Editing Durham, England (section)

===Medieval era===
[[File:Durham 1610.jpg|thumb|A map of the city from 1610]]During the medieval period the city gained spiritual prominence as the final resting place of Saint Cuthbert and [[Bede|Saint Bede the Venerable]]. The [[shrine]] of Saint Cuthbert, situated behind the [[High Altar]] of Durham Cathedral, was the most important religious site in England until the martyrdom of [[St Thomas Becket]] at [[Canterbury]] in 1170.<ref name="Liddy" />

Saint Cuthbert became famous for two reasons. Firstly, the miraculous healing powers he had displayed in life continued after his death, with many stories of those visiting the saint's shrine being cured of all manner of diseases. This led to him being known as the "wonder worker of England".<ref name="Liddy" /> Secondly, after the first [[translation (relic)|translation]] of his [[relics]] in 698 AD, his body was found to be [[incorruptibility|incorruptible]].<ref>''Missale Romanum'' (Roman missal)</ref> Apart from a brief translation back to [[Lindisfarne|Holy Island]] during the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Invasion]]<ref>The Lives of the Saints as contained in the "New English Missal"</ref> the saint's relics have remained enshrined to the present day.<ref>Durham Cathedral Illustrated Guide (available from the Cathedral Bookshop)</ref> Saint Bede's bones are also entombed in the cathedral, and these also drew medieval [[pilgrim]]s to the city.<ref name="Liddy" />

Durham's geographical position has always given it an important place in the defence of England against the [[Scottish people|Scots]].<ref name="Richardson">{{Cite book|last=Richardson|first= Michael|title= Durham City: Past & Present|year= 2007|publisher= Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd|isbn= 978-1-85983-581-4
}}</ref> The city played an important part in the defence of the north, and Durham Castle is the only [[Norman architecture|Norman]] castle [[keep]] never to have suffered a breach.<ref>Brown, Nicholas (1931) ''Durham Castle''</ref> In 1314, the Bishopric of Durham paid the Scots a 'large sum of money' not to burn Durham.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maxwell |first1=Sir Herbert |title=The Chronicle of Lanercost |date=1913 |publisher=Macmillan and Co. |page=210}}</ref> The [[Battle of Neville's Cross]] took place around half a mile west of the city on 17 October 1346 between the English and Scots and was a disastrous loss for the Scots.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gray |first1=Sir Thomas |title=Scalacronica |date=2005 |publisher=Boydell Press |page=137}}</ref>

The city suffered from [[Bubonic plague|plague]] outbreaks in 1544, 1589 and 1598.<ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=http://stocktonmasonichall.co.uk/history-of-durham/ |title=Stockton Masonic Hall &#124; History of Durham |access-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531164848/http://stocktonmasonichall.co.uk/history-of-durham/ |archive-date=31 May 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>