Introduction
Crayke in North Yorkshire was at one time home to a thriving monastic community, founded by St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (634-687), and blessed with two eighth-century saints, St Echa (or Etha) whose feast is kept on May 5th, and St Ultan, commemorated on August 8th.
WHEN St Cuthbert was consecrated bishop of Lindisfarne in 685, King Ecgfrith of Northumbria gave him an estate at Crayke, some twelve miles north of York, as a place to stay on his journeys to the capital.
Cuthbert at once founded a monastery there, and appointed the first abbot; one monk in the early days was Ultan, an Irishman admired for his beautiful illuminated manuscripts. And in 882, the monks who had been driven out of Lindisfarne by the Viking invasion seven years earlier brought St Cuthbert’s body to Crayke Abbey, for four months of welcome respite.
In 732, Ecgbert became bishop of York, and it was in his time that a monk named Echa retired to the seemingly endless woods surrounding Crayke, and built himself a hermitage.* His contemporary and neighbour Alcuin wrote that Echa lived in the company of the angels rather than men, but that those who visited him found a holy man gifted with prophetic powers. Echa died peacefully in 767.
Alciun of York (735-804) calls him Echa. Symeon of Durham (1060-1129) calls him Etha. Both wrote in Latin.
Précis
In the late 7th century, St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne founded an abbey at Crayke near York. Some fifty years on, it was home to two monks now venerated as saints, Ultan, a calligrapher, and Echa, a hermit. Crayke was also one of the places where the monks of Lindisfarne took Cuthbert’s body during the Viking raids of the ninth century. (60 / 60 words)
In the late 7th century, St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne founded an abbey at Crayke near York. Some fifty years on, it was home to two monks now venerated as saints, Ultan, a calligrapher, and Echa, a hermit. Crayke was also one of the places where the monks of Lindisfarne took Cuthbert’s body during the Viking raids of the ninth century.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, if, may, not, otherwise, since, until, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Contemporary. Himself. Mile.
2 Die. Monastery. There.
3 Bishop. Invasion. Monk.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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