Wayside and boundary cross on the south side of Elliott Lane

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.

Although possibly not complete, the cross on Elliott Lane is a well-preserved example believed to be in or near its original location.

Details

The monument is a medieval wayside or boundary cross currently incorporated in a niche in the drystone wall bounding the south side of Elliott Lane. It includes the socle or socket stone of the cross and the cross shaft. Because the top of the shaft is currently obscured by a large capstone, it is not clear whether it is complete or whether it is broken. It may originally have included a cross head but, if so, this component is now missing. The socle comprises a tapering sandstone block measuring 75cm tall and roughly 75cm square. On the north face it has been decorated with an incised Latin cross, the date 1470 and the copperplate initials `CH'. These are all crisp and well-defined and were probably added in the 19th or early 20th century. Above the socle is the shaft which is 52cm tall, has chamfered corners and is approximately 20cm square. The exact function of the cross is not clear but it may have marked the boundary of nearby Ecclesfield priory. The modern road surface lying within the area of the monument is excluded from the scheduling though the ground underneath is included. The drystone wall is not excluded, however, as works to it will affect the cross.

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:

23390

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, D T, Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society in , Vol. 2, (1924), 176

Other
Hill, Angela Shackleton, (1994)

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