The Great Dacre Bears

Whilst on holiday in 2003, in the eastern side of the Lake District my husband and I visited the Parish Church of St Andrew, Dacre (Diocese of Carlisle). We were fascinated to discover four unusual stone carved figures each about a metre in height, in the churchyard. Each figure is holding on to an upright pillar or stake. They are situated at each corner of the church.

No-one knows a great deal about them, but there are a number of theories. One explanation was provided by Chancellor Ferguson, in 1890. His explanation goes like this:

1. North West Corner. The bear is asleep with its head resting on top of a pillar (Most of the head has been eroded over the years).

2. South West Corner. A small animal, possibly a cat or a lynx, has jumped onto the bear's back. The bear's head is turned to his right, as if trying to see what has landed on it.

3. North East Corner. The bear is making a vigorous attempt to dislodge the animal. His right paw is raised over his right shoulder. (This carving is rather more lumpy than the others. This could be due to the difficulty in carving the bear's forepaw flexed back). The bear is no longer holding the pillar.

4. South East Corner. The bear appears to have eaten the animal as it looks extremely satisfied. (The facial features are very clear. The 'mane' is combed neatly and the bear's long tail curls around his back, between his thigh and belly).

Since a bear does not usually sport a mane nor a long tail it is possible that the statues are of lions not bears at all. The statues are thought to be pre-Saxon in origin and may have marked boundaries of a pagan sacred site.

There appears to have been a monastery at Dacre in the 8th century. This fact was noted by the Venerable Bede in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People but there was no mention of bears.

By coincidence we noted that the church had been visited the previous week to our visit by the Dean of Carlisle, Graham Knowles, former Archdeacon of Portsmouth and now Bishop of Sodor and Man.

Margaret Symonds