In the churchyard, to the south-west of the church, enclosed within iron railings

Previously used as a lintel over the priest's door in the south side of the church before restoration in 1826 (Pape 1946–7, 37). Since then, it seems to have lain in the churchyard where it was rediscovered in 1876 in two pieces and reassembled outside on the south side of the church (Lynam 1877). At some time before 1945, the shaft was moved to its present position (Pape 1945–6, 35–7).

St Peter ad Vincula

Damaged through reuse as a building component; further broken into two parts and reassembled. Parts of all faces have been dressed-off, especially B. D is badly damaged where it was recut to form the outside of the lintel; this has also affected part of C.

A (broad): Decorated with a complete interlace pattern of two strands comprising a series of mirrored loops arranged as Stafford Knots (simple pattern E: Cramp 1991, fig. 23). The bottom of the panel is damaged but the pattern appears to be complete. It terminates in an inverted-V strand. On each side is a flat-band edge moulding.

B (narrow): This face is decorated with a simple three-strand interlace which tapers towards the top and is somewhat irregular. The bottom of the interlace is damaged where the stone has been dressed-off. Flat-band edge mouldings are visible on each side.

C (broad): Decorated with a panel containing a squared plant-scroll pattern, terminating in a cluster of three leaves in the centre of each volute. The bottom of the plant-scroll is damaged where the stone has been dressed-off and the right edge moulding has been removed when the stone was reformed as a building component at a later date.

D (narrow): Decoration survives on the upper fifth of the shaft only. It comprises a line or key pattern (meander 2: Cramp 1991, fig. 27) with flat-band mouldings on each side. The lower part of the face has been cut away when it was reused as a building component.

Although this is a rectangular-sectioned shaft, its decorative repertoire is more usually found on round-shaft crosses in this region. For example, similar patterns, especially the squared plant-scroll on C and the line pattern on D, can be seen on Leek 6 (Ills. 582, 585), along with simple interlace patterns, and at Brailsford, Derbyshire (Ills. 129-30). The line or key pattern is found elsewhere, at Alstonefield (e.g. 7) and at Ilam (2), Darley Dale (2), Bakewell (27B). Further afield, the same pattern can be seen at several locations in Cheshire (e.g. Cheadle 1; Bailey 2010, 60–2). All these comparanda occur on round-shafts; the one exception is the large rectangular-sectioned shaft at Leek (2), which has a similar stylised plant-scroll (2B), and also the possible remains of a line pattern on 2D (Ills. 568, 566).

Tenth century

Lynam 1877a, pl. between 432–3; Lynam 1877b, 25–6; Lynam 1881, 89–90; Allen and Browne 1885, 356; Browne 1886, 179; Browne 1887b, 150; Allen 1889, 227; Lynam 1895b, 157; Lynam 1903–4, 159; Andrew 1905, 203; (—) 1914–15, 204; (—) 1920–1, 117; Collingwood 1923, 9; (—) 1927–8, 178; Kendrick 1941, 17; Jeavons 1945–6, 118, pl. XXIV.3; Pape 1945–6, 25–6, 35–7, 47–8, figs. on 36, pl. IV; Steele 1947–8a, 117–19, pl. XIII.16; Kendrick 1949, 76; Greenslade 1963, 191; Plunkett 1984, 144–5, 276, 307, 357, pl. 48a; Sidebottom 1994, 116, 128, 149, 270 (Stoke-on-Trent); Leonard 1995, 12; Bailey 2010, 75, 127