At Halesowen, Worcestershire (Fig. 82), in or about 1915, there was
found, built into the walls of a cottage, the sculptured head of
a cross, which may date as far back as 1300 to 1320. It is of red
sandstone, and much weatherworn, besides the deliberate defacement
which it has undergone. On plan it is an oblong square, 10 in. by
6 in., the extreme height being 1 ft. 7½ in. On one side is a
crucifixion without attendant figures; and, on the opposite side,
the Blessed Virgin enthroned, holding her Divine Son on one arm
and an apple in the other hand. The ends of the cross-head contain
unidentified figures, one a female saint, conjectured to be St Agatha,
the other an ecclesiastic, vested in amice and chasuble, and holding
his crosier in his left hand. That which he wears on his head is
broken, but it looks more like a tiara than a mitre. This cross-head
is a peculiarly interesting example, not only because of its early
date, but also because its existence is hardly known.
The cross-head found among the ruins of Croxden Abbey, Staffordshire
(Fig. 88), and sketched by Buckler in the first half of the nineteenth
century, is of a somewhat unusual type for its purpose, with handsome
crocketing. The Christ has the feet crossed and fastened with a single
nail in the newer fashion, though the arms are, in the ancient mode,
perfectly horizontal. The work dates probably from the closing years
of the fourteenth century.
How widely individual treatment might vary within a comparatively
short space of time is illustrated by the fragments of the cross-head,
found built into the east gable of North Hinksey church, in Berkshire,
near Oxford (Figs. 83, 84, and 85). The cross is of rich floriation,
overlaid upon which is a perfectly plain narrow cross, bearing the
image of the Crucified, Whose feet are crossed, as at Croxden; while,
on the contrary, the arms and hands are dragged upward in the fashion
that prevailed at a much later period. This cross-head belongs to
about the middle of the fourteenth century. The shaft and steps still
stand in the churchyard, to the south of the chancel. The shaft is
fractured at a height of 8 ft. 9 in. from the socket; the total
height, including socket and steps, is 13 ft. 8 in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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