| Corpus Refs: | Macalister/1945:491 Okasha/1993:55(ii) |
| Site: | SOURT |
| Discovery: | first mentioned, 1874 Bate, C.S. |
| History: | Okasha/1993, 260: `The stone was first mentioned by Bate in 1874 who said it was `on the Okehampton Road'; subsequently Bate recorded that the stone was `Near the village of Sourton, on the high road from Tavistock to Okehampton'. In 1984 and 1985...the stone [stood] on a grass bank on the left-hand side of the road about 6.5km south of Okehampton. It stood at the junction of the A386...and the A30. This may have been the same position as that in which the stone was first recorded. The stone was moved in November 1986 during construction of the Okehampton by-pass and was kept in Okehampton Castle. It was placed in its present position in 1993. When it was moved in 1986, no observable archaeological context was found, suggesting that it may have been moved before. This was supported by the fact that the Ordnance Survey mark was found to have been incised on the part that had been blow the ground'. |
| Geology: | Macalister/1945, 470: `granite'. |
| Dimensions: | 3.32 x 0.45 x 0.29 (Okasha/1993) |
| Setting: | in ground |
| Location: | Sourton; Current location as of 1993. Okasha/1993, 260: `The stone stands on the grass verge near the junction where the A386 Torrington to Tavistock road meets the A30 Okehampton to Launceston road'. Thomas/1994, 281: `The Sourton Cross...stands incongruously -- one hopes, safely -- by the large new roundabout at the west end of the Okehampton bypass'. |
| Form: | otherwise unclassified Okasha/1993, 260: `The stone is a roughly shaped cross with a long shaft'. |
| Condition: | complete , some |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | 1: latin; linear; inc; plain; plain; none; none; other; n/a |
| Decorations: | Macalister/1945, 471: `Above the inscriptions is a cross with a loop in the head, meant apparently for a chi-rho monogram. The loop is incomplete, or broken, on the dexter side...The curves ending spirally in the transom of the cross, and the radiating lines in the head, are part of the ancient monument'. |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1945): | PRINCIP{I} | [IV]RI[CI] | A/VDE[T]I Expansion: PRINCIPI IVRICI AVDETI Macalister/1945 471 reading only |
| Okasha, E. (1987): | [.R]INCIP[I] | [..R.--] | A/V[.]DE[..] Expansion: [.R]INCIP[I] [--] AV[.]DE[..] Okasha/1993 262 reading only |
| Thomas, C. (1994): | PRINCIP{I} | [FILIV] | A/VDETI Expansion: PRINCIPI FILIV[S] AVDETI Translation: Principius(PN) the son of Audentius(PN). Thomas/1994 281 reading only |
| Orientation: | horizontal |
| Position: | inc ; broad ; below cross ; undivided |
| Incision: | cut Macalister/1945, 471: `apparently it was cut and rubbed (not pocked)'. |
| Date: | 500 - 799 (Okasha/1993) 566 - 599 (Thomas/1994) |
| Language: | Latin (rcaps) |
| Ling. Notes: | none |
| Palaeography: | Okasha/1993, 262: `Predominantly capital script'. |
| Legibility: | poor Okasha/1993, 261: `highly deteriorated'. Macalister/1945, 471: `The first line is certain. The second is very difficult: the final CI is scarcely traceable, and the top of the R is broken, as is also the first IV...[In] the third line...the only doubtful letter here is the T, which requires careful examination'. |
| Lines: | 3 |
| Carving errors: | 0 |
| Doubtful: | no |