Wayside cross in Holy Trinity churchyard, Tresillian

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 Holy Trinity churchyard has survived reasonably well and is a good example of a wheel headed cross. Its original function was as a waymarker to a medieval chapel. Its removal to Holy Trinity churchyard and its subsequent re-erection there demonstrates well the changing attitudes to religion that have prevailed since the Reformation and the impact of these changes on the local landscape.

Details

The monument includes a medieval wayside cross-head situated to the west of Holy Trinity Church at Tresillian in south Cornwall. The wayside cross, which is Listed Grade II, survives as an upright granite shaft with a round, `wheel' head set on a low wall. The overall height of the monument is 0.61m. The principal faces are orientated east-west. The head measures 0.58m wide by 0.13m thick. Both principal faces bear an equal limbed cross with slightly splayed ends to the limbs, formed by four triangular sinkings. The shaft measures 0.1m high by 0.4m wide and is 0.17m thick. This wayside cross was found at Chapel Field, Tregellas, 5.5km north east of Holy Trinity churchyard. In 1863 the cross plus half a base stone was removed to the mission church at Tresillian and placed on the churchyard wall. In 1904 a new church was built, the fragment of base stone disappeared and the cross was re-erected in its present location to the west of the church, close to the churchyard wall. It is believed that the cross probably marked a route to the medieval chapel at Tregellas. The wooden planter and its concrete blocks to the east of the cross, the wooden planter to the south east, and the modern gravel surface surrounding the cross, where these fall within its protective margin, are 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:

29205

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Langdon, A, Stone Crosses in Mid Cornwall, (1994)
Langdon, A G, Old Cornish Crosses, (1896)

Other
Title: 1:25000 Ordnance Survey Map; SW 74/84; Pathfinder Series 1360 Source Date: 1977 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

End of official list entry

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