Listed Building record MDR2764 - Saxon cross stump, All Saints churchyard, Brailsford
Type and Period (1)
- HIGH CROSS (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
In the churchyard south of Brailsford church is the poorly preserved stump of a circular mid-11th century Saxon cross. (1) The fragment was found in 1919 buried beneath the steps of the medieval churchyard cross [see SMR 17204]. (2) The late Rector of Brailsford left directions that he should be buried under the base of the medieval cross in the churchyard, and when the steps of that monument were taken up, in August 1919, this early fragment was found buried beneath them. The stone shaft is almost 4ft 6ins in height. The upper 14ins are part of a taller shaft, rectangular in section, though the arrises are rounded. In the lower part, the section is round. There is both interlace decoration and the figure of a man. Collingwood believes that flat-sided part of the shaft continued upwards for about 18in before being surmounted by a cross-head. The head could have been the common Viking wheel-head type, or, given the strong Anglian tradition, it may have been free-armed making the whole monument about 7ft high from the base. (3)
The Saxon cross shaft has been restored in the medieval base at SK 24504126. See GP AO/66/26/8. (4)
The Anglo-Scandinavian high cross shaft stands at the west end of the grave of Charles Henry Fairfax, separate from the medieval socle that stands at the east end. It is sandstone and has a columnar lower section separated from a tapering rectangular upper section by a collar comprising two rings of roll-moulding. It is likely that the shaft was originally set into a socle since the bottom part of it tapers inwards to slot into a round socket. Currently it is mortared onto a modern sandstone base. The shaft is decorated with interlace carving and with a 'key' design. There is a figure of a Viking carved on the upper part of the south face. (5)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR12891 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1979. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. 2nd ed., revised. p 105.
- <2> SDR7574 Article in serial: Routh, T. 1937. 'A corpus of the pre-Conquest carved stones of Derbyshire', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 58, pp 1-46. p 23.
- <3> SDR7553 Article in serial: Collingwood, W G. 1923. 'The Brailsford Cross', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Vol 45, pp 1-13. pp 1-13.
- <4> SDR6325 Personal Observation: F1 FRH 24-AUG-66.
- <5> SDR18755 Scheduling record: English Heritage. 1984. Scheduling Notification: A-S high cross shaft & med cross base in the churchyard of All Saints' Church. 23346.
- <6> SDR15128 Index: TPAT. 2332. 2332.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2449 4126 (13m by 13m) Approximate |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | BRAILSFORD, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR1350
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Nov 6 2023 6:20PM