EARLY CHRISTIAN ART 



ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD 



DURING the 500 years which preceded the Norman Conquest 

 Derbyshire formed part of the ancient kingdom of Mercia. 

 The Teutonic settlers who displaced the Celtic population 

 somewhere about the middle of the sixth century were 

 Angles from the coasts of Sleswick and Holstein. After the Treaty of 

 Wedmore in 878 this kingdom was divided by a line running approxi- 

 mately north and south into two halves, namely, English Mercia on the 

 west and Danish Mercia on the east. What is now Derbyshire lay on 

 the east side of the dividing line and was consequently in Danish 

 Mercia. 



Christianity did not take any effective hold of Mercia until the 

 reign of Wulfhere, who came to the throne in A.D. 657, although 

 Diuma, a Scot, had previously established a missionary church in the 

 district. The see of Lichfield was founded in A.D. 656 with St. Chad as 

 its first bishop. 



The only Saxon monastery in Derbyshire mentioned by Bede in his 

 Ecclesiastical History was at Repton on the south bank of the Trent and 

 on the east side of the Roman Icknield Street, which runs from Lichfield 

 to Derby. 



After the pagan Penda, the most powerful ruler of Mercia was Offa 

 (A.D. 757 to 796), the contemporary and friend of Charles the Great, 

 king of the Franks. 



The above historical facts have been briefly stated to justify the 

 conclusions (i) that no Christian monument in Mercia is likely to be 

 older than the middle of the seventh century ; (ii) that the best period 

 of Anglian art in Mercia was the second half of the eighth century, 

 and perhaps the first half of the ninth ; (iii) that the monuments exhibit- 

 ing Scandinavian features probably date from 850 to 950 ; and (iv) that 

 the period from 950 to 1066 is marked by the decadence which 

 preceded the Norman Conquest. 



We may thus divide the Christian sculptured stones of Mercia into 

 three groups as regards their age, namely : (i) An earlier group, show- 

 ing either Celtic or Byzantine influence ; (2) A middle group, showing 

 Scandinavian influence ; (3) A later group, debased in style and in some 

 cases showing Norman influence. 



The following list shows the localities in Derbyshire where pre- 

 Norman sculptured monuments occur : 



Ashbourne, Aston, Bakewell, Blackwell, Bradbourne, Barley Dale, Derby St. Alkmund, Derby 

 (Public Museum), Eccles Pike, Eyam, Fernilee Hall, Hope, Ludworth, Norbury, Repton, 

 Spondon, Wilne, Wirksworth, 



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