Over the centuries the Farne Islands have been home to some of Northumberland's most famous characters, but there is more to their history than St Cuthbert and Grace Darling...

St Cuthbert and the monks

Inner Farne has a special association with St Cuthbert who lived here from 676 to 684 and who, after two years as Bishop of Lindisfarne, returned to the island to die in 687. He built himself a small cell, he used half as an oratory (for praying) and half as his dwelling place. Sadly, there is no trace of this building today.

	Cuthbert is said to have been the first person in England to protect birds. He made special rules to safeguard the eider ducks, even allowing them to nest on the steps of his altar.

Cuthbert was followed by other hermits, many of whom came from the Monastery of Durham. In 1255 they established the House of Farne, a small Benedictine monastery on the island.

© The Natural History Society of Northumbria

There were originally two chapels on Inner Farne. St Cuthbert's Chapel (shown above) survives today. It was built in about 1300, though there was a pause in construction during the Black Death plague.

Defence and exploitation

After the dissolution of the monasteries during Henry VIII's reign, the Farnes were rented out to a succession of tenants.

	In 1500 a Pele Tower was built on Inner Farne. During the reign of Elizabeth I a small garrison of soldiers was stationed there to help defend the coast of Northumberland against invasion by the French.

Like the monks before them, some tenants tried to grow crops in the thin island soils and most exploited the wildlife to sell on the mainland. Seals were killed for their skins and blubber, a valuable source of oil. Seabirds and their eggs were collected in such large numbers that certain species were almost killed off.

© The Natural History Society of Northumbria

Lighthouses and lighthouse keepers

With so many rocks hidden underwater at high tide, the Farnes have always been a dangerous area for shipping. Lighthouses and lighthouse keepers have played an important role on the islands ever since 1673, when Charles II granted a license to erect a beacon here to warn sailors.

	The first modern-style lighthouse was built on Inner Farne in 1809 to replace a fire lit on top of the Pele Tower. It is still in use today. There were three cottages for lighthouse keepers and their families though only one survives.

The most renowned lighthouse-keeping family lived in Outer Farne lighthouses, first on Brownsman and then on Longstone. In 1838 William Darling and his 22 year old daughter Grace gained national fame for rowing out to help save the crew of the wrecked steamship the Forfarshire.

© National Maritime Museum

Restoration and nature conservation

In the mid-19th century the Venerable Archdeacon Charles Thorp bought Inner Farne. He set about restoring the buildings, especially St Cuthbert's chapel, which had suffered from centuries of neglect.

	Thorp added the colourful stained glass window and the fine 17th-century woodwork. If it looks slightly too large for the wee chapel that's because it used to live in Durham Cathedral!

Thorp also employed wardens to protect the nesting seabirds. Centuries of exploitation and a growing number of Victorian tourists and egg collectors had taken their toll on the wildlife but it soon began to re-establish. His work was continued by local bird lovers who formed the Farne Islands Association.

© The Natural History Society of Northumbria

The National Trust

In 1925, when the islands again seemed threatened by commercial exploitation and large numbers of holiday-makers, they were purchased by a public campaign and handed over to the National Trust. Lord Armstrong, then owner of Bamburgh Castle and Cragside, also helped out with the appeal.

© National Trust / N.Forbes

Today the Farnes are one of the most important nature reserves in the British Isles. We work to monitor and safeguard the wildlife, while enabling visitors to enjoy a fascinating natural and historic experience.