John Wilson Carmichael

(British, 1799-1868)

Holy Island, Northumberland, 22nd October 1839 Mr. John Donaldson as Lord of the Manor perambulating the boundaries 105.4 x 160.6cm. (41 1/2 x 63 1/4in.)

Footnotes

Provenance:
Union Club, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Christies, 16th. March 1973, lot 73.
Richard Green Fine Paintings c.1974.

Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, is situated in the North Sea about 1 1/2 miles off the Northumbrian coast and is about 9 miles in circumference. It is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus which can be crossed at the ebb of the tide, but at other times is entirely submerged. The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded by Saint Aidan who had been sent from Iona to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald in about 635 A.D. and thenceforth it became the Christian base in the north of England.

At some point in the 700s the famous illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospels (collection British Library) was produced at Lindisfarne Priory. Superbly designed and costly in time and materials, it is one of our greatest artistic and religious treasures. It is a remarkable survival and an astonishingly beautiful work of art. Medieval manuscripts were usually collaborative work, with scribes writing the text and illuminators adding pictures and decoration. However, the Lindisfarne Gospels is the work of one extremely gifted artist who produced both text and illustrations, giving the manuscript a particularly coherent sense of design. It is believed the monk responsible was Eadfrith, who was Bishop of Lindisfarne between 698 and 721. In 793 the first Viking raid took place and eventually the monks fled the island (taking with them the body of Saint Cuthbert, which is now buried in Durham Cathedral) and the bishopric was transferred to Durham in 995 A.D., together with, it is assumed, the Lindisfarne Gospels. Lindisfarne was mainly a fishing community for many years but also had a large lime burning industry in the mid-19th century. Lindisfarne also has the small Lindisfarne Castle, based on a Tudor fort, which was refurbished in the Arts and Crafts style by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has a garden created by Gertrude Jekyll. Our picture shows a view of the castle from the west. Amongst other artists, J.M.W.Turner, Thomas Girtin and Charles Rennie Mackintosh all painted on Holy Island.

The custom of 'beating the bounds' has existed in Britain for well over 2000 years. Precise origins are unclear although it can be found as part of ritual celebration within many different cultures across Europe and beyond. In simple terms it involves people in the locality perambulating their farm, manorial, church or civil boundaries, pausing as they pass certain trees, walls and hedges that denote the extent of the boundary to exclaim, pray and ritually 'beat' particular landmarks with sticks. Such processions would typically occur every seven or ten years. Apart from any religious significance in a time when literacy or map-reading were not widespread skills, these inspections served to ensure boundaries remained intact, were known by local people and had not been sequestrated by neighbouring landowners. In Britain, 'beating' of a parish boundary for both the Christian and legal ceremonies have become woven together as church jurisdiction succeeded that of the manorial estates. During each pause at a boundary mark the priest would give a blessing thanking the Lord for the bountiful earth and for the seeds, which they had recently sown, to grow and flourish. In some cases this gave names to specific marking points such as 'Gospel Oak' and 'Amen Corner'. The 'beating the bounds' must have been a great social gathering, as seen by the profusion of various craft and hundreds of people shown in this picture who have presumably come from all over Northumberland to witness the event. The date of the event, 22nd. October 1839 corresponds with the fact that 'perambulating the boundaries' was held in October but today, known as 'Beating the Bounds', they are held annually on May Day.

The previous year, Carmichael had painted 'Shipwreck at sea', his depiction of the rescue of nine souls from the S.S. 'Forfarshire' which had been wrecked on one of the Farne Islands, near the Longstone lighthouse on the north east coast of Northumberland. At the risk of their lives, the lighthouse keeper, William Darling, and his daughter Grace rowed their coble a mile each way in a violent storm to rescue nine souls from the wreck. The cobble could not accomodate them all and so five were taken off initially and the remaining four were rescued on a second trip. This incident occured in 1838 and within days, news of the rescue had reached the outside world and the twenty-two-year old Grace became a national heroine. Unfortunately, in 1842 Grace developed tuberculosis and on the 20th. October, just short of her 27th birthday, she died. To this day the Royal National Lifeboat Institution continues to name lifeboats in her honour.

A picture of this size and importance is more than likely to have been a commission but we can't be absolutely certain from whom. In his Topographical Dictionary of England (5th.Ed. 1844, II, p. 535), Samuel Lewis notes :- The south eastern extremity of the island rises in a conical peak, sixty feet in height, on the summit of which is a small castellated fort, built during the reign of Elizabeth, and still occupied by the crown, under which part of the island is held by J.S.Donaldson Selby, Esq., on lease for a term of years.' John Strangeways Donaldson Selby was a member of the Selby family who were a long established border family occupying land on the mainland opposite Holy Island from the medieval period at Twizell and Biddlestone.

Carmichael was obviously attracted by Holy Island as in 1852 he exhibited 'A timely rescue - Holy Island' at the Royal Academy (no.1301).

According to the 2001 census it had a population of 162.

We would like to thank Diana Villar, Hugh Dixon, curator (Buildings and Landscape) North Territory, The National Trust and the British Library for their help in cataloguing this lot.