Legg's cross
Encyclopedia
Legg's cross is an Anglo-Saxon
cross in County Durham
, England
, about 4 miles north of Piercebridge
on the Pilgrims' Way
(the modern B6275 and the old Roman road of Dere Street
). The cross is now eroded to an obelisk-like structure, although it once had an inscription reading "LEG", giving rise to the name. It has been conjectured that the cross is constructed from Roman masonry (the nearby Piercebridge was once a Roman fort) and that the inscription may have originally celebrated the 20th Legion
(LEGIONIS).
Other theories for the name include the fact that "legge" is the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "boundary." It is also rumoured that James VI
of Scotland (later I of England) rested here with his legs crossed on his way south to claim the English throne.
Anglo-Saxon art
Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norman Conquest of a large Anglo-Saxon nation-state whose...
cross in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, about 4 miles north of Piercebridge
Piercebridge
Piercebridge is a village and civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of Durham, England. It is situated a few miles west of the town of Darlington. It is on the site of a Roman fort of AD 260-270, which was built at the point where Dere Street crossed the River Tees....
on the Pilgrims' Way
Pilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
(the modern B6275 and the old Roman road of Dere Street
Dere Street
Dere Street or Deere Street, was a Roman road between Eboracum and Veluniate, in what is now Scotland. It still exists in the form of the route of many major roads, including the A1 and A68 just north of Corbridge.Its name corresponds with the post Roman Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira, through...
). The cross is now eroded to an obelisk-like structure, although it once had an inscription reading "LEG", giving rise to the name. It has been conjectured that the cross is constructed from Roman masonry (the nearby Piercebridge was once a Roman fort) and that the inscription may have originally celebrated the 20th Legion
Legio XX Valeria Victrix
Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix was a Roman legion, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. It served in Hispania, Illyricum, and Germania before participating in the invasion of Britannia in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century...
(LEGIONIS).
Other theories for the name include the fact that "legge" is the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "boundary." It is also rumoured that James VI
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
of Scotland (later I of England) rested here with his legs crossed on his way south to claim the English throne.