ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS 



Sculptured Stones 



The county of Durham contains a very large number of architectural 

 and sculptured remains of the period. In this section, only the sculptured 

 stones which are of a memorial character will be dealt with. Those which 

 are clearly architectural details will be referred to in the section on archi- 

 tecture. The art of the memorial stones may be said to be entirely of 

 Christian character. The earlier examples are the more beautiful, and dis- 

 tinctly of the Anglian school; while the later are manifestly inferior both in 

 design and execution. Dealing in detail with the various stones it will be 

 convenient to adopt a topographical and alphabetical arrangement. 



Auckland. — In the church of St. Andrew, commonly called South 

 Church, is a very interesting collection, nearly the whole of which was 

 taken out of the walls of the south transept at the time it was rebuilt in 

 1 88 1. The existence of these stones in the walls of this part of the church 

 is a fact of some interest, as the transept was an extension of an earlier 

 building, and was built upon a portion of the ancient burial-ground on the 

 south of the older church. The crosses, therefore, were probably in situ 

 when the extension was made, and were broken up and used in the walls as 

 building material. 



Five of the fragments belong, apparently, to the same memorial, and 

 may conveniently be described together. They consist of a portion of the 

 pedestal or base-stone which carried the shaft and cross, the latter being 

 represented by three other pieces. The base was apparently split up into 

 eight portions for use as walling stones. Of these, three remain, and show 

 the width and height of the original. There is considerable ' batter ' on all 

 four sides, and a triple bead-moulding is carried round the upper angles and 

 down the sides to the termination of the figure subjects. The side which is 

 most perfect contains three nimbed figures, the centre one of which has a 

 book in the left hand, with the right hand raised and the two first fingers 

 pointing towards the figure on the left. Of the two outer figures one has 

 the right hand raised, and the other the left, the open hand points to the 

 central figure.' Portions of two of the returned faces remain, each containing 

 the greater part of a nimbed figure. 



The two pieces of the shaft of the cross show that it was one of great 

 interest and beauty, and has higher artistic merits than any other example of 

 like work in the county. A small portion of the bottom of one of the sides, 

 when compared in its width with the much larger fragment, indicates that 

 the shaft was a lofty one and that the greater part of it is wanting. This 

 comparison, assisted by the arrangement of the sculpture on the Bewcastle 

 cross, shows pretty clearly that the larger fragment came from near the top 

 of the shaft. The front and back of the shaft have pictorial subjects in 

 panels, the upper of which in each case is almost entire and has a semicircular 

 head. Each contains two figures, of which one holds in his hand a sceptre 

 tipped with three balls; another, in the other picture, a scroll rolled up. 

 The drapery of the figures represented with raised hands, flows over the arm 

 in easy folds, while the vestment in another case is enriched with bands 



1 The Rev. J. F. Hodgson conjectures that the scene is one of the later events in the life of our LorJ. 

 Arch. Mhana, xx. 30. 



I 217 28 



