BAMBURGH or BAMBOROUGH, coastal village of Northumberland, England, 5m. E. of Belford, with coastguard and lifeboat stations. Pop. of parish The ancient castle, now restored, occupies a magnificent site near the sea, on a rock 'soft. high, accessible only on the south-east side. The buildings are of various dates from the Norman period ; but the first erec tion is ascribed by the Saxon chronicles to King Ida of Northum berland. The town which grew around the castle seems to have been a royal borough from the time of the Conquest ; and there after its fate varied with that of the castle. It suffered severely both in the internal struggles and in the Scottish wars down to the century. From this time on there is no further mention of burgesses or their privileges, which had included the grants of a gild merchant, markets and fairs. Lord Neville received licence to dig for sea-coals here in 1384, and during the later middle ages mines of coal and lead were worked in the neighbour hood. The village was the birthplace of Grace Darling (q.v.) in 1815. The Longstone Lighthouse with which her name is con nected occupies an outer rock of the Farne Islands, which stretch north-east for 6m. from the coast at Bamburgh.