Rey Cross

54.50579°N 2.14867°W / 54.50579; -2.14867

Rey Cross

Rey Cross is the remains of a stone cross at Stainmore. It is also known as Rere Cross and is a Grade II* listed structure[1] and a scheduled monument.[2] It is located towards the western edge of County Durham, approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the border with Cumbria along the A66 road. [3] [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]

Rey Cross was ordered by Edmund I (r.939-946) to serve as a boundary marker between England and Scotland. [4] [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4]

Legend
The raven banner

Eric Bloodaxe

A long-held local legend states that the cross was the burial place of Eric Bloodaxe, Viking Ruler of Northumbria.[5] However, Norman Davies posits that it was a "boundary stone . . . halfway between Penrith and Barnard Castle."[6]

The antiquarian W. G. Collingwood (1854 – 1932) suggested that the cross might have been commissioned to commemorate the Norwegian Viking king Eric Bloodaxe. [lower-alpha 5]

Style
Rey Cross St Columba’s Cross, St Columb Major, Cornwall

The antiquarian W. G. Collingwood (1854 – 1932) [lower-alpha 6] examined the cross and concluded that it was an English-Style wheel-cross [lower-alpha 7] with figured decoration from about the 10th century. [lower-alpha 8] [lower-alpha 9]

St Columba’s Cross, St Columb Major, Cornwall is an example of a ringed cross.

Name

Name history

Toponym (English)

Rerecrosse (English) c.1610

  • The honour cross.
  • At the honour cross.
  • By the honour cross.

The letter ' R ' is a Medieval English (female) abbreviation ( ” the, at the, by the ” ). [lower-alpha 14]

The element ' ere ' is from Medieval English ' ære '  : ( ” honour ” ) [lower-alpha 15]

Toponym (Scots)

Reicrosse (Scots) c.1610

  • Cross of the burial place.

The element ' Rei ' is from Old Norse ' hreyr ' : ( ” cairn, burial place ” ) [lower-alpha 16]

The Scots version of the name, which became the name we know today, was based on the legend that the Norwegian Viking king Eric Bloodaxe had been buried there. [lower-alpha 17] [lower-alpha 18]

Geography

Natural England maps

Maps for Rey Cross and the surrounding area, showing Access, Administrative Geographies and other criteria from Natural England:

Stainmore Pass Roman road

The Stainmore Pass Roman road (Margary route 82 [lower-alpha 30] ) was a trans Pennine route from Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire to Brougham near Penrith, Cumbria. [15] [lower-alpha 31]

Its main purpose was to connect the Roman road Dere Street ( from Eboracum ( York ) ) with the road network on the north west side of the Pennine chain, and especially the Roman fort of Petriana ( Stanwix ) near Luguvalium ( Carlisle ). Petriana was the largest fort on Hadrian's Wall. [lower-alpha 33]

Unlike many other Roman roads its route is well known since it was largely defined by the topography of the Stainmore pass through the Pennine chain. The modern A66 road follows most of the route of the original Roman road for the same reason.

Distance [lower-alpha 34]Place nameRoman fortJunction
0Scotch Corner. [lower-alpha 35]North, South: [lower-alpha 36]
4 miles (6.4 km)Carkin MoorRoman fort. [18]
10.1 miles (16.3 km)Greta BridgeRoman fort. [lower-alpha 37]
16.0 miles (25.7 km)BowesLavatraeNorth-east:[lower-alpha 38]
19.0 miles (30.6 km)Rey Cross
25.1 miles (40.4 km)Stainmore
28.9 miles (46.5 km) Brough under Stainmore
37.2 miles (59.9 km)Appleby-in-Westmorland
42.0 miles (67.6 km)Kirkby ThoreBravoniacum. [lower-alpha 39]North:[lower-alpha 40]
48.5 miles (78.1 km) BroughamBrocavum

North, South: [lower-alpha 42]

0.9 miles (1.4 km) [lower-alpha 43]Eamont Bridge. [lower-alpha 44]

History

Early history 10th century
Kingdom of Jórvik at its largest extent, early 10th cent. Kingdom of Strathclyde at its largest extent, c.940 A.D.

At the beginning of the 10th century, the River Tees and the Stainmore Pass Roman road [lower-alpha 45] separated the Kingdom of Northumbria to the north from the Viking Kingdom of Jórvík to the south. [lower-alpha 46] A large part of modern day Cumbria was then part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde and was known as " Scottish Cumberland " . [lower-alpha 47] [lower-alpha 48]

During the 10th century the extent of the land ruled variously by Northumbria, Strathclyde and Jórvík changed frequently; the Kingdom of Strathclyde was probably at its largest extent c.940 A.D. [lower-alpha 49]

In 927 A.D. Æthelstan (r.924-939) conquered the Viking Kingdom of Jórvík, previously part of the Northumbrian Kingdom, and subsequently became the first King of the English. [lower-alpha 50] [lower-alpha 51]

In the same year Æthelstan successfully arranged a peace treaty between various Anglo-Saxon kings, known as the Peace of Eamont. [lower-alpha 52]

Rey Cross was ordered by Æthelstan's half-brother Edmund I (r.939-946) to serve as a boundary marker between England and Scotland. [lower-alpha 55]

Edgar the Peaceful (Chester 973 A.D.)
Main article: King Edgar's council at Chester

In 973 A.D. Edgar the Peaceful sailed to Deva Victrix (Chester Roman fort) where he received homage from the rulers of Alba, Strathclyde, Wales, and the Kingdom of the Isles. [lower-alpha 56] [lower-alpha 57]

The list of rulers included:

In return for their homage, Edgar confirmed that:

Saint Margaret of Scotland (11th century)

In The Lives of the Saints, St. Margaret of Scotland this is written: "and soon the Norman agreed to a peace on these conditions, that he should restore Sibert, earl of Northumberland and leave Cumberland as formerly to the Scots, that he should treat Prince Edgar as his friend, and that the boundaries of the two kingdoms should be Kings Cross on Stanemoor, between Richmondshire and Cumberland which should have the statues and arms of the two kings of England and Scotland on each side." And from Buik of the Chronicles of Scotland, Border Exploits: "King William soon concluded a treaty with Malcolm, wherein it was agreed that a Stone Cross erected on Stanemoor, bearing the arms of the two kingdoms, should form the exact march betwixt England and Scotland."

Original site of the cross

The exact location of the original site of the cross is not known. It has been re-sited at least twice, most recently during road widening (1990-1992), and previously in 1887. [lower-alpha 59]

Recent history

In the late 1980s the widening of the A66 road was planned through Stainmore. In 1990 the cross was lifted from its then position to the south of the road within the Rey Cross Roman Marching Camp and an excavation of the ground underneath was performed. No bones were found at the site, although it remains possible that Eric's burial might be elsewhere on the Stainmore moors. During the road widening works the cross was moved to the Bowes Museum for safekeeping. After completion of the road works in 1992 the monument was re-sited to its current position which is easily accessible from a layby in the road.[5][21]

Chronology

Chronology 10th century
Main article: 10th century in England
DateEvent
871-899The reign of Alfred the Great. [lower-alpha 60]
899-924The reign of Edward the Elder –– King of the Anglo-Saxons. [lower-alpha 61]
924-939The reign of Æthelstan (disputed) –– King of the Anglo-Saxons.[lower-alpha 62]
927Æthelstan becomes the first King of the English. [lower-alpha 63]
The Peace of Eamont is signed at Eamont Bridge near Penrith, Cumbria. [lower-alpha 64]
928Æthelstan sets the border between England and Wales at the River Wye.
Æthelstan sets the border of Cornwall at the River Tamar.
937The Battle of Brunanburh. [lower-alpha 65]
939-946The reign of Edmund I –– King of the English. [lower-alpha 66]
c.939-946Rey Cross becomes a boundary marker between England and Scotland. [lower-alpha 67]
c.940Kingdom of Strathclyde was probably at its largest extent. [lower-alpha 68]
946-955The reign of Eadred –– King of the English. [lower-alpha 69]
954The Northumbrians drive out their Norwegian Viking king Eric Bloodaxe and submit to Eadred.
Eric Bloodaxe is murdered on Stainmore. [lower-alpha 70]
973Edgar the Peaceful sails to Chester, and receives homage from the rulers of Alba, Strathclyde, Wales, and the Kingdom of the Isles. [lower-alpha 71]

See also

References

Notes
  1. Rey Cross is located in a layby on the north side of the A66 carriageway, and is designated as a grade II* Listed building.
  2. See Rey Cross > Natural England maps
  3. Kings of the English Alfred the Great was the grandfather of Æthelstan and Edmund. Edmund was Æthelstan's older half-brother.
  4. See Rey Cross > Early history 10th century
  5. The Dark Ages (Michael Wood) " . . . commissioned by sympathisers in York to commemorate their king. . . " [7]
  6. See W. G. Collingwood > Life > By the 1890s Collingwood had become a skilled painter and also joined the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society. . .
  7. A wheel-cross is also known as a ringed cross.
  8. The Dark Ages (Michael Wood) . . . W. G. Collingwood identified this as an English-Style wheel-cross with figured decoration. . . [7]
  9. There is a slight flare at the top of the stump that suggests the start of the base of a wheel.
  10. WiKtionary : Middle English < hospital > A hostel or guesthouse; a place of accommodation or lodging.
  11. Scalacronica . . . according to the Scala cronica (1280) . . . It is there called the Reir Croiz de Staynmore and the hospital [lower-alpha 10] , being near, was occasionally called Rerecross hospital but more commonly the Spital on Stainmoor . . . [4]
  12. Britannia by William Camden (1551–1623) " . . . Stanemore, all the country around being a desart, except an inn to entertain travellers in the very middle of this stoney waste, and near it a fragment of a cross which we call Rerecrosse, and the Scots Reicrosse. " (fn. 14) [8]
  13. See Noke, Oxfordshire (N..oke) " At the..Oak "
  14. Medieval English atte : ” at the ” :
  15. Wiktionary : Middle English < ære > Alternative form of ore (“honour”).
  16. Wiktionary : Old Norse < hreyr > cairn, burial place.
  17. See Rey Cross > Legend
  18. See Eric Bloodaxe > Death
  19. Mapping criteria : See Table of Contents:
    • Administrative Geographies > Counties
    • Designations > Listed Buildings (England)
    Use Table of Contents for Colour Mapping
  20. Rey Cross is located in a layby on the north side of the A66 carriageway,and is designated as a grade II* Listed building.
  21. Rey Cross is inside the County Durham boundary (RED LINE), and beside Cumbria to the west and North Yorkshire to the south.
  22. Rey Cross is located in a layby on the north side of the A66 carriageway, and is designated as a Scheduled Monument.
  23. To the west of the Rey Cross is the site of a Roman temporary marching camp. (Drag map across)
  24. Mapping criteria : See Table of Contents :
    • Administrative Geographies > Parish boundary
    • Designations > Listed Buildings (England)
    Use Table of Contents for Colour Mapping
  25. Rey Cross is inside the Bowes parish boundary.
  26. Mapping criteria : See Table of Contents :
    • Designations > Listed Buildings (England)
    • Sites of Special Scientific Interest (England)
    Use Table of Contents for Colour Mapping
  27. Rey Cross is inside the Bowes Moor SSSI.
  28. Mapping criteria : See Table of Contents :
    • Designations > Listed Buildings (England)
    • Sites of Special Scientific Interest (England).
    • National Trails (England)
    Use Table of Contents for Colour Mapping
  29. Gods Bridge is about 3.0 miles (4.8 km) east of Rey Cross
  30. See Margary numbers > Main routes
  31. See Roman roads in Britannia > Main routes
  32. Gnaeus Julius Agricola was Governor of Britain from 77 AD. See Gnaeus Julius Agricola > Governor of Britain.
  33. The Northern Counties (Nick Higham)Agricola [lower-alpha 32] inherited a sound base in Cheshire and Yorkshire but little further north.If Carlisle was not already built, the first timber fort must have been Agricolan. . . . We must assume that communications were maintained with the south via the Lune Valleyand via Stainmore to York, and that the major roads along these routes were at least put in hand by Agricola. [16]
  34. Modern road miles from Scotch Corner (Google)
  35. Roman treasures found on A1 (Highways England, April 2017) The excavations have also led to the unearthing of a major Roman settlement at Scotch Corner which pre-dates settlements in York and Carlisle by 10 years. This tells us that the Romans had a major presence and even possibly began their territorial expansion into northern England a decade earlier than previously thought. [17]
  36. Routes from Scotch Corner via Dere Street :
  37. See Greta Bridge > History
  38. Route North-east from Bowes:
  39. See Kirkby Thore > History
  40. Route North from Kirkby Thore via Maiden Way :
  41. Lake District via Margary route #74 High Street.
  42. Routes from Brougham :
  43. Distance from the Roman road at Brougham
  44. See Rey Cross > Chronology > 927 AD > Peace of Eamont
  45. See Rey Cross > Stainmore Pass Roman Road.
  46. See Danelaw > Info box > Map of England, 878.
  47. Scala cronica. . .according to the Scala cronica (1280) . . .as the boundary between England and Scottish Cumberland. (fn. 1) [4]
  48. See List of kings of Strathclyde
  49. See Kingdom of Strathclyde > The Viking Age > Strathclyde, circa 940 A.D.
  50. See Northumbria > Æthelstan of Wessex.
  51. See List of English monarchs > House of Wessex.
  52. The Peace of Eamont was signed at Eamont Bridge near Penrith, Cumbria. See Kingdom of England > On 12 July 927, the various Anglo-Saxon kings swore their allegiance to Æthelstan of Wessex. . ..
  53. There is some confusion here since Edward the Elder died in 924. It is assumed that it was Edmund I (r.939-946), King of the English, who ordered the stone cross. See List of English monarchs > House of Wessex.
  54. WiKtionary : Middle English < hospital > A hostel or guesthouse; a place of accommodation or lodging.
  55. Scalacronica . . .from a boundary stone, the pre-Norman stump of which still remains, and which, according to the Scala cronica (1280), was fixed by King Edward (died 946) [lower-alpha 53] as the boundary between England and Scottish Cumberland. (fn. 1) It is there called the Reir Croiz de Staynmore and the hospital [lower-alpha 54] , being near, was occasionally called Rerecross hospital but more commonly the Spital on Stainmoor. . .[4]
  56. Chester Roman Fort - 973 A.D. (Alistair Moffat) Kenneth II . . .almost certainly came to the Roman fortress to reach an agreement with Edgar . . .Kenneth II had his possession of Lothian confirmed. And it seems likely that the inclusion of Cumbria in the Kingdom of Strathclyde was agreed, the frontier reaching down to the Rere Cross on Stainmore. [19]
  57. See Kenneth II of Scotland > Primary sources > In 973, the Chronicle of Melrose reports that. . .
  58. See Máel Coluim, King of Strathclyde > Certainly by 973, Máel Coluim was associated with the kingship, as both he and his father are recorded to have participated in a remarkable meeting of kings assembled by Edgar, King of the English.
  59. The Lake Counties (W. G. Collingwood 1854 – 1932) . . . the Rey (Rere) Cross, in the eleventh century the boundary between Scotland and England, probably erected in the tenth century as a grave monument, re-erected in 1887. (Revised by Rollinson 1987). . .The area is currently under threat from road widening schemes. [20]
  60. See Alfred the Great > Chronology
  61. See List of English monarchs > House of Wessex
  62. See List of English monarchs > House of Wessex
  63. See History of Anglo-Saxon England > English unification (10th century)
  64. See Kingdom of England > On 12 July 927, the various Anglo-Saxon kings swore their allegiance to Æthelstan of Wessex. . .
  65. See Battle of Brunanburh > "the greatest single battle in Anglo-Saxon history before Hastings"
  66. See List of English monarchs > House of Wessex.
  67. See Rey Cross > Early history
  68. See Kingdom of Strathclyde > The Viking Age > Map of Strathclyde, circa 940 A.D.
  69. See List of English monarchs > House of Wessex.
  70. See Eric Bloodaxe > Death
  71. See Rey Cross > History

Citations
  1. Historic England. "Rey Cross (1323025)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  2. Historic England. "Rey Cross (1016467)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  3. "MAGiC MaP : Rey Cross, Stainmore – grade II* listed building". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
  4. Page 1974, pp. 321–330.
  5. Bibby, Andrew, and John Morrison. The Backbone of England: Landscape and Life on the Pennine Watershed, p. 166. London: Frances Lincoln, 2008. Google Books.
  6. Davies, Norman. "Alt Clud." Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations. New York: Viking, 2012. 72. Print.
  7. Wood 1981, pp. 175–176.
  8. Page 1914, pp. 42–49.
  9. Reaney 1969, p. 37.
  10. "MAGiC MaP : Rey Cross, Stainmore – Listed building ". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
  11. "MAGiC MaP : Rey Cross, Stainmore – Scheduled Monument ". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
  12. "MAGiC MaP : Rey Cross, Stainmore – Parish boundary ". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
  13. "MAGiC MaP : Rey Cross, Stainmore – Scientific Interest ". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
  14. "MAGiC MaP : Gods Bridge SSSI and Pennine Way". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
  16. Higham 1986, p. 153.
  19. Moffat 2017, pp. 132.
  20. Collingwood & Rollinson 1988, pp. 217.
  21. Vyner, Blaise, et al. Stainmore: The Archaeology of a North Pennine Pass, p. 118. Hartlepool: Tees Archaeology & English Heritage, 2001.

Sources
Books
  • Moffat, Alistair (2017). Scotland, A History from Earliest Times. Birlinn . ISBN 978-1-78027-438-6.
  • Collingwood, W. G.; Rollinson, William (1988). The Lake Counties (1932) Revised by William Rollinson (1988). J.M. Dent & Sons. ISBN 0-460-04758-2.
  • Higham, Nick (1986). The Northern Counties to a.d. 1000 (A Regional History of England.). Longman. ISBN 0-582-49276-9.
  • Wood, Michael (1981). In search of The Dark Ages. BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-17835-3.
  • Reaney, P H (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  • Clark Hall, John R. (1916). A Concise Anglo−Saxon Dictionary, Second Edition. The Macmillan Company.
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