The Corpus: Whitby 43 (abbey)

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Whitby 43 (abbey), Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Corner fragment of slab [1]

Measurements: H. 23.3 cm (9.2 in) W. 16.8 cm (6.6 in) D. 9 cm (3.5 in)

Stone type: Partially burnt, coarse-grained, ferruginous sandstone, with included clast of finer grained sandstone (37mm x 65mm). A strong brown colour (7.5YR 5/8) partially burnt to a red colour (2.5YR 5/6). Stone provenance probably as Whitby 1 (abbey, St Peter and St Hilda)

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 1050–2

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 256

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Present Location

English Heritage North Region store, Helmsley (EH 88092810)

Evidence for Discovery

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

Church Dedication

St Peter and St Hilda

Present Condition

Crisp and finely dressed

Description

Carved on one face only.

A (broad) : A fine roll moulding 1.5 cm wide encloses a plain panel, and a broad edge moulding, 4.2 cm wide, runs along one side only.

B (narrow) and F (bottom) : Smooth and original dressing.

C (broad) : Rough and broken but part of original surface may survive.

D (narrow) and E (top) : Broken.

Discussion

This fragment may have served as part of a grave slab, or architectural feature. The lack of decoration apart from the edge mouldings places it within the Whitby Plain Cross series.

R.C.

Date

Seventh to ninth century

References

Unpublished

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.