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 located 11m east of St Edward's Church and includes part of
an Anglo-Scandinavian cross which is Listed Grade II. It includes a
socket-stone, of modern date, and a shaft and part of the cross-head which
date from the early medieval period.
The socket-stone is roughly square in section and measures 1.1m north-south
and 1.4m east-west. Set into the socket-stone is a stone shaft of cylindrical
section at its base, tapering upwards to a 22cm wide collar or band, above
which the shaft continues to taper and is of rectangular section. Immediately
below the collar, the shaft is ornamented with pendants of scroll-work, whilst
the collar itself is decorated with a band of interlace. The upper part of the
shaft is divided into four panels which are decorated with scrolls, interlace
and fretwork. The top of the shaft narrows to form a distinct neck with
sloping shoulders; above this, it broadens to form a boss which represents the
remains of the cross-head. The full height of the cross is approximately 2.7m.
Approximately 25m south west of the cross are the standing remains of a second
early medieval cross which is the subject of a separate scheduling.
The paving and gravestones around the cross are excluded from the scheduling
although the ground beneath is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21606
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
