ANGLO-SAXON REMAINS 



bodies, the legs and tails of which form interlacing bands, hampering the 

 bodies, which are strikingly similar to those which occur so frequently in the 

 illuminations in the Lindisfarne Gospels and other contemporary manuscripts. 

 The division above contains a crucified figure with the head downwards. 

 The head and arms of the cross are rectangular and very broad. The feet 

 are placed facing outwards and the tunic is long and girdled. Above this is 

 a division containing knot-work. On the other side the lower panel has , 

 been obliterated. In the upper portion are two panels of well-designed and i 

 skilfully-executed knot-work. I 



Billingham. — Built into the walls of the tower of the church are several 

 pieces of cross-shafts with sculpture of this period. Three of these can be 

 identified among the larger stones on the south side. They are, however, in 

 such an advanced state of disintegration on the exposed surfaces that unless 

 they are removed from the walls no accurate description of them is possible. 

 In the porch of the same church is a very beautiful fragment of sculpture, 

 but as this is an architectural detail it will be dealt with in the description ot 

 the church. 



In the British Museum is a fragment of an interesting small grave- 

 cover of the Hartlepool type, which originally measured about lo inches by 

 14 inches. The cross border lines and letters are all incised. The cross has 

 semicircular terminations to the arms, and no doubt had a circle at the inter- 

 section. In the upper part of the field were the letters A and n in large 

 Roman Capitals. The A only remains. In the border, between incised 

 lines, was an inscription in uncials, of which only the letters orate pro 

 p . . . remain. In the more perfect arm of the cross are some other and 

 smaller letters, forming apparently the word nimbus. 



In the cathedral library, Durham, is a small stone from Billingham. It 

 is sculptured on all its four sides. On one face a seated figure is represented 

 as resting on a straight plank, great prominence being given to the knees.^ 

 Beneath the figure are small remains of some scroll foliage of an unusual type. 

 On the opposite face the only remaining details are the legs of a human 

 figure, ' representing probably part of the figure of our Lord upon the cross.' 

 A third side has portions of two panels of good knot-work, and the remaining 

 side has a creature resembling a bird. 



Chester le Street. — The church here contains in its walls some portions of 

 pre-Conquest work, and from time to time numerous pieces of sculpture have 

 been found. A number of these stood for many years in the porch, 

 and about 1882 one of the finest disappeared and has been searched for in 

 vain. The largest of the stones is in the room above the ' anchorage.' It 

 is the base stone of a memorial cross and measures 2 feet 3 inches in height, 

 I foot 7 inches in width, and i foot 4 inches in depth. The sinking, to 

 contain the foot of the cross-shaft, measures 14 inches by loj inches by 

 3 inches, and in the centre of the bottom of it is a dowel hole 2 inches in 

 diameter and 4 inches deep. The stone is rectangular and its sides are 

 vertical. It is fortunately entire, except that the sculpture has been cut away 

 from one of its sides. On the face a scene is represented which is thus 



1 Haverfield and Greenwell, Cat. Sculptured and Inscribed Stonei Dur., 95, No. nix. This curious treat- 

 ment of the knees is observable in the representation of the human figure at this period both on stones and in 

 illuminations. It is particularly noticeable in the tenth century MS. of Caedmon's Metrical Paraphrase. 

 Arch. roL xziv., pi. iz. x. etc. 



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