Anglo-Scandinavian cross in St Peter's churchyard

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.

The cross to the south west of St Peter's Church is a good example of an early medieval cross with Scandinavian-influenced ornamentation on the shaft. Situated in the churchyard, where it was discovered in 1876, the cross provides information on the variability of form and decoration of these types of monument. While part of the cross-shaft survives from early medieval times, subsequent restoration illustrates the continued function of the cross as a public monument and amenity.

Details

The monument includes part of an Anglo-Scandinavian cross located in the churchyard of St Peter's Church, Stoke on Trent, approximately 40m south west of the church. The cross which is Listed Grade II, includes a base of two steps and a socket-stone, both of early 20th century date, and part of an early medieval stone shaft. The steps are square in plan and constructed of stone blocks. An inscription on the eastern face of the second step records the restoration and re-erection of the cross in 1935. On this step stands the socket-stone, square in section, with chamfered corners. Set into the socket-stone is a Millstone Grit shaft of rectangular section tapering towards the top. It stands to a height of approximately 1.2m and is believed to be the angular upper portion of a cross-shaft of which the lower part is thought to have been cylindrical. All four sides are decorated, although part of the key pattern ornamentation on the northern face has been cut away. The east face shows the design of a debased vine-scroll; the west face has a double row of Stafford knots; and a plaitwork of interlacing bands is visible on the south side of the shaft. The paving and railings immediately surrounding the cross are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 1 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:

21597

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Jeavons, S A, Transactions of the Birmingham Archaeological Society in Anglo-Saxon Cross-shafts in Staffordshire, Vol. LXVI, (1946), 115
Pape, T, Transactions of the North Staffordshire Field Club in Round shafted pre-Norman Crosses in North Staffordshire, Vol. 80, (1946), 37

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