Pre-Norman Stone Crosses in the British Isles

The area now administered by the Leeds unitary authority covers a large part of what was once the kingdom of Elmet. In Anglo-Saxon times, Elmet was home to a large number of small settlements. Although some of those have been swept up by the ever-growing metropolis of Leeds, some remain as small villages with their churches at the heart of their communities. Among these is the village of Aberford, which boasts a splendid church, which in its present form is largely a nineteenth century creation, though its history goes back to the seventh century.

The history of the church of St. Ricarius in Aberford goes back to the missionary visit to the area of that saint in about the year 630. Ricarius (the Latinised form of his probable French name, Riquier) was native of northern France who had been converted to Christianity by Irish missionaries. Although in his own era, he was much honoured, by our time, he has been largely forgotten, and this church is the only one in England which bears his name.

Just inside the porch is a collection of ancient stones which have been collected from the church and its vicinity. Unfortunately, one of these has been broken in recent years, but the pieces have been kept together.

	Two views of the largest fragment show the interlace carving on each of the visible faces. The uppermost face has a simple single plait that fills the panel, while the side panel has a much freer pattern. There are similar (though less distinct) carved patterns on the faces that cannot be seen. The more recent damage to this fragment is clearly evident in both these views.

This fragment is the upper part of a cross shaft, including the lower part of the head (to the left in the picture). The face of the cross bears a carving of a cross on it, with a circle over its centre. This fragment, like the one shown above, has carved plait on its lower part, on each of the visible faces. There are similar patterns (including a representation of a cross) on the sides that cannot be seen in this picture.

The smallest fragment, from a third cross, is perhaps the most interesting, with the detail in the carving still appearing quite fresh. This is one of the arms of a cross-head, and is asymmetric. Collingwood reconstructs the head with this piece in the orientation shown here, wider part at the top. However, a closer look at it suggests it may have been the other way up, based on the fact that the surface at the bottom in this picture seems the more weathered.

Just outside the church gate stands the mediaeval market cross of the village. It has only stood here since 1911, when it was re-erected (after restoration) to mark the coronation of King George V.

The cross had been taken down in 1644 after the village had suffered an epidemic of the plague, and although the fragments of the cross were rediscovered at the turn of the twentieth century, it was for a long time not clear what to do with them for the best. In the end, new pieces of stone were cut to shape to replace the missing fragments, and the whole was reassembled.

St. Ricarius' Church, Aberford, is just south of the main road junction in the village.
The nearby township of Barwick in Elmet also has a cross on display next to its famous maypole.

* The Ordnance Survey National Grid Reference (and corresponding Latitude/Longitude) given at the top of the pages describing individual sites usually refer to the location of the closest or most prominent entrance to the site where the monument is to be found - e.g. a gate into a churchyard. For monuments located in open country, or at a significant distance from the site entrance as just defined, the co-ordinates usually refer to the exact location of the monument.
Please allow for a small error in the co-ordinates of up to a couple of dozen metres.

Thanks to the people at streetmap.co.uk, if you click on the Grid References in the magenta boxes on the site pages,
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As the official mapping agency of the United Kingdom Government, the Ordnance Survey produces the definitive maps of the country. They contain a wealth of information.
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