Bernicia was the name of the early medieval kingdom in what is now Northumberland, on England’s north-east coast between the Rivers Tyne and Tweed. It is the kingdom of Lindisfarne and Bamburgh, of St Cuthbert and King Oswald.
The Bernician Studies Group meets to research the history and archaeology of the period covered by Bede’s Ecclesiastical history of the English people; but its interests and research go far beyond: to Ireland, which manintained close intellectual and cultural ties with Northumbria; with Scotland, where its kings were fostered; to Wales and many parts of England which came into conflict or alliance with the Kings and churches of the region; and beyond, to Europe, where Northumbrians were active throughout the period and where many brilliant examples of Northumbrian art and literature were traded for hundreds of years.