Anglian Cross Pieces

By Allan Boddy

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE OTLEY PRE-CONQUEST STONE FRAGMENTS

In 1886 Mr C J Newstead of the local Archaeological Society gave a lecture about the history of Otley Parish Church. In his lecture he observed that Otley was one of the great Saxon parishes and cited the Domesday description of Otley having ‘a church and a priest’ in 1085. The first structure erected in Otley would probably have been made of wood possibly with a thatched roof and may well have been subsequently destroyed by fire. The existence, date and foundation of such a building cannot be firmly established but it is not unlikely that the first church in Otley was built during the eighth or ninth centuries.
Dragon Cross Images

Following a chequered history, most of England was nominally Christian by the end of the seventh century. In Yorkshire the three minsters of York,

Beverley and Ripon sent missionaries to remote and outlying villages where they taught, preached to and baptized people. They were taught in the open air. When the village became Christian large stone crosses were put in a convenient place where the villagers could continue to meet the missionaries until such times as a church was built.

Our cross fragments are witnesses of the early Christian community in Otley. In 1931 Otley Parish Church held celebrations to mark its 1300th anniversary. Charles Walker, who wrote the souvenir booklet to accompany the celebrations, did acknowledge that ‘the origin of Otley Church is almost lost in the annals of antiquity’ and that maybe a foundation date of 631 was a little too precise given the limited evidence available but he also emphasised that our Anglian cross fragments are clear evidence of a very long history of religious observance on the site where the Parish Church now stands. The fragments are of a much greater age than any part of the current church building.

The fragments of pre-Conquest crosses and grave covers have lived through turbulent times and received some rough treatment. Some pieces of the crosses were scattered around the churchyard whilst others had been used as filling in the walls and chancel arch and were recovered during the nineteenth century restorations of Otley Parish Church.
Anglian Cross Pieces
The Otley fragments date from the late eighth century to the eleventh century and show the transition between the Anglian and Danish styles. Professor R W Collingwood has described the Evangelist Cross (fragments 1a, 1b and 1c) as one of the finest and most artistic works of its kind in Britain. Its design, drawing and carving are of the highest quality and point to a time when Anglo-Saxon carvers learnt from the beautiful decorative work of Italy where this kind of art work flourished.

Anglian Cross Display Our fragments are on display in the South Transept for present and future generations to enjoy. The magnificent Evangelists’ Cross and Dragon Cross were installed in display cases before Christmas 2020 and the remaining four fragments were put on the wall of the south aisle on Thursday March 11th 2021. We hope that our fragments will now be kept safe and that they will inspire present and future generations of worshippers and visitors.

Otley Parish Church is and will remain a place of Christian worship and not a museum. The stone fragments on display, as well as being beautiful works of art, remind us of the many people who have worshipped here over the centuries.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Welcome!

OPC in Springtime The following information is specifically for those planning a visit on a Sunday morning, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect. You are also welcome to visit the church building during the week for private prayer or simply to look round. It is normally open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.

Where and When: We meet at Otley Parish Church (map here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. The church is 2 minutes walk from Otley Bus Station. On-street parking is limited, but there is a small, public (free) carpark opposite the church on Burras Lane. Nearby is Sainsbury's who also allow parking up to 4 hours. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

Refreshments: We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the 10:30am service and you are most welcome to stay for this. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to look around the ancient building. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: The main part of the church is fully accessible, and there is a hearing loop for anyone who needs it. For the main service there are no service books since everything is displayed on screen. Do let us know if you find this difficult since we aim to have some large print material available. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. We have flexible seating and can accommodate wheelchair users to suit their needs. There is a disabled toilet in the south entrance foyer and further toilets up the stairs.

Our Services: The main Sunday service begins at 10.30am and lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. See our Main Sunday Service page for details of the monthly pattern of services. You can also view services on our YouTube Channel to get a taste of what happens.

See our Other Services page for details of other weekly and monthly services.

What about my children?

One sevice a month (3rd Sunday) is usually all-age where everyone is together and the format is child friendly. For other Sundays we have special provision for children and young people:

Sunday Club - Separate groups for those from age 1 to the end of Primary School
OPC Youth - For those in school years 7 to 10

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome and the opening song before they are invited to go to their various groups. Children going out need to be registered before the service as part of our child safety policy.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up later in the service when an announcement is given.

There is much more going on during the week at Otley Parish Church which you can see on the Church Calendar.

Get in touch with us if you would like any more information:

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

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Anglian Cross Pieces

By Allan Boddy

Planning your Visit

A Warm Welcome!

What about my children?

Get in touch with us if you would like any more information:

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:

Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

We will contact you by email to say hello and help answer any questions.

Note that the Church Office is only staffed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so a reply may not be immediate!