High cross in St Peter's churchyard, Heysham

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.

Although only a portion of the cross shaft remains, this portion displays a good example of ninth century AD art styles and attests to the significance of both the church and its environs as a centre of ecclesiastical importance during this period.

Details

The monument includes the lower part of the decorated shaft of a ninth century Anglian high cross located in the churchyard to the south of St Peter's Church, Heysham. It is constructed of local red sandstone and is set in a modern sandstone base. The shaft is rectangular in cross section and tapers towards the top. It measures 0.85m high. The decoration on the south face of the shaft depicts a human figure, possibly seated, beneath an arch or halo. Beneath this figure there is a panel with interlaced decoration. On the north side of the shaft the decoration depicts a gabled building with a doorway and seven windows or recesses. In the uppermost window there is a human figure and in the doorway there is a human figure apparently swathed in burial clothing. This artwork has been interpreted as the Raising of Lazarus. The sides of the cross shaft are decorated with cabled edging and deeply cut tree scroll.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

23743

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Lancs SMR, St Peter's, Heysham, (1994)

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