The Ruthwell Cross is a stone Anglo-Saxon cross probably dating from the 8th century,[1] when the village of Ruthwell, now in Scotland, was part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria.
It is the most famous and elaborate Anglo-Saxon monumental sculpture,[2] and possibly contains the oldest surviving text, predating any manuscripts containing Old English poetry.[3] It has been described by Nikolaus Pevsner thus: "The crosses of Bewcastle and Ruthwell ... are the greatest achievement of their date in the whole of Europe."[4]
The cross was smashed by Presbyterian iconoclasts in 1642, and the pieces left in the churchyard until they were restored and re-erected in the manse garden in 1823 by Henry Duncan. In 1887 it was moved into its current location inside Ruthwell church, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, when the apse which holds it was specially built.[5] It was designated a scheduled monument in 1921, but had this removed in 2018, due to it being in a controlled, safe environment and not needing protection.[6]
- ^ Wilson, 72. Other datings are usually earlier rather than later.
- ^ Wilson, 72.
- ^ This depends on the date allocated to the cross itself, and also the runic inscriptions, which may be later (see below). The earliest English manuscripts containing poetry are two versions of Bede that contain Cædmon's Hymn, and are dated to the 8th century: the Moore Bede and Saint Petersburg Bede. The Franks Casket, usually ascribed to the early 8th century, may be similar in age to the Ruthwell Cross.
- ^ Pevsner – Introduction.
- ^ Information boards, Ruthwell Church.
- ^ "Ruthwell Cross, cross – SM90256". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 19 December 2018.