Prudhoe Castle

Date Added: 12th Apr 2016
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 26th Mar 2016. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Rock Art @ Prudhoe Castle, Northumberland: I only found out about this stone because I'd been doing some research for the Tynedale North of the Wall Archaeology Group and spotted a record for Prudhoe Castle on the ERA web site (also another one in the Monastic Workshop in Hexham Abbey, which I’ve emailed them about). We’ve lived here for almost 14 years and never been to the castle. I confess to it being prettier than I’d imagined.

Coming up from the Badger Roundabout in Low Prudhoe (junction of the A695 with Station Road), the access road seems pretty tight, although it is wider than it appears. The car park is about 100 yards from the main entrance of the castle. There is a pond to the left of the gate, fed from a stream which is piped under the road from the hillside behind. There are some really nice yew block hedges which really make the entrance. If the trees were out in leaf, you wouldn’t be able to see the castle from the road.

The path climbs gently up the slope, through the gatehouse and under the gatehouse with chapel over. This leads into the outer bailey and immediately in front of you the block with rock art stands against the sloping north wall of the castle, with the ticket office to the left hand side. The sign next to it reads “prehistoric cup and ring marked stone found reused in the footings of a late medieval building on this site.” England’s Rock Art record (ERA-750) tell us that “this stone is very close to the north wall of the castle building (about 0.32m), by a small window. The carved surface faces south to the castle gateway and is in a fairly sheltered position and gets the sun. It was found during excavations of a 14th century hall within the castle. Motifs consist of two, possibly three single cups and two larger cups with multiple rings, the lower cup has three rings and the higher has two, both the outer rings overlap. The rings could be pennannulars, but they’re extremely faint and difficult to make out. Short radial grooves run from the central cups.”

The outer bailey is quite fascinating. When there were no trees (and no toilet roll factory) there would have been brilliant views across the Tyne towards Ovingham.

A footpath runs around the castle in a ditch and we walked round, seeing the foundations of a round tower that once stood. There are the remains of a mill to the left hand side as you leave the gatehouse, with an old mill stone dated 1786 propped by the wall. The old mill leat runs along a paved bed of stones and runs down to the Tyne below.

Mare and Foal

Date Added: 25th Jan 2016
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 24th Jan 2016. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Mare & Foal Stone Circle, just west of Twice Brewed, Hadrian's Wall: After many months of not being able to get 'out and about', even though the day dawned dull, damp and dreary, it was great to be able to get out into the open countryside again. Strangely, we've driven past this little stone circle on many occasions as we've driven up and down the Military Road (the B6318), but I thought it was just north of Hadrian's Wall. How wrong can you be?

We'd been up into the Edges Green area to try and locate the course of the Roman Aqueduct which wends its way around the contours around here, but it's very difficult to pick out. Anyway, Roman's never did float my boat.

I've wanted to visit this stone circle for ages. We parked at the side of the road leading up toward Shield On The Wall farm. There is no actual footpath here, but it's possible to hop over the wooden fencing where the stone wall adjacent to the B6318 meets the wire fencing which runs northwards up the slope. There were no animals in the field, and the farmer was herding his sheep in the field opposite. I waved and he showed no signs of warning us off.

From the road looking west, it looks as if the stones sit on a low curved mound. The larger stone had a 'bruise' on one side, which in the photographs looked like a cup and ring, but actually seems to be where part of the stone has been broken away.

St Bernard's Well

Date Added: 30th Dec 2015
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: Scotland (Midlothian)
Visited: Yes on 17th Dec 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: St Bernard's Well, Edinburgh: This was by far the most attractive of the three wells we saw in Edinburgh today, although again I wouldn’t have known it was a well but for the plaque next to it telling us it had been refurbished in Victorian times. It sits at the base of a steep hill with housing and private gardens above, with the Water of Leith running below. It is apparently possible to get inside the structure during ‘Doors Open’ day, although the gate and door were very well padlocked, and the number of vodka bottles and cans inside the temple indicates its well used by drinkers who hop over the gate. We did intend going up to Arthur's seat to see 2 other wells and the hill fort but the wet and windy weather drove us indoors to get warm.

St Margaret's Well (Edinburgh Castle)

Date Added: 30th Dec 2015
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: Scotland (Midlothian)
Visited: Yes on 17th Dec 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: St. Margaret's Well, Edinburgh Castle: I arrived in Edinburgh on an early train but even at 08:45 it was wet and windy and too dark to see much. By 09:30, fortified by a cup of coffee, having met my old University friend, we set off towards the castle. The well sits on far side of the railway track, immediately under the castle and next to the footpath. The area is heavily littered, and without the image from the Portal I wouldn't have known this was a well. We braved the puddles to look inside the domed structure behind the plaque, but this was full of rubble and rubbish. Disappointing, but another well crossed off my 'to visit' list.

St George's Well (Edinburgh)

Date Added: 30th Dec 2015
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: Scotland (Midlothian)
Visited: Yes on 17th Dec 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: St George's Well, Edinburgh: An easy walk along the Water of Leith walkway. I wouldn't have recognised this as a well without the Portal. It looks like a very run down stone gardener's house, complete with chimney, sitting between the walkway and the river, which was running very high at the time of my visit. The iron gate was unbolted but the door to the well house was locked. The area surrounding this little building was heavily littered, not only with general rubbish but lots of empty cans and bottles - in dire need of a clean up.

Lindisfarne Priory

Date Added: 31st Oct 2015
Site Type: Museum Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 18th Oct 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Anglo Saxon and Viking Stones on Lindisfarne, Northumberland. Sunday dawned dull and drizzly; looking up the weather forecast and the tide times for Lindisfarne strangely we were able to cross over (there and back) in the afternoon just when we wanted to.

In haste, I turned on my computer and printed off the AS Corpus sheets for Lindisfarne – there were over 50 stones listed, although some are now lost. We managed to see less than half of them.

I’ve never been to Lindisfarne at the weekend, so was amazed at the hoards of people wandering around. As parking is restricted on the island, we needed to park in the visitors car park and walk the rest of the way, but this was enjoyable in the sunshine. Fortunately we had our English Heritage membership cards to get free access to the priory and the museum. We only had to show our passes; we weren’t given tickets to count visitor numbers – just waved through.

We started off at the market place, only to find the old market cross had been replaced by a hideous concrete version; the original is now in the museum. In the museum, there were hoards and hoards of people all reading the descriptions of objects very carefully, and I got frustrated trying to photograph things without shadows and the strong museum lights in the way, so we went to the church to try and find a grave marker but couldn’t find it. We then went to the priory where we were the only people around for the first 20 minutes of so. Armed with the sheets, the guide was really interested in what we were trying to find, although we only found the cross base and what might have been the grave cover (AS Corpus Lindisfarne 48).

Going back to the museum half an hour before closing we were the only ones in besides the staff. I tried to get good photos of the marker stones but the lights were really strong and they were giving me a headache. I asked the lady at the desk if, as they were closing, I might be permitted to turn off the lights, but was given short shrift and told that someone else had managed. Then a staff member came and asked to turn off the light in the shop, and that was done, so I felt a bit put out!

Anyway, it was an enjoyable afternoon out, although its going to take me a while to process and label all the photographs.

Southwell Minster

Date Added: 29th Oct 2015
Site Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone Country: England (Nottinghamshire)
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: 10th/11th century tympanum, Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire: On our way back from Grantham we took a short detour to Southwell. What a stunning little town, with a huge Minster. At the time of our visit there were two services running almost back to back, so we didn't get to see some of the early carved capitals. The tympanum on the western wall of the north transept more than made up for it, with its 11th century carving of St. Michael and the dragon facing us, then underneath (on the narrower face) was the remains of a 10th century Saxon grave cover. The light streamed through the window above, making it difficult to photograph well. I was astonished to find a photograph licence was £5! However, the greeter said as the verger was in the service, unless I was very obvious with my camera, we wouldn't be charged unless the verger spotted us! It was very late on Sunday afternoon at the time of our visit so the museum/café area wasn't open. It would be nice to go back at a time when services aren't on so we could see the quire, chancel and sanctuary and have a wander round at our leisure, but it's unlikely that we'll get back to Nottinghamshire any time soon.

St Oswald's Well (Kirkoswald)

Date Added: 22nd Oct 2015
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon stones and a holy well, Kirkoswald, Cumbria: This church is in a very pretty location, opposite "the college" and boasts not only an Anglo Saxon cross arm fragment and holy well but a separate bell tower on top of what looks like a motte. It is a little difficult to park, as there are narrow roads and high brick walls restricting vehicle access, and on the day we went lots of farmers towing trailers were travelling at relatively high speeds round the bends in the village. This church is in a very pretty location and boasts not only an Anglo Saxon cross arm fragment and well but a separate bell tower on top of what looks like a motte.

The approach to the church is pleasant, along the tree-lined Priest’s walk from the college opposite. The church itself sits at the foot of a steep hill and the wooden porch of 1523 is dark but welcoming. To the left of the porch on the exterior north wall sit a number of stone grave markers; the second from the right has ribs and is described in the church guide as being Saxon.

The church guide is really good, illustrating the development of the church from the 7th century (“when local people were discovered worshipping a God of the spring which issued out of the Bell Tower Hill”), through to the present day.

Inside the church the area immediately inside the door is cramped compared to the rest of the church. The sanctuary and east window, because it nestles at the foot of the hill, is comparatively dark. To your right, immediately to the right of the door is the font. The bowl is very old (described as being from the original Norman building) but the plinth appears modern. On the window ledge to the west, which the church guide says is Tudor, is mounted part of a Saxon cross arm, AS Corpus reference Kirkoswald (no number, as there is just one).

Apart from the well worn and partly destroyed stone effigy of Lady Dacre tucked between pews at the west end of the church, there is no much else to see inside. To the west end of the church outside is the enigmatic St. Oswald’s well. At first glance, it looks like an outside toilet, but on closer examination there is a metal cup on a long chain, a metal cap with handle and remnants of an old roof line over the well. Lifting off the metal lid, the water is free flowing and clear about 8 to 10 feet down. The cup reaches the water and I did draw a little and taste it – nothing exciting. I later read in the church guide that the water is still used for baptism, but drinking it isn’t recommended. At the southern side of the well are some steps with a red door which opens onto the water channel, presumably for clearing. I was surprised to find the water flows under the nave! The church guide says the source of the spring is unknown, but it must come from under Bell Tower Hill.

We missed a consecration cross in the retaining wall at the east end alongside an old sundial.

Walking round the southern end of the church a very narrow stile leads through the stone boundary wall of the churchyard and a path leads up into the Bell Tower Field. Climbing up this steep hill, the Bell Tower is particularly inaccessible as the slope up to the Bell Tower needs clambering up, then there is a sturdy fence with well padlocked gates. I was convinced this hill was an old motte.

Giants Grave, Penrith

Date Added: 22nd Oct 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Norse Crosses and hogback tombstones (Giant's Grave), St Andrew's Church, Penrith: On our way to Kirkoswald, we stopped off in Penrith for a coffee and a cake. I remembered from some dim and distant memory that there were some Viking Hogbacks and Anglo Saxon crosses in Penrith but couldn’t remember which church they were in, and there was no mobile signal, so as we were opposite the church we walked into the churchyard anyway. And there was the small collection of 2 Norse crosses and 4 Viking hogback tombstones – very worn.

Inside the northern door of the church, to the right of the western-most ‘Giant’s Thumb’ cross there are some line drawings of the patterns on the crosses and the hogbacks. There is also a church guide, the back page of which has a short description of the Giant’s Grave.

Towards the north western end of the churchyard another cross stands on its own. Closer inspection highlights the inscription at its base, showing this is a reconstruction.

Looking at the Anglo Saxon Corpus just now (22nd October) we missed a couple of other stones – 1 built 4 metres up into the north wall of the tower (very worn) and another upside down near the south west corner of the church. As Penrith is a place we pass reasonably frequently, a repeat visit will definitely be in order!

St Mary the Virgin (Wirksworth)

Date Added: 22nd Oct 2015
Site Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone Country: England (Derbyshire)
Visited: Yes on 17th Sep 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Stones at St. Mary The Virgin, Wirksworth, Derbyshire: My husband's father had died unexpectedly last week and we were down sorting out the funeral and his house. It all got a bit too much, and I asked to 'run away' for the afternoon to do something different. Funny, we'd nearly bought a house here in the early 1980's, on the hills just outside the town, but never really explored this pretty little market town with its boutique shops.

We found the church behind the shops opposite the market square in a pretty oval shaped churchyard. It was much bigger than expected, feeling light and airy - more like a mini-cathedral - and with what Anglo Saxon treasures.

There were groups of stones built into the walls - by the north door, the walls of the south transept and the south western part of the nave.

The church offered a good guide book, but most useful was the 'treasure trail' for children along with the laminated guide sheet which showed the locations of the stones with a short description.

As I only had the camera on my phone we decided to go back with the camera proper, but time has run away with us and we never did get to go back. Thanks to modern technology the phone on my camera is better than the mini digital camera I usually carry with me.

Bewcastle Cross

Date Added: 11th Oct 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 11th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Access 5

Log Text: Bewcastle Cross. Fourth visit, 22nd August 2015. We first came here back in 1992/1993 not long after we'd moved to Dumfries. Funny, as from dim and distant memory both my husband and I remembered this (falsely) as being the Ruthwell Cross. After having taken a photo of our 3 children gathered round the foot of the cross in the mist and drizzle, for the last couple of years I'd wanted to recreate this photograph, so for my **th birthday, the family (complete with next generation) gathered. The skies were still murky and grey although the cross doesn't appear to have changed one bit.

After taking a photo of the children as they are now, we gathered to whole family, complete with next generation, taking photos with the remote shutter control.

The museum display has improved a lot since our visit in 2014, and I came prepared with printed sheets from the Anglo Saxon Corpus but didn't find any of the Saxon grave covers in their inventory, although there was one on display, very simply carved, which was labelled as being from the 8th to 11th century.

11th October 2014: Third visit. We last came here on 15th August 2013, but I was really quite ill (a bug, not a hangover!) and had to find a quiet corner of the churchyard, so I don’t remember very much of the visit to the church. I do remember walking around the castle with the farmer and his wife gardening nearby so I felt like a trespasser.

Today, as we reached St. Cuthbert’s church, the sun came out and highlighted the cross and many of the carvings showed clearly, especially the worn and weathered runes on the eastern face.

The exhibition has been improved since our visit, with displays about the runes and their meanings and a new painting of what the cross might have looked like when it was first erected.

There were less fragments in the exhibition outbuilding than I remembered.

Robin Hood's Well ( Yorkshire)

Date Added: 8th Sep 2015
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 5th Sep 2015. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Robin Hood's Well at Fountain's Abbey, North Yorkshire: After our visit to Ripon Cathedral to see the Anglo Saxon/Pre-Norman stones, we took our small grand-daughter over to Fountains Abbey to enjoy the sunshine in a beautiful location. Walking past the Abbey to Studley Royal Water Gardens, we retraced our steps on the opposite side of the River Skell to the Abbey ruins. I'd spotted this structure on the walk down and said "that looks like a well". When we went past it on the return leg of our walk, it was indeed a well, although dry. It wasn't until I got back and checked on the Portal that I found out it was "Robin Hood's Well."


The stones on the left hand side, as you face the well, look as if they are being undermined by the wear on the track that leads up past it to the woods, but comparing the photographs submitted in 2010, it hasn't changed much.


Peering inside the well, there is a stone channel on the left hand side at the top/back of the well which routes water (if there is any) into the basin at the bottom.

Stanwick Crosses

Date Added: 8th Sep 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 5th Oct 2014. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Stanwick Crosses, North Yorkshire (St John The Baptist): 8th August 2015, return visit in daylight. As we were passing close by on the way back from Richmond, we decided to pop in to try and see the rest of the stones in relative daylight (there is no electricity in the church - should have thought to take torches). We saw most of the ones in the outer south wall and some of the ones in the south west corner, although I'm still trying to marry up the text and images in the Stanwick Stones book inside the church with the actual stones I photographed. Despite being a glorious summer evening we needed to use the torch app on my husband's phone to try and photograph the Viking Ring Cross in all its glory, and somewhat failed. Hoping for a repeat visit in early September with the flash gun I can slave to the camera.


Original visit: 5th October 2014: We meant to go to St. Cuthbert’s in Forcett, but as I spotted a signpost saying ‘historic church’, husband wrenched the wheel of the car hard left and we drove the 200 yards down the road to end up at St. John the Baptist Church in Stanwick (so much for my map-reading skills!). This was definitely worth coming to – lots of Saxon and Viking remains, but as there were no lights in the church (there were light switches but they didn't function) and it was very definitely dusk. Definitely needs a repeat visit!

The name Stanwick comes from old Norse (‘stein veggr’ meaning stone walls or building). Settlement at Stanwick dates back to the Iron Age, with the original site of habitation at Tofts, the hill just to the south of the church.

In this small hamlet, the present church of St John The Baptist dates from the 13th century, although there is plenty of evidence for earlier Christian presence on this site. Inside the church, under the tower, is a Viking Ring Cross and built into the walls of the porch are two hog-back fragments. The churchyard is roughly circular which suggests a Saxon burial ground and the shaft of a 9th century Anglo Saxon cross sits at the south east corner of the church. The tower, main doorway, part of the chancel and the eastern window in the south aisle are all 13th century.

The church was declared redundant in 1990 and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, although there appear to be occasional services here and there are some recent burials in the churchyard. As well as the Viking and Anglo Saxon crosses, there is an unusual tomb-chest in the south aisle and a hand-pumped organ.

There were no lights within the church, so a daytime visit seems to be essential to see everything this beautiful church has to offer.

Ripon Cathedral

Date Added: 7th Sep 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 5th Sep 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Stones, Ripon Cathedral: Visit by arrangement with the Head Verger, 5th September 2015.
I'd made enquiries about the Anglo Saxon stones and received the following reply: "There is in fact little at Ripon by way of sculptured remains from the Anglo Saxon period. Clearly the Crypt itself is entirely Anglo Saxon, but there are no carvings here and some at least of the stones are Roman in origin. What remains otherwise are two stones built into the outer wall of the North Transept which are said to have come from Wilfrid’s 7th Century church. They have distinctive Celtic interlaced patterns. Also, in the Chapel of the Resurrection below the Chapter House there is a substantial drumstone which was one of two discovered in the 1990s under the tower. They are thought to be column bases from Wilfrid’s church. They are shaped with three stepped bands, but otherwise not decorated. One remains where it was found, the other now serves as an altar stone in the Chapel. (I wonder if these are the ‘imposts’ you have heard about?) The Chapel is not normally accessible, but it might be possible to arrange with a verger to see it.

The other early piece of stonework is the Sigurd Stone which is part of a stone cross which bears the image of the legend of Sigurd who was a Norse hero who sucked his thumb after a burning encounter with a dragon - though there are various interpretations of the story. The representation of this story on a Christian cross is of course remarkable, but this may not be of so much interest as it probably comes from a slightly later period. The stone fragment itself is currently in store."

In fact the Sigurd stone was largely obscured by staging, which hadn't been removed, so the verger on duty had to bring a torch to illuminate the three fragments, and I had to move fire extinguishers and clamber on top of staging to be able to see it at all. What a shame - this is a fantastic example of Anglo-Scandinavian carving. The verger also took me down to the Resurrection Chapel to see the large drumstone which now forms the altar; then we dived across into the north aisle to another small chapel to see another drumstone, worked into a font in the distant past but now topped with a modern circular mirror. We then went outside to see the stones in the external wall of the north transept (west end), then to the south nave where we'd spotted what looked like the remains of an ancient preaching cross (which I've also enquired about - yet to see a reply).

The cathedral was exceptionally busy, with the Great North Art Show being on, and the Northern Philharmonic Orchestra rehearsing for a concert that evening. Well worth going! Many thanks to the vergers for their time and patience.


First visit, 28th August 2015: Anglo Saxon Stones at Ripon Cathedral: I was intrigued by this page on the Portal, as I've been to several events here and not noticed any Anglo Saxon cross fragments , so when passing through decided to stop and have a look.

We were greeted by a guide and asked him if he knew of the whereabouts of any Anglo Saxon stones or sculptures and were told they were probably down in the Anglo Saxon Crypt. I also had to pay £3 in order to take photographs within the Cathedral.

The crypt has been white-washed since I last saw it (which is probably how it would have been in Anglo Saxon times) and this somewhat spoiled the ambience for me. There was a piece of wall left in its original condition, and you could see the remains of well worn scratches (possible runes and a small dedication cross?). I wasn't convinced this is what I was looking for.

Since coming home, I've researched what this stone(s) might be and found reference to a 'roman-looking' carved pillar and some imposts on the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture web site. We certainly didn't find these, although we had a good scout round. I have since sent off an email to one of the senior admin team at the Cathedral, and will report back when I get a reply.

Copt Howe

Date Added: 25th Aug 2015
Site Type: Rock Art Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 11th Aug 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Copt Howe (The Langdale Boulders): When we drove past here on the way to Mickleden further down the Great Langdale valley, we spotted the signpost to Copt Howe but the road was so narrow and busy there was no room to stop. On the way back it was now after 6pm and the roads were quiet apart from one or two cars and cyclists. We parked behind another car in what seemed to be a narrow lay-by almost opposite the gate into the field containing these boulders.


If I thought the Mickleden walk scenery was beautiful (if stark with its tall peaks scree slopes) then this view down the Great Langdale valley was spectacular – green, lush and with rolling hills in the distance. What a location.

The rock art was on the largest boulder which was lowest in the field, sitting below the outcrop in which a tree now grows in the middle of. A very rickety stile climbed the stone wall to the other side, although when I touched this it came away from the wall, so I opted to walk down to the gate lower down in the field.


The early evening light was conducive in helping the motifs spring out of the rock. A few of the ‘cups’ were similar to the double cups on the Twelve Apostles in Dumfries, these being formed through natural erosion rather than pecking. I compared the designs I could see to the interpretation board but couldn’t quite reconcile the two.


In walking back up to the car I went round the left hand side of the tree (facing the road) and spotted a large single cup mark in the centre of the face.

Hexham Abbey

Date Added: 24th Aug 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Northumberland)
Visited: Yes on 3rd Sep 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Hexham Abbey, Northumberland: St Acca and Spital Cross Shafts.
23rd August 2015: Took my daughter and her husband to the new visitor centre after a lovely lunch in the Refectory (much recommended). We had great fun dressing up as Queen Ethelreda, Bishop Wilfrid and Augustinian monks). There was brass rubbing and computerised caligraphy to try. As well as interactive displays for the young at heart, there is also a serious section with a display of Anglo Saxon and Viking stones, a model of, and press-screen history of the abbey. A great time was had by all and I found not only the Spital Cross but a number of other stones I'd been searching for in the Anglo Saxon Corpus of Stone Sculpture and not found in my previous visit. Well worth coming.


3rd September 2014: Acca succeeded St. Wilfrid as the Bishop of Hexham in AD709, withdrawing (or also said to have been deposed) from office in AD732 and dying in AD740. The two crosses purported to mark the head and foot of his grave stand in the south transept of Hexham Abbey (on the right hand side as you enter the main church from the porch), next to St. Etheldreda’s Chapel. However, there is some confusion as to whether or not these two cross shafts are St. Acca’s grave markers, or whether the larger may just be a preaching cross set up in the first years of Christianity. However, Hexham Abbey proudly displays them as St. Acca’s.

The two cross shafts stand side by side. The larger cross shaft is called ‘St. Acca’s Cross’. The second, smaller cross-shaft, is known as the ‘Spital Cross’.

I approached a steward to ask if was OK to take some photographs, and he told me it was, providing I didn’t use flash. He knew a fair bit about the crosses, very kindly photocoping a leaflet on Acca and Acca’s Cross for me to take away. He told me that St. Acca’s cross had been broken up in antiquity and the pieces scattered, being put back together in the 19th century – there is a plain piece of modern stone where the cross arms would have been. Interestingly, he told me that the lower portion of St. Acca’s cross was found at nearby Dilston, where it had been used as a lintel in a farmhouse door.

St. Acca’s Cross is most gloriously decorated with vine scrolls which interleave and entwine.

The Spital Cross, as described in his leaflet: “was found at Spital which is 1.3 km west of Hexham, and stood near a house on the site of the medieval Hospital ofSt. Giles.” This cross shaft has very interesting vine scrolls on three sides and a crucifixion scene on its front face.

The area within the Abbey immediately around the crosses is used by the Stewards who greet people who come to look at the Abbey and to display information for visitors and worshippers – which strangely echoes their possible past uses as preaching crosses. When I was there, most people actually walked by without noticing them, although because I was taking photographs, a couple of people came up to ask more.

Opposite both cross shafts, and at the bottom of the Abbey night stair, is a Roman tombstone which dates from the first century.

All Saints (Kirby Hill)

Date Added: 4th Aug 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 28th Jul 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Saxon Crosses, Kirby on the Moor (Kirby Hill), North Yorkshire: All Saints sits on a green just outside the village of Kirby on the Moor, between Church Lane and Millings Lane. There was a notice near the entrance gate saying the church was open on Sundays between 2pm and 4.30pm and ‘all welcome’. However there was a car parked by the church gate and we could hear someone playing the organ. Entering cautiously, I asked if it was OK if we could look around, and the gentleman nodded. He was clearly practicing a piece over and over and I felt we were distracting him somewhat. He had lit the area around the organ, but no lights were on in the church, so it became a bit difficult see the crosses into the interior church walls as I kept having to fire the flash to see. We thanked him and escaped.

The majority of the crosses are displayed in the north wall of the tower, next to the font, so it’s a bit difficult to get great photos as the space is so small. There was a leaflet about the Anglo Saxon stone sculptures that was really helpful.

I’ve just found their web site, All Saints Kirby Hill, which is great. The church is grade 1 listed, the nave being part late Saxon/early Norman, built with large irregular stones including carved slabs and cross shafts of Saxon origin. The web site tells me that the site is one mile north of Boroughbridge, the church is also known as Kirby Hill, and is at the highest point of the village, in line with Aldborough (the Roman civil capital Isurium Brigantum) and other probable sites of the Roman crossings of the River Ure.and is probably on the site of much earlier shrines dating back to Roman or even Celtic times.

All Saints (Northallerton)

Date Added: 4th Aug 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 28th Jul 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Anglo Danish cross fragments, All Saints Church, Northallerton, North Yorkshire: I found the exterior of All Saints in Northallerton, which sits at the northern end of the High Street on the A167, very forbidding with its blackened stones. However, the inside was nice enough, although very Victorian, and we were made very welcome by a parishioner who had popped in to collect the church magazine. I had to chuckle as the “A Brief Guide to All Saints Parish Church” which says the oldest thing in the church is the Norman grave cover (to be found at the northern eastern corner of the nave). They have ignored the Anglo Saxon (or they correctly call it in this part of the world, Anglo Danish) stones on the window ledges.

The guide book says that there was supposed to be a church of stone built here in the early 7th century by St. Paulinus. “Fragments of stone crosses, possibly of this period, still exist, some built into the walls at various places, while a very fine cross head and separate shaft are on permanent loan to Bede’s World ..... although there is no visual evidence to suggest a significant stone building before the 11th century.” For the picture of the Northallerton Cross at Bede’s world, follow the link http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=133724.

All the crosses, apart from one, which is at the south eastern corner of the choir, sit on window-ledges, most along the north wall and north transept, but some in the small kitchen area at the west end of the north transept. Most remarkable is the fragment with what looks like a sheep.

I’ve had difficulty in finding out more about these stone fragments, although the Corpus of Anglo Saxon Stone Sculpture web site says the North Yorkshire collection will be on-line soon.

Funnily enough, the church guide prides itself on the Robert Mouseman mice on the wooden furniture, and there is a special “Mouse Guide To All Saints Parish Church Northallerton.”

St Wilfrid's Holy Well

Date Added: 1st Aug 2015
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jul 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: St. Wilfrid's Holy Well, Skellgate Road, Ripon: Armed with only a 6 digit grid reference and a GPS device that was rapidly running out of battery, this well took some finding, but in the end we did. St. Wilfrid’s Well is located at the north side of the B6265, some 700 metres west of the city centre, where Skellbank Road becomes Mallorie Park Drive. A few yards east of the well are some steps leading up to Ripon Spa Gardens. The 8 digit grid reference is SE 3085 7102.

The well is located within a stone wall, almost overhung by bushes from the bank above. At the time of our visit there was no water trickling into the well at all. Someone seems to care for it, for there was no litter in or around it.

St Wilfrid is the patron saint of Ripon (the crypt at Ripon Cathedral is purported to be part of his early church, although I’ve yet to verify this). The St Wilfrid’s Day parade takes place on the Saturday before the first Monday of August each year (this year it happens to be 1st August (2015)) in which an actor takes the part of St. Wilfrid. The procession now centres around the Market Square, starting at Studley Road, then Westgate, Market Place West, North Street, North Road, Magdalens Road, Stonebridgegate, Allhallowgate, Market Place East, Kirkgate, Bedern Bank, Bondgate, Southgate, Barefoot Street, Harrogate Road, High Skellgate, Westgate, Blossomgate, Marshall Way, North Street, Market Place East, Kirkgate, ending at Ripon Cathedral.

Worth stopping to look if you are passing by this well.

St Mary (Masham)

Date Added: 1st Aug 2015
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jul 2015. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Four Anglo Saxon Crosses in the church of St. Mary The Virgin, Masham, North Yorkshire: After seeing the Anglo-Danish and Anglo-Saxon crosses at both East Hauxley and Wath, we went into Masham to get some lunch. Having visited here twice before, we’d never ventured into the church here (either having been with some disinterested visitors or at the end of an already long day), although I vaguely knew there were some Anglo Saxon crosses here.

The base of the large sandstone cross shaft cannot be missed and stands in the churchyard near the porch and dates from the early ninth century. The church guide states that "recent research has linked it stylistically with a broken cross shaft of similar date now at Cundall and Aldborough.” The panels on this cross shaft are very worn, and the top is capped with an ugly lead cap, presumably to stop further weathering. The text in the church and the church guide book told us that the incomplete top panels almost certainly represent Christ and his Apostles; the second and third panels contain scenes from the Old Testament.

Inside the church are three other cross shafts, two hidden conveniently in an alcove in the wall in the south aisle, behind the votive candle table, which we moved to take photographs, and carefully placed back. Exploring some medieval grave markers next to these, we came across another fragment of cross shaft with a notice next to it telling us it was from the late 8th/early 9th century. This fragment was very plain with only edge moulding visible on one edge.