The Irton Cross, a pre-Norse marriage of Celtic and Irish style decoration.
As the last part of my journey to Cumbria, I like to take you to the - unusual for Cumbria - pre-Norse cross in Irton. It is located in the graveyard of St Paul's Church, Irton with Santon, Cumbria. With exclusively Celtic Irish-style interlace decoration, it dates from before the Norse occupation. So.. strictly seen, not a Viking Age blog this time, but I hope interesting enough..
Dating from before the Norse occupation, this is an Anglo-Saxon cross and dates from the early 9th century. The west face has two panels of interlace, between which is a panel which once contained three lines of runes, all of which is surrounded by a border of knotwork.
The east face also has two panels with a diagonal key pattern, and two with chequers, which are in fact small sunken crosses.
There is fine scroll work on the narrow north and south sides, with leaves stem and fruit, possibly indicating a vine. In the middle of the west side is a blank panel which may have borne a runic inscription. In 1863 a mould of an inscription was interpreted by Professor George Stevens:
GEBDAETH FORAE (Pray for...)
Click on the images for enlargement.
Stylistically, it it lies chronologically between the Bewcastle Cross and the Gosforth cross and has greater affinity with the earlier Anglo-Roman style of Bewcastle. The Irton Cross is app. 10 feet high and carved from red sandstone and rests in its original socketing stone. It is one of the oldest in Cumbria and is decorated with Celtic spiral patterns and key patterns found in the book of Kells and other early Celtic Christian manuscripts and carvings. The cross is said to mark an ancient crossing of four tracks, places often associated with strange folklore and enchantment.
It is is one of the most important crosses in Cumbria, and unlike the one at Gosforth, bears no figures either human or animal. Altough pre-Norse, for strictly Vikingolists still very interesting for a visit. And it is all for free and in the (original) wild..
So, readers, so much for now about my visit to Cumbria. In the fortcoming blogs I will present a mixture of 'new' artefacts or share some monuments visited on earlier occasions, visting the North. My website is called Travelling North, of course..
Image beneath: the scenic surroundings of Irton..
References:
Holder, G. The Guide to the mysterious Lake District
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irton_Cross
http://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/irton-st-pauls-church/
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/cumbria/ancient-sites/irton-cross-and-church.html
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7742
http://www.davidhalllakedistrictwalks.co.uk/pages/DIRECTORY/CHURCH_IRTON.html
Well. I could have been with these stones until after dark, but as my wife wanted to travel on.. well.. I see you again, some day, hogback stones from Gosforth. And if you happen to be there one day, do not forget that monument on the outside...
Further on with the Cumbrian hogbacktour !
In - yes, luckily again in - St. Peter's church in Heysham, there is a truly beautiful hogback stone. The guide told us, it had been studyied by Thor Ewing, a writer, in 2000. in 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context (link), Thor Ewing tells in detail what he dicovered on the both sides of this hogback stone.
Just being brought in the church as late as the 1970's accompanied with some protest here and there among the church visitors, considered as being a token of old paganism, it had been remarkably nice preserved, and a lot of detail can be seen, still. Truly worthwile a visit.
I had a small debate with the guide in the church if the - zoomorphic, in my opinion - faces on the sides were lions (or hippo's). The guide doubted if the vikings could have known about lions. Well I guess so, concerning the runes on the Ancient Greek lion statue at the Arsenal, Venice. For example. Vikings did travel south..
But when he told me he was doubting the vikings 'discovered' (as the native inhabitants were of course, in the first place) America before Columbus, I decided to rest my case..
One has to know when to start and to end a conversation ..
Just discovered the book in a bookstore written by Geoff Holder - The guide to the mysterious Lake District, I knew there had to be another hogback stone in Lowther, St. Micheal's Church. With a promising image described in the text of 'a naval and a land-based force of shield-bearing vikings above a fish and what might be a coiled sea serpent. On the reverse is a row of female figures with snakes, possibly a representation of the hideous hag Hel'. Wow. If that did not sound as a true pagan promised land ..
Not complaing too much after all we have seen, this visit was the dissapointing one of them all. But if you wife states 'I am happy to have seen them' and I am answering 'Measuring is knowing' and the even more obligate verb 'handling 'if we did not see it at all, we wouldn't have known anything at all of how they were looking' the glass was again half full, at the last day of our journey..
The hogback stone appeared to be just being tolerated within the entrance segment part of the church. As something you never use anymore but you do not throw away - entirely. That sort of feeling emerged when seeing this hogback asylum seekers.. Bed, bath and bread, ás we say in Dutch, but no luxury at all and standing on some outcuts of wood, you would balance the table with at home..
Come on, St. Micheal's Church.. care a bit more of your 'children' !
This hogback stone was moved in the church in 1907. Hogback stones layed partially buried in the churchyard before it was dug up and moved into the church.
The promising depiction of a longship - as certainly can be seen after some studying - see http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship
we have missed !
The stone itself is (157 x 50 x 30 cm) and very worn.
The hogback stones in Cumbria - very diverse in quality, but everyone worth a visit ! Especially on a gloomy day in late October ...
The churches to visit - see photos of resp. St. Andrew's church in Penrith, St. Mary's church in Gosforth, St. Peter's church in Heysham and St. Micheal's church in Lowther.
Did I miss out on another one in Cumbria ? Let me know !
In a next blog I will take you to four - still remaining utterly mysterious- statues 'guarding' the graveyard of St. Andrew's church in Dacre..
For the last blog of October 9th see this link.
References: (as always, links to where the books can be ordered are attached).
Edwards, B.J.N. Vikings in North West England - The artifacts (1998);
Emery, Gordon, CURIOUS CUMBRIA, The Lake District & Beyond: A celebration of Cumbria (2023)
Ewing, T. 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context ;
Hall, R. Viking Age archaeology in Britain and Ireland (first printed 1990, reprinted with amendments in 1995);
Holder, G. The guide to the mysterious Lake District (2009)
possibly also (as there within the part of Cumbria dealing with Carlisle, the Eden Valley, Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven and the west coast is being dealed with)
Holder, G. Paranormal Cumbria (2010)
http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship