The Corpus: Norham 13

Volume I: County Durham and Northumberland

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Current Display: Norham 13, Northumberland

Overview

Object type: Fragment of cross-arm

Measurements: H. 19.1 cm (7.5 in); W. Built in; D. 8.9 cm (3.5 in)

Stone type: Massive yellow sandstone

Plate numbers in printed volume: Pl. 206.1185

Corpus volume reference: Vol 1 p. 213

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Present Location

Showing in east face of pillar. See no. 1.

Evidence for Discovery

Raine (1852) records that about eighteen fragments of sculpture found by Mr. Gilly in 1833 in investigating foundations of building in churchyard a few paces from east end of present church. Fragments built up into pillar by time of note in (-) 1869-79c, and possibly before Stuart (1867), whose plates show only faces now visible [1]. Pillar originally in churchyard: Allen and Browne 1885, 351; (-) 1889-90d, 243; Tomlinson 1891, 551. Removed indoors c. 1891: (-) 1891-2b, 49-54; Hodges 1893, 85. Very few fragments described before Stuart.

Church Dedication

St Cuthbert

Present Condition

Some damage but unworn

Description

Only one face is visible.

B (narrow): The end of a cross-arm edged with double roll mouldings and enclosing a T-pattern relief design (Allen 1903, no. 921). This head could fit shaft 5.

Discussion

This design on the end of a cross-arm is unique, but a comparable confident use of patterns which are found in Insular manuscripts is found on 5.

Date

Ninth century

References

Stuart 1867, 20-1, pl. xxvii, 7

Endnotes

1. Those faces which are cemented into the pillar cannot be described but some descriptions can be based on earlier illustrations