Monk Bretton standing 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.

Though missing its original cross shaft and head, the base of the Monk Bretton cross is a well preserved and visually impressive example of a stepped calvary with an intact medieval socle. Its importance is increased by its survival in its original location.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a medieval standing cross and comprises the calvary or stepped base of the cross, the medieval socle or socket stone, the modern socket stone and the 19th century shaft which has been converted to a lamp post. This shaft has replaced the medieval cross head and shaft which are now missing. The modern socket stone is made of concrete and was possibly inserted when the electric light fittings were added earlier this century. The calvary comprises four octagonal sandstone steps with a base diameter of approximately 3m and a total height of 1m. The original medieval socle measures approximately 70cm square and 40cm high and is chamfered round its upper half. The modern concrete socle is broadly similar in appearance though slightly taller than the original while the shaft, at c.1.75m tall, is thought to be somewhat shorter than the original shaft would have been. The current shaft is a tapering column with a cuboid pedestal and capital whose corners merge with the shaft via small pyramid stops. The lamp standard is fixed to the capital by riveted plates and appears no longer to be functioning. The cross is Listed Grade II and is believed to be a medieval market cross. The modern road surface surrounding the cross is excluded from the scheduling though the ground underneath 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:

23395

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
PI 341,
Hill, Angela Shackleton, (1994)

End of official list entry

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