The Doniert Stone, accompanying cross shaft and underground chamber 650m SW of Common Moor

Reasons for Designation

Cross fragments of this form, related to the High Cross tradition are rare nationally, with only 50 examples surviving in England. These two examples are particularly unusual in occurring well away from the main concentrations of such monuments in the north of England. Indeed they are the only surviving examples of late 9th century crosses in Cornwall and their form is considered to owe bore to the development of the local traditions of memorial stones than to the growth of the more elaborate high crosses in the north. The interlace decoration survives reasonably well on both crosses, however it is the survival of the inscription on one cross which is of particular importance. This is one of only two inscribed stones bearing the name of a Cornish king, and the only one featuring a character known also from documentary sources; thus it assists any historical as well as archaeological study of early medieval Cornwall. The site is considered to retain much valuable information on the form of the original setting of the crosses and in particular their relationship to the underground chamber known to underlie the site.

Details

The monument includes two erect granite cross shaft fragments, both bearing decoration in later 9th century styles and one bearing an inscribed panel, and an underground passage and chamber terminating beneath the crosses. The cross shafts stand on a N-S axis, centred 2m apart, and are of rectangular section. The northern cross, termed the `Doniert Stone', stands 1.37m high and is 0.91m by 0.61m at the base. Panels of interlace decoration are carved into its N, W and S faces; the E face bears the carved inscription `doniert rogavit pro anima' in lower case cursive script. The upper end of this stone is deeply mortised and a plinth surrounds the base. The inscription on this stone has been associated with the local ruler `Dumgarth/Dwingarth', who is recorded as being drowned c.AD 875. The southern cross, sometimes called the `Other Half Stone', stands 2.1m high and is 0.61m by 0.43m at the base. It bears a panel of interlace decoration on its E face; its W face is irregularly fractured and a broken mortise slot is visible at its upper end. A plinth occurs shortly above the base, below which the surfaces appear unworked. Exploratory excavation has revealed an underground rock-cut passage starting c.8m SE of the crosses and aligned towards them, becoming a tunnel after c.3.7m, and terminating as a cruciform chamber beneath the crosses. The monument is situated near the side of a road on the W flank of a low hill overlooking the River Fowey, in an area of enclosed pasture bordering the SE edge of Bodmin Moor. The English Heritage information notice, the Cornish hedge bounding the area in care and the granite seat set into that hedge are excluded from the scheduling, but the land beneath them is included.

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:

15001

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Camden, W, Britannia, (1586)
Carew, R, The Survey of Cornwall, (1602)
Thomas, C, Minor Sites On Tintagel Island, (1988), 31-48
Todd, M, The South-West to A.D. 1000, (1987), 13, 295
Hals, W, The Compleat History of Cornwall, (1750)
Andrew, C K C, J. Roy. Inst. Corn. in J Roy Inst Corn Volume 24, Vol. 24, ()

Other
Scheduling documentation for `The Doniert Inscribed Stone',
Cornwall SMR entry for `Doniert Stone', PRN 17270,
Cornwall SMR entry for `The Other Half Stone', PRN 17251,
Cornwall SMR entry for `Mine, alleged site', PRN 17262,
Cornwall SMR entry for `Two Cross Downs', PRN 17269,

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