Pre-Norman Stone Crosses in the British Isles

There are several places in Ryedale where there are pre-Norman remains, but the Minster at Stonegrave, which has been a centre of Christian witness since the eighth century, contains an eclectic collection of stones and a Celtic Cross that is without equal in this part of Britain. The stone grave which gives its name to this settlement is to be found in the churchyard, just outside the porch, a mediaeval grave slab.

Although the top of the wheel-head is missing, the cross at Stonegrave is exceptionally well preserved, which is the result of the stone having been used by the Normans when they came to start building this present structure. The two sides seen in the pictures above were thus protected from the elements. The cross came to light during renovations at he church in the mid- nineteenth century, and from the style of carving, it is taken to date from about a hundred years before the Norman Conquest. Thus a mystery arises: the style of this monument is unmistakably Celtic, but its date is much later than the Celtic period. One possible solution is given at the end of this page, but we'll probably never know for sure.

The fragments pictured above cover a period of two to three centuries, showing that before the Normans began the building which now stands there, Stonegrave was already an ecclesiastical centre of some significance. The style of carving on the Cross has been taken to mean that someone trained on Iona had settled at Stonegrave and carried out the work.

Stonegrave Minster is in just off the B1257, slightly hidden from view, so look for the sign.
There are many places in Ryedale with pre-Norman remains.
Click on this map to see the pages for the places other than Stonegrave.

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

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).

This page is a part of Chris Tolley's web-site. Latest update: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 12:30
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The Celtic Cross at Stonegrave Minster and other assembled stone fragments The two faces not shown are much more eroded. August 2000

Celtic sites
Nevern/Nanhyfer	Carew/Caeriw, Nevern/Nanhyfer, Penmon, Stonegrave