Monks' Dormitory, Durham cathedral, catalogue no. XLVIII

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

Worn in places

A (top): Most of the ornament is worn or dressed away but it seems to consist of a four-strand plain plait enclosed in a wide flat frame containing a band of step pattern 1.

B (long): An arcade decoration joining six arches. The background is smoothly dressed and the arches and the plinth-like moulding on which they stand are deeply carved.

C (end): The arcade design is continued and forms a double arch.

D (long): Uncarved.

E (end): An incised cross, type B8.

This massive piece was obviously carved to be set against a wall. For this reason it could be an elaborately carved seat. However, the ornament on the top and the fact that other forms of monument occur which are clearly set against walls render this more probably a funerary monument. Intersecting arcades are found in late eleventh-century work, such as Hexham 45. Incised crosses of this shape are also found at Corbridge (no. 5) and here (no. 32). The plain plait is competently rendered and this seems to be a monument of the pre-Conquest church.

Eleventh century

Haverfield and Greenwell 1899, no. XLVIII, 109-10, fig. on 110; Hodges 1905, 230-1; Cramp 1965a, 7

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.