home page   what's new?   email bobtrubs@indigogroup.co.uk to request updates (please mention the Vale of Belvoir Chronicle) or to offer new information   Vale of Belvoir Chronicle only WWW   This site sponsored by   Heart of Albion

Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale By the tenth century stone sculpture was being carved in England. It is generally classified as 'Anglo-Saxon sculpture'. But in the Midlands the decoration would be better described as 'Anglo-Scandinavian'. Indeed in the Vale are the most southerly examples of sculpture decorated with motifs more frequent in Ireland and Scandinavia. This is termed 'Hiberno-Norse'. There is an online corpus for Nottinghamshire here but the information for Leicestershire is currently only available in print as the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture Vol.15 East Midlands, (British Academy 2026). This entry was originally prepared before the publication of the East Midlands volume so was substantially revised September 2026. Harston's Anglo-Saxon carvings Most of what has survived is fragments of grave-covers and churchyard crosses. Examples of both can be found at Harston in the south-east of the Vale.   Part of a tenth century Anglo-Saxon grave cover, now in the east wall of the chancel wall at Harston.   A more complete tenth century grave marker now in the porch at Harston. Another grave-cover has been reused as a windowsill inside Redmile church. A badly-eroded cross-shaft fragment is now inside Screveton church. An impressive grave-cover is inside Hawksworth church while a fragment of a grave-cover is inside Shelton church. The Vale's hogback grave covers Hogbacks at Hickling (top) and Shelton (above). The Hickling hogback was carved from a repurposed Roman column. More dramatic are the early tenth century 'hogbacks' at Hickling and Shelton. These are the most southerly examples of Scandinavian-style decoration. The term 'hogback' was invented to describe uniquely British stone grave-covers dating from about 870 to 954. They have rounded ridges and convex sides. Although looking somewhat like a pig's torso they were based on the shape of Scandinavian houses at the time. Indeed some hogbacks have tile-like motifs on the roof, although not the examples in the Vale. Just maybe the house was thought to be a specific one: Valhalla, the hall where dead warriors spend their afterlife. There is rarely any explicitly christian symbolism on hogbacks, although unusually there is a cross on the Hickling hogback. Instead they are decorated with interlace and a muzzled bear at each end, as is the case at Hickling. This hogback was made from a repurposed Roman column as there is a characteristic recess in one end. Inside Shelton church are large fragments of two grave covers although only one has the convex ridge associated with hogbacks. The background to the Vale's hogbacks Most likely hogbacks and crosses of a similar age predate the building of a church. In other words a 'churchyard' had been created, probably in the late ninth or early tenth century, with a nucleated village surrounding it. But the church was yet to be built. In parts of Britain with close contacts with Scandinavia – and that most certainly includes the Vale of Belvoir – bishops had considerable influence. But what we know of religious activities by secular people comes across as a very hybrid mix of 'heathen' practices with the christianity of the time. Only in the eleventh and twelfth centuries did christianity evolve significantly into the better-documented era of medieval monasteries, abbeys, cathedrals and parish churches. The historian David Stocker thinks each hogback commemorates an elite Scandinavian family with the head idealised as a 'warrior' – even if he was more likely to be a merchantile trader. Why a trader? Because hogbacks are most often found near to places where waterborne transport could land and trade. (See this entry on waterborne transport in the sixth century for further details.) Trade also neatly explains why there is 'heathen' symbolism. The family who erected the hogback may well have identified as christian. But they were traders. Regularly trading with 'heathen' sailors who brought – and took – goods across the North Sea. Hogbacks would have functioned as 'oath stones', bridging the gap between pre-conversion oaths sworn on heritage ('sacred') rings, swords and spears, and such like and christian oaths sworn on relics of saints. And yes there are reliquaries contemporary with hogbacks that look like houses, although not specifically shaped like the houses which inspired hogbacks. In later medieval times crosses were always erected in marketplaces to 'sanctify' the deals being made. The lower part of Bottesford's market cross survives. Part of the Bayeux Tapestry with Harold swearing an oath to William while touching two reliquary shrines. For everything you want to know about hogbacks (and considerably more) delve into this PhD thesis: Barnes, Jamie, 2019, Of Warriors and Beasts: The Hogbacks and Hammerhead Crosses of Viking Age Strathclyde and Northumbria, https://theses.gla.ac.uk/75049/1/2019BarnesPhD.pdf Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland