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 and a scheduled monument. It is located towards the western edge of County Durham, approximately 1km (01miles) east of the border with Cumbria along the A66 road.[1]
Rey Cross was ordered by Edmund I (r.939-946) to serve as a boundary marker between England and Scotland.
A long-held local legend states that the cross was the burial place of Eric Bloodaxe, Viking Ruler of Northumbria.[2] However, Norman Davies posits that it was a "boundary stone . . . halfway between Penrith and Barnard Castle."[3]
The antiquarian W. G. Collingwood (1854 – 1932) suggested that the cross might have been commissioned to commemorate the Norwegian Viking king Eric Bloodaxe.
The antiquarian W. G. Collingwood (1854 – 1932) examined the cross and concluded that it was an English-Style wheel-cross with figured decoration from about the 10th century.
St Columba’s Cross, St Columb Major, Cornwall is an example of a ringed cross.
Rerecrosse (English) c.1610
The letter ' R ' is a Medieval English (female) abbreviation (” the, at the, by the ”).
The element ' ere ' is from Medieval English ' ære ' : (” honour ”)
Reicrosse (Scots) c.1610
The element ' Rei ' is from Old Norse ' hreyr ' : (” cairn, burial place ”)
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.
Maps for Rey Cross and the surrounding area, showing Access, Administrative Geographies and other criteria from Natural England:
The Stainmore Pass Roman road (Margary route 82) was a trans Pennine route from Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire to Brougham near Penrith, Cumbria.[9]
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.
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 | Place name | Roman fort | Junction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Scotch Corner. | North, South: | ||
| 4miles | Carkin Moor | Roman fort.[10] | ||
| 10.1miles | Roman fort. | |||
| 16miles | North-east: | |||
| 19miles | Rey Cross | |||
| 25.1miles | ||||
| 28.9miles | ||||
| 37.2miles | ||||
| 42miles | Bravoniacum. | North: | ||
| 48.5miles | North, South: | |||
| 0.9miles | Eamont Bridge. |
At the beginning of the 10th century, the River Tees and the Stainmore Pass Roman roadseparated the Kingdom of Northumbria to the north from the Viking Kingdom of Jórvík to the south.A large part of modern day Cumbria was then part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde and was known as " Scottish Cumberland " .
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.
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.
In the same year Æthelstan successfully arranged a peace treaty between various Anglo-Saxon kings, known as the Peace of Eamont.
Rey Cross was ordered by Æthelstan's half-brother Edmund I (r.939-946)to serve as a boundary marker between England and Scotland.
See 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.
The list of rulers included:
In return for their homage, Edgar confirmed that:
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.
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.[2] [11]
See main article: 10th century in England.
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 871-899 | The reign of Alfred the Great. | |
| 899-924 | The reign of Edward the Elder –– King of the Anglo-Saxons. | |
| 924-939 | The reign of Æthelstan (disputed) –– King of the Anglo-Saxons. | |
| 927 | Æthelstan becomes the first King of the English. | |
| The Peace of Eamont is signed at Eamont Bridge near Penrith, Cumbria. | ||
| 928 | Æthelstan sets the border between England and Wales at the River Wye. | |
| Æthelstan sets the border of Cornwall at the River Tamar. | ||
| 937 | The Battle of Brunanburh. | |
| 939-946 | The reign of Edmund I –– King of the English. | |
| c.939-946 | Rey Cross becomes a boundary marker between England and Scotland. | |
| c.940 | Kingdom of Strathclyde was probably at its largest extent. | |
| 946-955 | The reign of Eadred –– King of the English. | |
| 954 | The Northumbrians drive out their Norwegian Viking king Eric Bloodaxe and submit to Eadred. | |
| Eric Bloodaxe is murdered on Stainmore. | ||
| 973 | Edgar the Peaceful sails to Chester, and receives homage from the rulers of Alba, Strathclyde, Wales, and the Kingdom of the Isles. |