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.
The wayside cross at Condicote survives well, and, with the exception of the
cross head, with all of its original elements intact in what is likely to
be its original location. The cross is erected over a dip well, and the area
of cross and well obviously played an important part in the life of the
village community.
Details
The monument includes a cross and well situated on a roadside verge at
Condicote. The cross and well lie on the west side of the village pound.
The cross has a three step square clavary, a socket stone, and a shaft with a
cross on top. The first step of the calvary is 2.5m wide north-south and 2.2m
wide east-west. It is 0.2m high. The west side of the first step is partly
buried. The second step is 1.9m wide and 0.25m high, and the third step is
1.25m wide and 0.2m high. The third step is slightly raised in its centre to
form a small platform 0.8m wide and 0.05m high which provides a seat for the
socket stone. The socket stone has a square base and chamfered corners which
produce an octagonal top to the stone. It is 0.8m long and 0.55m high with a
square socket at its centre measuring 0.3m across. The c.2m high square shaft
tapers to the restored cross head. The shaft, socket stone and calvary appear
to be made of the same stone. The well head abuts the east side of the cross
and extends for some 2m to the east of it as seen on the surface by some
brickwork and the stone slabs which cover the well. However, there appears to
be buried stone which extends its length to 2.4m from the edge of the cross
base. Similarly, the surface width of the well head is 1.25m, but would appear
to extend under the surface to the full width of the cross base. There is an
iron ring in one of the stone slabs, and a square socket in another.
In 1864 the then Rector, the Reverend W B Notten Pole, erected a new shaft for
the cross, topped with an ornamental cross as a finial. The finial was
subsequently destroyed and replaced in 1888. This one was broken in 1961, and
the present cross was erected in the mid 1970s. There are inscriptions on the
east, west and north sides of the socket stone. The one on the east says `Ho
everyone that thirstith come ye to the waters'; the inscription on the west
side refers to the restoration of the cross by the Reverend W B Notten Pole in
1862, and the inscription on the north face states that the well is reserved
for use by inhabitants of the parish. The calvary is constructed from stone
blocks. The socket stone is hewn from one piece of stone as is the shaft. The
cross is considered to be 14th century. The well is reputedly contemporary
with the cross and known as a dip or clipwell. It was fitted with a pair of
doors in 1868, but is now covered with stone slabs. The cross and well are
Listed Grade II.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
