Acknowledgments can so often be simply no more that appreciative courtesies, but for this volume without the generous support of very true friends there would have been no text. It had to be completed in 1996, and was only done so through the climate for working created by my wife, Anne. Her encouragement to finish the text began with helping to complete the field work in the good weather and ended with dedicated nursing in the winter. Rosemary Cramp, a supportive friend over many years, has given me constant encouragement during the compilation of the text. Moreover, she worked a miracle in finding additional funds at a very difficult time to procure a grant for a research assistant for some months. Without this combination the work would not have been achieved.

Louise Henderson, my assistant, was meticulous in transferring the text onto disk and establishing the database; she also helped to write several of the entries, and researched the bibliography and picture record. Dr Derek Craig gave excellent back-up from the Durham office with photographs, bibliographical references and other information. I am grateful to the Archaeology Department of the University of York and my colleagues there for providing a base and all the facilities for Louise's work, with especial thanks to Steve Roskams, and the secretarial staff. I am very grateful to Dr Elizabeth Coatsworth and to Gwenda Adcock for specialist information in their theses on Crucifixions and interlace patterns relating to my region, and to Dr Jane Hawkes and Dr Jennifer O'Reilly for their contributions to analysis of the iconography. Their advice was cheerfully and generously given.

My thanks are due to friends who found lost pieces: Mrs Susan Harrison, Dr I. M. Blake, Dr Jennie Stopford, Mrs June Hall, Dr Lawrence Butler and Professor Christopher Morris. Robin Daniels discovered others and kindly allowed me to search the S.M.R for Cleveland. Ian Pattison of the Royal Commission's York office was helpful in tracing the record of a monument stolen in 1995.

Further thanks are due to the keepers of collections who facilitated access to the material. Leslie Webster of the British Museum, Elizabeth Hartley of the Yorkshire Museum, Dr Robin Boast of Cambridge University Archaeology Museum, and Andrew Morrison of the English Heritage North Region archaeological store. Caroline Richardson was one of the recorders in her time with English Heritage to tackle the Whitby fragments.

Discussion with so many of the above was always fruitful and stimulating, always cheerful, not least with Richard Bailey and Rosemary Cramp. Despite the hectic race against the clock, I have been mightily sustained by my wife and friends in this endeavour.