The Corpus: Welbury 01

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Welbury 01, Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Cross-arm fragment

Measurements: L. 16.2 cm (6.4 in) W. 24.3 > 23.7 cm (9.6 > 9.3 in) D. 14.5 > 13 cm (5.7 > 5 in)

Stone type: Medium-grained deltaic sandstone, not well sorted. Strong brown colour (7.5YR 5/6). Middle Jurassic deltaic sandstone (Saltwick Formation, Aalenian) from the North York Moors

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 842–4

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 220

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Present Location

Yorkshire Museum, York, in store (accession no. 1995.73)

Evidence for Discovery

In the rectory greenhouse when identified by the Rev. C. V. Collier in 1905; given to the York Philosophical Society by the rector, the Rev. B. Binks, together with no. 2. [1]

Church Dedication

St Leonard

Present Condition

The upper arm of a cross; worn on top, much broken

Description

A (broad) : A narrow plain edge moulding flanks the stumpy cross-arm, type B10, which has the remains of a ring, type (a), recessed from the face of the cross. The panel contains a simple pattern E interlace loop (Stafford knot) in median-incised strand. The strand is modelled, the hole-points deep, and the loop is connected by the strand into adjacent arms.

B and D (narrow) : Broken, but the stump of a ring or plate remains, 7.2 cm wide.

C (broad) : As face A.

E (top) : The edge moulding is plain and uneven. It contains a single element of free ring-twist with bar terminals. Worn.

Discussion

The stumpy arm is distinctive but makes interpretation of the wheel awkward: a ring seems more likely than a plate. It is typical of Anglo-Scandinavian crosses in Allertonshire, a Hiberno-Norse area.

Date

First half of tenth century

References

Collier 1905–6, 124; (—) 1906, 31; Collingwood 1907, 272, 288, 407, figs. a–c on 406; Collingwood 1908, 120; Collingwood 1909a, 203–4; Collingwood 1912, 123n, 127; Collingwood 1915, 263; Morris, J. 1931, 418

Endnotes

[1] The published record of the donation gives the findspot as 'Northallerton' ((—) 1906, 31). This is contradicted by the rest of the evidence: the Rev. Barnabas Binks was rector of Welbury at this date (Kelly 1909, 262, 383). See also p. 297. (D.C.)