St Cuthbert's Church, Elsdon

The first church at Elsdon was probably constructed of oak, with a roof made of rushes. A subsequent church has few remaining features still in existence: Norman pilasters and two small Norman windows in the west gable, dating to circa 1100 or earlier. St John the Evangelist's Church in Otterburn is a chapel-of-ease to St. Cuthbert's. The monks of Lindisfarne, during their flight from the Danes, halted for a while with the relics of St. Cuthbert on what is now the site of Elsdon Church. During the 1877 church restoration, it was necessary to change the levels of the church flooring. The flooring was damp; the bases of the pillars were nearly covered and out of sight because of soil…

The church shows evidence of extensive later medieval rebuilding. The cause may have been damage at the time of the 1388 Battle of Otterburn. The ceiling over the nave and the transept aisles form quadrants, and slabs exist across the structure. Of the present church, there are two transepts: one called Anderson's porch, and the other, Hedley's porch. The building had a leper window. In some country parishes in large sparsely-inhabited districts, it was expedient to build hearse-houses against the churches for the convenience of keeping a hearse for the use of the parishioners; one was built against the shady north side of the chancel of Elsdon's church. The rectory house is an old tower…