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A PRE-NORMAN CROSS, NOW AT FERNILEE HALL. 



By W. J. Andrew, F.S.A. 



HE familiar appearance of the shaft of a sun-dial in 

 the gardens of Fernilee Hall, the residence of 

 Mr. H. S. Cox, some five miles north-west of Buxton, 

 attracted my attention. It then appeared to be 

 about eighteen inches in height, resting upon a square base 

 stone, and surmounted by a Victorian capital bearing the dial. 

 That it was the upper portion of a Saxon cross shaft was certain, 

 and it was natural to assume that it had been mutilated to the 

 length desired for its present purpose. A close inspection, 

 however, raised a suspicion that the cross instead of resting 

 upon the base stone might possibly pass through it ; in other 

 words, the base stone might have been bored and passed over 

 the head of the cross. 



Mr. Cox at once showed his interest in archaeology by 

 ordering an excavation. This resulted in proving the surmise 

 to be correct, and disclosed a cross of the " pillar " type, nearly 

 five feet in length and, near the base, three feet in circum- 

 ference. The circumstance is curious, for it shows that whoever 

 converted the cross to the purposes of a sun-dial had sufficient 

 regard for its antiquity to preserve it intact. It is not in situ, 

 but it is believed to have been at Fernilee Hall for about a 

 hundred years. The shaft is complete, save that perhaps an 

 inch or so at the top has been removed to level the stone for 

 the capital, which probably dates from about a quarter of a 

 century ago, but as it is a large square cap it is eminently 

 suitable for the preservation of the relic from further weathering. 



