This is not a history of a village in the generally
accepted sense and although it is a story of the past it is also about
the present. It is founded on primary source material, memories, record
books, minutes of meetings and newspaper reports. We have mainly avoided
secondary sources in an attempt to reflect in as lively a way as possible,
the real residents of Oswaldkirk, how they live and lived, what they did and
thought and how they speak and spoke. People have lived below the Hag
possibly since before the Roman occupation and certainly since the
Anglo-Saxons discovered that the site provided ideal shelter from wind and
weather. They live here now and we have included a brief section about
contemporary life, proof that Oswaldkirk is still, after all these years, a
living village.