The Curse of Carlisle

Carlisle, in northeast UK, dates back some 2,000 years and is steeped in Roman/English/Scottish history. One can read some castle history, if one wishes, on the English Heritage website here.

Emperor Hadrian, a Trump-minded character of his day, ordered the construction of a large stone wall nearby, to keep out pesky Northerners who were wont to invade Roman England. Hadrian’s Wall was completed in 112AD and the largest fort along the length of the wall was built at Carlisle, housing a 500-strong Roman cavalry regiment. At the date of the Norman conquest of England in 1066, Carlisle was in Scottish hands. The son of William the Conquerer, another William, then retook the city for England. Construction of Carlisle Castle started in 1093AD and it was rebuilt in stone in 1112. In 1315, Robert The Bruce, King of Scotland, laid siege to the castle but failed to take it and retreated north again, having killed a miserly two English soldiers. In 1567, Mary Queen of Scots fled from the English to the castle.

The castle was also used as a prison to house the Border Reivers, a band of locals who were forced into cattle stealing and other general criminality due to the havoc caused by waring northern and southern armies over many years. The Curse of Carlisle is attributed to the Archbishop of Scotland who referred to the Reivers thus:

“I curse their head and all the hairs of their head; I curse their face, their brain, their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their forehead, their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their stomach, their back, their womb, their arms, their legs, their hands, their feet and every part of their body, from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, before and behind, within and without.”

As curses go, MB must admit that the Bishop’s curse is quite all-encompassing, and the guy could easily have been a lawyer.

But it was to Carlisle Cathedral that MB laid siege in recent days. The Cathedral is approximately 900 years old and is built on the grounds of a former church dating back to the 7th century. It was commenced in 1122 and originally founded as an Augustinian priory, being designated a Cathedral in 1133.

MB and some other elites (haha MB, what a kidder you are) attended Carlisle Cathedral in recent days for a Law Masters graduation ceremony, the august Cathedral interior providing a most impressive venue for the ceremony. The ceremony itself involved a short walk down the main street of Carlisle town centre, from the dressing hall (hats & gowns) to the Cathedral, allowing townsfolk to bow reverentially as MB and friends passed by. MB could have sworn he heard one of his colleagues shout “let them eat cake” but he is not sure.

Joke!

Big thanks to University of Cumbria for an excellent occasion, and to mom & sister of MB for their attendance. Was also a great pleasure for MB to meet up with some good friends who also attended.