A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Back of Portion of Cross (D) from the Chapter House, 



Durham. 



over the back the circular object previously mentioned. The upper limb has 

 two monsters involved with interlaced hands. The side limbs have knot 

 work. The lower retains a small portion of the body of a monster. The ends 



of the arms have knot-work 



upon them. 



The remains of the massive 

 coped grave cover are of espe- 

 cial interest, and it is to be 

 regretted that the whole of it 

 was not recovered ; something 

 like one quarter is wanting. 

 The sloping sides are divided 

 into panels, each of which con- 

 tains an intricate design of 

 interlacing knot-work. On 

 the remaining end, although 

 the stone itself is rectangular, 

 the ornament finishes in a 

 semi-circular form. The tri- 

 angular spaces thus produced 

 are filled with interlacements 

 which accommodate them- 

 selves to the spaces. Two of these are correctly worked out, but that filling 

 the end space is very irregular, and the under and over principle is not 

 consistently maintained. The chief interest lies in the way in which the ridge 

 and hips of the coped top of the stone are treated. Along the ridge are the 

 bodies of two serpents, carried parallel to one another. They descend along 

 the angles or hips, whence their heads point outwards. The stone is much 

 defaced on the ridge, but it is probable that the bodies crossed at the point 

 where they reached its end. The tails were on the piece which is wanting.^ 

 The dimensions are 4 feet 6 inches long (originally probably 6 feet), i foot 

 10 inches wide, and i foot 2 inches high.' 



The larger portion of a flat grave-cover with raised cross has the sculpture 

 very rudely worked. In the centre of the cross is a circle containing a cross 

 patee. The upper limb is broken away. Each limb contains a figure, two 

 of which are beasts and one human. They were no doubt intended to 

 represent the evangelistic symbols. On the shaft of the cross is a human 

 figure with wings and nimbed. A small fragment, 9 inches high, has sculp- 

 ture on one of its sides representing portions of two human figures.' 



A fragment which once formed a side limb of a cross-head, 

 measuring Hj inches long, 8j inches wide, and 3J inches thick, has well 

 designed and carefully executed knot-work on the two sides and the end of 

 the arm.* 



1 Twisted serpents occur on the jambs of the western doorw.iy of the ancient church at Monkwearmouth, 

 where the tails terminate in a curious expansion instead of a tapering point. Tram. Dur. Noil/?umb. jlrth. Sec. 

 i. pi. 4, 7 ; Re/ifuary,vH. 145. 



• Tram. Dur. Norlhumb. Arch. Soc. iv. pi. E.F. Pre-Conquest grave covers of this form arc rare. 

 Boutcll figures two examples from RakcwcU and St. Dionys, York. Chriilitin Monuments, 12, 14. 



• Ilaverficld and Grcenwcll, op. cit. 89, No. xxvi. 



• Found since the Catalogue was published in 1899. 



228 



