King Doniert's Stone, St Cleer, Cornwall
"The site known as 'King Doniert's Stone' consists of the remains of two late 9th century granite crosses and an underground passage and chamber. The stones are parts of the shafts of the 2 crosses. They are the only known surviving examples of late 9th century crosses in Cornwall. They stand close together on the south side of the road from St Cleer to Redgate on the edge of Bodmin Moor. The site is thought to mark the line of an ancient ridgeway which ran north east over the moors. Thesmaller cross known as the 'Doniert Stone' has panels of interlace decoration on three sides. It also has an inscription 'doniert rogavit pro anima'. This is thought to commemorate the local ruler 'Durngarth' or 'Dwingarth', son of Caraduc, King of Cornwall, who is recorded as having drowned in around AD 875. It was put back into an upright position in 1849 after lying in an open pit near the foot of the other stone since about 1685. The taller cross is known as the 'Other Half Stone' and also has a panel of interlace decoration. The underground rock-cut chamber beneath the site was found in 1849 and excavated in 1932. It begins as a passage, turns into a tunnel and ends as a cross shaped chamber beneath the crosses. It has been interpreted as the remains of Early Iron Age tin mining or an undeground oratory (chapel). This property is in the care of English Heritage and managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust (2011). Read more.
