Wayside cross 100m north of Liverpool Lodge, Little Crosby

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 Little Crosby survives well although the head is missing. It is in its original position beside the old road from Little Crosby to Sefton and Ormskirk and was taken into the park during the 19th century when the road was diverted and the present wall constructed. To mark the location of the cross, a stone relief-carved cross was inserted into the park wall in 1813 and this is listed Grade II. In 1902 it was recorded that Roman Catholic funeral processions used to stop at this cross and a `de profundis' said. This is late for such ceremonies to have survived.

Details

The monument includes a wayside cross on the line of the old road from Little Crosby to Sefton and Ormskirk at the southern end of the village of Little Crosby. The fields which surrounded the cross in 1702, before the enclosure of the present park, were called the townfields and the field to the west of the road opposite the cross is still called Crossfield. The cross therefore marks the entrance to the village in the pre-enclosure period. The monument consists of two steps supporting a socketed block and a shaft with a collar but missing a head. The first step measures 1.9m by 1.9m and stands 0.3m high. The second measures 1.2m by 1.2m and is 0.35m high. The block measures 0.9m by 0.9m and is 0.75m high with a socket hole 0.3m square. The shaft is 1.8m high and consists of two pieces of stone, slightly tapering towards the top and chamfered deeply at the edges. Above the shaft is a square collar and the head or lantern is missing. From the style of the chamfered decoration the cross dates from around 1500.

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:

27604

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Tyrer, F, Lets Walk to Little Crosby, (1957), 12

Other
Title: Tithe Map Source Date: 1702 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:

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