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| Dacre Bears | |
|---|---|
 One of the bears in the churchyard of St Andrew's | |
| Type | Statues |
| Location | Dacre, Cumbria |
| Coordinates | 54°37′56″N 2°50′15″W / 54.6321°N 2.8376°W / 54.6321; -2.8376 |
| Built | Middle Ages, though possibly earlier |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew |
| Designated | 24 October 1986 |
| Reference no. | 252583 |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew |
| Designated | 24 October 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1252582 |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Carved Bear south-west of the Church of St Andrew |
| Designated | 24 October 1986 |
| Reference no. | 12621971 |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Carved Bear north-west of the Church of St Andrew |
| Designated | 24 October 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1145532 |
  Location 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
The Dacre Bears were studied and described in the 19th century by Richard Saul Ferguson, a local antiquarian who also served as the Chancellor of the Diocese of Carlisle. Ferguson suggested that the statues tell a story.
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, their age unknowable, as is their identity - and their meaning". The bears have individual Grade II* listings.
Gallery
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First bear
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Second bear
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Third bear
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Fourth bear
Notes
References
- https://dacrechurch.com/?page_id=31
- https://www.ullswaterheritage.org/locations/dacre-church
- Hyde & Pevsner 2010, p. 320.
- Historic England. "Carved Bear north-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (252583)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- Historic England. "Carved Bear south-east of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (1252582)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- Historic England. "Carved Bear south-west of the Church of St Andrew (Grade II*) (12621971)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- 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
- Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2010). Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness. Pevsner Buildings of England. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12663-1.