Wayside cross in Sancreed churchyard, 20m south east of the church

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.

This wayside cross in Sancreed churchyard has survived well and is a good example of a wheel headed cross. In its original position it acted as a waymarker on a route within the parish to the church at Sancreed. Its removal to the churchyard and re-erection there, illustrates well the changing attitudes to religion and their impact on the local landscape since the medieval period.

Details

The monument includes a medieval wayside cross situated to the south east of the church at Sancreed on the Penwith peninsula in the far west of Cornwall. This is one of five crosses now present in the churchyard. The wayside cross, which is Listed Grade II, survives as a short section of upright granite shaft with a round, `wheel' head. The overall height of the monument is 0.67m. The principal faces are orientated north east-south west. The head measures 0.54m wide by 0.17m thick. Each principal face bears a relief Latin cross with the lower limb extending down onto the top of the shaft. The upper part of the cross motif has been formed by two triangular sinkings, forming the upper limb and a narrow bead around the outer edge of the head. The whole of the background around the lower part of the cross motif is sunk. This wayside cross is located on the top of a hedge, the boundary between the modern extension to the churchyard and the road through Sancreed. This cross was originally located on top of a hedge at Anjarden 0.5km to the south west of Sancreed church, on a minor road from Tregonebris to Sancreed. At some time in the past it was removed to the churchyard. The kerb surround of a grave to the east of the cross falls within its protective margin and is excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

29213

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Langdon, A G, Old Cornish Crosses, (1896)

Other
Title: 1:25000 Ordnance Survey Map; SW 32/42; Pathfinder Series 1368 Source Date: 1980 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Consulted 1995, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN No.28719.91,

End of official list entry

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