Durham

Durham's cathedral and castle crown a rocky peninsula encircled by the River Wear. The cathedral was built to house the shrine of St Cuthbert, whose relics drew pilgrims to the city. Beside it the castle served the powerful bishops of Durham, whose authority in the northern borderlands combined spiritual office with extensive temporal powers.

The Civil Wars brought a grim use for these buildings. After Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army at Dunbar in 1650, thousands of Scottish prisoners were marched south to the city of Durham. The cathedral served as their prison, while the castle was used as a hospital for the sick and wounded. Many of the soldiers died in captivity, leaving a tragic chapter in the history of the great church.