In the 7th century Northumbria was ruled by the pagan leader Oswald who, upon converting to Christianity, established, with the help of St Aidan, a monastery at Lindisfarne, the Holy Island.
Northumbria | Oswald Mosley | Lee Harvey Oswald | Oswald the Lucky Rabbit | Richard Oswald | Siward, Earl of Northumbria | Oswald Spengler | Edwin of Northumbria | Oswald Wynd | Oswald Veblen | Oswald Garrison Villard | Oswald Pohl | Oswald of Worcester | Oswald of Northumbria | Oswald | John Oswald | Æthelfrith of Northumbria | Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria | Oswiu of Northumbria | Oswald de Andrade | Oswald Boelcke | Ecgfrith of Northumbria | St Oswald's Church, Malpas | Oswald Swartz | Oswald LeWinter | Oswald Heer | Earl of Northumbria | St Oswald | Paul Oswald Ahnert | Oswald West |
Mercia's power in Lindsey was affirmed at the royal monastery of Bardney, beside Lincoln: Queen Osthryth had her father Oswald's relics enshrined there, but was slain by the Mercian people in 697.
The Bernician arms were fictional but inspired by Bede's brief description of a flag used on the tomb of St Oswald in the 7th century.
For most of its history, it was thought to have been the product of a scriptorium in the north of England, owing to its inclusion of a number of northern saints such as Oswald of Northumbria and John of Beverley (who very seldom occur outside northern manuscripts), although modern scholarly consensus puts its likely origin in the southwest of England.
Increasing numbers in the mid-eighteenth century meant a move for the School to its present site on land next to the battlefield where, in 642 AD King Oswald was defeated by King Penda.