Pre-Norman Stone Crosses in the British Isles

Saint Kentigern's Church in Aspatria has a very long history. Just inside the door of the church is a set of three slate tablets which give the names of vicars going back as far as 1174 or so. These tablets were the gift of Mrs. Constance Calverley, whose late husband, William Slater Calverley was vicar of the church from 1885 to 1898. Revd Calverley is buried in the churchyard of St. Kentigern's Church, near the east window. His monument (pictured below) is a beautifully-carved cross very much inspired by the Norse cross at Dearham. Calverley was an enthusiast for the the ancient Christian monuments of the diocese of Carlisle, and his enthusiasm accounts for the presence in the churchyard of another replica monument, a copy of the great Gosforth Cross. Within the church are some authentic pre-Norman monuments, however - the partial remains of a cross and a hogback tomb cover.

	This cross shaft is pretty well complete from its foot to the lower margin of the wheel-head, which is missing. A curved line near the top of the shaft indicates the outer margin of the circumference of the wheel-head. On the face of the cross which now faces eastwards - illustrated, left - there is a regular plaited pattern covering the entire face, while on the north side there is also a single regular plaited patter. On the west face there is a more random plaited pattern, which springs from a Viking ring-knot, very similar to the ornamentation on the Maen Achwyfan cross in north Wales. Below the ring-knot a thin braid separates off a small panel at the foot of the cross in which may be seen a representation of a beast.
The Aspatria Cross, September 2000 the grain in the pictures was due to the low-light conditions when the photographs were taken.

The hogback fragment consists of about half of the original monument. From the top to the bottom of this object, several different patterns can be observed. The topmost row consists of intertwined zigzags, which produce a pattern of diamond mesh. Below that are two rows of trapezoidal shapes, and in the less worn examples, carved triquetrae may be seen. Below these is a band of step-patterns; this layer marks the "eaves" of the monument. It appears that the sculptor who produced this monument intended to represent a dwelling, since the roof of the hogback is supported by columns. each of which bears plaited ornaments. The right-hand column appears to be a ring-knot. Between the columns is a pictorial section which contains a representation of a beast and several other carvings which are fairly indistinct.

In addition to these monuments, there are also fragments of a stone slab inscribed with crosses and circles - and one of the crosses is a swastika. Also, the church has many fine stained glass windows - all-in-all, well worth a visit, as one would expect of a church which has been a centre of Christian witness for over 800 years.

Viking ("Anglo-Norse") sites
Gosforth	Aspatria, Burnsall, Dearham, Dyserth, Gosforth, Halton, Hovingham, Lastingham, Maen Achwyfan, Muncaster, Oswaldkirk, Penmon, Penrith, Staveley (North Yorkshire), Sinnington, Stonegrave, Urswick, Waberthwaite

Hogbacks (see also Grave-lids)
Oswaldkirk	Aspatria, Brompton, Burnsall, Dewsbury, Gosforth, Helmsley, Oswaldkirk, Penrith, Sinnington, Stonegrave
In Viking areas, the grave-lids were often made in a distinctive shape called a hogback, because of their generally curved shape, resembling the back of a huge pig. If truth be told, it isn't really a very descriptive name, since many hogbacks do not follow that pattern at all. Some have flat tops, some have curved tops. Some are shaped to resemble the roofs of meeting halls, whilst others have the figures of bears carved at either end. This is, indeed, a very varied group of monuments.

* 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,
you'll see an extract from the relevant Ordnance Survey 1:50000 Landranger map!

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.
For more details, visit www,ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure

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Click to go to Pre-Norman crosses in:	England	the island of Ireland	the Isle of Man	Scotland	Wales	Read about the Saints
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"A thing of beauty is a joy forever" The monument to W S Calverley, Aspatria, September 2000 The copy of the Gosforth Cross can be seen in the background of the picture on the right.