Oil painting on cavnas, The Danes descend upon the Coast and at last possess Northumberland, by William Bell Scott (Edinburgh 1811 – Penkill Castle 1890), signed and dated, on helmet, bottom centre: W B S Jan to June 1858. The promontory forming the backdrop is Tynemouth Rock. The Viking boats and galleys approach the shore through the early morning mist, taking the country by surprise. In the foreground the men are rushing down to the landing point while the women hasten up the embankment to a partly fortified enclosure, amongst them are an old lady with her cat, a young mother with her children and a monk carrying manuscripts. The highest female figure on the cliff is a likeness of Pauline, Lady Trevelyan (1816-1866). One of a series of eight oil paintings illustrating the history of the English Border painted between 1856 and 1861.
Marks and inscriptions: W B Scott Jan to June 1857 (signed and dated)
Provenance: Commissioned in 1855 by Sir Walter Trevelyan to decorate the courtyard at Wallington; began in 1857 and the series was exhibited at regular intervals at the Literary Society in Newcastle and completed in 1861 – the scheme of decoration was finished in 1863/64 when the spandrels high up near the vault were decorated with a progression of eighteen scenes from the Ballad of Chevy Chase, and the lower pilasters painted with local flora by other artists including Ruskin, Arthur Hughes, Pauline, Lady Trevelyan (1816-1866), as well as the portrait medallions, in the lower spandrels and portrait heads; given with the property to The National Trust in 1941 by Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Bt (1870 – 1958)
Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Wallington Hall, Northumberland
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: William Bell Scott (1811-1890)
Date: 1857
Image Details
Date: 11 September 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/47s
ISO: 400
Licensing: Image of a National Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.