A CROWD-FUNDED PROJECT MAKES A FIND ON LINDISFARNE. This report from the BBC (link via Yahoo) tells of the discovery of an Anglo-Saxon grave marker on Lindisfarne. (Those of us who have watched Kenneth Clark’s CIVILIZATION may remember the Lindisfarne Gospels which were featured in the book and series.) The stone is thought to date from around the time that the Christian monastery on Lindisfarne was built in 635 AD. The part of the stone that can be easily read gives a common Anglo-Saxon ending of “frith” for the last part of the name—which a professor who is co-director of the project calls “unimpeachable evidence for Anglo-Saxon activity”.
An important and appealing aspect of the find is how it was carried out. It was crowd-funded for 25,000 pounds by 200 donors, including 60 who took part in the dig. The express purpose of the project is to locate the remains of the Lindisfarne monastery and this is an important clue.