The Corpus: Whitby 03 (abbey)

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Whitby 03 (abbey), Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Part of cross-shaft and -head [1]

Measurements: H. 67 cm (26.4 in) W. 32 > 31 cm (12.6 > 12.2 in) D. 14.5 > 14 cm (5.8 > 5.5 in)

Stone type: Medium- to coarse-grained ferruginous sandstone, micaceous and feldspathic, well sorted sediments with sub-rounded grains; prominent bedding planes parallel to main cross faces. Largely white coloured (10YR 8/2) with surface layer of light brown (10YR 6/4). Stone provenance as Whitby 1 (abbey, St Peter and St Hilda)

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 907–10

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 235

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Present Location

English Heritage North Region store, Helmsley (EH 88092885)

Evidence for Discovery

See Whitby 1 (abbey, St Peter and St Hilda). This is the 'Saxon cross-head and shaft 4' 7" high', that was found 3 February 1925, in a well in section 35 (Whitby finds register, no. 788), which is in the area north-east of the abbey chancel near the boundary wall. The gridded sections are shown on Fig. 19.

Church Dedication

St Peter and St Hilda

Present Condition

The top of a shaft with the base of a cross-head; broken but unworn

Description

A (broad) : The shaft and remaining stump of the lower limb have a continuous modelled edge moulding. The neck of the shaft is nipped to support the horizontal base of the lower limb, delineated by the edge mouldings. At the left enough of the arm survives to show that it was cusped; type D9 or 10. The cutting is very finely dressed.

B (narrow) : Plain. The chamfer of the neck and the lip of the cusped arm are prominent. Finely dressed.

C (broad): As face A, but damaged.

D (narrow) : As face B.

Discussion

The technique of cutting and smoothing the surface is identical with nos. 1 and 2. The cross shape differs, however, in having the cusped form, and the lower arm is sculpted.

Date

Late seventh to early eighth century

References

Peers and Radford 1943, 37–8, no. 8, fig. 2; Cramp 1984, 122–3, 180

Endnotes

[1] The following are general references to the Whitby stones: Hood 1927, 38, 45, 49; Kendall 1932, 9–10, 26–7, 28; Peers and Radford 1943, 33–40; Clapham 1952, 11; Wilson, D. 1964, 9; Cramp 1965b, 4; Fellows-Jensen 1972, 218; Cramp 1976a, 228; Cramp 1976b, 455–7; Rahtz 1976, 460; Cramp 1978a, 7; Bailey 1980, 81, 82; Okasha 1983, 118; Cramp 1984, 9, 79, 109, 180, 222; Higgitt 1986b, 130–1, 134, 148; Bailey and Cramp 1988, 55, 56, 85, 154; Cramp 1989, 223; Lang 1989a, 67; Lang 1990a, 2–3; Higgitt 1991, 45; Lang 1991, 24, 109, 138, 139; Cramp 1992, 8, 24, 107, 224, 252; Okasha 1992, 84; Cramp 1993, 68–9, 71; Fellows-Jensen 1995, 177; Higgitt 1995, 229–36; Rahtz 1995, 7–8; Bailey 1996a, 50–1, 111; Hawkes 1999b, 403, 410–16; Karkov 1999, 133–4; Stocker 2000, 200; Stopford 2000, 102, 104.