Yorkshire Museum, York

Discovered before 1852, 'buried in the church yard of St Dionis' (Wellbeloved 1852, 28)

St Denys

One end broken away; fairly worn

Only the top surface is decorated, the sides being smoothly dressed.

The perimeter edge moulding is plain, but may once have been cabled. It is slightly wider on the long edges. There is an axial, flat ridge, which issues from an inward facing terminal head. It has incised circular eyes and an incised jowl line. On each side of the ridge is a single long panel; they are arranged in mirror image fashion.

On the right-hand side, a York winged beast fills the bottom of the panel. The incised details are lost but a leaf-like feature on the nose, stubby ear, and strand issuing from the snout, are visible in outline. The body is formed of irregular interlace whose wide strands bifurcate in places. A mirror image of the York winged beast of the other panel fills the bottom, but is slightly smaller. The sloping jowl line is apparent. The interlaced body is composed of fairly wide, bifurcating strands.

This slab is almost identical with those from St Mary's Abbey (no. 1; Ills. 361–4), Bishophill Junior (no. 6; Ill. 238), and many from the Minster. It is a typical product of the York Metropolitan School (see Chap. 10), and may have been produced by means of templates. The splitting of the strands has been considered a late feature, but this is evidently not the case here.

Late ninth to tenth century

Wellbeloved 1852, 28, no. 6; Boutell 1854, 15–16, fig. on 16; Wellbeloved 1854, 33, no. 6; Wellbeloved 1858, 39, no. 6; Wellbeloved 1861, 40–1, no. 6; Wellbeloved 1869, 42, no. 6; Wellbeloved 1875, 47–8, no. 6; Wellbeloved 1881, 67–8, no. 7; Browne 1886a, 124; Wellbeloved 1891, 75–6, no. 7; Collingwood 1909, 169–70, fig. on 168; Collingwood 1927, 17, fig. 24; Waterman 1959, 67; Cramp 1967, 20; Pattison 1973, 216, pl. XLVIII, c; Bailey 1980, 254