Reasons for Designation
High crosses, frequently heavily decorated, were erected in a variety of
locations in the eighth, ninth and tenth centuries AD. They are found
throughout northern England with a few examples further south. Surviving
examples are of carved stone but it is known that decorated timber crosses
were also used for similar purposes and some stone crosses display evidence of
carpentry techniques in their creation and adornment, attesting to this
tradition. High crosses have shafts supporting carved cross heads which may be
either free-armed or infilled with a 'wheel' or disc. They may be set within
dressed or rough stone bases called socles. The cross heads were frequently
small, the broad cross shaft being the main feature of the cross.
High crosses served a variety of functions, some being associated with
established churches and monasteries and playing a role in religious services,
some acting as cenotaphs or marking burial places, and others marking routes
or boundaries and acting as meeting places for local communities. Decoration
of high crosses divides into four main types: plant scrolls, plaiting and
interlace, birds and animals and, lastly, figural representation which is the
rarest category and often takes the form of religious iconography. The carved
ornamentation was often painted in a variety of colours though traces of these
pigments now survive only rarely. The earliest high crosses were created and
erected by the native population, probably under the direction of the Church,
but later examples were often commissioned by secular patrons and reflect the
art styles and mythology of Viking settlers.
Several distinct regional groupings and types of high cross have been
identified, some being the product of single schools of craftsmen. There are
fewer than 50 high crosses surviving in England and this is likely to
represent only a small proportion of those originally erected. Some were
defaced or destroyed during bouts of iconoclasm during the 16th and 17th
centuries. Others fell out of use and were taken down and reused in new
building works. They provide important insights into art traditions and
changing art styles during the early medieval period, into religious beliefs
during the same era and into the impact of the Scandinavian settlement of the
north of England. All well-preserved examples are identified as nationally
important.
Details
The monument is a probable ninth century high cross located immediately south
of St Peter's Church. It comprises a rectangular section gritstone shaft set
into a modern socle or socket stone. Originally a cross head would have
surmounted the shaft but this is now missing.
The shaft is c.2.5m tall by 42cm wide north-south by 26cm east-west and has
been broken and pieced back together. It's original location is not known but
it is common for early medieval crosses in Derbyshire to have been located
south of a church. The shaft tapers towards the top and is also slightly
tapered near the base. Flat-band mouldings line its angles, ending in small
plinths at the base. These mouldings, which are broken in places, frame panels
of carved ornamentation. The west face of the cross includes three panels
separated by flat-band mouldings. The topmost contains interlace decoration,
the bottom one a circular `Celtic' style of interlace, and the centre one a
pair of figures in a rectangular frame. The figures are too faint to identify.
The east face has five panels, the topmost containing interlace while the next
one down contains a possible crucifixion scene comprising two figures on
either side of an eroded vertical object which may be a cross or a tree. The
middle panel contains more `Celtic' interlace and the two lower panels each
contain a stylised leaf or flower, more or less identical but for the angle at
which each is set and comprising a single stalk with five petals or leaf-
segments.
The north and south faces each have a small upper panel, accounting for about
a quarter of the shaft, with a larger panel below which, in both cases,
contains interlace decoration. On the south face the upper panel contains
interlace of a different form while, on the north face, it contains floral
decoration comprising berries and curling leaves. This design indicates that,
although the cross includes elements suggestive of Viking influence, it is
probably a late example of a native Anglian cross rather than a true Anglo-
Scandinavian hybrid. The cross is also Listed Grade II. A number of graves
falling within the area of scheduling, together with the surface of the
adjacent path, are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath
them is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
23357
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
