The Corpus: Whitby 27 (abbey)

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Whitby 27 (abbey), Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Cross-arm fragment [1]

Measurements: L. 27.5 cm (10.8 in) W. 23 > 18 cm (9 > 7.1 in) D. 13 cm (5.1 in)

Stone type: Fine-grained, well sorted, feldspathic sandstone of a very pale brown (10YR 7/3) colour with limonite rich liesegang marks (yellowish brown 10YR 5/4), surface burnt to a light red (2.5YR 6/6). Bedding in the stone is parallel to main faces. Stone provenance probably as Whitby 1 (abbey, St Peter and St Hilda)

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 1000–2

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 249

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Present Location

English Heritage North Region store, Helmsley (EH 88092815)

Evidence for Discovery

See Whitby 1 (abbey, St Peter and St Hilda).

Church Dedication

St Peter and St Hilda

Present Condition

Slightly broken and worn

Description

The outline of the arm seems to be type A10; the unbroken faces have been smoothly dressed.

A (broad) : Two faint horizontal lines in the centre. Possible edge moulding above.

B and D (narrow) and C (broad) : Broken.

E (upper) and F (lower) : Smooth.

Discussion

In shape this is like Whitby 2 and others of the Plain Cross series, but compare nos. 29 and 31. The horizontal lines are reminiscent of no. 26 but there is no evidence of lettering.

R.C.

Date

Eighth century(?)

References

Peers and Radford 1943, 39, no. 17

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.