| The Holy Trinity Church Washington Village |
| There was a time in the distant past when all roads led to the area in and around Washington. It was an area renowned as a Celtic meeting place. During the iron-age there was a network of Celtic trackways throughout Britain and the head of the Celtic Trackway was in fact at Gateshead, situated not far from Washington. The name “Gateshead” literally means “at the head of the tracks”; a gate being a way , track or road. Not far from Washington lies Beacon Lough. It is situated between Wrekenton and Windy Nook. As its name suggests, Beacon Lough was used as a beacon signalling station in Celtic times, it being part of a network throughout Celtic Britain. In addition to the beacon, however, there was also a Stone Circle at Beacon Lough. |
| The oak tree was considered sacred by the Celts of pre-Roman Britain, the Brigantes, who were named after their Celtic goddess Brigantia. Brigantia (adopted by the Christian Church as Saint Brigit) was the “fire goddess” and as such she was associated with the Beltane Festival, often thought of as the “Fire Festival”. In this light the beacons at Beacon Lough and throughout the length and breadth of Celtic Britain take on a new meaning. |
| By Audrey Fletcher Copyright 1999 - 2008 |
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| In places where a Stone Circle had not been erected a clearing within a wood of sacred oaks served the same purpose. Later, in Anglo-Saxon times the Christian Church surrounded by a circular church yard took on the role of the Sacred Grove. This 1857 map clearly shows the Holy Trinity Church surrounded by a circular churchyard ... symbolic of the Celtic Sacred Grove. |
| The Holy Trinity Church, Washington Village, Tyne - Wear, England |
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| The area upon which Washington Village now stands was an important Celtic religious centre |
| Christianity comes to Washington In 601AD it was decreed by Pope Gregory that Christian churches be built on sites which had been previously used for Celtic rituals and ceremonies. However, in order to retain the Celtic symbolism of the Sacred Grove, (see above) the Anglo-Saxon churches were distinctive in that they were surrounded by a circular churchyard. Nothing remains of the Anglo-Saxon Church at Washington Village except the distinctive Anglo-Saxon circular churchyard. It is known for certain that by June 6th 1112AD there was a Norman Church at Washington Village because the Parish of Washington is mentioned in a Charter of Bishop Ranulf Flambard of Durham in that year. "...2 sheaves from each thrave of the corn-tithe from the Bishop's desmesne in the vill of Wessynton ..." Some years later, further mention is made of the Washington Church in The Boldon Book dated 20th March 1183AD. It is in this Book (which is a survey of Hugh du Puiset, the Bishop of Durham's estates) that we learn of William de Hertburn exchanging his lands in Stockton for the Manor and Village of Wessynton, excluding the church and its lands. Interestingly, the Norman Church was not built in the traditional shape of the Cross. Rather it was more in the shape of a square, with the Chancel leading off in a narrow oblong section towards the Communion Table in the East. The Norman Church stood for nearly seven hundred years on the crest of the hill in Washington Village, until in 1830 the decision was made to pull it down ... on the grounds that the building was insecure. The cause of the weakened structure was considered to be the vaults which lay beneath the Norman church ... and in these vaults lay the Tombs of the Washington Family. Do the Tombs of the Washington Family still lie in vaults beneath the current Holy Trinity Church? I would like to think that they do, but I suspect that they don't. |
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Above ground there is still some evidence of the Norman church. There is the Norman archway at the entrance to the nave, the font and what is thought to be the grave cover of Alexander de Biddick. |
| Washington Parish Church 1833 - 1882 |
| It was a sad day for many of the local community when the old Norman Church was razed to the ground in 1832. Gone was almost seven hundred years of history. The vaults below the church had been blamed for the unsafe structure, but I would suggest that the instability was more likely caused by subsidence as a result of coal mining in the area. By the following year a new church had been erected on the same site at a cost of just over one thousand pounds, and it was officially opened on May 22nd 1833. Not everyone was impressed by the new structure however, and it soon came to be called "The Barn". How beautiful the Norman Church must have been in comparison! It wasn't until 1882 that the first improvements were made. |
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| The Washington Parish Church, built at a cost of just over one thousand pounds in 1833, was disparagingly called "The Barn" |
| To view the marriages recorded in the Washington Registers from 1603 to 1837 Click Here |
| Improvements to the Washington Parish Church from 1882 onwards Improvements to the modern building were carried out in three main stages. Stage One: 1882/3 At a cost of 1900 pounds extensive remodelling of the basic structure was undertaken. The nave was made longer, the trancepts were built on and the roof was made higher. Stage Two: 1902 The chancel was made longer and a vestry was added on. Stage Three: 1962 The old bell tower was taken down and replaced with a less elegant new one. |
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| The new roof added in 1883, complete with the old bell tower, is clearly visible on this old photo |
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| Here we see the Holy Trinity Church, complete with new bell tower, all spruced up on a beautiful January morning |
| Inside the Church Over the years "The Barn" has been transformed into a beautiful church. As you enter through the west door the Altar lies straight ahead of you in the east ... a reminder of the spiritual purpose of the Church. Behind the Altar stands the imposing War Memorial Window which was completed in 1921, while on the panelling are the coats of arms of the Hilton, Pattinson, Brack and Sanderson families. |
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| Over the years "The Barn" has been transformed into a beautiful church. Here we are looking east towards the Altar and the War Memorial Window. |
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| The Church Yard Due to the growing population of the town, the Cemetery was long since extended beyond the original Anglo-Saxon circular boundary. |
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| The original Anglo-Saxon circular church yard is captured in these photos of the "Church on the Hill". |
| As time went by the cemetery was enlarged. Sadly many of the grave stones have been vandalized. |
| This is the most recent part of the cemetery. It has a serenity all of its own. |
| The history of Washington Village as a sacred place goes back thousands of years into the mists of history. To learn more about its origins Click here |
| Link to "Washington, Tyne-Wear, England" Link to "Washington Old Hall" Link to "Bryan Ferry: A Washington Lad" Link to "Washington Then and Now" |
| Copyright Audrey Fletcher 1999-2008 All rights reserved |
| Introduction: Our Celtic Past In 1885 a dug-out canoe was found in the River Wear on the Washington boundary. It was about 4000 years old and made from the trunk of an oak tree. For thousands of years the area in and around Washington was thick with oak trees. In the Ancient World the oak was considered “sacred”. It was symbolic of the Tree of Life, its branches reaching out and supporting the star and planet studded sky, while its roots reached down into the watery abyss of the Netherworld. The trunk of the Tree of Life represented the World Pillar or Axis Munde, around which the heavens appear to revolve. The World Pillar was considered to be the centre of the universe. Similarly, because of the abundance of oak trees, the area in and around Washington would also have been considered “sacred”, the centre of the universe. |
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| The oak tree was sacred in the Ancient World |
| In places where a stone circle had not been erected a clearing within a wood of oaks would have served the same purpose. This clearing was called a “leah”, a name which is retained in place names like Birtley (bright leah). Later,with the onset of Christianity, the Christian Church surrounded by a circular church yard took on the role of the sacred grove. The Holy Trinity Church at Washington Village was no exception. |
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| An example of a Stone Circle |
| In reality the Beltane or Fire Festival is the Bull Festival (Bel = Bull) and is a re-enactment of the bringing down of the Sun (hence Brigantia, the “fire goddess”) at the close of the Age of Gemini, and its subsequent rising in the Age of Taurus. To find out more about Washington and the Beltane Festival Click Here |
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| There is also the possibility that Washington was an important Celtic site not only because of the abundance of sacred oaks in the area, but also because of its swamp (near the Three Horse Shoes) which was drained in 1820. Here was a water supply right next to an oak forest, a sacred forest. Perhaps if one looks hard enough, evidence might be found of a Celtic Lake Village in this area ... not unlike the one at Glastonbury. |
| The Celtic goddess Brigantes, now known as Saint Brigit, was the "fire goddess" |
| "The Church on the Hill" |
| Could this have been the scene on the banks of the River Wear on Washington's boundary 4000 years ago? The dug out canoe found there in 1885, and now in the Sunderland Museum, is not unlike these ones. It is curious that Washington Village did not have its own running water supply. There was the Village Pond but no stream. Why settle an area which did not have a running water supply? Why not have Washington Village situated on the River Wear? It would have been more logical. The only possible answer is that the area upon which Washington Village now stands was an important Celtic religious centre. There were some wells dug, but water was eventually ducted from the Mount, between Springwell and Eighton Banks, down Blue House Lane and finally Spout Lane into the Village. |
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| This is A. Forestier's impression of what Glastonbury Lake Village may have looked like (1911). Perhaps if one looks hard enough, evidence may be found of a similar Celtic Village in Washington. |
| For more information on Glastonbury Lake Village Click Here |
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| Water was ducted from the Mount, down Blue House Lane and finally Spout Lane into Washington Village |
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| Washington historian Fred Hill beside the Font at which generations of Washington were baptized 1183-1376. "From Washington to White House" by The Vagabond |
| Alexander de Biddick |