[9] Plumtree was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, and St Cuthbert's maintains relics of his arm and hand.

One Such family, the Salvins of nearby Croxdale, remain patrons of the congregation and can trace their patronage back to the 16th century.

The Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District from 1790 to 1821 was Bishop William Gibson, who lived and regularly celebrated Mass there.

[5] The current building was built in 1827, two years before the Catholic Emancipation of 1829, which saw a restoration of civil and religious rights.

The church was designed by Ignatius Bonomi,[12] and while made to reflect the English gothic style, was built relatively level with other Old Elvet buildings and without a tower in order for the Catholics to remain somewhat discreet.

[5] From 2012 to 2016, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle entrusted the parish to the Dominican Order who would also provide Catholic chaplains to Durham University with Fr Benjamin Earl, O.P.