More information : (SD 40996165) St Patrick's Chapel (NR) (rems of) (NAT)
(SD 40976165 & SD 40996164) Stone Coffins (NR) (1)
The remains of a single-cell chapel traditionally dedicated to
St Patrick consists of an undivided rectangular building of
irregularly coursed rubble masonry, partly renovated 1903,
and conjecturally assigned by Baldwin Brown to the later 8th
century, with certain Celtic affinities. Six rock-cut graves
situated on the west side of the chapel and two smaller ones
on the east side of the hill (see Plan (4)) have sockets at
their heads, in which crosses were probably set. Collingwood
assigned these to the 10th century although Baldwin Brown
placed them in the 13th century. (2-6)
The remains of St Patrick's Chapel vary in height from 0.2 to
4.5 metres, and are in fair condition. At SD 40976165 are six
roughly hewn, rock-cut graves; five of which have sockets at
their heads for cross shafts. At SD 40996164 are two smaller
rock-cut graves; one of these having a socket at the head part.
An isolated square socket hole presumably also for a cross
shaft is visible at SD 40986164. (7)
Remains of St Patrick's Chapel dated to period 800-850 AD by
Taylor and Taylor, who also favour a pre-Conquest date for the
rock-cut graves. (8)
Excavation of St Patrick's Chapel in 1977-78 revealed two main
structural phases.
Phase I chapel was of good quality masonry, 2.3 x 4.1 metres
internal dimensions, with a doorway at the west end leading
out onto a stone platform.
Phase 2 (present structure) was a substantial rebuilding and
extension of Phase I, with entrance in the south wall.
On the south side of the chapel was a cemetery containing 90
generally undisturbed burials which had been placed in the
natural gullies of the bedrock. Running at right angles to the
chapel and on the east and west sides of the largest gully
were features cut into the bedrock suggesting housings for cill
beams and a post socket - possibly a building or enclosure? There was an absence of datable finds from the site, with the
exception of an Anglo-Scandinavian type bone comb with one
of the burials, and two carved stones of 8-9th century date.
Potter gives no definite dating for the structural phases I and
II of the chapel. (9)
Grade I. (10)
Bibliographic references. (11)
Chapel of St Patrick, 8th or 9th century. Grade I.
Rock-cut tombs approx 4m SE of Chapel of St Patrick. Two graves, pre-conquest. Grade I.
Rock-cut tombs appprox 10m W of Chapel of St Patrick. Six graves, pre-conquest. Grade I. (12)
SD 409 616. St Patrick's Chapel, Heysham. Scheduled No LA/15. (13)
SD 40986165. St Patrick's early Christian chapel and associated cemetery. Scheduled. (14)
A medieval chapel is visible as a ruined building on air photographs, at SD 4098 6165. The feature was recorded as an extent of area for the North West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, as it is already depicted on Ordnance Survey mapping. The feature is visible as a ruined building on the latest 1989 Ordnance Survey vertical photography. (15-16)
Full description of the 8th and 11th century grave covers to the south of the chapel, the socket stone under the east wall of the 2nd phase of the chapel, the fragment which may form part of a chair found in grave 16 of the 1977 excavations, and the external and internal lintels of the south wall of the chapel. (17) |