Durham Cathedral is a large Norman church in the North East of England. Built between 1093 and 1133, it commands a prominent position above the River Wear and can be seen for many miles across the county. Having its origins as the resting place of St Cuthbert, the patron saint of Northumbria, the cathedral was one of the major pilgrimage sites in England until it was overtaken by Canterbury following the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. The tomb of St Cuthbert still attracts pilgrims, despite much of the shrine having been destroyed during the Reformation. This history of the church and its antiquities was printed at Newcastle in 1767 and was dedicated to the Dean of Durham, Spencer Cowper. The second half of the book contains an extended description of the city of Durham and a short account of the county.