Cross Shaft - All Saints - Harmston, Lincolnshire - Stone Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

Saxon cross carved with a Crucifixion and a Resurrection; this was discovered in the walls of the old Manor House.

"Cross-shaft -

Measurements: H. 104 cm (40.9 in) W. 30 > 24 cm (11.8 > 9.4 in) D. 17 > 14 cm (6.7 > 5.5 in)

‘A very fine example ... was found two or three years ago (i.e. c. 1890) built into the Old Manor House at Harmston which is now preserved at Harmston Hall' (Penny 1894–5b, 226). By 1913 it had been mounted in its present base and placed in the church (Davies 1912–13, 141); however Davies subsequently reported that it stood ‘on the hill for several years' – presumably between c. 1890 and c. 1910 (Davies 1916–17, 57).

A section which represents most of the length of a small upright shaft decorated in low relief. Three of the angles preserve their original cable moulding, the fourth angle has been recut with a chamfer, presumably during reuse.

A (broad): The lower part of the shaft is decorated with two runs of finely executed interlace. Both runs are of four-strand plait, however that to the right is decorated with an incised medial line. The interlace runs do not terminate within the base of the present stone and they are truncated by a small figurative panel towards the top of the face. The panel, which has no separate borders, contains a small Calvary group (Ill. 199). The cross has simple, rectangular arms and carries a stiff, straight-armed Christ with separately depicted straight legs. Christ wears a loin cloth decorated with diagonally incised lines. The surface of the sculpture has worn away, losing any further detail in the figure. Above Christ's head is a small T-shaped addition to the surface of the cross, which represents the Manus Dei. Below Christ's feet, the stem of the cross is decorated with a low relief cross saltire, which may be without iconographic significance. To left and right stand Mary and John, represented as a pair of doll-like figures wrapped in heavy shawls with diagonally incised surfaces. Both appear to be represented in a three-quarter stance, whilst the figure on the right may have an arm raised towards the cross. Above the upper interstices of the cross are the start of two more runs of interlace, also of four-strand plait, which expand over the top of the upper arm to occupy the whole field above it.

B and D (narrow): Both of the side panels are decorated with a simple raised zig-zag band of rectangular section, which neither originates nor terminates within the surviving shaft.

C (broad): As on face A, the lower parts of face C are decorated with two parallel runs of four-strand plait. Towards the top of the face, however, these are terminated against a mandorla or vesica defined by a simple undecorated border of rectangular section. Within the mandorla is a single figure, sadly now rather abraded and missing his or her head (Ill. 200). The figure is wearing a full-length robe with incised diagonal lines of the same character as the figures of Mary and John on face A. To left and right of the figure are two abraded patches indicating the former presence of further detail, but it is no longer possible to say whether these areas represent two further figures or simply the upraised arms of the central figure."

SOURCE - (visit link)

Relevant Website: [Web Link] Approximate Age of Artefact: Not listed

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