Tucked away in a small hamlet in northern Cumbria there is an ancient Celtic Cross which dates from the 7^th or 8^th century.  It stands in its original position from more than 1300 years ago, adjacent to the tiny St Cuthbert’s parish church at Bewcastle.  We visited this ancient site recently and I was struck by the different layers of history (Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and 17^th century Civil War) which all merged together in this remote and wind-swept spot.

The top of the cross is missing, but the carvings down the sides are still remarkably well-preserved (the upright measures 4.4 metres high).  The craftsmen who made this cross during Anglo-Saxon times used flowing patterns which symbolised the interweaving complexity of life, as well as iconography which would have been easily recognised by those who viewed the cross.  On the west face, the figure of John the Baptist prepares the way of the Lord, and announces the future coming of the Messiah.  He is holding a lamb to symbolise Jesus, the Lamb of God.  The middle (largest) figure is set under an arch and depicts Jesus Christ, God’s Son and judge over all the earth.  The bottom figure, holding a large bird on his wrist, may represent St John the Evangelist with his customary symbol of the eagle.  St John wrote one of the four Gospels in the Bible, and was responsible for sharing the good news of Christianity with future generations by his writing.

We don’t know the original purpose of the large stone crosses which were set up across the north and west of the British Isles and in Ireland, but they were a particular feature of Celtic Christianity.  They may have been used as a focus for prayer, as an opportunity to teach about the Christian faith, or as markers for worship meeting places where Christians gathered before the introduction of church buildings.  Perhaps the Bewcastle Cross was set up as a memorial to some individual or notable event.  We are unable to understand the runes which are inscribed in the stone, so the origins of the cross remain a mystery to us.  But actually, that seems completely appropriate since the unknowable mystery of God lies at the heart of our faith.

The sundial on the south face is thought to be the oldest in Britain.  It would have helped to measure the four divisions of day rather than specific hours.  Most of the rural community would have lived their lives by the approximate hours of daylight, but if an early religious settlement or monastic cell existed at Bewcastle, then the time periods marked out by the sundial could have helped to identify when the next devotional service was due to take place.  Possibly it showed the timing of Easter in an age when there was considerable controversy attached to when this greatest festival of the Christian year should be celebrated.

Perhaps the sundial was included by the craftsmen on this beautiful piece of stonework as a metaphor for the passing of time.  Life in the 8^th century would have been far more precarious than it is for us now, blessed as we are with our modern medicine, higher standards of living and extensive support network.  Our Anglo-Saxon ancestors lived closer to nature and never took the future for granted.  As the shadow of the gnomon passed across the markings of the sundial, it was a reminder that our time on earth moves inexorably on, but with God everything is for eternity.

Sarah Bourne, Chaplain for the Arts – 25^th August 2021     sarahbourne@banburystmary.org.uk