Caedmon Cross (Whitby)
The Caedmon Cross is a significant monument in the historic Yorkshire seaport of Whitby.
This lovely Celtic cross was erected in 1898, and stands at the top of Church Stairs outside St. Marys Church.
It commemorates Caedmon, an illiterate local herdsman who is said to have been visited by an angel, who gave him the ability to compose songs.
Having been laughed at by the monks of Whitby Abbey for his simplicity, he surpassed them all by composing the first hymns and poems in the English language.
St. Hilda, the abbey's founder, was understandably impressed and took him into the abbey, where he spent the rest of his days as a much-respected monk.