Ewerby village cross

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.

Ewerby village cross is a good example of the circular stepped base of a medieval standing cross. Situated on the village green, it is believed to stand in or near its original position. Limited development 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. While parts of the cross have survived since medieval times, subsequent restoration has resulted in its continued use as a public monument and amenity.

Details

The monument includes Ewerby village cross, a standing stone cross located in the south west corner of the village green. The cross is of stepped form and is medieval and later in date. The monument includes the base, comprised of seven steps and a socket-stone, and the shaft.

The base includes seven steps, all circular in plan and principally constructed of limestone blocks. The lowest step is partially submerged by rising ground on the east side of the monument, but is visible on the west. The cross can thus be seen to occupy a circular area roughly 4.5m in diameter. All three lower steps are medieval in date with 19th- and 20th-century alterations. The four upper steps are entirely modern and date from the a 19th-century restoration. On the uppermost step rests the socket-stone, a large square slab with moulded and chamfered corners. There is a small cross inscribed into the western face of the socket-stone, dating from the 19th-century restoration. Set into the middle of the socket-stone is the shaft, a modern addition, square in section at the base with chamfered corners tapering upwards in octagonal section, and terminating in a simple chamfered octagonal top. The full height of the cross is approximately 4m. This cross is Listed Grade II. The modern paving on the south west side of the cross is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath it 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:

22634

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Harris, J, Antram, N, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, (1989), 525
Davies, D S, Lincolnshire Notes and Queries in Ancient Stone Crosses in Kesteven, Vol. XII no.5, (1913), 140

Other
Listed Building Description, Department of the Environment, Village Cross II, (1967)
letter, Gostick, Les, A sad fate for cross, (1990)

End of official list entry

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