ART. XXXIX.-Notes on Gosforth Church and Churchyard, and on Sculptured Fragments there.—By CHAS. A. Parker, M.D. Read at Keswick, October the 5th, 1882. THE HE quiet country churchyard of Gosforth, which contains, besides the celebrated cross, the heads of no less than three others, lies at the foot of a gently sloping hill, about three miles from the sea. The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a plain unpretentious building; the bell turret bearing the date 1654, which is also the date of the north wall. This bell turret has three arches for bells, the top one is older than the others, and is said to have formerly been on the east end of the nave, i.e., for a sanctus bell. Above the door at the west end are the figures 1789, in which year the church underwent considerable alterations which destroyed nearly all external marks of antiquity. Inside, however, the ancient chancel arch remains, the piers of which are evidently part of the original building. They are apparently twelfth century work. The arch itself is pointed and said to be of the time of Edward III. The south pier has carved upon its cap three faces, bearded and moustached, connected by a figure of 8 twist, with a beading upon it. These faces are all equal in size and on the same level, and may possibly represent the Trinity. The sculpture on the north pier cap is more irregular. The centre face is highest, the moustache and beard being very distinct. On the east side (of the cap) is a similar face, the twist is only partly shown, and looks like a hood; while on the west side, instead of a face, there is a half length figure with folded hands. In the churchyard is the cap of a pillar of similar character, but without faces. The church church of 1654 consisted simply of a nave and chancel, with walls about eleven feet high, and was thatched. The seats were forms. In 1789 a square porch with gabled roof was built on to the west end, the walls were heightened and the porch carried up to contain a stair leading to a large and unsightly gallery. The chancel is said to have been lengthened, shortened, and finally lengthened again in 1858. The south wall of the nave was rebuilt in 1759. There was a pointed north doorway to the chancel which was walled up in 1759, and a door made in the extreme northeast corner inside the communion rails. In 1858 this first door was discovered and opened out, and in it were found several of the carved fragments. The later door was then walled up and the chancel lengthened, and a north transept added utterly out of proportion to the rest of the church, with octagonal tower containing a newel stair leading to another gallery. In 1879 the vestry was enlarged, and a large pointed arch opened into it from the chancel to contain an organ. The old barrel organ was then abolished, and in order to let out the sound of the new instrument an oblong hole, 12 feet by 5 feet, was cut out of the east wall of the transept. The pitiful result of all these alterations and "improvements " may be imagined. As before stated three cross heads of freestone are preserved in the churchyard along with other fragments. The Gentleman's Magazine for 1799, in an article signed "Carbo," says, that the great cross 66 Formerly, as is reported, had a fellow column at about seven feet distance, with an horizontal stone between the two on which was rudely cut the figure of a large antique sword. This stone has been taken away within memory, and the cross which crowned the two columns, (evidently a mistake for second column,) after that column was cruelly cut down and converted into a style for a sundial, was put into the parson's garden at Gosforth and there remains." * See these on the lithograph, ante, opposite p. 373. Samuel Samuel Jefferson in his "Allerdale above Derwent," quotes, without giving his authority, that on the column which was destroyed were two indistinct "figures of horses and men." This act of barbarism was probably committed when the church was so much altered in 1789. Of the three cross heads, that one which most resembles the head of the great cross has three limbs remaining and half of the circle.* On each limb is sculptured an interlaced pattern in relief, and on a circle a twist or plait, while on the end of the cross bar is more interlaced work, formed by one continuous line. It measures about I foot 10 inches in height, and has a tongue on its lower extremity measuring 5 inches more. By the side of this fragment lies a ridge or coping stone with a square socket hole in the top of it, into which the tongue of the cross roughly fits; so this cross possibly was on the gable of the church-but as this is the cross head which was kept "in the parsons garden," it is more likely to belong to the column destroyed in 1789. The second cross head is more massive. The upper limb and half the circle or "glory" are gone, the lower is broader than the others, measuring nearly 11 inches across at the base, and is ornamented with an interlaced pattern in relief, closely resembling that on the north side of the standing cross. This pattern extended down the shaft more or less, as the fracture runs through it. The horizontal limbs are ornamented with interlaced work of a simple form. There has been a slightly projecting boss in the centre, surrounded by a ring of cable moulding. The only part of the circle which remains perfect is very beautiful, having a rope-like twist running along each edge, and the same double vertebrate pattern of six or seven pieces which This is the upper fragment on the lithograph, between the south and east views of the cross. + Both faces of this cross head are on the lithograph between the west and north views of the cross. appears appears on the east and west sides of the great cross, here apparently signifying the "glory" of Christ in overcoming the Flesh on this cross. On the other face the remains of the boss are more distinct. The cable moulding runs round it. On the lower limb is the same interlaced pattern with the fracture running through it. Two quarters of the circle remain, ornamented with an interlaced or plaited pattern, on one quarter treble, on the other quadruple. The transverse arms have lost their outer ends; on each is carved what appears to be the body of a snake knotted upon itself, the tails being next the boss. These serpents were probably headless, signifying the victory of Christ's cross over the evil one. This fragment measures 23 inches across by 13 inches high. The third cross head is much smaller and of quite a different character.* It has a large circular centre on which is a sort of star composed of six radiating leaves, on each limb is a small incised circle. It is said that the "horizontal stone" with a sword cut upon it, now forms the lintel of a door of a house in the village, called Gosforth Gate. If so the carved side is either cut away or hidden by the masonry. This stone was very likely an ordinary sepulchral slab of the 13th century, which had been placed between the two crosses in later times. Three of these slabs are still to be seen in the churchyard. The sundial mentioned by "Carbo" still remains. It is an octagonal pillar rather more than 3 feet high, thickest at its upper end, standing in a plain square socket close to the gate of the churchyard. This socket has evidently not been made for the dial, as it is 2 feet 9 inches by 2 feet 7 inches square, nearly 2 feet thick, and the square hole in the centre is much too large for the pillar which stands in it. The distance between the dial and the cross now standing is 15 feet, which coincides with the space between the * Given on the lithograph below the first cross head. pillars |