Fragment of a cross

This is the right arm of a free-armed cross of Northumbrian type, carved sometime between 700 and 900. It was discovered at Lasswade in Midlothian.

On one side of the arm of the cross is a backward-facing lion with a long curling tongue and a tail tucked between its legs. It is similar to representations of animals in manuscripts and on metalwork from central England in the 9th century.

Christianity was introduced to Scotland after the Romans had left. Different traditions of Christianity developed in different areas, often influencing one another. The Anglian church from Northumbria spread into south-eastern and south-western Scotland.

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