Monument record MDO3472 - Fragment of carved cross, Parish Church of St Andrew, Yetminster

Part of cross-shaft, possibly 9th-11th century. It was found in the churchyard, although not in situ, and moved inside the church, where it is set into the sill in the North of the chancel. The shaft was moved to the interior of the church between 1942 and 1945. Consists of a piece of the upper part of a stone cross shaft, with interlace carvings including two figures. The remains are 2ft. 6ins tall, the top part rectangular to round or oval.

Part of an early Saxon cross, found in Churchyard during 1939-45 war. Now loose in Church. <1>

Found in the churchyard N. of the tower; the upper part of a cross shaft, the two sides of which have been cut back. The remains are 2ft. 6ins tall, the top part rectangular to round or oval. There is some interlacement on the sides. Perhaps 10thc. <2>

The shaft was formerly in the churchyard, upright, with the lower 18ins. embedded in the ground. It had been in that position beyond memory. Sometime between 1942 and 1945 (I cannot recall the exact year) the historic value of the shaft was pointed out by a visitor to the Vicar of the time, and the stone was consequently removed and placed in the church. <3>

ST 59421066.

This former position of the shaft was pointed out on the ground by Mr Ellis. This site was evidently not the original, for it occurs amid a number of 19thc. graves, and in any case there is merely the upper part of the shaft. The shaft is described and measured in T.2., but it is worth noting that there are relief busts of two figures at the top of the shaft on its remaining undefaced sides. <4>

Full description of the cross-shaft. The shaft is decorated with two hunched figures with dished haloes,probably saintly figures. These appear to be a rustic work in the style of Northumbrian or Yorkshire carvings, and probably of 9th-11th century date. <5>

<1> Bean, C E, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments: C E Bean, 7.7.50 (Verbal communication). SDO17480.

<1.1> Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Inf. Sir. A.W. Clapham (Unpublished document). SWX999.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 272, (Photo) Pl.211 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘Loose in church, previously in churchyard – N. of tower, upper part of cross shaft (Plate 211), two sides cut back (about 10½ in. by 9 in. originally), 2 ft. 6 in. tall, top part rectangular to round or oval, remaining sides each with nimbed bust under arch and interlacement below, perhaps 10th-century. In rectory garden – small bowl probably of stoup, octagonal with quatrefoil on each face.’

<3> Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Oral: Mr J Ellis (Sexton) Church Cottage, Yetminster (Unpublished document). SWX999.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 21-SEP-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Cramp, R, 2006, Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: Vol VII. South-West England, 127 (Monograph). SDO17427.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 196199 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 27 2022 5:05PM