34 THe RuUTHWELL CROSS. 
30th December, 1916. 
Chairman—Sir James CricHton-Browne, F.R.S., LL.D. 
The Ruthwell Cross in its Relation to other Monuments 
of the Early Christian Age. 
By W. G. CoLLInGwoop. 
The Ruthwell Cross (Fig. 1) is unique, as a design never 
exactly repeated; but it is only one of a class of monuments 
which must be studied together if any single example is to be 
understood at all. In this paper an attempt is made to con- 
dense the history of these monuments into a few pages, and 
to find the place of the Ruthwell Cross in the series. The 
illustrations, except Figs. 3, 29, 31, and 33, are from drawings 
by the writer, in some cases restoring fragments to suggest 
their original place in the design; for without such restoration 
fragments are meaningless. The blocks of Figs. 9, 18, 20, 
22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 32, and 34 have been kindly lent by the 
Yorkshire Archeological Society ; those of Figs. 17 and 30 by 
the Thoresby Society ; those of Figs. 11, 12, 24, 28, 31, 33, and 
36 by the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian Society ; 
and those forming Fig. 3 by the Dean and Chapter of Durham, 
through Mr Thos. Caldcleugh. For these loans thanks are 
returned. 
Stones bearing the sign of the cross were not unknown 
abroad in the early Christian age, but there is no instance of 
the free-armed and ornamented cross-shaped monument until 
we come to the series now to be discussed. In Britain, pre- 
Anglian cross-marked monuments are represented by the rough 
Chi-Rho stones of Penmachno (North Wales), Whithorn, and 
Kirkmadrine, 5th to 7th centuries a.p. At Maughold, Isle of 
Man, are forms connecting these with Anglian monuments; 
but if they are really the parents of the tall cross, links to com- 
plete the evidence are wanting. 
In the north there were no skilled stone-carvers (after the 
Romans had gone) until the building of decorated churches by 
St. Wilfrid and Benedict Biscop—St. Andrew’s, Hexham, 
