ORNAMENT ON THE EARLY CROSSES OF CORNWALL. 59 



Part II. 

 INCISED ORNAMENT. 



This quaint style of decoration is somewhat common in 

 Cornwall. Its use is chiefly confined to the Western portion of 

 the County, and more particularly to those districts in the vicinity 

 of the Land's End and the Lizard. 



As the term implies, it was a simple method of executing 

 the designs, by means of incised lines, and, it must be clearly 

 understood, that this definition relates only to the manner in 

 which the work was done, and not to the various geometrical or 

 other forms of which the designs are composed. 



In other localities where this work occurs, it is considered, 

 as a rule, to indicate an early date : yet, it is worthy of notice, 

 that in Cornwall, incised decoration was freely used on some of 

 the crosses which have Celtic ornament upon them, showing, 

 that here at least, the two styles were contemporary. 



On the Celtic Monuments of the best period, the patterns 

 are always executed with the greatest possible care and finish, 

 the designs being in relief, and not incised, except in a few 

 rare instances, as at Nigg in Ross-shire, and Irton, Cumberland, 

 and Ilkley in Yorkshire, where it seems to have been done with 

 a view to produce a contrast with the rest of the work. In this 

 county, however, no incised Celtic patterns have as yet been 

 discovered — unless indeed the work on the Phillack churchyard 

 cross may be taken as such. For this reason, it has been found 

 convenient to classify all the incised ornament together, because, 

 none of the patterns can be placed under the head of Celtic 

 ornament. The books enumerated, as having been referred to in 

 connection with interlaced work, have also been consulted in 

 relation to incised ornament, but no examples can be found to 

 correspond with those forms which exist in Cornwall. 



In consequence of the great contrast exhibited in the 

 formation of the designs, and the total absence of patterns, 

 bearing a likeness to those found elsewhere, I have been 



