Shattered by a shell from the sea during the war' (Brown, G. B. 1937, 100). The abbey was damaged by enemy action on 16 December 1914, and the corner of the gatehouse was blown out (Jeffrey 1923, 118).

First noted by Bishop Browne in 1883, together with no. 26 (Browne 1880–4, cxviii). Said to have been found in a cemetery on the cliff edge (Collingwood 1911, 302: see below). 'The principal monument of the early period is a small Saxon scroll-work cross, discovered on the cliff opposite the abbey; this is at present preserved in a case at the Lodge Entrance to the ruins' (Frank 1888, 228).

St Peter and St Hilda

Cracked in two and broken at each end when recorded by Collingwood; now destroyed

The description relies entirely upon Collingwood's two reports (1907, 408; 1911, 302, fig. a). [2]

A (broad) : The top of a shaft and neck of a cross-head have a plain edge moulding. The neck's panel has a large D-shaped loop with a pellet filler within it. The shaft's panel contains the upper part of a four-cord plain plait in median-incised strand, boldly cut in 'hacked work'.

B (narrow) : 'Single strap twist' within a plain edge moulding.

C (broad) and D (narrow) : Not recorded. Collingwood noted: 'At the time of my visit the key was not to be found, and I could draw only the side visible through the glass' (1911, 302).

Collingwood was right to comment that this Anglo-Scandinavian cross demonstrates that burials continued on the headland after the Viking settlement. 'Mr George Buchannan, of Whitby, says that this stone was found in working the quarry near the edge of the cliff, together with interments, some of which were not disposed east and west' (Collingwood 1911, 302). He compared the interlace with patterns at Kirklevington (id. 1907, 408).

Late ninth to mid tenth century

Browne 1880–4, cxiii; Allen and Browne 1885, 352; Frank 1888, 228; Atkinson 1894, 120; Hodges 1894, 195; Collingwood 1907, 408; Collingwood 1908, 120; Collingwood 1911, 302, fig. a on 301; Collingwood 1912, 128; Brown, G. B. 1937, 100; Pevsner 1966, 391n; Lang 1989a, 67; Stocker 2000, 200

[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.

[2] Romilly Allen's sketch, which was shown to Collingwood, does not appear to survive amongst his papers deposited in the British Library (BL Add. MSS 37539–37628). (Eds.)