Rey Cross is the remains of a stonecross atStainmore. It is also known asRere Cross and is a Grade II* listed structure[1] and ascheduled monument.[2] It is located towards the western edge ofCounty Durham, approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the border withCumbria along theA66 road.
Believed to have been ten feet tall, a long-heldlocal legend states it was the burial place ofEric Bloodaxe, Viking Ruler ofNorthumbria.[3] However, Norman Davies posits that it was a "boundary stone . . . halfway betweenPenrith andBarnard Castle."[4]
In the late 1980s the widening of routeA66 was planned through Stainmore. In 1990 the cross was lifted from its then position to the south of the road within the Rey Cross Roman Marching Camp and an excavation of the ground underneath was performed. No bones were found at the site, although it remains possible that Eric's burial might be elsewhere on the Stainmore moors. During the road widening works the cross was moved to theBowes Museum for safekeeping. After completion of the road works in 1992 the monument was re-sited to its current position which is easily accessible from a layby in the road.[3][5]
54°30′21″N2°08′55″W / 54.50579°N 2.14867°W /54.50579; -2.14867
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