Ida was an Angle invader who settled in the Northumberland area around 540 AD and Bamburg is named after his wife Bamba (sp)

Basically decades after he came, King Urien was assassinated and his son Child Winde (Owayne, Owyne, Owain) formed an alliance with the King of Ulster. One speculation is that the Ulster king took along his ugly ill tempered daughter over to the civil war (about the 580's) and tight fisted Owyne (if it's the Owyne Talesin made an elegy to) and the Princess got together. Apparently Ida's boys took advantage of the situation and at one point the Angle's were stuck on Holy Island while the Irish and Owyne's forces surrounded them. Probably by the 580's the actual RL Ida the Flamebearer/Flamebringer had other things to do then get involved in these battles.

It appears that Robert Lambe lived during a time when the British populace really needed to get in touch with its roots. The Industrial Revolution, the wholesale clearing of tenants from rural properties, the corruption of 18th century European civilisation as compared to the 'noble savage' of North America all ensured a situation where the Scots, Irish, Welsh and English all wanted to know where they'd come from.

The 7 Years War with France was over and Britain was on top of the world in 1763.

One problem was that during the 18th century most of the knowledge and tools we have in the 21st century didn't exist. The antiquarians and intelligentsia such as Robert Lambe were hard pressed to supply the demanded ancient history their customers wanted.

In 1760 a Scotsman named James MacPherson put forth a book supposedly containing the poems of a 3rd century blind Gaelic bard named Oisin. Demand was brisk, cuz Oisin seemed to be the Scottish Homer people were looking for.

The English were not to be left behind and in 1765 Thomas Percy put forth "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry" (sp)

Robert Lambe seems to have kept up a steady correspondence with Percy (both were in the clergy profession) from about Oct 17 1767 where he sent the Laidly Worm ballad (probably in fragments) to Percy. MacPherson had Oisin, and Lambe had Duncan Frasier, perfectly fluent in the 'Geordie' dialect apparently.