Loupin' Stanes NW

Date Added: 9th Apr 2015
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway)
Visited: Yes on 6th Apr 2015. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The Loupin' Stanes, Stone Circle near Eskdalemuir: From the Girdle Stanes, the footpath pointed along the field boundary above the river, so we attempted to follow this line, although there were lots of boggy areas and field drains to step/jump across. A tall, but well built stile helped us over the first fence nearest to the Girdle Stanes, which even I managed! Although it hadn’t rained in a while, there was plenty of surface water, presumably from springs in the field so we had to deviate onto higher ground. This had the benefit of us being able to spot several larger (presumably fallen) stones along the route between the two stone circles. As the circles are ‘hidden’ from each other by a small hill in-between, we were curious as to whether this was a deliberately marked route.

The Loupin’ Stanes formed a smaller circle than the Girdle Stanes and seemed to sit on a platform of earth. The two larger stones form an entrance towards the west. As at the Girdle Stanes, someone had placed a small bunch of flowers against the thinner of the two tallest stones, which also had a mask sculpture placed upon it.

We were curious as to the stones between this stone circle and the road – is this the third (now destroyed) stone circle that is referred to in some of the literature? We walked round them, but couldn’t make out a definitive pattern.

On the way back, we walked back to the road rather than retrace our steps back to the Girdle Stanes. Because the field gate had been shut with barbed wire, needed to climb the high stile. We’d walked further than we thought; it was a good ten minutes walk back to the car. From this site, I wanted to try and explore the Stone Rings/remains of a settlement just north east of Rennaldburn. Although we were unable to get into the forest (blocked by a substantial fence) we did get an excellent view of the Loupin’ Stanes site from the forest track on the way back to the car at grid reference NY 25936 97021.

All Saints (Otley)

Date Added: 2nd Apr 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (West))
Visited: Yes on 25th Mar 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Crosses, All Saints, Otley: Having been to Leeds in the morning, we decided to make the rest of the day one of exploration (the first one for a long time!), so made our way back to the north-east via Otley, Weston and Weston Moor. Coming down into Otley from the A660 from Leeds, All Saints is clearly visible in the town centre. We managed to park right outside the church on Burras Lane. Whilst the crosses are well worth seeing, the display of crosses in the church is a little disappointing - on the day we visited they were surrounded by stacked chairs, music stands, speakers and other things, making them seem unimportant.
Right next to the impressive tomb, there are good display boards describing what you are looking at (although no guide book that we could find).
In the churchyard, we found what looked like part of another Anglo Saxon cross shaft in the north-west corner, piled with other architectural pieces. There is an amazing old yew tree with branches touching the ground in places. Nice coffee shops in the vicinity.

Thornborough High Barns

Date Added: 14th Mar 2015
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 8th Mar 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Thorborough High Barns Rock Art (single displaced stone): We first went to visit this site on 25th May 2014. Even though we were armed with a six figure grid reference number and detailed map, we were unable to locate this stone due to the high grass and deep brambles on both sides of the hedge. However, on this visit, the stone was clearly visible on the opposite side of the hedgerow/fence line from the footpath/bridleway. Close to the location of the stone there was a broken fence and a clear trackway which other walkers had used, so we nipped through very quickly to photograph this stone. Note to future visitors to this site: the hedge row has recently been planted, so access in future years will be difficult. I'm not sure who the landowner is, but will try and find out, and add a comment to this page. Further down the footpath, where it reaches a wood and stream, there is a gateway through to the field containing the stone, and it looks possible to walk back to the stone.

Addingham Cross

Date Added: 12th Mar 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 30th Nov 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Addingham Crosses, Cumbria: This red sandstone church sits on a site which has had a church on it from the 13th century; previously the village of Addingham (home of Adda's people), including its church and churchyard, was washed away by a major flood of the River Eden in the 12th century.
The present church holds fragments of 6 different artefacts dating from between the sixth to ninth centuries. These include the unusual churchyard cross, plus a cross shaft in two pieces dating from the second part of the ninth century, a sixth to eighth century cross-incised slab, a seventh to tenth century cross base a Viking hogback tombstone and part of a cross socket.
The cross socket inside the church, next to the choir stalls, is incised with lines and holes which make it look as if it had been adapted to play the 9-mens Morris game.
It is hard to spot the cross in the churchyard at first, as it is lined up in a row of gravestones just south of the church. It's ringed hammerhead with lateral arms are unusual and I've not seen another cross like this in my travels so far.
Combined with a visit to Little Meg Stone Circle and St Nicholas's Church in Lazonby to see the cross shaft there, this was a pleasant late autumn afternoon, made even more special by hot warming soup with speciality breads at the Watermill Tea Rooms at Little Salkeld (no, they've not paid me to advertise!).

Lazonby Ancient Cross

Date Added: 12th Mar 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 30th Nov 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Lazonby Cross, Cumbria: At first glance this seems the most unlikely church to have the shaft of a cross, thought to be preaching cross dating from the 8th century, as at first glance it appears to be thoroughly Victorian in origin.
From Kirkoswald, travelling on the B6413 over the Eden Bridge into Lazonby, the church looms on a steep hill on the right hand side of the road and looks very Victorian (the church guide says the foundation stone was laid in 1864, and that "three places of Christian worship have been on this site. Before the Normans came to Cumbria a preaching-cross faced across the River Eden towards the Pennines").
It was hard to spot the cross shaft at first at it lies in the shadow of a tall tree and is the same red colour as the sandstone of the south wall of the church against which it sits near.
There are no discernable markings or carvings on it. The views over the River Eden and the Pennines beyond are impressive.
If you are passing by and are interested in Anglo Saxon crosses, it is worth stopping off for a few minutes to appreciate this ancient spot.

Little Meg

Date Added: 10th Dec 2014
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 30th Nov 2014. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Little Meg, Little Salkeld, Cumbria: After visiting the Addingham Cross, which is within walking distance, we went in search of Little Meg. Strange, as we've visited Long Meg and Her Daughters on a number of occasions, but somehow managed to overlook this little gem.
Located just to the west of the minor road from Little Salkeld to Glassonby, just north of Tarn House, there is actually no footpath to the stone circle, which can be seen from the gate to the field. There was a local family who were walking along the edge of the field to the stone circle, so we followed them. Their children enjoyed climbing onto the stones and jumping off, and we wondered how many other children in times gone by had done the same!
A few of the stones might be in their original positions, but it looks as if the farmer has re-located the majority to the field edge so he can plough the field, which is a huge shame. However, the stones are welcoming and still worth a visit. One stone has impressive spiral marks on it (I understand there is a second stone with rock art but we couldn't find it).
There is a footpath running from the minor road towards Maughandy Moo, and just inside the car there are some more large stones which look as if they might have been part of this ancient monument at some point.

Queen's Crags Cup Marked Boulders

Date Added: 17th Nov 2014
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 9th Nov 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Queen's Crags Cup Marked Boulders, Northumberland: We last visited this area, immediately to the north of Sewingshields Crags/Hadrians' Wall in July this year, and I was fascinated and intrigued by what I thought might have been another possible stone row and stone circle/enclosure on the way to Simonburn Stone Circle. We'd met the farmer on this visit and he'd told us the archaeologists had marked out an area for a survey and were due to come back shortly. I then found a short piece in the local Hexham Courant newspaper, and thought I identified SolarMegalith in the photo, so contacted him to find out. Then a subsequent message to him, to try and find out what rock art stones at Goatstones were the best to find, had alerted me to another rock art boulder near Queen's Crags, which put this spot firmly on my 'to re-visit' list. We then spotted an initial report on the area on the Tynedale Archaeological Group web site, so after 2 weeks stuck in the house, both decorating and my husband and his bad back, it was a relief to get on my walking boots and do this gentle walk, mostly along a cobbled track and grassy paths. It was also an exercise in getting used to using our (basic but good) GPS system.

I just wish I had more experience to understand what I was seeing, as this seems to be much larger landscape of monuments, stone circles, cairns and settlements.

Whilst it is well over a kilometre from the road to this spot, through often boggy places, it is well worth a visit just to soak in the atmosphere of this place, with Sewingshields Crags standing guard over the area to the south, and Broomlee Lough shining in the low autumn sunlight to the south west.

Walking up to the top of Queen's Crags, we came upon the cliffs very suddenly - a long drop down to the valley below and my fear of falling took over and I had to retreat down to the cairns lower down the hill.

Since our visit, I've emailled Tynedale Archaeological Group to find out if it will be OK to include a link from the page I've created to submit my photographs, as it is their work that has highlighted these features, and they deserve all the credit - I just took these few photographs. I'm still waiting to hear and will update the page when I do (Update: 17th November at 17:19 - TAG have kindly agreed to a link between the relevant pages on the Portal and their web site, and also invited me along to their AGM tomorrow night to find out more).

Congratulations to SolarMegalith for finding the boulder with 5 cups - I can't imagine how exciting it must be to make a discovery like this. Well done, SolarMegalith!

Beckermet Ancient Crosses (St John's Church)

Date Added: 28th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 24th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Ancient crosses: St John’s Church, Beckermet, Cumbria: As we arrived, I could hear the buzz of voices coming from inside the church and thought there might be a service on. Sort of. Children kept coming out of the church, and out, and out. It turned out the whole local school had come for a Harvest Festival service so we waited whilst they filed out.

The vicar and another lady were standing in the church porch. I said “I think we’ve arrived at the right time (or the wrong time!). We’ve come to see the Anglo Saxon cross remains” and waved my pages from the ASCorpus at them. The vicar told us the church was left open all day so we weren’t disturbing everyone. He then asked us if we were going to the ‘low church’ and gave vague directions. The lady also mentioned Gosforth. After having cleared up in the vestry, they disappeared and left us to it.

We had to move (carefully) all the flowers from the stones to photograph them, and carefully replaced them. There were also three old fonts in the church yard. I managed to photograph 2 of them; the third was less ornate red sandstone, very near the west door to the church.

All the Anglo Saxon cross shaft fragments were on the window ledges in the north aisle; grave covers on the window ledges in the south aisle.

One additional fragment, not listed on ASCorpus. Could this be fragment 09 returned to the church?

The notes in the church read: “There is evidence of at least 4 churches having been built on this site. The earliest is thought to have been built by Irish monks. We know that in 1262 Sir John le Fleming gave the church to Calder Abbey and tithes were paid to the Abbey. We know of the existence of a 13th century church. Fragments of a crocketed canopy and cross can be found outside the porch doorway. This was ‘a small church with square headed windows and a South Porch approached by steps beginning near the bridge and a little belfry between the chancel and nave’ (The Gosforth District by Dr. C.A. Parker). This was the position of the Sanctus Bell by means of a rope hanging down intot he church at the raising of the host during Mass. This church had an earthen floor with seats being oak forms. It had no door, but there was a hurdle to keep out animals. It also had no ceiling. In January 1811 a faculty was granted to pul down this building which had served as a church for over 600 years. All parishioners had to pay a Compulsory Church Rate and they wished to keep the rate as low as possible. But this church had no foundations!!! They were seen as an unnecessary expense. The walls were whitewashed and the ivy climbing up the outer walls was said to have covered up the cracks and supported the building. It had to be demolished and was rebuilt in 1878. The present church is built of St. Bees sandstone from Bigrigg Quarry and has a roof of Coniston slate. It holds 250. The pews and all other woodwork are made of pitch pine. This church cost £2,406 mainly raised by subscription .... inside the porch are 2 remnants of white freestone crosses thought to be Anglo-Saxon, 700 to 1100 AD. There is also a large graveslab which probably marked the tomb of a le Fleming (Norman) ..... along the south window ledges are the remains of ancient grave slabs dating from 1230 AD.”

Gosforth Cross

Date Added: 27th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 24th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: The Gosforth Cross and Hogbacks, Gosforth, Cumbria: This was a busy, busy little village. By this time, it was 3pm and I was more than ready for a cup of tea, but the cafe above the village store was closing. Away from the main car park for the village, we struggled to park, but in the end managed to get a spot outside the eastern end of the churchyard, where a delivery van had just pulled away.

What a delightful little church, where we were given a very warm welcome.

Rather than walk up to the lych gate, I opened the lower gate into the churchyard, where we were almost immediately greeted by some iron railings round a very unusual tree. We walked over the grass to the Gosforth Cross, and as I was taking photographs, we were greeted by a very jolly gentleman who told us he’d seen us come in through the bottom of the churchyard, and asked if we’d spotted the railings. “As far as we know, this is the most northerly growing cork tree.” He then proceeded to take us into the church and showed us where the Fishing Stone was, together with the light switches to see the other stones and hogback tombstones.

There was a very busy group of ladies who were cleaning the church from top to bottom, using the space between the hogback tombstones to hide their handbags (I gingerly moved them and replaced them to get my photographs.

I picked up a leaflet in the church about the grave covers and was taking (yet more) photographs in the porch. A gentleman with a sweeping brush came out to clear the leaves away and told us about the Grade 1 listed building at north east corner of church yard built out of grave stones, so we went to look. Fascinating! I’m glad I didn’t miss this feature.

St Michaels Church, Muncaster Castle

Date Added: 27th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 24th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Ancient cross shaft, head and base at St Michael and All Angels, Muncaster, Cumbria: After Irton, our next stop was Muncaster, further down the A595, where I was intrigued to find what the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculptures catalogue refer to as ‘Irton 02’ being cemented to a plinth at the base of Muncaster 01.

We had a slightly eventful journey to get here. A crane had got stuck on the hill going into Muncaster so we had to carefully overtake him on a steep bend, so missing the turn to St. Michael and All Angels, which is at the entrance to Muncaster Castle (as an amusing aside, whilst we were at Muncaster, then Waberthwaite, the crane managed to reverse and turn around in the car park just before Muncaster Castle, so we ended up following him for miles and miles, crawling up hills then speeding up on the ‘flat bits’). There is parking for three or four cars immediately outside the churchyard, so we avoided going into the main castle car park.

We found the cross shaft and cross base easily enough, with ‘Irton 02’ sandwiched between them. The cross shaft (Muncaster 01) dates from the tenth to eleventh centuries. The cross base is believed to be of Saxon-Norman origin, although no precise date is given.

I found these fragments a little sad, with little or no ambience, so we didn’t linger. Stopping to take a few quick photographs, dusk was falling rapidly, so we shot off to Waberthwaite.

Irton Cross

Date Added: 27th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 24th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Ancient cross shaft, head and base, St Paul’s, Irto, Cumbria: This cross, apart from the Gosforth Cross, is perhaps the most complete of all those we saw during our day in this part of Cumbria. From the Ordnance Survey map, we weren’t sure if we could drive most of the way, or if we needed to walk some distance along a footpath, but with a school and a church marked in close proximity, we decided to drive as far as we could. From Gosforth, we drove down the A595 through Holmrook, then took a left hand turn onto a minor road, past Gubbergill. A left hand turn is signposted towards ‘church’ and we drove down a single lane road past what had been a school, then through the narrow stone gates to the church, where after a couple of hundred yards, the lane widens out into a reasonably large car park. As we came closer to the church, there were surprisingly spectacular views over Lake District, which loomed impressively gray and large in the near distance.

St. Paul’s church is surprisingly large for its remote location, and obviously well used.

We found this complete cross shaft, head and base in the churchyard south of the church rising high above us. Dating from the first half of the 9th century, the head is edged by fine double roll mouldings. I was fascinated by the head of the cross, which on its west face has a cabled circle enclosing five pellets arranged in a cruciform pattern.

The cross shaft, head and base are referenced as Irton 01. The ASCorpus notes told me that Irton 02, a 10th century cross head, is actually at Muncaster in the churchyard of St. Michael’s and All Angels, cemented onto a plinth in front of Muncaster 01.

St Bee's Priory Crosses

Date Added: 27th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 24th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Ancient Crosses, St. Bees Priory (notes: 1. all the leaflets and books refer to this as ‘St Bees Priory Church’ but the name, according to information plates in the church is ‘St Mary and St. Bega. 2. I record this visit as 'ordinary' as the church was having its complete heating system replaced and was like a building site. Once this is complete, it will be 'good').

This was our first stop on an 'ancient cross hunt' day. Following the A595 from Whitehaven, we turned towards the sea down Mirehouse Road towards St. Bees. We drove past the church at first, as it looked too modern from the road, but on closer inspection, it really is old! Sited near the station, there is car parking for 4-5 cars at the south east corner of the church, with a level pathway to follow to the west door.

Entering the churchyard, we saw St Bees 01, the 10th century cross shaft, in the middle of the churchyard by a large, round bush. The ASCorpus notes say it also has part of the cross head at the top of the shaft, although this wasn’t immediately obvious, although I can now see this in the photographs. According to the little leaflet I bought from the church, this cross stands in the graveyard to symbolise all those who are buried here, rather than there being individual grave markers. This then gives a different meaning to the other similar crosses we saw in other churches, being described as preaching crosses. I wonder who is right? In a history of St. Bees (see source below) this cross is described as being ‘Hiberno-Norse’; ASCorpus dates it to the 10th century.

Many of the grave stones have been cleared away, making the grass easier to cut, and there is a drop between the edge of the churchyard and the church itself, with plenty of bright yellow ‘danger’ notices. Near the lych gate, there is a sundial which dates to 1649, although the top has been broken off.

Having travelled over 90 miles to get here, we arrived at the west door to find a notice to say the church was closed Mondays to Thursdays as they were having the heating pipes replaced. As it was a Friday and someone else had just come out we went in; we were stopped by one of the plumberswho said the church was closed, and I said we’d driven a long way to come here, he said ‘be careful’. The church was covered in plastic lining and plumbing pieces everywhere, including dustpans and brushes placed in the ‘history area’ at the south east end of the church.

This visit was slightly disappointing, as we didn’t find St Bees 06, part of a round shaft or pillar which was supposed to be at the east end of the south aisle of the church, inside. We explored all the other areas, including the ‘new history area’ and poked my head into the rooms being used by the heating engineers, but nothing. Three other pieces (St Bees 03, 04 and 05) were buried under the south aisle of the church, so couldn’t be seen, and St. Bees 07 was in someone else’s possession. St Bees 08 is difficult to find, being placed in the south west arch way, almost buried by ferns. I had to compare it to the photograph on the ASCorpus records very carefully to make sure I’d understood what I’d seen.

Outside the fascinating west door, underneath this same archway, there was another sandstone cross sited underneath an arch. It’s not described in the church guide, but in a frame in the church, it is described as “a cross which stood at the breast of the hill on the main road to Whitehaven. It is variously thought to be a ‘sanctuary cross’, marking the boundary of the parish, or a resting cross on a coffin road. The ‘coffin roads’ date from medieval times when many West Cumbrian parishes did not have the licence to bury, and bodies were brought to St. Bees. These crosses served as symbolic resting places on route.” The archway lintel comprises a “pre-Conquest carved Beowulf Stone, on a lintel between the Church and the Vicarage, showing St Michael killing a dragon.”

Waberthwaite Cross

Date Added: 27th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 24th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Ancient crosses, St John the Baptist Church, Waberthwaite: This was our last planned stop of the day and dusk was drawing in. I confess to being a little tired of getting in and out of the car by this time, but a drive down a narrow country lane to reach a cluster of farm houses by the estuary of the River Esk was worth it. Outside the church of St John the Baptist looks derelict and unloved, with the door being guarded by a simple wire frame held shut by a wire closure.

Finding ‘Waberthwaite 02’ cross shaft and basewas easy, as it sat immediately to the east of a tall sundial. ‘Waberthwaite 01’ was a bit more of a challenge until I realised it had been laid flat on the plinth of the sundial (verified by the notes inside the church).

Simple manipulation of the wire frame in the church porch allowed entry, and the door to the church had been left unlocked - inside it is small but cosy, like stepping back into the 18th century. There are box pews put in by the Victorians and the bells are rung from the outside.

Notes in the church read: “The churchyard contains a sandstone sundial, possibly 18th century. Its height is explained by the fact that it was designed to be read by someone on horseback. Behind it is the shaft of an ancient preaching cross. For many years this was part of the lintel of the church porch. The cross head has been lost. It is very worn, but the carving includes interlaced foliage and, on the east face, pictures of a horse and two figures facing one another. Lying on the base of the sundial is another broken cross shaft rescued from the threshold of the porch in the 1800s. Again the cross head is lost. For many years the larger cross was thought to be 9th century or later, but recent archaeological discoveries put it earlier, in the 8th century. This makes the Waberthwaite Cross one of the earliest in West Cumbria. The existence of the crosses is evidence of a very early Christian settlement on this site.”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine early Christians stopping off at the site to worship by the cross.

Auckland St Andrew Ancient Cross

Date Added: 22nd Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (County Durham)
Visited: Yes on 17th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Auckland St Andrew Ancient Cross: This church is open during the day between May and the end of September, so I’d had to arrange a special appointment with the Church Warden to visit at 10am. In the event, the ladies were in arranging flowers in the church, so it would have been possible to gain entry today. The warden's wife told me that they hadn’t had the numbers of volunteers this year to open the church on more days this year.

The cross is almost hidden from view when you go in, lost amongst the grandeur of the rest of the church, and nestled underneath the eastern arch. It struck me that if it had been located a few feet further forward, it would have welcomed visitors into the church.

I could only find The AS Corpus artefacts labelled Auckland St. Andrew 1, 3 and 4. No. 2, which measured 9.5 ins by 7.8 ins by 3.9 ins appeared to be missing, despite being allowed to clamber over the barrier to look behind the tomb stones and with 2 of us looking. As this is the piece with a foot on, this was a shame.

There was no guide book at the church but was given a great verbal history. The Warden was very proud of the almost complete list of rectors and deans since the church was first established in 1085, kept in the south transept. He also told me the reason the door in the south west corner of the church was so tall; apparently the lord of the manor used to ride his horse into church, tether it near where the font is now, then take his place in his private pew. Some years ago, some masonry fell internally near the font. The Warden came in and found the rubble - had a service been taking place a the time there would have been injuries.

I was made to feel very welcome here, and invited to come back, if I telephoned in advance to arrange a date and time.

Conyer's Chapel Crosses

Date Added: 22nd Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (County Durham)
Visited: Yes on 17th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Conyer's Chapel, near Darlington: Hogbacks and Anglo Saxon Crosses: In reading about the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculptures material for Northumberland, I’ve become more and more excited about trying to visit Sockburn Hall. In order to find out who to contact, I went through English Heritage, who have a web page about Sockburn, who put me in touch with both the Sockburn Hall Project and the owner of Sockburn Hall. He also told me that the neighbours at Sockburn Farm taking their privacy very seriously and there are signs to deter visitors, although there are rights of access to Sockburn Hall and the Chapel. I have to say I was made to feel exceptionally welcome once I'd arrived at the Hall.

Conyer’s Chapel is a small, private museum containing the remains of 13 Anglo-Saxon crosses and 9 hogback tombstones plus a small, but impressive (and nationally signficant) stone with runes which was found in the last year.

The chapel is the roofed section, and apart from the arches, the only remaining part of the now ruined church of All Saints. It sits less than 100 yards from the more recent (19th century) property of Sockburn Hall. Built into a loop of the River Tees, Sockburn sits on almost an island, making it an enigmatic and ancient place, suspended between County Durham and North Yorkshire.

The English Heritage records tell us the history of the area begins in AD780 to 796 when a church at Soccabyrig or Sochasburg) hosted the consecration of a bishop of Lindisfarne and the ordination of an Archbishop of York, meaning it would have been a monastic community. Sockburn then disappeared from the written record following Viking raids in the 9th and 10th centuries, and this history explains the fusion of pagan and Christian imagery on the surviving artefacts.

Most impressive was the hogback stone with the two riders carved on it, the rune stone and the large hogback with the ridge missing. I was shocked by the damp and slime within the chapel – in moving the fragments an inch or two to photograph them, I was covered in green slime, cobwebs and insects and this site must surely be at risk.

Sockburn Hall sits on the site of the Conyer’s family former mansion (whose distance ancestor was supposed to have fought the famous ‘worm, dragon or fiery flying serpent’) and is privately owned (see ‘The Grey Stone’ entry on the Portal). It is not open to the public, but the Chapel is owned by the Diocese of Durham and the resident of Sockburn Hall is a keyholder for the chapel. Because the chapel contains so many important artefacts, and the Hall and its surrounding lands have so much history, English Heritage have worked with the Diocese of Durham to survey the earthworks and look at the wider archaeological setting.

The Hall is about to be sold privately as it needs a lot of money to repair and conserve it.

All Saints (Crathorne)

Date Added: 22nd Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 17th Oct 2014. My rating: Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: All Saints (Crathorne): Anglo Saxon Cross Shafts and Hogback Fragments: This church was on the way home, being very close to the A19, so I stopped off hoping it would be open so I could see the Saxon fragments incorporated into the fabric of the nave; according to the Pastscape record for this church, these include two 10th century cross shafts and six 10th century hogback fragments.

I arrived a little late in the afternoon, and as I pulled up to the lych gate, someone came from the church, got in their car and drove off. As the church was closed, I assume they had been to lock up. I’ve sent an email via the 'achurchnearyou' web site to find out when the church is open outside service times. In the meantime, I saw the cross shaft plinth by the south west corner of the church, reproducing the image submitted by majick123 in June 2013.

Hopefully I'll be able to return soon to see the cross shafts and hogback fragments. A disappointing end to a wonderful day.

21st October 2014: I've had response from the vicar, the Reverend Pam Sanders with details of a weekday service (Wednesday at 8am - unfortunately I'd need to leave home before 6am to attend and stay on to see the crosses) and the telephone number of the keyholder (see private notes).

St Cuthbert (Forcett)

Date Added: 20th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 17th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: St Cuthbert (Forcett): Anglo Saxon Cross Shafts and Cross Arms in Porch: From Piercebridge, it is only 4 and half miles south west to Forcett, via the B6275 and Greystone Lane (although the road in Piercebridge was closed so I had to detour - thankfully I had my son’s SatNav to help, otherwise complete panic would have set in!).

I found the church easily enough, on the edge of the village, but there didn’t seem to be anywhere to park. In the end, I bumped up on the pavement by the cottages opposite. One of the resident’s came out and asked me if I knew the church; when I replied ‘no’ and asked if there was a proper parking area, he told me I’d be OK where I was for a short while (note: whilst it is possible to stop by the gate to the church, there are steps up the slope to the church).

The inside of the church is very Victorian and unremarkable, but the porch is something special. I had to gain entry to the porch first by untangling a piece of wire which held the wire gates shut, but once inside the more I looked, the more I saw, and was very impressed.

Different sources say there are between 5 and 8 Anglo Saxon cross fragments, varying in date between the 8th and 10th century. I certainly saw at least 6, and took photographs of all the fragments and grave covers that I saw so I can sit and unpick what I saw at a more leisurely pace in the next few days.

Apparently there is another fragment on the outside of the porch, but whilst I walked slowly around the whole exterior of the church I didn’t find this one.

The Ruthwell Cross

Date Added: 13th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway)
Visited: Yes on 12th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: The Ruthwell Cross, Ruthwell: I’ve visited the Savings Bank Museum in Ruthwell to have meetings with the curator on more than one occasion and thought I had visited the Ruthwell Cross before (both my husband and I have vivid memories of taking the children to see an ancient sandstone cross in a churchyard when we first moved to Dumfries and Galloway in 1992, and while we both thought it was this one, it’s not – a mystery!).

There is a large visitors’ car park to the west end of the church. A key is available from the manse cottage, in a little stand outside with a blue label saying ‘church key’ and a small box with a lift up lid.

I was surprised by the sheer size of the cross, which absolutely dominates the church. Andrew clambered down into the pit and took some photographs looking up the whole of the cross, which was quite difficult to photograph given the sky lights overhead – we needed a dull day to avoid the light spilling in.

This is the second cross with runes on we’ve seen in three days (the other at Bewcastle), although the Ruthwell guide goes to great lengths to point out they are a true preaching cross, not a memorial!

Some of the elements at the top of the cross don’t quite seem to fit – they are much darker sandstone than the rest, but have probably not been weathered so much.

I was staggered by the price of a guide book (£5). There was a constant stream of visitors, coming in ones and twos – one family leaving as we arrived and another we handed the key to as we left.

Middleton Crosses

Date Added: 13th Oct 2014
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Access 5

Log Text: Middleton Crosses, St. Andrew’s Church, Church Lane, Middleton, North Yorkshire: From St. Gregory’s Minster, the A170 took us right through Middleton, and it was easy to spot the church on the left hand side of the road. I’d tried to phone beforehand to check if the church was open during the day, but the number published on the ‘achurchnearyou’ website was for a private house; I sent an email to Reverend Stephen Gamble but didn’t receive a reply until we were actually inside the church, saying the church is usually left open during the day.

Turning into Church Lane, it is long and narrow. There was just room to bump the car up onto the kerb opposite a gateway to a farm. At first glance, this church looks modern and not particularly interesting, but the more we looked, the more ancient and interesting the building became.

Apart from the crosses (crosses A and B kept against the base of the tower on the west wall, C, D and E kept in the north transept). It’s a shame that the area that C, D and E are kept in is used for general storage (we had to clamber over stacked chairs and other items) as it did spoil the ambience a little. Crosses A and B had clearly been whitewashed at some point in their lives, which made them look somewhat ‘unreal’.

The south entrance door has a wonderful 13th century trefoil and the door itself is from the 15th century (much repaired internally). The north aisle and tower date from the 12th and 13th centuries, although the base of the tower is Saxon. In the west wall, there is a blocked up doorway from the 11th century with an 8th century cross head and part of a shaft above it (we didn’t find the one in the south wall of the nave, as described on the visitor boards inside the church).

There is a sundial above the entrance to the porch, and an interesting ‘vow cross’, similar to the one at Escomb on a pillar in the north aisle.

Notes from the hand-held boards in the church:
The Crosses: The crosses and fragments in the North Aisle have been dated to the 10th century, perhaps related to the Viking kingdom of York c 876 to 954 AD. Cross A and Cross B are described as Jellinge crosses, after the cross of a similar type at Jellinge in Denmark. The stone types are all of a kind found on the North Yorkshire moors.
Cross A:A ring-head cross, typical of the area, depicts a hunter with spear, sword, shield and scramasax (a short sword), two dogs and a stag. On the reverse is a ‘Jellinge’ animal. The crossed has formerly been built into the tower, and was first recorded in 1911 and was removed in 1948.
Cross B: Depicts a warrior with a pointed helmet, spear, swod, shield, axe and scramasax. Again, on the reverse can be seen a ‘Jellinge’ animal. This cross also was discovered in the tower wall and ‘liberated’ in 1948. Celtic influences are mixed with Anglo-Scandinavian work, and it is supposed, by reason of the local stone (some is exposed 2km north of the church) and inferior workmanship, to be local in origin.
Cross C: First recorded at the east end of this aisle, in 1907, and is interesting in that it seems to combine both pagan, animal heads and a degenerate form of Christian vine scroll. It is unlike the others here, and has some Irish influences on an Anglian design, possibly representing an Anglian ‘Revival’.
Cross D:A fragment showing a warrior’s helmeted head, together with forked beard. A similar beard appears on the Kirkdale crucifix, although the example here is much cruder. A knife is slung from his belt, and a scramasax is to the right of his legs. This is very similar to Cross B, and it is thought that the same template was used. The contoured plait is unusual for this area.
Cross E:Formed of two fragments. The top part is a part of a ring-head cross. The bottom part has the head and shoulders of a man with a pointed helmet. The two fragments may have belonged together originally, but it is not possible to be sure.
There is another cross-head and shaft still built into the tower on the south wall against the nave wall. One arm of the cross has been dressed off, in order to use the monument as a quoin, but it seems that the full length survives."

Kirkdale Sundial

Date Added: 13th Oct 2014
Site Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Crosses, St. Gregory’s Minster, Kirkdale, North Yorkshire (Kirkdale Sundial): Because the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Sculpture catalogue for Yorkshire cost £145, and my budget won’t currently run to buying it (!) I typed in ‘Anglo Saxon Sculptures’ into the internet and the search came up with both St. Gregory’s Minster and St. Andrew’s at Middleton. Good choice, Google! Thank you.

We arrived just after 11 o’clock to find two other cars in the car park. It turned out that one belonged to a florist setting up flowers for a wedding in the church that afternoon (she also said there was another wedding tomorrow, but they didn’t want to share the flowers) and one belonging to an elderly gentleman who, as we watched, hung his jacket on the church gate and picked up a brush and rake. He greeted us and asked us if we were going into the church and if we’d been before. On answering ‘no’, he told us to be careful of the step down into the church.

St. Gregory’s Minster is in a beautiful location, and is an even more beautiful building. It is clearly ancient and sits easily within the landscape.

The sundial above the main door into the church is breathtaking in its completeness. There are “Early Medieval carved stones built into the church include two early 9th century crosses; an early 10th century shaft/ slab fragment and a worn piece of late 9th century interlacing. Two grave slabs, early 8th century and 11th century two cross heads and a 10th-11th century shaft fragment are kept inside the church”.

Because there were so many flowers around the church, it was difficult to get a good photo of the cross heads inside the church. But outside it was spectacular and I was surprised to find only one other family wandering around looking at the fabric of the church, but not the cross-shafts.

By the time we’d finished wandering around the outside, there were many people coming in and out of the church and wandering around the churchyard. The car park was completely full, so we were glad we’d arrived earlier. The gentleman who’d greeted us on arrival caught us in the churchyard as we were going out. He told us that there had been ‘ladies’ who’d been round and told them they weren’t allowed to mow the back part of the churchyard, as there were over 80 (he spelled out ‘eight-oh’ to emphasise his point) species of wild flower. Walking back up the path with us, he asked if we’d enjoyed our visit, and I replied ‘very much so’. He said that people saying that made keeping the church tidy and clean worth while.

I felt very welcome at this hugely historic church and would go again to spend time and sit when it’s not so busy.