Stapleford Cross

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Coordinates: 52°55′53″N1°16′26″W / 52.93134°N 1.27393°W / 52.93134; -1.27393

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Grid Reference SK 48903 37350
Stapleford Cross Anglo Saxon Cross, St Helen's Church - geograph.org.uk - 411929.jpg
Stapleford Cross

Stapleford Cross is an Anglo-Saxon high cross dating from the eleventh century, now located in the churchyard of St. Helen's Church, Stapleford, in Nottinghamshire, England.

High cross free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated

A high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. These probably developed from earlier traditions using wood, perhaps with metalwork attachments, and earlier pagan Celtic memorial stones; the Pictish stones of Scotland may also have influenced the form. The earliest surviving examples seem to come from the territory of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, which had been converted to Christianity by Irish missionaries; it remains unclear whether the form first developed in Ireland or Britain.

Nottinghamshire County of England

Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditional county town is Nottingham, though the county council is based in West Bridgford in the borough of Rushcliffe, at a site facing Nottingham over the River Trent.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

It is Grade I listed, [1] and also a scheduled ancient monument. [2]

Importance

The cross was said by Pevsner to be "by far the most important pre-Conquest monument in Notts". [1] [3]

Nikolaus Pevsner German-born British scholar

Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner was a German, later British scholar of the history of art, especially of architecture.

Norman conquest of England 11th-century invasion and conquest of England by Normans

The Norman Conquest of England was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French soldiers led by Duke William II of Normandy, later styled William the Conqueror.

According to its Historic England list entry:

The cross ... though not in its original location, is an extremely fine example; its carvings are very well-preserved and include an unusual figural carving in addition to the more common interlace. [2]

Description

Shape

The remains of the cross today consist of a 2.5m high square stone shaft, tapering from 0.5m square at the base to 0.25m at the top. [2]

The lower portion has rounded edges, whilst the top part is more square section, which makes this cross one of the Mercian round-shaft family. [4]

Mercia One of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy

Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce or Myrce, meaning "border people". Mercia dominated what would later become England for three centuries, subsequently going into a gradual decline while Wessex eventually conquered and united all the kingdoms into Kingdom of England.

Decoration

The shaft is heavily decorated with various forms of interlace, divided into four sections. The third section also displays a winged figure, armed with a spear and presumed to be an archangel, [2] or Luke the Evangelist. [5] (See External link for photo of carved figure.)

According to Kendrick, this dense interlacing is distinctly Mercian in character. It shows similarities to the densely carved Wolverhampton Pillar, and the fine interlacing to be seen on the Brunswick Casket and the Witham Pins. [4] On the other hand, Hill sees a stylistic connection with the Bewcastle Cross in Cumbria, and Byzantine influences. [6]

Mounting

The cross is now mounted on a nineteenth-century plinth, and is topped by cap and modern ball in place of the original cross-head which was lost in the eighteenth century. [2]

Origins

Date

The date of the cross in unclear. English Heritage describe it as eleventh-century in one of two listings, [1] but in its other listing they suggest that high crosses of this type are likely to be eighth, ninth or tenth century. [2]

Rev. A.D. Hill suggested (in 1906) a date between 680 and 780 AD, from the ornamentation style and circumstances of the times. [6] This is the date range quoted on the information panel displayed at the site. [7]

Pevsner says that the date may be as late as c.1050. [3]

Original location

The original position of the cross in unknown, but it is likely to have been nearby. [2]

Historical record

Stapleford Cross in c.1906 Stapleford Cross in 1906.jpg
Stapleford Cross in c.1906

The first records of the monument date from the eighteenth century. Before 1760, the cross was lying on its side in the churchyard, around which time the cross-head was removed. With the head, the cross would have been around 3.5m high. In 1760, the cross was re-erected at the junction of Church Street and Church Lane, immediately south east of the churchyard. [2] In 1820, it was installed on a new base at the same location, and topped with a stone cap and ball (pictured). [6] In 1916, the top ball was damaged in a storm. [8] In 1928, the cross together with the 1820 plinth and cap was moved from the street location to the churchyard, where it now stands. [2] In 2000, a new stone ball replaced the one damaged in 1916. [8]

Other

The cross may be the origin of the name 'Stapleford' which means a crossing near a post. [8]

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Wolverhampton Pillar shaft of an Anglo-Saxon High cross, still standing in its original location in the churchyard of St Peters Collegiate Church, in Wolverhampton, England

Grid Reference SO 91419 98765

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "ANGLO SAXON CROSS 50 METRES EAST OF CHURCH OF ST HELEN (1278059)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Historic England. "Anglian high cross in the churchyard of St Helen's Church (1012870)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 Pesvner, Nickolaus (1951). Buildings of England - Notts. p. 175.
  4. 1 2 Kendrick, T.D. (1949). Late Saxon and Viking Art. pp. 71–2 Plate XLVI.
  5. ↑ Walker, J Holland (1928). Percy Whatnall, ed. Links with old Nottingham. Historical notes by J. Holland Walker.
  6. 1 2 3 Hill, Arthur DuBoulay (1906). "Excursion, 1906: Stapleford Cross". Transactions of the Thoroton Society. 10: 23–25.
  7. ↑ Photo of information panel, posted by Lenton Sands on flickr.com
  8. 1 2 3 Welcome to Stapleford - website
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