Loose in the forecourt of Cliff House, Coleby. The property of Mr Fowkes.

Unearthed during some alterations at Coleby Hall ... in 1879. It was found built into the foundations of a wall at the back of the stables, and may have been there 150 years, or perhaps placed in that position by Mr Charles Mainwaring, the tenant of the Hall, about 1833, when some additions were made to the buildings' (Tempest 1896–8, 113–14). The author then goes on to speculate that the shaft might have been found during the ploughing up of the pagan Saxon burial ground north-east of Coleby Hall in the 1830s. This is highly improbable; the stone is much more likely to have migrated from the church or churchyard during a restoration programme there. Indeed, on rediscovery the stone was set up inside the church for a period before moving back to the Hall (Davies 1911, 6).

Not available

Face A poor, badly weathered and abraded; face B moderate but weathered

A small fragment from the corner of an upright rectangular grave-marker decorated on both broad faces with similar if not identical designs. The stone has been carefully cut for reuse.

A and C (broad): The field was divided into a series of square boxes by simply incised lines. Within the two boxes on each face of the surviving fragment is placed a simple incised cross saltire. It is uncertain how the remainder of the original faces would have been decorated. The cross saltires could have formed a border along one edge of either face or alternatively could have filled the whole field.

B (narrow) and E (top): The edge of the marker, which survives on two adjacent sides, is of rectangular section and undecorated.

This stone has many of the characteristics of the mid-Kesteven group of grave-covers (Chapter V). It has the correct Ancaster stone type and the characteristic layout and style of interlace. It is one of the thirteen examples which are decorated on their original lids with a large cross surrounded by interlace (Fig. 9). But the distinctive run of loops across the top panel of this face is a detail it shares only with Colsterworth 3 (Ill. 89). Also like Colsterworth 3, the interlace surrounding the cross shape does not develop out of the cross-arm terminals. At Coleby, only one of the runs of interlace has a medial line and this represents a relatively low level of subsidiary decoration within this group of monuments. Similar exaggerated grooves between the two horizontal panels on the flank at Coleby are found at Burton Pedwardine(no. 3b, Ill. 77). None of these minor details is especially helpful for developing a meaningful internal chronology within the mid-Kesteven group. The running loop motif, however, is quite commonly met with in Yorkshire sculpture which is usually dated to the tenth century (e.g. Hawsker, Kirklevington, Leeds etc.). The mid-Kesteven cover group as a whole is dated to between the mid tenth and the early eleventh century.

Mid tenth to early eleventh century

Tempest 1896–8, 113–14, and fig.; Davies 1911, 6; Davies 1912–13, 134; Cox 1924, 102; Davies 1926, 9–10