Used as part of stone seat on cast side of church porch

First noted c. 1846, forming part of head of doorway at foot of tower staircase. Removed thence in restoration of 1864

St Mary

Unworn

Only one carved face is visible.

A (top): Outlined with a round-headed roll moulding is a tapering shaft edged by a roll moulding and surmounted by a cross, type B10, in low relief. The shape of the head has been outlined leaving ball-like projections on the arms.

Such grave-covers are difficult to date. The type of rather thick round-headed slab is found at Escomb (no. 7), but the form of the cross and the larger scale of this piece could make it later.

Eleventh century

Longstaffe 1846, 259; ?Walbran 1846, 12 and fig.; Stuart 1867, pl. cix; Boyle 1892, 670; Hodges 1894, 80-1; Hodges 1905, 231

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.