Churchyard cross in St Mary's churchyard

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.

Despite the shaft having been broken, the standing cross in the churchyard at Nether Stowey survives well in what is likely to be its original location. The medieval cross relates to the church of St Mary, which has medieval origins, but was rebuilt in 1849-51. This is one of two crosses in the village, the other being a market cross in the market place.

Details

The monument includes a socket stone and part of the shaft of a cross resting on a stone slab and circular earth mound, situated in St Mary's churchyard, Nether Stowey, c.10m south of the church porch. The earth mound is 5m in diameter and 0.5m high. In the centre of this is the stone slab 1m square. The socket stone, which rests on the stone slab, is octagonal with a heavy weather-drip around the top. It is 0.9m across and 0.6m high; each face of the octagon is 0.35m length. In the centre of the socket stone is a socket 0.35m square in which sits the broken shaft which is 0.2m high. The cross is Listed Grade II. The earth mound is so pronounced that it is thought probable that it covers the calvary of the cross. Probing suggests that there is stone lying c.0.2m under the surface of the mound. The cross is considered to be late 14th century.

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:

28817

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Pooley, C, Old Stone Crosses of Somerset, (1877), 104-105

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.