The Corpus: Gainford 26 and 27

Volume I: County Durham and Northumberland

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Current Display: Gainford 26 and 27, Durham

Overview

Object type: Two fragments of cross-shaft [1]

Measurements:

No. 26: H. 22.9 cm (9 in); W. 11.4 cm (4.5 in); D. Built in
No. 27: H. (coax.) 23 cm (9 in); W. (max.) 19 cm (7.5 in); D. Built in

Stone type: Yellow/brown sandstone

Plate numbers in printed volume: Pl. 74.363-4

Corpus volume reference: Vol 1 p. 89

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Present Location

Built into north-east angle of church porch, inside

Evidence for Discovery

Probably found in restoration of 1864

Church Dedication

St Mary

Present Condition

Very eroded

Description

Only one face of each fragment is visible.

No. 26: Part of a flat-band moulding and some strands of interlace. No pattern is decipherable.

No. 27: Part of a flat-band moulding and the shadow of wide-stranded interlace.

Discussion

It is impossible to decipher the patterns on these fragments which seem to be part of the same monument. However, they clearly belong to a pre-Conquest monument.

Date

Uncertain

References

Hodges 1905, 231; Morris 1976, 142

Endnotes

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.