Wall, To West Of Priory Church Nave, Incorporating Medieval Cross And Lintel

The wall to the west of the Priory Church nave incorporates medieval fragments and dates from the 19th century. It is constructed of snecked rubble and stands about 7 feet high, topped with flat coping. At the center, there is a full-height semicircular niche that contains a monolithic stone wheel-head cross, approximately 3 feet high, which is of early medieval origin. This cross was likely moved to its current location from Chapel How, about a mile northeast of St Bees, where it originally served as a resting or corpse cross.

The lintel above the niche was placed there in 1868 after being discovered embedded in the late 12th-century south aisle wall. Various sources suggest the lintel dates from the 10th to the 12th century, and its shape and decoration indicate Irish or Norse influence, possibly predating the Conquest. The single stone features a triangular upper surface with interlace and knots on either side of a central scene depicting a wyvern, which has no hind legs and a smaller head at the end of its tail, facing a warrior armed with a sword, shield, and conical helmet. This scene is said to represent either St George or St Michael, although it may actually originate from Norse mythology rather than Christian tradition.