Ancient Objects of Eden

The Ormside Bowl

The Ormside Bowl is a fine 8th Century Anglo-Saxon double bowl of silver gilt which was discovered buried on the mound of the later church at Ormside, near the Tower of Water, near to the grave of a Viking warrior. It is probably Northumbrian and may have formed part of the plunder of a Viking raid, although there is also a suggestion that the bowl was hidden in the church. It was discovered in 1823 and was given to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society – which became the Yorkshire museum. The mound on which the church now sits may originally have been a Viking or earlier palisaded ring fort which would have been occupied during the Viking period before the medieval church was built.

For the purposes of our story this bowl is a part of the Hoard of Eden given by the spectral ladiesto the Viking Orm to encourage him to settle in Eden.

The Luck of EdenHall

The Luck of Edenhall is a 14th Century Syrian glass beaker which must have come to England in medieval times from the Holy Land or Middle East – probably brought by a Crusader. For many years it was kept at Eden Hall which is in the area of our story and was the subject of a legend that it was given to the Lord of Eden Hall by a group of fairies, who declared that the Luck of Eden Hall would shatter if the glass shattered. "If this cup should break or fall, Farewell the Luck of Edenhall!“

What is interesting for our story is that the Luck is first known at Eden Hall in the possession of Sir Philip Musgrave – the Philip Warcop of our story – who lived there. Could it be that the fairies who gave him the glass were the spectral ladies of Eden??

Fortunately, this beautiful object remains intact and can now be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London where it remains a beautiful example of luxury early glass craftsmanship having outlived the hall itself – although in the later, untrue, poem by Johann Ludwig Uhland (translated by Longfellow), the glass shattered and the hall perished “As the goblet ringing flies apart, Suddenly cracks the vaulted hall; And through the rift the wild flames start; The guests in dust are scattered all, With the breaking Luck of Edenhall!”.

The Clifford Armour

This fine set of 16th Century Jousting Armour was made in the famous Greenwich armoury near London for George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland and Lady Anne’s father when he became jousting champion for Queen Elizabeth I.

It was very carefully designed in the latest fashion of blued and gilded steel which was etched with roses and the queen’s initials, and included a complete garniture of additional pieces. It is reputed to be one of the finest and most valuable sets of western armour in the world.

After George’s death his brother is shown wearing the armour and it was kept by the Cliffords and their successors the Earls of Thanet in the great Hall of the Tower of Water until 1923 when it was sold to a buyer by the USA. It was subsequently given to the Metropolitan Museum in New York where it is now on display.

In 2007 a complete reproduction was made for the Tower of Water by master armourer Peter Fuller, this now stands in the Great Hall in the place of its 15th Century forbear.

The Dacre Beasts

The Dacre Beasts are four heraldic beasts which previously stood in the great hall of Naworth Castle having been carved between 1508 and 1520 during the reign of Henry VIII on the orders of Thomas, Lord Dacre or his son.

They consist of The Dacre Gryphon, The Multon Ram, The Greystoke Dolphin and The Dacre Bull bearing the arms of the Greystoke family, the De Moulton family and Lord Dacre respectively.

Heraldic images like this were used in Tudor times to trumpet the pedigree of rising Tudor nobility and echoed the fashion of high profile royal heraldry seen and the Royal palaces.

Dacre fought at Bosworth with Henry Tudor and was rewarded afterwards (even after he eloped with the heiress Elizabeth Greystoke) - he also fought at Flodden with the Shepherd Lord and the beasts were supposedly used at his funeral.

The Beasts now have pride of place at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and are a fine remaining example of Tudor heraldry.