X-Files from the Bog: Barnard Castle

The County Bridge

Barnard Castle is an old market town on the River Tees in County Durham. The castle itself, a medieval fortress constructed by the Balliols, occupies a strategic position overlooking the River Tees where the old Roman Road once forded it. A 16th Century Bridge now spans the river just to the south of the ford, while the remains of the towers brood heavily above. I've seen herons perched on those crumbling parapets, looking down at the river for fish to catch. It's easy to see why this spot was chosen for a castle, and I'd imagine that the Romans themselves will have had some installation or other on the same spot.

The bridge has an inscription indicating that it was built in the year 1596. However, there are records which point to an earlier date and the possibility of a mason's error. It has been suggested by a regional newspaper that the year 1569 may be more appropriate, and that it was the date of rebuilding of an earlier 13th Century crossing. In any case, the bridge was a very important feature because it spanned two counties - that of the Palatinate of Durham on the eastern bank, and Yorkshire on the western side. This meant that as well as being an important route for commerce, it also bridged two separate ecclesiastical jurisdictions.

The significance of this was not lost on the local populace. If a religious service, such as a wedding ceremony, was conducted on the Bridge itself then neither Bishop could object, since it was effectively occurring in a sort of "no man's land". And so it was that the "County Bridge" found a use for eloping couples whose wedding might have political ramifications and which could not therefore occur in either of the bishoprics.

This use of a bridge to represent the "indeterminate" is typical of a bygone approach to life. In earlier days people saw the world as a series of transitions rather than as a collection of absolutes. Whether it be a bridge or a bog, and whether a feature be man-made or natural, such things were gateways into a liminal world where established conventions no longer applied. Certainly, something like a bridge was more than just a means of connecting two sides of a valley so wagons could be driven across it. These days it is more typical to view the world in terms of the "absolutes" of commercial enterprise. Ironically though, the County Bridge is no longer suited to commercial traffic because HGV's cannot safely negotiate it. Still there are fools that try...and they are the ones who find themselves pinned in that ancient world of the in-between, until the police turn up to winkle them out again.

The Ghost of Lady Ann Day

There is a tale of a certain Lady Ann Day who, some centuries past, was pursued across the ramparts of the castle only to be flung from a tower by her murderers. According to legend, her ghost can be seen re-enacting her terrifying fall into the waters of the Tees below. Quite when she lived, and what the circumstances of her tragic death were, are lost in time. What is known is that the castle has been a ruin for a long while, and last saw action during the Rising of the North in 1569.

Is the story of Lady Ann connected in some way with this rebellion? And is it entirely coincidental that the "corrected" year cited for the rebuilding of the County Bridge...1569...is the same year that saw this "Revolt of the Northern Earls"?

All we know is that her body was allegedly swept away by the currents of the Tees, past the bridge and beyond, and never seen again...

So what's in there anyhow? Any bottles?

I've done quite a few dives below the County Bridge, just downstream from the Castle. My favourite spot is known locally as "The Cogg Hole", which is about twenty feet deep. It is easily accessible using a flight of steps about two hundred yards south of the White Swan Inn. The steps lead to a concrete platform, almost like a jetty, which allows for easy gearing-up. It's also quite popular with canoeists since the river shelves out for about three or four yards before dropping away abruptly into the Cogg Hole.

The only bottle I've ever found in the Tees was in that hole. It was a full bottle of Stella Artois which I half-suspect someone had left there for me, since I'd done enough dives to be known, and I'd chatted to locals about what I was doing. I've also dived immediately in front of the White Swan Inn by following the steps that lead down its southern side. The ground there is exceptionally boggy and the river itself is quite shallow.

I've never found any bottles in that spot at all...though once I found a bone. And with the legend of Lady Ann Day as a fitting backdrop to that particular excursion, I am happy to consider this X-File as being closed.

WEIRD-O-METER READING: MEDIUM

FILE STATUS: CLOSED