Pre-Conquest Crosses

Paul Everson and David Stocker (Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture, Vol 5, Lincolnshire) report a total of 187 pre-Conquest stones at 96 separate locations. The majority of these are grave covers  (104) with about 39 cross shafts represented. A summary of these 39 cross fragments is given below, and are linked to pages in the Corpus website:

Bardney 1: One broken arm of a cross-head thought to have been found during the Bardney Abbey excavations of 1909-13. Possibly eleventh century. – Location: The Collection Ref 29.72

Bardney 2: A cross base thought to have been recut and reused as a post setting in the west cloistral range of Bardney’s medieval abbey. (Brakspear 1922, 46-7). It may derive from a piece of Roman masonry reused in the seventh century as a cross base then further modified during the construction of the eleventh century abbey. – Location: In Bardney church standing against second pier of south arcade.

Bicker 1 A fragment of the upper shaft of a small standing cross with interlace decoration surviving on one face. Eleventh century. = Location: mounted on the west nave wall in Bicker church

Bicker 2:A fragment possibly from a cross shaft  dating from the later tenth or eleventh centuries. – Location: In the nave of Bicker church

Bracebridge 1: A fragment, possibly of a cross shaft  of the late tenth or early eleventh century, probably discovered during restoration of the church in 1874/5. – Location: Set into external south wall of south aisle of Bracebridge church.

Brattleby 1a and 1b: A very rare case, for Lincolnshire,  of a pre-Conquest stone probably still in its original position. Brattleby has a socket stone with part of a decorated shaft still set into it with another shaft fragment nearby. The cross base is shown on Nattes drawing of the church dated 1793 (LTTP NATTES/1/173). The stones are thought to date from the late tenth or early eleventh centuries. – Location Brattleby churchyard south of church, in line with chancel arch.

Burton Pedwardine 1 Trollope (1872, 350) describes the finding of ‘several portions of Norman tombstones’ during restoration work at the church in 1870-71  one piece of which probably comes from a large standing cross shaft  with interlace decoration dating from the later tenth century. – Location: set into nave west wall inside church, below window.

Colsterworth 1: Part of a decorated cross shaft discovered ‘during restoration’ in 1875/6. All four faces bear interface or foliage designs dating from the later tenth century. – Location set in purpose made base at east end of south aisle.

Colsterworth 2: A substantially complete decorated and pierced head from a standing cross dating from the mid tenth to mid-eleventh centuries. – Location: Loose in the tower at Colsterworth church.

Conisholme 1: The upper and lower arms of a decorated cross head of the late tenth or early eleventh century. The decoration includes a stiff-limbed figure of Christ crucified. – Location: Loose in chancel of Conisholme church

Cranwell 1: A recut section from the central part of a fine mid-tenth century standing cross shaft decorated with interlace in low relief. – Location: In purpose made bracket on north wall of north aisle.

Creeton 1: The shaft of a small later-tenth century standing cross reused as a grave marker. It is decorated with interlace and other designs and only missing its head. – Location: 30m WNW of church tower close by the former rectory gate.

Creeton 2: Fragment from a large early eleventh century cross shaft – originally decorated with interlace but now very weathered. – Location: Recut and reused as a quoin stone in south west corner of nave.

Creeton 3: A piece from a large late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft decorated with a grid of interlace, now severely weathered. – Location: Recut and reused as a quoin stone in south west corner of nave. (two stones below Creeton 2)

Creeton 4: A fragment from a large late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft decorated with interlace, now much weathered. – Location: Reused as a quoin stone in north west corner of nave.

Creeton 5: A fragment from the lower end of a late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft decorated with interlace in low relief. – Location: Reset in exterior of nave north wall (east end near buttress)

Creeton 6: A piece from the middle of a large tenth or eleventh century cross shaft decorated with interlace, now severely weathered. – Location: Reset in north east buttress of nave.

Crowle 1: This very interesting stone which comprises the greater part of a slightly tapering cross shaft of rectangular section is thought to date from the early to mid-tenth century. It is decorated with interlace in low relief on three faces but the front shows birds above two bearded human figures facing each other with a man on horseback beneath.  A fragmentary runic inscription runs from left to right beneath the horseman. The inscription is incomplete but seems to include Old English terms for ‘monument (baecun) and ‘corpse’ (lic) suggesting the cross may have marked a grave. It served as the lintel of the doorway between the tower and nave until removed for display in the early twentieth century. – Location: Set in a modern stone base under the west arch of the north arcade.

Dowsby 1: A fragment of a late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft with interlace decoration found during restoration work in 1862/3. – Location: Reset in the external east wall of the south aisle.

Dowsby 2: Possibly a fragment of a late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft with interlace decoration found during restoration work in 1862/3. Once thought to depict a figure (Davies 1915, 53), but not so. – Location: Reset in the external east wall of the south aisle.

Edenham 1: The lower part of the shaft of a tall standing cross including the tenon which slotted into the socket of the base stone. All four sides of the shaft are decorated with high quality carvings including interlace and figure carvings of the Northumbrian tradition. The larger of the figures is thought to be a man holding a book, possibly an evangelist. The smaller figure on the opposing face looks to be a female carrying a flask and may be Mary Magdalene.  She is carved in a different style and was probably added later. The art style of the main scene and decoration suggest that the cross is pre-Viking and dates from the mid-ninth century. – Location: At the west end of the nave of Edenham Church.

Harmston 1: Most of the shaft of a small, eleventh-century standing cross which was discovered reused in the fabric of the Old Manor House at Harmston c.1890. The shaft is decorated with interlace and zig zag patterns and has a crucified Christ with Mary and John on one side and an unidentified figure on the other. – Location: Reset in a modern base at the west end of the south aisle.

Harmston 2: The head of an eleventh century cross now much altered and reused as a window frame in the tower. This is a ring type cross head with a circular central boss. The upper and lower arms survive but the transverse arms have been removed to facilitate the cross’s new function as a window frame. It is possible that this was the head belonging to the shaft described as Harmston 1. – Location:  Reused i as a window frame to light the stair turret in the north west corner of the tower.

Lincoln St Mark 1: A small fragment of a late tenth or early eleventh cross-head found during the archaeological excavations of St Mark’s church in 1976 and bearing an interlace design. – Location: The Collection stone store.

Lincoln St Mary 1a and 1b: Two non-joining pieces of the same late tenth to mid eleventh century cross shaft with interlace decoration, now very weathered. – Location Built into the external north face of the belfry stage of the tower of St Mary le Wigford church.

Market Deeping 1: A much re-cut fragment of a later tenth or eleventh century cross shaft with one face of ring and interlace decoration surviving. – Location: Loose in the chancel of St Guthlac’s church.

Marton 1: Possibly a part of a mid-tenth to early eleventh wheel cross head decorated with concentric bands. – Location: Re-set in the external west wall of the south aisle.

Marton 2: Possibly part of a small cross or marker base showing traces of a square or rectangular socket inside a rectangular border design. The stone has been cut up for reuse and may be mid-tenth to eleventh century in date. – Location: Re-set in the external west wall of the south aisle.

Normanton on Cliff 1a and 1b: Two fragments of decorated stone which could come from either a cross shaft or a grave cover. The pieces, which are very weathered, may date from the mid tenth to early eleventh century. – Location: 1a is reset in the south west quoins of the south aisle and 1b is reused in the south side of the nave clerestory wall.

North Rauceby 1:  Possibly a fragment of a late tenth or early eleventh century cross shaft now so weathered that the decoration is barely discernible. – Location: Reset in the west face of the tower.

North Witham 1: A section from a small tapered cross shaft of late tenth or early eleventh century date, decorated with interlace patterns which have been partly removed by later recutting for reuse. – Location; Displayed in the porch of North Witham church.

Redbourne 1: An irregularly shaped fragment which might have come from a cross shaft or a cross arm with decoration suggestive of an eighth or early ninth century date. – Location: Built into the interior west wall of the south aisle.

Ruskington 1: A fragment from the shaft of a large standing cross of the late tenth or early eleventh century, its interlace decoration abraded and now much weathered. – Location: Reused as a quoin at the north east corner of the nave.

Stainby 1: A section from the base of an eleventh century, tapered cross shaft  with interlace decoration surviving on all four faces. – Location: Reused as a support for a garden table outside the (former) rectory at Stainby.

Stoke Rochford 1a – c: Three pieces of a mid-eleventh century cross shaft, now rejoined. They were reportedly dug out of the ruins of St Andrew’s church at North Stoke (Davies 1912-13, 148) and reassembled ‘near the lake … under a canopy of four stately trees’ possibly in the mid-nineteenth century. They were later moved to Stoke Rochford churchyard..  Interlace decoration is visible on all four sides, now badly weathered, and the broken top of the shaft has been reworked into a pyramidal point. The socket stone is ancient and may be original. – Location: In the churchyard of Stoke Rochford church c.30m west of the tower.

Syston 1: A small fragment of stone with remnants of interlace decoration, probably from the base of a late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft. – Location; Reset in the outside of the south nave wall, above the porch.

Thornton le Moor 1: A small fragment of stone decorated with interlace design which may possibly be part of an eleventh century cross shaft. – Location: Built into the back of an aumbry in interior north wall of chancel.

Toft next Newton 1: Part of a late tenth or eleventh century cross shaft with some surviving interlace decoration. The stone has been reused in a modern (c.1944) memorial to Francis and Mary Roach, and has been recut for this purpose with the loss of some original detail. – Location: The lower of two carved stones reused in a twentieth century memorial to the south east of the former church (now a house).

Whaplode. The Elloe Stone 1: Part of the head and the upper part of the shaft of a ring-cross in which the spaces between the arms were never perforated. It has a rectangular collar below which the former lower shaft is now missing. The head and the shaft still bear traces of interlace decoration despite serious weathering due to its prolonged exposure. It is one of the few stones in the county which seems to have a secular origin. There is a tradition that the stone marks the meeting place of the hundred court of Elloe and its position, at the boundary of the parishes of Whaplode and Moulton  and the deaneries of East and West Elloe supports this theory. The Elloe Stone is first referred to in a terrier of Whaplode of 1491 but its use as a marker for an ancient meeting place takes its origins back into the tenth or eleventh centuries. The Elloe Stone has been moved some hundred metres or so from its original spot in a ‘quadrivium’ (a square place) due to road alignments and field boundaries changing over the centuries. In 1911 the stone was remounted in a modern base with an inscription which reads: ‘The Elloe Stone. Erected in Anglo Saxon times to indicate the place of meeting of the Hundred of Elloe courts. Presented to the Moulton Parish Council by F. Dring Esq the owner of the field and mounted here by public subscription on June 22nd 1911 the day of the coronation of King George V’ The whole monument was renovated and moved again in 1992 to its present location. – Location: In a small hedged enclosure on the south side of the minor road from Moulton Village to Cackle Hill, near the Moulton/Whaplode parish boundary. N.G.R.: TF3155624824