Misplaced Pages

Dacre Bears: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 10:24, 8 December 2024 editKJP1 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers77,163 edits →History and description← Previous edit Revision as of 10:29, 8 December 2024 edit undoKJP1 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers77,163 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
Line 36: Line 36:


==History and description== ==History and description==
] dates the Dacre Bears to the ] period and records them as each standing about 4 ft high and carved from ].<ref>{{NHLE|num=252583|desc=Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref> It suggests that their present placement is original, at each of the four corners of the medieval churchyard.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1252582|desc=Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>{{efn|An alternative suggestion, drawing on the interpretation that the sculptures show lions, rather than bears, is that they were ] and may have originally been sited at the adjacent ].{{sfn||||}}}} The bears were first studied in the 18th century by ], ] who was also a keen amateur ]. It was Nicolson who first deemed the sculptures to represent bears, suggesting they were a ] showing the ] emblem of the ]. However, the statues long predate the emblem.<ref> https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church </ref> In the 19th century the bears were studied and described by ], another local antiquarian, who also served as the ] of the ].<ref> https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31 </ref> Ferguson suggested that the statues tell a story. Beginning with the bear in the north-west corner of the churchyard and moving south-west, south-east and finally north-east, Ferguson contended that the first sculpture represented a bear in repose; the second, the bear turning its head as a small, cat-like, animal attacks it be climbing onto its back; the third a struggle between the two; and the fourth, the bear, victorious and replete, with a satisfied smile on its face having overcome and eaten its enemy.<ref> https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church </ref> A recent archaeological survey disputes Historic England's dating, suggesting instead that the sculptures predate the ] and may represent evidence of a ] religious site.<ref> https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31 </ref> Close study of the fourth sculpture has also called into question the identification of the statues as depicting bears. The fourth, and best-preserved, of the sculptures appears to have a ] and a tail, suggesting that they may have been intended to depict lions.<ref>https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146412182</ref> ] dates the Dacre Bears to the ] period and records them as each standing about 4 ft high and carved from ].<ref>{{NHLE|num=252583|desc=Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref> It suggests that their present placement is original, at each of the four corners of the medieval churchyard.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1252582|desc=Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>{{efn|An alternative suggestion, drawing on the interpretation that the sculptures show lions, rather than bears, is that they were ] and may have originally been sited at the adjacent ].{{sfn|Donaghy|Laidler|2001|p=71}}}} The bears were first studied in the 18th century by ], ] who was also a keen amateur ]. It was Nicolson who first deemed the sculptures to represent bears, suggesting they were a ] showing the ] emblem of the ]. However, the statues long predate the emblem.<ref> https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church </ref> In the 19th century the bears were studied and described by ], another local antiquarian, who also served as the ] of the ].<ref> https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31 </ref> Ferguson suggested that the statues tell a story. Beginning with the bear in the north-west corner of the churchyard and moving south-west, south-east and finally north-east, Ferguson contended that the first sculpture represented a bear in repose; the second, the bear turning its head as a small, cat-like, animal attacks it be climbing onto its back; the third a struggle between the two; and the fourth, the bear, victorious and replete, with a satisfied smile on its face having overcome and eaten its enemy.<ref> https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church </ref> A recent archaeological survey disputes Historic England's dating, suggesting instead that the sculptures predate the ] and may represent evidence of a ] religious site.<ref> https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31 </ref> Close study of the fourth sculpture has also called into question the identification of the statues as depicting bears. The fourth, and best-preserved, of the sculptures appears to have a ] and a tail, suggesting that they may have been intended to depict lions.<ref>https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146412182</ref>


Matthew Hyde, in his ''Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness'' volume in the ] series, revised and reissued in 2010, describes the bears as; "sinister, ]-like creatures" and concludes, "their age unknowable, as is their identity - and their meaning".{{sfn|Hyde|Pevsner|2010|p=320}} The bears have individual ].<ref>{{NHLE|num=252583|desc=Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1252582|desc=Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=12621971|desc=Carved Bear south-west of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1145532|desc=Carved Bear north-west of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref> Matthew Hyde, in his ''Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness'' volume in the ] series, revised and reissued in 2010, describes the bears as; "sinister, ]-like creatures" and concludes, "their age unknowable, as is their identity - and their meaning".{{sfn|Hyde|Pevsner|2010|p=320}} The bears have individual ].<ref>{{NHLE|num=252583|desc=Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1252582|desc=Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=12621971|desc=Carved Bear south-west of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1145532|desc=Carved Bear north-west of the Church of St Andrew|grade=II*|access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>
Line 55: Line 55:


==Sources== ==Sources==
* {{cite book
|first1=Peter|last1=Donaghy|first2=John|last2=Laidler
|title=Lakeland Church Walks
|url=https://www.google.es/books/edition/Lakeland_Church_Walks/ohbf0eNAS5cC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dacre+Bears&pg=PA72&printsec=frontcover
|year=2001
|location=Wilmslow, Cheshire
|publisher=Sigma Press
|isbn=978-1-850-58761-3
}}
* {{cite book * {{cite book
|first1=Matthew|last1=Hyde|first2=Nikolaus|last2=Pevsner|author2-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |first1=Matthew|last1=Hyde|first2=Nikolaus|last2=Pevsner|author2-link=Nikolaus Pevsner

Revision as of 10:29, 8 December 2024

This article is actively undergoing a major edit for a little while. To help avoid edit conflicts, please do not edit this page while this message is displayed.
This page was last edited at 10:29, 8 December 2024 (UTC) (37 days ago) – this estimate is cached, update. Please remove this template if this page hasn't been edited for a significant time. If you are the editor who added this template, please be sure to remove it or replace it with {{Under construction}} between editing sessions.
Grade II* listed statues in Cumbria, United Kingdom

Dacre Bears
One of the bears in the churchyard of St Andrew's
TypeStatues
LocationDacre, Cumbria
Coordinates54°37′56″N 2°50′15″W / 54.6321°N 2.8376°W / 54.6321; -2.8376
BuiltMiddle Ages, though possibly earlier
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameCarved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew
Designated24 October 1986
Reference no.252583
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameCarved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew
Designated24 October 1986
Reference no.1252582
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameCarved Bear south-west of the Church of St Andrew
Designated24 October 1986
Reference no.12621971
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameCarved Bear north-west of the Church of St Andrew
Designated24 October 1986
Reference no.1145532
Dacre Bears is located in CumbriaDacre BearsLocation of Dacre Bears in Cumbria

The Dacre Bears are four sculptures, likely of Medieval date, which stand in the churchyard of the Church of St Andrew in the village of Dacre, Cumbria, England. Their date of construction is uncertain and their purpose is unknown. The statues are heavily eroded. Each is a Grade II* listed structure.

History and description

Historic England dates the Dacre Bears to the Medieval period and records them as each standing about 4 ft high and carved from Red sandstone. It suggests that their present placement is original, at each of the four corners of the medieval churchyard. The bears were first studied in the 18th century by William Nicolson, Bishop of Carlisle who was also a keen amateur antiquary. It was Nicolson who first deemed the sculptures to represent bears, suggesting they were a heraldic device showing the Bear and Ragged Staff emblem of the Earls of Warwick. However, the statues long predate the emblem. In the 19th century the bears were studied and described by Richard Saul Ferguson, another local antiquarian, who also served as the Chancellor of the Diocese of Carlisle. Ferguson suggested that the statues tell a story. Beginning with the bear in the north-west corner of the churchyard and moving south-west, south-east and finally north-east, Ferguson contended that the first sculpture represented a bear in repose; the second, the bear turning its head as a small, cat-like, animal attacks it be climbing onto its back; the third a struggle between the two; and the fourth, the bear, victorious and replete, with a satisfied smile on its face having overcome and eaten its enemy. A recent archaeological survey disputes Historic England's dating, suggesting instead that the sculptures predate the Anglo-Saxon period and may represent evidence of a pagan religious site. Close study of the fourth sculpture has also called into question the identification of the statues as depicting bears. The fourth, and best-preserved, of the sculptures appears to have a mane and a tail, suggesting that they may have been intended to depict lions.

Matthew Hyde, in his Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness volume in the Pevsner Buildings of England series, revised and reissued in 2010, describes the bears as; "sinister, troll-like creatures" and concludes, "their age unknowable, as is their identity - and their meaning". The bears have individual Grade II* listings.

Gallery

  • First bear First bear
  • Second bear Second bear
  • Third bear Third bear
  • Fourth bear Fourth bear

Notes

  1. An alternative suggestion, drawing on the interpretation that the sculptures show lions, rather than bears, is that they were armorial devices and may have originally been sited at the adjacent Dacre Castle.

References

  1. Historic England. "Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (252583)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  2. Historic England. "Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (1252582)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  3. Donaghy & Laidler 2001, p. 71.
  4. https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church
  5. https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31
  6. https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church
  7. https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31
  8. https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146412182
  9. Hyde & Pevsner 2010, p. 320.
  10. Historic England. "Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (252583)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  11. Historic England. "Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (1252582)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  12. Historic England. "Carved Bear south-west of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (12621971)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  13. Historic England. "Carved Bear north-west of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (1145532)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.

Sources

External links

Category: