Ancient and High Crosses of Cornwall: Cornwall's Earliest, Tallest and Finest Medieval Stone Crosses

Ann Preston-Jones, Andrew Langdon, Elisabeth Okasha

$33.60

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Publication Date: August 24th, 2021

Publisher:

University of Exeter Press

ISBN:

9781905816613

Pages:

288

Description

Winner of the Holyer an Gof Award 2022 (Leisure and Lifestyle) An illustrated guide to one hundred of the finest early Cornish stone crosses, dating from around AD 900 to 1300. These characteristic features of the Cornish landscape are splendid examples of their type, exhibiting a wide geographical spread and a certain weather-beaten beauty. The medieval stone crosses of Cornwall have long been objects of curiosity both for residents and visitors. This is the first ever accessible volume on the subject, combining detailed description and discussion of the crosses with information on access, colour images and suggestions for further reading. An approachable but academically rigorous work, it includes analysis of the decorative designs and sculptural techniques, accompanied by high-quality photographs which illustrate the subtleties of each cross, often hard to discern in situ. Ancient and High Crosses of Cornwall offers an ideal introduction for the general reader but will also prove essential to local historians, landscape historians, archaeologists and anyone working in the area of Cornish studies or connected with the Cornish diaspora.

About the Author

Ann Preston-Jones has an extensive knowledge of the county's archaeology, with over thirty years' experience working for Historic England and Cornwall Archaeological Unit. Her experience is mostly in the care, conservation and management of those sites which make Cornwall special and she has a particular passion for sculptured stone monuments. Andrew Langdon has been recording and researching the stone crosses of Cornwall, as well as medieval ecclesiastical monuments more generally, throughout his lifetime, beginning when he was still at school. He has written extensively on the crosses and has much practical experience in their repair and restoration. Elisabeth Okasha spent most of her working life in University College Cork, retiring as professor emerita. Her research interests and publications are mainly in the area of early medieval inscriptions, covering those in Anglo-Saxon England, Cornwall, Pictland and Ireland.