Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture
Durham University, 2019. (updated 2020)
Data copyright © Durham University unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Primary contact
Durham University
South Road
Durham
DH1 3LE
England
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 351
Hexham 05, Northumberland
| Overview | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Object Type | Cross-shaft and part of cross-head [1] | Measurements | H. 37.1 cm (14.6 in); W. 26 cm (10.25 in); D. 14 cm (5.5 in) | Stone Type | Sandstone | Plate Numbers In Printed Volume | 918,919,920,921 | Corpus Volume Reference | 178 |
| See table below for more views or larger images available for this item. Click on the thumbnail images to preview larger images. | ||
| Images | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hexham 5A (Plate no. 918) Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, University of Durham |
JPG | 2 Mb |
|
Hexham 5B (Plate no. 919) Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, University of Durham |
JPG | 1 Mb |
|
Hexham 5C (Plate no. 920) Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, University of Durham |
JPG | 2 Mb |
|
Hexham 5D (Plate no. 921) Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, University of Durham |
JPG | 1 Mb |
| National Grid Reference of Place of Discovery | ||
|---|---|---|
| NY935641 | ||
| Latitude | ||
| 54.971474 | ||
| Longitude | ||
| -2.103069 | ||
| Diocese | ||
| Newcastle | ||
| Present Location | ||
| Niche in north wall of modern nave of abbey | ||
| Evidence for Discovery | ||
| Found in May 1908 in foundations of apse of modern choir | ||
| Church Dedication | ||
| St Andrew | ||
| Present Condition | ||
| Damaged but comparatively unworn | ||
| Date | ||
| Tenth century | ||
| Earliest Date | ||
| 900 | ||
| Latest Date | ||
| 1000 | ||
| Geological Period | ||
| Unspecified | ||
| Description | ||
| Head, type A9. A (broad): The base of the head is very damaged but seems to contain two confronted animals whose front legs are crossed. The one on the left seems to have a long looped tail. Below, the shaft is edged with a wide flat-band moulding, and an inner roll moulding encloses one and one half registers of pattern C with outside strands. B (narrow): Below the arm moulding is a bar terminal, a pattern D loop, and the start of a four-strand plain plait. C (broad): The cross-head is edged with a wide flat-band moulding and is filled with irregular plait-work with V-bends. Below, two panels are contained in inner roll mouldings (i) A simple four-strand plain plait. (ii) contains a curved feature with double incised outlines. This could be a coiled ribbon animal or it could be the top of an arch as shown by Collingwood (1925, fig. 15). D (narrow): The inner curve of the cross-arm is plain but the ends of the arm are enriched by a bold triple moulding. Below, a panel of four-strand plain plait with a pattern D loop and bar terminal is contained within a wide flat-band moulding. | ||
| Discussion | ||
| The dressing of the stone is competent and the cutting of the interlace is in a good, confidently chiselled, technique. There is an understanding of the simple interlace patterns which were popular with the Lindisfarne/Durham school. The use of side panels of plait-work inset between wide flat borders is found on late work at Lindisfarne, as are the two confronted animals, seated in the cross-head of Lindisfarne 2. The pattern on face A is also found at Durham and at Alnmouth (Introduction, p. 18). | ||
| References | ||
| Hodges and Gibson 1919, 67; Hodges 1921-2, 294; Collingwood 1925, 85-6, fig. 15; Collingwood 1927, 154, fig. 180; Pevsner 1957, 176; Adcock 1974, 333-7, pl. 166A-C; Cramp 1974, 137, 173, pl. 24D-F | ||
| Endnotes | ||
| 1. The following are general references to the Hexham stones: (—) 1855-7a, 45-6; Rowe 1877, 62-3; Allen 1889, 230; Bailey 1980, 79, 81, 83. | ||
| Subjects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Monument Form: Standing Monument | ||
| Monument Type: Cross | ||
| Monument Feature: Animal, Head, Shaft | ||
| Monument Period (MIDAS term): Early Medieval | ||
| Horizon: Post 920, Pre 920 | ||
