Monument record MDO44721 - Early medieval cross re-used as font in St Mary's Church, Melbury Bubb
Please read our guidance about the use of Dorset Historic Environment Record data.
Summary
Saxon carved stone columnar cross of 11th century date in Melbury Bubb church, reused as a font.
Map
Type and Period (2)
Full Description
A 10th/11th century carved stone, part of a circular, tapering shaft, 28 inches high and 22 1/2 to 19 inches in diameter, is now used in an inverted position as a font in St Mary's Church, Melbury Bubb (ST 59600655). <1-2>
Mentioned. <3>
Described and photograph. <4>
The fact that the shaft is is upside down clearly indicates that the stone originally formed part of a tapering conical cross-shaft. <5>
No change. <7>
Full description and discussion of the cross shft/font. The font is decorated with four lareg animals and three smaller animals, all of bestiary form. Probably 1th century, but pre-Conquest. It is possible that this was not a reused cross shaft at all, but rather, it could have been the base for a font as at Deerhurst, but has subsequently been inverted to replace the missing basin. <8>
Sources/Archives (9)
- <1> SDO18799 Serial: The Devonshire Association. 1891. Transactions of the Devonshire Association 23. 23. 202.
- <2> SDO97 Monograph: Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England. 1952. An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West). 158.
- <3> SWX1290 Monograph: Newman, J, and Pevsner, N. 1972. The Buildings of England: Dorset.
- <4> SDO17639 Monograph: Parsons, David (ed). 1975. Tenth-Century Studies. 198.
- <5> SDO18798 Monograph: Taylor, H M. 1978. Anglo-Saxon Architecture III. 1064.
- <6> SDO16428 Scheduling record: Department of the Environment. 1986. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Dorset (Parishes of Halstock, East Chelborough, West Chelborough, Melbury Osmond, Melbury Sampford,Evershot,Stockwood and Melbury Bubb). 31.
- <7> SDO16333 Unpublished document: McOmish, D S. Various. Field Investigators Comments DSM. F1 DSM 25-FEB-87.
- <8> SDO17427 Monograph: Cramp, R. 2006. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: Vol VII. South-West England.
- <9>XY SDO14739 Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 195705. [Mapped feature: #634133 ]
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Location
| Grid reference | ST 5959 0655 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ST50NE |
| Civil Parish | Melbury Bubb; Dorset |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Other Statuses/References
- Legacy UID: Dorset Sites and Monuments Record: 1 072 006
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: ST 50 NE 3
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 195662
Record last edited
Nov 16 2022 9:53AM
