Timeline - 500 AD to 1500



500 AD to 1500

c537 AD KING ARTHUR - A number of vague associations with Arthurian legend in the area - a) King Arthur dies in 537 whilst fighting Anglo-Saxon invaders, possibly in the north of England (associations with Richmond Castle and Adrain's wall (out of our area) -source -
http://www.historic-cleveland.co.uk/timeline/timelineIndex.php

b) the association below with Aneurin - Llywarch - which Burnett says Morley tells us was "first in genius among the Cymric bards and was for a time one of King Arthur's counsellors. is related, I think in the Gododin.

c) In I.S. hall (of Skelton Castle's) A Cleveland Prospect - poem quoted on page 410 in John Brewster MA's Parochial History of Stockton has the line "Freebro's huge mount, immortal Arthur's tomb". Freebro hill (burial mound) is the Cleveland end of the Whitby road across the North Yorkshire Moors. I have no further info on this assertion. But interesting!

c600 AD ANEURIN - The Celtic Warrior Bard Aneurin was resident around this area c 600 AD although the The Gododin (Y Gododdin) wasn't written down until the 13thC is a lament for the dead who fell in the battle of Cattraeth (Catterick, North Yorkshire, where the Cymry met advancing Teutons at the 'confluence of Rivers). (Source - Burnett - Old Cleveland Worthies and Writers)

C600 / 700 AD BEOWULF -Beowulf is alleged to been buried on Boulby Cliffs. Hartlepool's name believed to be derived from Beowulf - The very name of Hrothgar's hall Heorot (Hart) and the mere or pool inhabited by the fearful monster Grendel and his mother, recall the ancient (pre-heraldic) seal of Hartlepool (Hart-le-Pool. (Source - Burnett - Old Cleveland Worthies and Writers)

died c 680 AD CAEDMON (Cedmon) Caedmon is now recognised as England's first Christian poet. A monk of Streoneshlh Abbey, now called Whitby where he supposedly was born - Tweddell refers to him as the Milton of the Middle Ages. Influenced Milton's Paradise Lost. his hymn composed in Lealholme on the North Yorkshire Moors.First Anglo Saxon writer of popular religious poetry but his only surviving work is a hymn which he said to have composed in a dream. Other works but no evidence to support they are his. Venerated as a Saint at Jarrow. (Source Bede - Tweddell - Bards and Authors and Burnett - Old Cleveland Worthies and Writers)

1235 It is said there used to be a poem set to music and very popular with Norton folk, which told how a vicar visited one of his parishioners for the title pig but the man's wife offered him her newly born child tenth child. The astounded vicar left without the pig. (Source - Horton - History of Cleveland)

1320 - 1408 JOHN GOWER AKA GOWER THE MORAL -born. (These dates are from Tweddell - other sources quote other dates). Much dispute and little evidence - Popular opinion claims this prominent poet for Canterbury but Tweddell (with reference to the existences of seals (see the post for further information) claims him for Cleveland. According to Tweddell he was born in Stittenham in the Parish of Sherrif Hutton and lived in Sexhow (outside Stokesley). He met with Royal approval as a poet and was mentor to Geoffrey Chaucer. His work is subject to a serious re-textual analysis according to a site based at the University of Pennsylvania . Poetical works - Confessio Amantis 1393 / Speculum Meditantis / Vox Clamantis / Cronica Tripartita (Source Tweddell - Bards and Authors and Burnett - Old Cleveland worthies and Writers)

WALTER DE HEMINGFORD (alt. spellings- Hemmingford / Hemingburgh) D.1347 at Gisbro' (not sure of his birthdate). A Cannon at Gisbro' Priory when the Priory was burnt in 1289. The Chronicle of Walter De Hemingford was written in Latin. He was one of the old English Chroniclers of the 14th Century.(Tweddell - Bards and Authors).

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