Butter cross, Swineshead

Reasons for Designation

A standing cross is a free standing upright structure, usually of stone, mostly erected during the medieval period (mid 10th to mid 16th centuries AD). Standing crosses served a variety of functions. In churchyards they served as stations for outdoor processions, particularly in the observance of Palm Sunday. Elsewhere, standing crosses were used within settlements as places for preaching, public proclamation and penance, as well as defining rights of sanctuary. Standing crosses were also employed to mark boundaries between parishes, property, or settlements. A few crosses were erected to commemorate battles. Some crosses were linked to particular saints, whose support and protection their presence would have helped to invoke. Crosses in market places may have helped to validate transactions. After the Reformation, some crosses continued in use as foci for municipal or borough ceremonies, for example as places for official proclamations and announcements; some were the scenes of games or recreational activity. Standing crosses were distributed throughout England and are thought to have numbered in excess of 12,000. However, their survival since the Reformation has been variable, being much affected by local conditions, attitudes and religious sentiment. In particular, many cross-heads were destroyed by iconoclasts during the 16th and 17th centuries. Less than 2,000 medieval standing crosses, with or without cross-heads, are now thought to exist. The oldest and most basic form of standing cross is the monolith, a stone shaft often set directly in the ground without a base. The most common form is the stepped cross, in which the shaft is set in a socket stone and raised upon a flight of steps; this type of cross remained current from the 11th to 12th centuries until after the Reformation. Where the cross-head survives it may take a variety of forms, from a lantern-like structure to a crucifix; the more elaborate examples date from the 15th century. Much less common than stepped crosses are spire-shaped crosses, often composed of three or four receding stages with elaborate architectural decoration and/or sculptured figures; the most famous of these include the Eleanor crosses, erected by Edward I at the stopping places of the funeral cortege of his wife, who died in 1290. Also uncommon are the preaching crosses which were built in public places from the 13th century, typically in the cemeteries of religious communities and cathedrals, market places and wide thoroughfares; they include a stepped base, buttresses supporting a vaulted canopy, in turn carrying either a shaft and head or a pinnacled spire. Standing crosses contribute significantly to our understanding of medieval customs, both secular and religious, and to our knowledge of medieval parishes and settlement patterns. All crosses which survive as standing monuments, especially those which stand in or near their original location, are considered worthy of protection.

The Butter cross at Swineshead is a good example of the stepped base of a medieval standing cross. Situated in the former market place, it is believed to stand in or near its original position. Limited disturbance of the area immediately surrounding the cross indicates that archaeological deposits relating to the monument's construction and use in this location are likely to survive intact. The remains of the cross have been little altered in modern times, having continued in use as a public monument and amenity from medieval times to the present day.

Details

The monument includes the Butter cross, the remains of a market cross, which stands on the north side of a modern war memorial in the former market place. The cross is of stepped form, is medieval in date with later alterations and is Listed Grade II. The monument includes the base, of three steps.

The steps are all roughly square in plan and constructed of limestone blocks with slightly chamfered upper corners. The lowest step is about 2.45m square, the second 1.9m square, and the third 1.15m square. All three steps are medieval in date with modern repair, including vertical holes of square section indicating where the steps were formerly held together by iron clamps.

The upper surface of the third step is moulded to octagonal section and then levelled off; at the centre is a socket of rectangular section into which the shaft formerly fitted, now occupied by a plain flat slab. The full height of the base is about 0.7m.

The modern stocks, kerb and paving slabs which surround the cross are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 1 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

22666

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Kelly's Directory in Kelly's Directory, (1909), 575

Other
shopkeeper, Luesby, Colin, (1993)

End of official list entry

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