Built into east side of north porch of church, inside

Originally built into north wall of eleventh-century tower. Recovered in 1866 restoration

St Paul

Deteriorated considerably in recent past. Plaster cast in National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, Edinburgh, no. IC2, made in 1866, gives much clearer idea of patterns.

A (broad): Framed by a double roll moulding. There are three panels of interlace, undivided by horizontal mouldings. (i) Only one whole unit of complete pattern F survives, but there were originally at least two whole pairs of units, with the lower joined to the upper by a concentric edge break. (ii) Three paired units of complete pattern C, with median-incised strands; upper terminals, simple pattern E; lower, short bar terminals. (iii) A ten-strand plain plait.

B (narrow): The damaged remains of a continuous pattern of nine registers of simple pattern E were drawn by Gibb for Stuart (1867) as being on the right side.

C (broad): No evidence.

D (narrow): The plaster cast shows two and a half registers of simple pattern E, now lost.

This piece, though worn, is very like 4, and it has been assigned by Adcock (1974, 294) to the same workshop. It is important in providing a link with Jarrow 4-6, Chester-le-Street 1, and the Tees valley group of Anglo-Scandinavian sculpture (Introduction, p. 18).

First half of tenth century

Raine 1854, xxviii; Longstaffe 1858, 82; Stuart 1867, 44-5, 65, pl. cxvi, 4; Allen and Browne 1885, 351; Boyle 1885, 209, pl. facing 210; Boyle 1892, 587; Hodges 1893, 156; Savage 1900, 40, fig. on 46; Hodges 1905, 234; Hodgson 1906-11b, pl. 12; Rose 1909, 24; Booth 1933, 49, fig. on 31, pl. facing 49; Pevsner 1953, 175; Adcock 1974, 294-300, pls. 140, 143C-D