The Corpus: Brompton in Allertonshire 14

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Brompton in Allertonshire 14, Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Part of cross-head [1]

Measurements: H. 61.7 cm (24.3 in) W. 26 cm (10.2 in) D. 20.5 > 15.1 cm (8 > 6 in

Stone type: As Brompton In Allertonshire 1 (St Thomas)

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 71–4

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 73

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Present Location

Monks' Dormitory, Durham cathedral, catalogue no. 54

Evidence for Discovery

See Brompton In Allertonshire 4 (St Thomas)

Church Dedication

St Thomas

Present Condition

Much broken; lateral limbs lost

Description

A (broad) : A plate-head cross of type B8 with splayed arm and convex tip. Both lateral arms are broken off. The edge moulding is broad and flat, especially at the top. Stumps of the plate survive. The upper limb contains a roughly cut twin-link (closed circuit pattern B) and the face of the cross is occupied by a Crucifixion. Christ's head is spade-shaped with primitive incised facial features. He stands, wearing a long garment to his knees. His legs are close together and the feet out-turned. Below the feet is a straight horizontal filler with its ends turned up at right-angles. Close beneath his arms are the remains of crudely cut twin-links. All the cutting is picked work. Below the perimeter moulding, the topmost panel of the shaft has the box-points of closed circuit interlace in flat median-incised strand.

B (narrow) : Broken away. The stumps of the plate can be discerned.

C (broad) : The edge moulding is broad and flat. The face of the cross is filled with debased interlace in disorganised flat strand. Near the centre a filler approximates to a small boss.

D (narrow) : As face B.

Discussion

A rustic response to Brompton's more accomplished plate-head crosses, this piece has no indication of template or grid in its construction. The standing clothed Christ is in the Irish position on the cross-head and has many Yorkshire parallels; for example, Ellerburn 8 in Ryedale (Lang 1991, 129, ill. 437).

Date

First half of tenth century

References

Greenwell 1869–79a, lx; Haverfield and Greenwell 1899, 117–18, no. LIV, figs. on 118; Collingwood 1907, 300; Collingwood 1912, 123; Collingwood 1926a, 326; Collingwood 1927a, 103–4; Cramp 1965a, 7, no. 54; Coatsworth 1979, I, 131, 310, II, 16, pl. 36; Everson and Stocker 1999, 133; Coatsworth 2000, 168, pl. IId

Endnotes

[1]The following are general references to the Brompton stones: (—) 1867–8, lxxxviii; Rowe 1870, 240; (—) 1871–2, xxiv; Greenwell 1869–79a, lx; Rowe 1877, 61–4; Allen and Browne 1885, 352; Browne 1885–6, 124, 128; Saywell 1886, 481; Allen 1887, 126, 386, fig. 28; (—) 1890–5a, viii; Haverfield and Greenwell 1899, 125–6; Bulmer 1890, 389; Hodges 1894, 195; Morris, J. 1904, 32, 84–5, 420; Bogg 1908, 28–32, ills. on 29 and 32; Page, W. 1914, 430, 431; Morris, J. 1931, 33, 86, 87, 417; Elgee and Elgee 1933, 219–20, 245; Mee 1941, 41–2; Fisher 1959, 89; Pevsner 1966, 90, pl. 8; Bailey 1980, 85, 100, 240, 252, 255, 265; Kerr and Kerr 1982, 38–9 and ill.; Morris, R. 1983, 7; Cramp 1984, 11, 30, 93; Bailey and Cramp 1988, 54; Lang 1988a, 14, 24, 56; Cambridge 1989, 378; Richards 1991, 80, 119, 124, ill. 81; Everson and Stocker 1999, 138; Stocker 2000, 205–6.