The Corpus: Whitby 45 (abbey)

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Whitby 45 (abbey), Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Corner fragment of panel [1]

Measurements: H. 16 cm (6.3 in) W. 19 cm (7.5 in) D. 11 cm (4.3 in)

Stone type: Fine- to medium-grained micaceous, feldspathic sandstone with a sub-angular to sub-round texture. This fragment has been subject to intense fire damage, inducing a pink colouration (5YR 7/4) and cracking. The rock has distinct ferruginous layers parallel to the main front face; these are now fire oxidised to a red colour (2.5YR 5/4). Stone provenance probably as Whitby 1 (abbey, St Peter and St Hilda)

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 1056–8

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 257

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Present Location

English Heritage North Region store, Helmsley (EH 88092817)

Evidence for Discovery

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

Church Dedication

St Peter and St Hilda

Present Condition

Surviving surface crisp

Description

Decorated on one face only.

A (broad) : Set about 5 cm from the edge of the stone are two panels outlined by incised mouldings. The narrower and complete panel measures c. 7.5 x 2.5 cm (3 x 1 in), and the incomplete panel to the right is c. 6.2 cm high. The mouldings are curiously stepped, and abut each other.

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

C (broad) : Recut.

D (narrow) and F (bottom) : Roughly dressed.

Discussion

The lack of decoration and plain edge moulding indicates a similarity with the Whitby Plain Cross school of carving, but the stepped moulding is only found on no. 46, although the cutting of this piece is much finer. It may be part of an architectural panel.

R.C.

Date

Seventh to ninth century(?)

References

?Peers and Radford 1943, 40, no. 25

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.