The Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria covered much of the North of England, coast to coast from the Humber to the Tweed. Viking colonisation saw the Kingdom broken up and during Norman times it developed into the county structure as the basis for local government. Northumbria became synonymous as the counties of Northumberland and Durham.
Northumbria played an important role in the First English Civil War. Firstly in the events, the Bishops Wars, that contributed to the outbreak of the conflict, then as a key strategic region during the fighting which ended in Northumbria with the Siege of Newcastle in 1644.
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| Siege of Newcastle 1644 |
The legacy of the English Civil war can still be seen in the crest of Newcastle. The motto added to the fourteenth century crest , Fortiter Defendit Triumphans (Triumphing by Brave Defence) was adopted during the Civil War, following the stubborn defence of the town against the Scots in the siege of 1644.
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