Romanesque artifacts - All Saints - Harmston, Lincolnshire
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member SMacB
N 53° 08.925 W 000° 32.826
30U E 664035 N 5891628
A Norman font and Anglo-Saxon cross shaft and cross head in All Saints' church, Harmston.
Waymark Code: WM121QE
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/03/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member RakeInTheCache
Views: 2

The font opposite the south entrance is Norman, set on a modern square base. At the east end of the north aisle is an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft carved with a Crucifixion and a Resurrection; this was discovered in the walls of the old Manor House -

"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)

"Norman west tower the only remains of the medieval church which was rebuilt in 1717, and then largely rebuilt again in 1868 by the architect Withers.

The late Cll west tower has an opening on each face, at bell chamber level, each is made up of coupled round-headed openings with columns with scalloped capitals between.

The crenellated top with 8 pinnacles is Perpendicular."

SOURCE - (visit link)

Set in the outer wall of the west tower to light the stair turret in north­west corner, an 11th century cross head -

"An almost complete cross-head with ring, type a. The transverse arms are of different form from the upper and lower ones. The transverse arms are splayed (E6) whilst the upper and lower are curved (E10). There is a central circular boss with a drilled hole right through its centre; apparently an original feature. The ring is undecorated and of sub-rectangular section but no evidence survives for the junction between cross-head and -shaft below.

A (broad): The transverse arms, which survive only where they were attached to the ring, are decorated with a pair of simple grooves of V-section. The upper and lower arms are decorated with interlace patterns in low relief. Both arms contain a single triskele knot (Cramp 1991, fig. 25, Bi) within a moulded border of sub-circular section. The border of one arm (now the lower, but presumably originally the uppermost) is decorated additionally with a second cable moulding. The interlace strands in both panels are decorated with a double incised line.

B and D (narrow): Built in.

C (broad): The central part of this face was removed during its reuse when a rebate was cut for a circular window shutter or glass, but even so, the original decoration is visible at the extremities of all four arms. The transverse arms are decorated with similar incised lines to those on face A. The panels in the upper and lower arms are defined by mouldings of sub-circular section like those on face A, and they were also decorated with interlace motifs, probably also triskele knots. On face C, however, because of secondary abrasion, it is unclear whether this interlace was also further decorated with incised lines. For the same reason it is also unclear whether the border of the upper arm was decorated with a cable moulding."

SOURCE - (visit link)
Web site proof of Romanesque or Pre-Romanesque features: [Web Link]

Type of building (structure): Church

Address:
All Saints
Church Lane
Harmston
Lincolnshire
England
LN5 9SS


Date of origin: Not listed

Architect(s) if known: Not listed

Romanesque or Pre-Romanesque: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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