Sand Hutton Cross boundary cross 600m north east of the Old Vicarage

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 having a more specifically religious function, including those providing access to religious sites for parishioners and funeral processions, or marking long-distance routes frequented on pilgrimages. Over 350 wayside crosses are known nationally, concentrated in south west England throughout Cornwall and on Dartmoor where they form the commonest type of stone cross. A small group also occurs on the North York Moors. Relatively few examples have been recorded elsewhere and these are generally confined to remote moorland locations. Outside Cornwall almost all wayside crosses take the form of a `Latin' cross, in which the cross-head itself is shaped within the projecting arms of an unenclosed cross. In Cornwall wayside crosses vary considerably in form and decoration. The commonest type includes a round, or `wheel', head on the faces of which various forms of cross or related designs were carved in relief or incised, the spaces between the cross arms possibly pierced. The design was sometimes supplemented with a relief figure of Christ and the shaft might bear decorative panels and motifs. Less common forms in Cornwall include the `Latin' cross and, much rarer, the simple slab with a low relief cross on both faces. Rare examples of wheel-head and slab-form crosses also occur within the North York Moors group. Most wayside crosses have either a simple socketed base or show no evidence for a separate base at all. Wayside crosses contribute significantly to our understanding of medieval religious customs and sculptural traditions and to our knowledge of medieval routeways and settlement patterns. All wayside crosses which survive as earth- fast monuments, except those which are extremely damaged and removed from their original locations, are considered worthy of protection.

Sand Hutton Cross stands on the junction of three medieval parishes. Its importance lies in its rarity as a surviving boundary cross in an area of intensive farming. The monument survives well in spite of the loss of part of the shaft and the head. It serves as a reminder of the landscape divisions of the medieval period and the piety expected of the medieval citizen in respecting these divisions as well as this symbol of faith.

Details

The monument comprises a cross base and remains of a shaft in the corner of a field at Carlton Miniott. It forms the boundary marker for three medieval parishes. The base is of fine yellow sandstone and measures 0.76m by 0.76m at ground level. It stands 0.3m high and is well worn around the socket. The socket hole measures 0.28m by 0.3m. The broken shaft is cemented into the socket. It measures 0.26m by 0.24m and stands 0.77m high. The cross shaft has some graffiti and a bullet hole on the west face. Other signs of wear include smoothing of the edges where sickles have been sharpened. It stands 2m from the edge of a steep ditch and 10m from the north west corner of the field, presently a campsite. The north and west sides of the field are defined by a public right of way and the parish boundary of Carlton Miniott. To the west is the parish of Sandhutton from which the cross takes its name. The hedge boundary and the footbridge over the ditch 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 2 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:

25687

Legacy System:

RSM

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