Monks' Dormitory, Durham cathedral, catalogue no. XLIII

Found in restoration of 1864, possibly in south wall of nave, which was taken down. Kept in Vicarage garden until 1896 when donated to chapter library, Durham

St Mary

Unworn but broken and recut

A (broad): Surrounded by a fine roll moulding, a panel of well modelled changing interlace. On the right side there is also an outer flat-band moulding. The six-cord pattern changes from a bar terminal with U-bend terminals to a pattern F element with U-bend terminals, both turned, and then to alternating half pattern C with outside strands.

B (narrow) and C (broad): Tooled away.

D (narrow): Part of an incised chequer and curvilinear pattern.

It is not absolutely certain that face D is recut, but the deeply carved chequers do seem to be secondary, since they cut through the moulding on A. The well modelled strands and the changing patterns, which link both with Tynemouth 5 and Billingham 3, have been compared by Adcock to the work of the carver of the Durham grave-cover (no. 11). Certainly this piece stands apart from the normal run of Anglo-Scandinavian ornament at Gainford.

Tenth to eleventh century

Stuart 1867, 64-5, pl. cxiv, 14; Haverfield and Greenwell 1899, no. XLIII, 106 and fig.; Hodges 1905, 230; Cramp 1965a, 7; Adcock 1974, 333-7, pl. 168E

1. The following are general references to the Gainford stones: Greenwell 1880-9b, lxviii; Allen and Browne 1885, 352; (—) 1887-8b, 373. Brock 1888, 176, refers to stones in a graaden (later taken to Durham) and mentions illustrations by STuarts but does not describe them individually. (—) 1905-6b, 343-4, refers to discovery of stones in 1864-5 restoration, and there is also a reference to the finding in 1905 of another stone in the field west of the churchyard wall, and to the discovery of bones and a sword in the churchyard in 1889.