External lintel of door in south wall of St Patrick's chapel

First specifically recorded in 1851 (Robson 1851, 28, pl. 2) though the 'singular arch of the doorway' had earlier been noticed by Whitaker (1823). The earliest photograph, dating to 1861, is reproduced by White (A. 2004b, 1).

St Peter and St Patrick

Good

The arched door-head is carved from a single monolithic lintel on whose external face are three raised concentric semi-circles following the line of the arch below. The outer edge of the lintel curves on the left side but is more rectangular on the right.

The structural analysis by Potter and Andrews shows that the door using this lintel could be part of the Phase 1 building, which can probably be assigned to the eighth century, but that it is here re-used in the undated Phase 2 (Potter and Andrews 1994, 66, 72). There is a comparable form of decoration on the doorway of Somerford Keynes in Gloucestershire which has been assigned to a variety of dates between the eighth and tenth centuries (Brown, G. 1925, 190–1, fig. 75; Heighway 1987, 133). Other parallels can be cited from Seaham in Co. Durham, dated seventh to ninth century, and both Great Hale and Marton in Lincolnshire which belong to the tenth or eleventh century (Cramp 1984, 135; Everson and Stocker 1999, 227–8, 311). There are other undecorated lintels with arches cut from their underside at the site (Potter and Andrews 1994, 70, figs. 14, 39, 40).

Possibly eighth century

Whitaker 1823, II, 317; Robson 1851, 28, pl. 2; Micklethwaite 1898, 349; Howarth 1899, 21; Grafton 1904, 156; Grafton 1909, 223, pl. facing 222; Farrer and Brownbill 1914, 110, pl. facing 90; Brown, G. 1925, 190–1, 206, fig. 75; Collingwood 1927b, 176, fig. 1; Hogarth 1934, 39, pl. facing 29; Tupling 1948, 12, pl. facing 16; Taylor and Taylor 1965, I, 313–14, fig. 135, II, 557; Taylor and Taylor 1966, 50; Taylor, H. M. 1970c, 285–6; Bu'lock 1974a, 31; Edwards, B. 1978a, 62; Cramp 1984, 135; Potter and Andrews 1994, 66, 70, 72, figs. 15, 16, 40; Newman, R. M. 1996, 101, pl. on 101; Crosby 1998, pl. IV; Everson and Stocker 1999, 228; Noble 1999, 17, fig. 22; White, A. 2003b, 1–2; Higham, N. 2004a, 27, pl. 3; Salter 2005, 4, pl. on 4; Newman, R. M. 2006, 106, fig. 4.15

[1] The difficulties of distinguishing between the original provenances of sculpture from this site have been emphasised by recent excavations (Potter and Andrews 1994, 104, and fig. 2). The following list therefore combines material from both St Peter's church and St Patrick's chapel.

[2] The following are general references to the Heysham stones: Robson 1850, 28; Jackson 1889, 33; Allen 1894, 4, 8; Micklethwaite 1898, 348–9; Taylor, H. 1898, 42; Howarth 1899, 9, 21; Nicholson 1899, 21; Grafton 1904; Ditchfield 1909, 117; Grafton 1909; Farrer and Brownbill 1914, 110; (–––) 1923, 288; Curwen 1925, 30; Collingwood 1927a, 15; Hogarth 1934; Bu'lock 1972, 67; Fellows-Jensen 1985, 402, 405; Crosby 1998, 30; Higham, N. 2004a, 27; Blair 2005, 216, 218, 309, 376, 457; Salter 2005, 42; Newman, R. M. 2006, 103.

The following are unpublished manuscript references: BL Add. MS 37550, items 617–46, 735–6; BL Add. MS 37551, items 72–5; Lancaster Public Library, no. PT 7; Manchester Public Library, Hibbert Ware S. MSS: Msf 091 H21, V, 64 (no. 5), 82 (no. 1); vol. 8, 98v. For the Hibbert Ware collection see Henry and Trench-Jellicoe (2005, 239–60).