by Josh Ronfell

A VICAR believes he has uncovered the true history of an ancient artefact which has lain close to his North Yorkshire churchyard for hundreds of years.

For many years passers-by at St Oswalds, Thornton-in-Lonsdale, believed the pre-Norman stone was actually the remains of a gateway.

But after research by the Rev Canon John Hunter, it is now thought to be a Celtic cross - built in the time of Oswald, King of Northumbria, more than 1,400 years ago.

The discovery came after the Rev Canon Hunter read a book by Kathleen Kinder called Northumbrian Crosses.

He said: "It has always been there and I have never really taken any notice of it but then I happened to be reading this book.

"Kinder’s description of similar posts to be found across the north-east of England suggested that this had never been a gatepost.

"I got in touch with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. They rang me up and said it was very interesting and unusual for an ancient artefact to be discovered in this day and age."

In her work, Kinder wrote that crosses are normally erected at the south of the parish church.

But in the case of St Oswald’s the cross is south-west of the Grade II listed church, across from The Marton Arms pub, just off the A65.

It is thought the cross is the only one in the area, with the nearest cross 13 miles away in Giggleswick.

In the year 634 after embarking on a decisive victory against the invading forces of the pagan King Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Wales, King Oswald called upon the Celtic monks of Iona, from the Inner Hebrides in Scotland, to help him bring Celtic Christianity to Northumbria.

After conversion crosses were then put up throughout Oswald’s Kingdom, including modern-day Yorkshire and beyond, with the remains at Thornton-in-Lonsdale perhaps the most westerly.

It is believed that the top of the cross was destroyed during the English Civil War in the 17th century.