More information : [SW 4202 2934] Sancreed Cross No.4 in the Churchyard.
'The cross now stands on the eastern side of the south porch.
The upper portion.. the head and a short piece of the shaft,
was for many years fixed on top of the western boundary wall of
the churchyard (where No.1 cross now stands) and is shown in
this position by Blight(a).'
The shaft was found during restorations to the church in 1881 and
was reunited with the upper portion by the Rev. R. Basset Rogers,
who in 1894 provided a rough granite base and erected it in its
present position.
Dimensions: Height from top to base as now fixed 5' 9", width of
head 1' 9", width of shaft at neck 11 1/2" at the bottom 13 1/2",
thickness at bottom 7 1/2", at the neck 6".
[Details of incised work and inscription are given.]
[See AO/59/345/1 and 374/6.] (1)
Sancreed Cross -[Short description and photo of cross in its
restored condition.] [See AO/59/378/8] (2)
The Sancreed Cross - probably 10th Century. (3)
The cross at SW 4202 2934 is as described and figured by Langdon.
Ground photograph AO/60/369/7 (from the south)(4)
In a panel at the bottom of the south face of the cross is inscribed
RUNHO, presumably an abbreviation for RUNHOL the name inscribed
on the Lanherne cross (SW 86 NE 16). This is probably the name
of the artist.
MacAlister notes that in Langdon's drawing the position of the
two edges of the stone have been interchanged.
This is one of the five scheduled crosses in Sancreed churchyard. The south face bears a figure of Christ in relief, with outstretched arms, and a bead or halo around its head. The figure wears a tunic and has a band around the waist; the legs extend onto the top of the shaft and have out-turned feet. The north face bears a central circular boss with an interlaced knot on each limb; the knots are linked together around the central boss. The shaft measures 1.39m high by 0.32m wide at the base tapering slightly to 0.29m at the top and is 0.18m thick. There is a fracture across the shaft 0.2m below the head, which has been repaired with cement. There is probably a section of shaft missing here as the lower shaft is slightly wider
and thicker than the upper shaft. The shaft has a narrow bead on all four corners and all four faces are decorated. The south principal face is divided into three panels: the short upper panel has been defaced, the middle panel bears interlaced knots, and the lower panel bears a short inscription in two horizontal lines. This inscription is incised in an early medieval form of script derived from Roman style capitals and reads `RUNHO'. This name is considered to be the signature of the sculptor. There is another similar cross, from the West Penwith area, now at Lanherne on the north coast of Cornwall, which bears the name Runhol. This is believed to be an Anglo-Saxon name, and it is thought that the sculptor came from the Bodmin/east Cornwall area as the decoration on the back of this cross at Sancreed is very similar to that on the churchyard cross at Cardinham, north of Bodmin. The north face bears a single long panel with pairs of interlaced knots. The west side bears a long panel of diagonal key pattern, and the east side is decorated with a long panel containing a serpentine figure with its body and tail formed from interlace work. The decoration on the shaft is not easily visible as it is well worn and extensively covered in lichen. 10th century date. (5-8)
The well preserved cross is as described and stands in a small
rectangular socket-stone. The base is of a different type of
granite to the restored cross.
Published 1/2500 survey correct. (9)
Pre-conquest. Tall wheel-headed granite monolith. rectangular on plan. Tall shaft incised intersecting or chevron decoration to all 4 sides. Wheel-head has Alisee patee cross in bold relief with crucifixion to one side and central cross to the other side. (10)
As above. This inscribed cross-shaft is dated to the 10th-11th centuries on stylistic grounds. (11)
Now thought to be late 10th-11th century date. (12) |