenon, a scholar’s labour of love designed for the widest possible audience.
In this absorbing book, Blair celebrates the brilliance of seventh and eighth century Northumbria. He defines the geography of this first great Anglo-Saxon kingdom, analyses its place names, details its kings; he recalls the lost Gods the Northumbrians still half-believed in after the momentous advent of Christianity; and he investigates the plethora of Northumbrian hermits, ascetics, virgins, and explains the cult of the saint; he outlines the dispute between the Celtic and the synod of Whitby; he describes what exactly went on in the monastery schools.