River Coquet
Encyclopedia
The River Coquet icon runs through the county of Northumberland
, England
, discharging into the North Sea
on the east coast of England
at Amble
. Warkworth Castle
is built in a loop of the Coquet.
The river, about 40 miles (64.4 km) in length, rises in the Cheviot Hills
and follows a course generally easterly, but greatly winding. It passes Harbottle, near which relics of the Stone Age are seen, and Holystone
, where it is recorded that Bishop Paulinus
baptized a great body of Northumbrians in the year 627. Several earthworks crown hills above this part of the valley and at Cartington
, Tosson and Whitton are relics of medieval border fortifications.
The small town of Rothbury
is beautifully situated beneath the rugged Simonside Hills
. The river dashes through a narrow gully called the Thrum, and then passes Brinkburn Priory
, of which the fine Transitional Norman church was restored to use in 1858, while there are fragments of the monastic buildings. This was an Augustinian
foundation of the time of Henry I
.
A short distance below this the Coquet has its mouth in Warkworth Harbour, with the small port of Amble on the south bank, and Coquet Island
a mile out to sea. The river is frequented by sportsmen for salmon and trout fishing. No important tributary is received, but nine smaller tributaries do join the river at intervals, including Usway Burn and the River Alwin.
The earliest known reference to the River Coquet is found in the 7th Century Ravenna Cosmography
, where it is known as Coccoveda. Bede
referred to Cocuedi fluminis. This can be roughly translated to 'Red River', perhaps reflecting the red porphyritic
pebbles found here in large numbers.
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, discharging into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
on the east coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Amble
Amble
Amble is a town, civil parish and seaport on the North Sea coast, in Northumberland, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Coquet, and the nearby Coquet Island is clearly visible from its beaches and harbour. The civil parish, which has town status, is called Amble by the Sea, and has a...
. Warkworth Castle
Warkworth Castle
Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval building in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. The town and castle occupy a loop of the River Coquet, less than a mile from England's north-east coast...
is built in a loop of the Coquet.
The river, about 40 miles (64.4 km) in length, rises in the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots...
and follows a course generally easterly, but greatly winding. It passes Harbottle, near which relics of the Stone Age are seen, and Holystone
Holystone, Northumberland
Holystone is a small village in Northumberland, England.It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park on the north bank of the River Coquet...
, where it is recorded that Bishop Paulinus
Paulinus of York
Paulinus was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in England by 604 with the second missionary group...
baptized a great body of Northumbrians in the year 627. Several earthworks crown hills above this part of the valley and at Cartington
Cartington
Cartington is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is about south west of Alnwick, and about north west of Rothbury, and has a population of 97....
, Tosson and Whitton are relics of medieval border fortifications.
The small town of Rothbury
Rothbury
Rothbury is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is located on the River Coquet, northwest of Morpeth and north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne...
is beautifully situated beneath the rugged Simonside Hills
Simonside Hills
The Simonside Hills are a hill range in Northumberland, England near the town of Rothbury. Most of the hills are around to high and are popular spots for hikers in the area...
. The river dashes through a narrow gully called the Thrum, and then passes Brinkburn Priory
Brinkburn Priory
Brinkburn Priory lies on a bend of the River Coquet, some east of Rothbury, Northumberland, England.-Early history:It was founded by William Bertram, Baron of Mitford, in the reign of Henry I as an Augustinian priory...
, of which the fine Transitional Norman church was restored to use in 1858, while there are fragments of the monastic buildings. This was an Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
foundation of the time of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
.
A short distance below this the Coquet has its mouth in Warkworth Harbour, with the small port of Amble on the south bank, and Coquet Island
Coquet Island, England
Coquet Island is a small island of about , situated off Amble on the Northumberland coast, northeast England.The Island is owned by the Duke of Northumberland...
a mile out to sea. The river is frequented by sportsmen for salmon and trout fishing. No important tributary is received, but nine smaller tributaries do join the river at intervals, including Usway Burn and the River Alwin.
The earliest known reference to the River Coquet is found in the 7th Century Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
, where it is known as Coccoveda. Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
referred to Cocuedi fluminis. This can be roughly translated to 'Red River', perhaps reflecting the red porphyritic
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
pebbles found here in large numbers.
See also
- Rivers of the United Kingdom
- Bridges On the Coquet
- The Roman Map of Britain - Coccuveda