| Corpus Refs: | Huebner/1876:6 Macalister/1949:1047 Okasha/1993:20(i) |
| Site: | LHERN |
| Discovery: | first mentioned, 1814 Lysons, D. & S. |
| History: | Langdon/1896, 357: `It was brought there [see current location] many years ago from a field called `Chapel Close', on the barton of Roseworthy, in the parish of Gwinear, near Camborne'. Okasha/1993, 133, notes that the first metion by Lysons and Lysons in 1814 recorded that the stone was moved to `the garden of Lord Arundell's mansion-house, at Lanherne'. The Manor of Lanherne was given to Carmelite nuns by Arundell in 1794 so the move is likely to have taken place before then. |
| Geology: | Macalister/1949, 178: `granite'. |
| Dimensions: | 1.51 x 0.27 x 0.2 (Okasha/1993) |
| Setting: | in ground |
| Location: | Lanherne Carmelite Nunnery; Present location. Okasha/1993, 133: `The stone stands in the grounds of Lanherne Carmelite Nunnery, St. Mawgan, outside a door to the chapel'. |
| Form: | Cramp sh. A, head 6b, r1 Langdon/1896, 357--358, notes that this `four-holed cross' is `the most beautiful specimen of an elaborately decorated cross in Cornwall'. He then describes the form as follows: `There is an entasis on the shaft, which is rather more marked on the front than on the other faces. The bead on the angles is tapered from the bottom upwards, and is carried round the outline of the head. The ring is moulded with a triple bead on the front and the back, as well as on the sides, below the arms; but on the ring above the arms there are four beads'. Langdon gives the following extra dimensions: width of (i) head 16" (ii) top of shaft 9.5" (iii) base of shaft 11.5"; thickness of (i) base of shaft 8" (ii) top of head 5.5"'. |
| Condition: | complete , good Macalister/1949, 178: `one of the... best preserved in Cornwall'. |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | none |
| Decorations: | figural; geometric ribbon interlace Langdon/1896, 358--359: `All four sides are sculptured, as follows:-- Front. -- One the head, and extending some way down the shaft, is a rudely executed figure of our Lord clothed in a tunic. The arms are extended straight along the limbs of the cross; the sleeves are expanded at the ends, and the hem of the garment is well defined near the bottom. The shaft is divided by double beads into two panels of uneven depth, formed by returning the beads on the angles horizontally across the shaft. The upper, or longer panel, contains triple-beaded figure-of-eight knotwork, with the termination of the pattern shown at the bottom, but not at the top. On the lower panel is an inscription, in mixed capitals and miniscules, of Hiberno-Saxon character. Left Side. -- On the head, at the end of the arm, are two double-beaded, elliptical rings, placed crosswise and interlaced. On the shaft is a continuous panel of double-beaded spiral knotwork. Back. -- On the head are five bosses. The shaft is divided into two panels of uneven depth, but without a separating bead between them. The upper and longer panel contains triple-beaded twist-and-ring knotwork, the upper termination of which should be noticed, as it is arranged so as to fill up the lower portion of the bottom limb. On the lower panel is an inscription, in characters similar to those on the front. Right Side. -- On the head, at the end of the arm, are the remains of two rings similar to those on the opposite side. This side of the shaft is particularly interesting, for on it occurs one of the two specimens of zoomorphic interlaced work at present known on crosses in Cornwall, the other being the No. 4 cross, Sancreed [SCRED/4]. This consists of a dragon having a serpentine body, which passes up the panel, and in returning fills the spandrils on either side with continuous Stafford knot work, terminating in the mouth of the beast'. |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | +BSE | IDE/TI | M{A} | H Expansion: + BEATUS EID ET IMAH Macalister/1949 178--179 reading only |
| Okasha, E. (1984): | +BRE | ID[B^E^R^E/T][I] | M{A} | H Expansion: +BREID [ET] [I]MAH Translation: +Breid(PN) and [I]mah (PN). Okasha/1993 136 reading only |
| Orientation: | horizontal |
| Position: | n/a ; broad ; n/a ; panel Okasha/1993, 133: `incised without framing lines but in a panel on the face of the stone at the bottom of the shaft'. |
| Incision: | inc |
| Date: | 900 - 1099 (Okasha/1993) |
| Language: | Incomplete Information (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | If the expansions of Macalister/1949, 178, are correct the language of the inscription is Latin. However, Okasha.1993, 136, is uncertain of how to render the text. |
| Palaeography: | Okasha/1993, 133: `predominantly insular script'. Langdon/1896, 358--359: `an inscription, in mixed capitals and miniscules, of Hiberno-Saxon character'. |
| Legibility: | good Okasha/1993, 132: `Text... is complete and legible'. |
| Lines: | 4 |
| Carving errors: | 0 |
| Doubtful: | no |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | RV~ | HOL Expansion: RVNHOL Translation: Runhol (PN). Macalister/1949 179 reading only |
| Okasha, E. (1984): | RV~ | HOL Expansion: RVNHOL Translation: Runhol (PN). Okasha/1993 136 reading only |
| Orientation: | horizontal |
| Position: | n/a ; broad ; n/a ; panel Okasha/1993, 133: `in a panel'. |
| Incision: | inc |
| Date: | 900 - 1099 (Okasha/1993) |
| Language: | name only (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | See also the Sancreed 4 cross (SCRED/4). |
| Palaeography: | Okasha/1993, 134: `predominantly insular script'. |
| Legibility: | good Okasha/1993, 133--134: `The text is complete and legible'. |
| Lines: | 2 |
| Carving errors: | n |
| Doubtful: | no |