Pre-Norman Stone Crosses in the British Isles

The church of Saints Bridget and Cwyfan in Dyserth stands less than a hundred metres from an impressive waterfall. This locality seems to have had an attraction for spiritual people for millennia. Formerly in the churchyard, but now in the church itself stands an almost complete cross and the base of a second cross, the rest of which has not survived.

The Dyserth Cross,
photographed in September 2000

Because of the way the cross has weathered, it is mounted in the church with its back facing into the body of the church. The photographs below do not really do justice to the quality of the engraved patterning, which has much in common with certain other monuments from Viking areas.

As well as the pre-Norman stone cross remains inside this church, this building is also home to some of the finest mediaeval stained glass in North Wales in a "Jesse Window" (one which depicts the ancestors of Jesus Christ, one of whom was Jesse, according to the Gospel accounts). Also, the graveyard contains some fine modern graves as well as some much older ones made in a style peculiar to this part of Wales.

The base of a second (now lost) cross.
Whereas most cross bases are four-sided, this one is D-shaped.
As well as the swirled knot patterns, the face on the left of this
picture appears also to have a representation of a wheel-head
cross on it - perhaps the one which originally surmounted this base.
September 2000.

The road from the A5151 to the church makes a short steep descent.
There is parking at the waterfall and beyond the church.

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

* 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

Click here if you need an explanation of the terminology on these pages

Click here if you would like to see a bibliography

Click here if you would like to download the freeware "Mordred" font (in True-type for Windows)
so that the headings used on these pages will then look like the following:

Click to go to Pre-Norman crosses in:	England	the island of Ireland	the Isle of Man	Scotland	Wales	Read about the Saints
Click to go to Mediaeval crosses in:	England	the island of Ireland	the Isle of Man	Scotland	Wales

Locality maps at this web-site have been developed using Microsoft AutoRoute Express 2000 (and later editions).

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