Fr Adrian's January Quiz 2026

This quiz is now over - See below

Mission: Where was the cross found?

The carved stone cross below is the original inspiration for our parish logo. We need you to identify where it was found.

Top Secret Briefing: Proceed at your own risk: Take a close look at the photos below and see if you can find out where the cross was found. When you are ready, complete the form at the bottom of the page. You may enter your real name or use a secret codename. Good luck!

Review of the answers

The answers given below were the top scorers.

1. "The manx cross"

• Review: A very strong stylistic guess! The carved patterns are very similar to the famous Celtic crosses found on the Isle of Man. However, this specific stone is from the North East of England rather than the Irish Sea region.

2. "Thors cross"

• Review: A creative idea. While the hammer of Thor was a popular symbol during the Viking age (which overlaps with when this stone was made), this is definitely a Christian cross rather than a pagan symbol.

3. "Durham cathedral"

• Review: This is excellent historical thinking. St Cuthbert is buried at Durham Cathedral, and many treasures associated with him are kept there. It is the right "family" of history, just a few miles away from the actual find site.

4. "Iona Abbey"

• Review: A worthy guess. Iona is famous for its high crosses and is the spiritual home of the style of Christianity that spread to this area. It catches the right "vibe" and era, even if the location is too far north.

5. "Scotland"

• Review: You are in the right historical kingdom! When this cross was carved, this area was part of the Kingdom of Northumbria, which stretched into modern Scotland. In modern geography, however, we need to come a bit further south to Teesside.

6. "Billingham"

• Review: Correct! This gets straight to the point. The cross fragment is the defining historical artefact for the town of Billingham. This is a solid, accurate answer.

7. "St. Thomas of Canterbury church yard Mumby"

• Review: You have made a clever connection here. St Thomas of Canterbury is likely the parish hosting this quiz (and using the logo), so guessing their own churchyard is logical. However, the stone itself dates back much further than St Thomas's church—it comes from the ancient medieval site nearby.

8. "St Cuthbert's cross"

• Review: You have correctly identified the Saint! This is a "St Cuthbert's Cross" in the sense that it belongs to his church. However, usually, when people say "St Cuthbert's Cross", they refer to the gold jewellery he wore (the pectoral cross). You are right on the name, just a different physical object.

9. "Chesters Roman fort"

• Review: An interesting guess regarding local ancient history. Chesters is a famous site on Hadrian's Wall, not too far away. However, this stone is Anglo-Saxon (early medieval), dating to a few centuries after the Romans left the forts.

10. "I believe that it was found in the vicinity of the Church of St Cuthbert, Billingham and, I believe, it is still kept within that Church - some parts of which date back to Saxon times."

• Review: The Gold Star Answer. This is perfect. It identifies the correct town (Billingham), the specific ancient location (St Cuthbert's Church), and correctly notes the Saxon origins. It is the most complete and "Top Secret Briefing" worthy answer of the bunch!

The top scorers are listed below in alphabetical order, therefore these names are not matched directly to the specific answers provided.

• Buzz Lighter

• Elizabeth

• Laurence Boynton

• Olivia

• Patty

• Pauline

• The Chihuahua