The Corpus: Brompton in Allertonshire 21

Volume 6: Northern Yorkshire

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Current Display: Brompton in Allertonshire 21, Yorkshire North Riding

Overview

Object type: Hogback [1]

Measurements: L. 147.3 cm (58 in) W. (ends) 26.7 cm (10.5 in) H. (ends) 38.1 and 41.9 cm (15 and 16.5 in); (crown) 45.7 cm (18 in)

Stone type: Poor quality, medium-grained deltaic sandstone with mica and feldspar. The sub-angular grains in the poorly sorted fabric are partly cemented by limonite. Yellow (10YR 7/6). Stone provenance as no. 1

Plate numbers in printed volume: Ills. 92–3, 96

Corpus volume reference: Vol 6 p. 76-77

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Present Location

Monks' Dormitory, Durham cathedral, catalogue no. 59

Evidence for Discovery

See Brompton In Allertonshire 4 (St Thomas)

Church Dedication

St Thomas

Present Condition

A complete hogback; cracked in two

Description

A ridge issues from the end-beasts' jowls, its top decorated with meander 2 T-fret between plain mouldings. There is a fault in the pattern at one point.

A (long) : Below the ridge is a long horizontal run of interlace enclosed by a plain moulding; the pattern consists of 14 stages of closed circuit, densely woven plait. The lower moulding is spread at each end into a spandrel for the extended niche with flattish top and recessed interior.

The end-beasts are smallish and have fore and hind legs. The paws have five toes which fall short of the ridge. Their posture is erect and they lack muzzles. Circular eyes are incised on the top of the head and the nostrils are drilled. The rimmed ears are slightly pointed. The heads are in bold relief.

C (long) : Identical with face A, except for the loss of the niche and the paws having only four toes.

Discussion

This is a good example of the extended niche type (type d). Despite the odd slip in the fret pattern, the design is well ordered and the hole-points suggest griding. The end-beasts are coherently formed even though their scale has diminished compared with nos. 17–19. Of particular interest, this hogback is identical with one at Sockburn, no. 16 (Cramp 1984, 141, pl. 142, 759–60), demonstrating that both sites were served by a single workshop (see Chap. VI, p. 47).

Date

First half of tenth century

References

Haverfield and Greenwell 1899, 123, no. LIX, fig. on 123; Collingwood 1907, 276, 300; Collingwood 1912, 123; Cramp 1965a, 8, no. 59; Lang 1967, 38–40, pl. VI; Schmidt 1973, 69 fn.; Hall 1976, 16, fig. 8a; Graham-Campbell 1980a, 159, no. 536, pl. 536; Campbell 1982, 164, ill. 146; Lang 1984a, 99, 106, 120, no. 6, pl. on 121

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.