The Corpus: Cricklade (St Mary) 1

Volume 7: South West England

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Current Display: Cricklade (St Mary) 1, Wiltshire

Overview

Object type: Shaft

Measurements: H. 59 cm (23.25 in); H. of cup only 13 cm (5.5 in); Diam. at top 21 cm (8.5 in); at base 23 cm (9 in); Circumference 79 cm (31 in)

Stone type: Pale yellowish-grey (10YR 8/1–2) oolite with coarse shelly layers showing low-angle cross-bedding along the length of the shaft. Oolites are 0.3 to 0.6mm diameter, shell fragments up to 10mm, some recognisable as ostreid. Taynton stone

Plate numbers in printed volume: Pls. 438-43

Corpus volume reference: Vol 7 p. 213-4

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Present Location

Cricklade Museum (cat. 2141), on display

Evidence for Discovery

Found embedded in the east wall of the chancel in 1962, subsequently in the care of T. T. Ramsden-Binks at the Old Manor House, Cricklade (information Mr Ramsden-Binks). Part of the church appears to have been built on Saxon foundations (Thomson and Taylor 1965; 1966).

Church Dedication

St Mary

Present Condition

Broken at the top of the cup in 1970, and cut away against the plain 'back', but the carving where it survives is deeply cut.

Description

The shaft, which tapers to a cup at the top, is rounded at the 'front' and flattened at the back and there are clear signs of the tool marks for hollowing out the cup on the interior. The surface ornament on the shaft goes right up to the rim, and where it survives best has the appearance of hollowed petals. Elsewhere the ornament on the shaft is difficult to decipher, and consists of deep grooves which encircle the shaft at the top but nearer the base are diagonal and in one place have the appearance of interlace. Part of this surface detail has been cut back towards the flattened plain side of the shaft, which bears the signs of deep grooving and is smoothly dressed. In the base of the shaft is a dowel hole (diam. 4.5 cm / 1.75 in) filled with lead and off centre.

Discussion

This may be a Roman shaft which has been reshaped and hollowed into a bowl at the top. This view is supported by the fact that there is Roman material in the area and it is common Roman practice to link stones with lead, whilst the recutting is not only to be seen on the surface of the stone but in the fact that the dowel at the base is not centrally placed. The rough surface texturing of this piece is neither diagnostic of Roman nor Anglo-Saxon work. It is possible however that this was a Roman shaft reused as a holy water stoup.

Date

Anglo-Saxon(?)

References

Unpublished

Endnotes

None