This volume provides a full analytical catalogue of all known pre-Norman sculpture from this region. As little documentary evidence survives from the area, the sculpture is vital to understanding the early development of the Church, the shifting relationships between communities, and the ways in which political affiliations gave access to a variety of cultural centers across England, Ireland, mainland Europe and Scandinavia. Among the significant carvings are the crosses at Sandbach with their elaborate figural sculpture and the delicate carvings from Halton and Hornby in the Lune valley. Much of the work is of the 10th- and 11th-century Viking period, and shows an intriguing mixture of Scandinavian-derived motifs alongside Christian iconography. Introductory chapters set the material within its historical, topographical and art-historical context.
