Nearer to the sheer cliff face, a collection of female graves was discovered. This was most probably the earliest cemetery space for the nuns, called Cross Close. Like the Loftus Princess, the newly converted noblewomen at Hartlepool were buried on a windswept headland, surrounded by the sea, and were also laid out as if in eternal sleep. Some had pillow stones beneath their heads. Significantly, though, these nuns were part of a literate community, as eight of the graves had headstones inscribed with women’s names.
