The Corpus: Billingham 01

Volume I: County Durham and Northumberland

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Current Display: Billingham 01, Durham

Overview

Object type: Part of cross-shaft [1]

Measurements: H.95.3 cm (38 in); W. 28.5 > 25 cm (11.3 > 10 in); D. Built in

Stone type: Unobtainable

Plate numbers in printed volume: Pl. 15.68-69

Corpus volume reference: Vol 1 p. 48

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Present Location

Built into south face of church tower, west of window on stage below belfry

Evidence for Discovery

First noted by Longstaffe (1858, 82) that carved stones built into walls of church tower. Most now very worn. Not all of those surviving drawn in Stuart (1867) and some which were drawn not now identifiable.

Church Dedication

St Cuthbert

Present Condition

Worn; details of carving now unintelligible without Stuart's plate

Description

Only one face is visible.

?A (broad): There are roll mouldings on the edges. None of the horizontal mouldings dividing the face into three shown in Stuart are now visible. (i) Stuart's drawing shows a six-strand plain plait at the top. (ii) A man with two birds on his wrists, a bar piercing his body and falling into rough interlace panels on either side. (iii) A panel of eight-strand plain plait.

Discussion

Something of the figure is still visible but all the details are now weathered away. A figure with two birds on his shoulders is found on Anglo-Scandinavian sculpture at Kirklevington, Yorkshire (see also Billingham 12). The piercing of the body by a bar is also a feature of Scandinavian ornament. Panel iii of plain plait is identical with others on Anglo-Scandinavian crosses along the Tees valley. This cross seems to belong to the early group of Anglo-Scandinavian crosses (Introduction, p. 30).

Date

First half of tenth century

References

Stuart 1867, 64, pl. cxi, 7; (—) 1889-90c, 148; Boyle 1892, 631; Gilbert 1946-50, 204

Endnotes

1. The following are general references to the Billingham stones: Longstaffe 1858, 82; Hodges 1887-8a, 126; Hodges 1923-4c, 280; Fisher 1962, 50; Taylor 1978, 747.