The Durham Cow Cheese Company derived its name from the legend of the Durham Cow. In 995AD a roaming cow is said to have led Lindesfarne monks to the final resting place of St Cuthbert, the site where Durham Cathedral stands today.
The legend begins when Viking raids on Lindesfarne forced the monks to flee the Island, taking the body of St Cuthbert with them to the mainland. Travelling around the North East of England, the monks did not know their destination and came to a halt near Chester-le-Street, to Durham’s North. Upon settling here the monks were bewildered to find they were unable to move St Cuthbert any further, when a vision of St Cuthbert appeared, asking the monks to take him to Dunholme – The Hill Island.
The monks had no idea of where this place was until they overheard two milkmaids talking of a missing cow. One told the other she had seen the cow over on Dunholme. On learning of their destination, the monks found they were now able to move St Cuthbert and they followed the milkmaid searching for her cow, towards Dunholme.
By this good luck they found Dunholme - The Hill Island – a peninsula formed by a tight meander of the River Wear. Thus it seems this roaming cow had led them to find the final resting place of St Cuthbert, which became the site of the majestic Durham Cathedral.
That is the legend behind the Durham Cow Cheese Company.
