Monks and hermits

The earliest recorded inhabitants of the Farne Islands were various Culdees, some connected with Lindisfarne. This followed the old Celtic Christian tradition of island hermitages, also found in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.

The islands are first recorded in 651, when they became home to Saint Aidan, followed by Saint Cuthbert.^[2] Cuthbert isolated himself on the islands until he was called to the bishopric of Lindisfarne, but after two years, he returned to the solitude of the Inner Farne and died there in 687, when Saint Aethelwold took up residence, instead. Among other acts, Cuthbert introduced special laws in 676 protecting the eider ducks, and other seabirds nesting on the islands; these are thought to be the earliest bird-protection laws anywhere in the world.^[3][4]

The islands were used by hermits intermittently from the seventh century. These included Saint Bartholomew of Farne.^[5] The last hermit was Thomas De Melsonby, who died on the islands in 1246.^[2]

A formal monastic cell of Benedictine monks was established on the islands circa 1255. The cell was dependent on Durham Abbey, now Durham Cathedral. A very small cell, it was usually home to only two monks, although on occasion this rose to as many as six. The cell was dissolved in 1536 as part of King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.^[5]

Following the dissolution of the monastic cell on the islands, they became the property of the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral, who leased them to various tenants. The islands remained a detached part of County Durham until 1844, when the Counties (Detached Parts) Act transferred them to Northumberland. In 1861, the islands were sold to Charles Thorp, who was at the time Archdeacon of Durham.^[5] In 1894, the islands were bought by industrialist William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong.^[2] The islands are currently owned by the National Trust.^[5]

Remains still exist of the seventh-century anchorite cell used by Saint Aidan and Saint Cuthbert,^[2] as do the remains of a 14th-century chapel associated with the cell. Known as St Cuthbert's Chapel, it is described as a "single-cell building of four bays". The remains of a second chapel have been incorporated into a later building.^[5]

Grace Darling

The Farne Islands are associated with the story of Grace Darling and the wreck of the Forfarshire. Grace Darling was the daughter of Longstone lighthouse-keeper (one of the islands' lighthouses), William Darling, and on 7 September 1838, when she was aged 22, with her father she rescued nine people from the wreck of the Forfarshire in a strong gale and thick fog, the vessel having run aground on Harcar Rock. The story of the rescue attracted extraordinary attention throughout Britain, and made Grace Darling a heroine who has gone down in British folklore.^[6]

Tourism

By the eighteenth century, picnics were being held on the Farne Islands. A picnic was held in 1778 on Pinnacle Island by Dr Kayne and his house party which consisted of ten persons and one dog. The picnic was illustrated by S.H.Grimm who made a drawing of the house party and a separate drawing of the accompanying seven servants enjoying a picnic meal. ^[7]

Lighthouses

The lighthouse would not have been painted red and white in Grace Darling's day.

The first lighthouse was built on the islands in 1773;^[5] prior to that, a beacon may have been installed on Prior Castell's Tower, permission having first been given for a light on Inner Farne in 1669.

Currently, two lighthouses are operated by Trinity House on the Farne Islands:

• Farne Lighthouse was built in 1811 and originally named Inner Farne Lighthouse.
• Longstone Lighthouse was built in 1826 and originally named Outer Farne Lighthouse.

Former lighthouses on the islands include:

• Farne Island Lighthouse was built in 1673, but never lit; its replacement was built by Captain John Blackett in 1778,^[11] itself replaced by Trinity House with the current Farne Lighthouse in 1811. A minor light, called the Low Light, was also established by Trinity House on the north-west of Farne between 1811 and 1910.^[12] to aid navigation by lining this light up with the Inner Farne light
• Staple Island Lighthouse was built by Captain Blackett in 1778 and blown down in the Great Storm of 1784; a replacement, built either in the same place or on Brownsman Island, was knocked down by heavy seas in 1800.
• Brownsman Lighthouse, built in 1800, was replaced by Trinity House with a new tower in 1811 and closed in 1826 when Longstone Lighthouse was established.

All the operational lighthouses on the Farnes are now automatic and have no resident keepers, although in former years, they did. The lighthouse is now maintained by Trinity House via its local lighthouse attendant, George Shiel, who provides guided tours inside the lighthouse.^[13] Ruins of some of the older lighthouses may be seen, for example on the Brownsman, which has two. Before the lighthouses, beacons were on several of the islands. The prominent white streak on the cliff facing the mainland (see photo) is similar to bird droppings; although many parts of the islands do exhibit this colouring during the breeding season only, in this case it is the result of chalk deposits from the many years of spent calcium carbide from the lighthouse being thrown down the cliff; this calcium carbide was used to generate acetylene, which was used as fuel for the light before electricity came.

Dive sites and wrecks

• Chris Christenson, a Danish steamer that sank on 16 February 1915, lies close into the reef off the south tip of Longstone, Outer Farnes, in about 98–115 feet (30–35 m) at (55°38.397′N 1°36.182′W).^[19][20]
• Abessinia, a 453-foot (138 m) German steamship that drove onto Knifestone, Outer Farnes, on 3 September 1921, lies in about 30–66 feet (9.1–20.1 m) at (55°38.9′N 1°36.12′W).
• Brittania, a 740-long-ton (750 t), 210-foot (64 m) British cargo/passenger steamship that struck the Callers, Outer Farnes, in thick fog on 25 September 1915^[21] lies between 26 and 98 feet (7.9 and 29.9 m) at (55°37.688′N 1°35.991′W).^[22][23]
• St Andre was a 1,120-long-ton (1,140 t) French steamship carrying pig iron. On 28 October 1908, she hit the Crumstone and floated off to sink finally at Staple Island.^[24] She lies in about 56–82 feet (17–25 m) at (55°37.84′N 1°37.18′W).

Diving at the Farnes is generally possible, regardless of wind direction; shelter is always available somewhere. Some dive locations even provide the opportunity to combine diving and birdwatching, in particular the Pinnacles, where guillemots can be found fishing at safety-stop depth.^[25]