Reasons for Designation
Wayside crosses are one of several types of Christian cross erected during the medieval period, mostly from the 9th to 15th centuries AD. In addition to serving the function of reiterating and reinforcing the Christian faith amongst those who passed the cross and of reassuring the traveller, wayside crosses often fulfilled a role as waymarkers, especially in difficult and otherwise unmarked terrain. The crosses might be on regularly used routes linking ordinary settlements or on routes which might have a more specifically religious function, including providing access to religious sites for parishioners and funeral processions. Wayside crosses vary considerably in form and decoration but several regional types have been identified. The Cornish wayside crosses form one such group. The commonest type includes a round, or `wheel', head on the faces of which various forms of cross were carved. The design was sometimes supplemented with a relief figure of Christ. Less common forms include the `Latin' cross, where the cross-head itself is shaped within the arms of an unenclosed cross and, much rarer, the simple slab with a low-relief cross on both faces. Over 400 crosses of all types are recorded in Cornwall. Wayside crosses contribute significantly to our understanding of medieval routeways, settlement patterns and the development of sculptural traditions and their survival is somewhat differential because of periods of religious turbulence during the Reformation when many were subject to damage or partial destruction by iconoclasts. Despite having been moved on several occasions, the wayside Cross at Camborne Park Recreation Ground survives comparatively well and retains its original decoration.
Details
The monument includes a wayside cross, situated beside a path and close to the road in a public Recreation Ground. The cross survives as a decorated wheel-head on a rectangular section shaft set into a modern base. The cross stands to a height of approximately 0.8m and the head is decorated on one side with a Latin cross in relief and on the other by an equal-armed cross in relief. Beside the cross stands a plaque which reads 'Presented to this town by WD Tyack, ESQ, was removed from Trevu on the 22nd October 1935'. The cross was originally located at Camborne Cross, on the south side of Camborne and was moved in the 19th century to Trevu (where Langdon recorded it in 1896) to make way for a housing development. As recorded on the commemorative plaque, in 1935 it was moved to its present location.
The cross is Listed Grade II (66593).
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
CO 527
Legacy System:
RSM - OCN
End of official list entry
