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, the wayside cross 95m ESE of Trevales House survives well and retains its carvings of considerable interest.
Details
The monument includes a wayside cross, situated in the garden of Trevales House. The cross survives as a decorated wheel-headed cross and shaft measuring up to 2.1m high. The cross is decorated on one side with the figure of Christ in relief in a recess which extends below the head of the cross; below the figure is an incised cross within a double circle. On the other face is a Latin cross in relief, the shaft of which extends to the base of the actual cross shaft. The cross was moved to its present location from Hendra Hill, close to the entrance to Stithians churchyard, in about 1860.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
CO 147
Legacy System:
RSM - OCN
End of official list entry
