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Monuments: B

1. Bewcastle

Image
RecordAuthor Máirín Mac Carron
ISODate 2002-07-19
Date 19 July 2002
PictureCredit Jane Hawkes
County Cumberland
Townland Bewcastle
OSMapRef NY 565745
Area England
GeneralContext Stone shaft.
Location Bewcastle churchyard, south of west end of church.
GeneralContext Stone type: medium-grained yellow sandstone.
Dimensions 440 cm in height, 56 cm tapering to 40.5 cm in width, and 54 to 28 cm in depth.
GeneralDescription General view of west face of stone shaft, dated to the first half of the eighth century.
GeneralDescription There are three panels with figures on the shaft.
GeneralDescription At the top the first figure is enclosed in a square-headed panel, edged on three sides by a fine roll moulding, and is facing out. He has a lamb in his left arm and his right hand emerges from a fold of drapery and seems to be pointing across his body to the lamb. The lamb is haloed, and its face is turned towards the viewer. The human figure does not seem to have a halo, and is male as there are surviving traces of a beard and moustache.
GeneralDescription The next panel depicts Christ in Majesty. This panel is round-headed and edged on the sides by fine roll mouldings. It encloses a standing frontal figure, who is identified as Christ by the runic inscription above this panel. He is standing on the heads of two beasts. His face is surrounded by a large halo, which may have faint cruciform incisions. He wears a long garment which covers his shoulders and possibly has an under-tunic. These garments hang in heavy folds to his ankles. The animal heads that he is standing on come from the opposite corners at the base of the panel and their muzzles touch in the centre.
GeneralDescription There is a runic inscription under this panel, which is quite difficult to read.
GeneralDescription Below the inscription there is a round-headed panel edged at the sides by a fine roll moulding. This panel encloses a standing figure. He is half-turned, with his right shoulder facing the viewer. His feet are pointing to the right, but his head is facing out. He has a long rod or stick in his right hand, pointing to the ground. His left arm is extended in front of a front-facing bird. There is a T-shaped object underneath his outstretched arm, at about thigh level. He is wearing a cloak-like overgarment with a double 'frilled' feature around the neck. The bird's head is very difficult to distinguish.

  1. Bailey, R.N., Cramp, R.J., Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture. Vol. 2, Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North-of-the-Sands1st, Oxford University Press, Oxford (1988) Anglo-Saxon, Sculptures, Crosses..