Churchyard cross in St James'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.

The churchyard cross in St James's churchyard represents a good example of a medieval standing cross with a square stepped base. It occupies a prominent position to the south east of the south porch and is believed to stand in or near its original position. While parts of the cross have survived from medieval times, subsequent additions indicate its continued function as a public monument and amenity.

Details

The monument includes a standing stone cross located approximately 7m to the south east of the church porch. The cross, which is Listed Grade II, is medieval in date with later additions and includes a base of one step and a socket stone, a shaft, sundial, knop and modern head. The step is square in plan and measures 1.4m square and 0.44m high. Resting on the step is the socket stone measuring 0.67m square at the bottom and reduced by a bevel to a smaller square, 0.4m across and 0.5m high. The shaft rests on the socket stone and is octagonal in section, with a diameter of 0.26m and a height of 1.24m. At the top of the shaft is a single block of stone, measuring 0.33m square and 0.33m high. The eroded remains of sundials are scored into the south, east and west faces of this stone with iron `gnomons' on the south and east faces, and the remnants of one visible on the west face. Above the sundial head is a knop, made up of a flat, square, moulded piece of stone, with a further stone in the shape of a truncated pyramid immediately above. This acts as the platform for a modern ring headed cross head. The overall height of the cross is approximately 3.16m. The gravestone immediately to the west of the cross is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it 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:

29859

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Watkins, A, The Woolhope Naturalists Field Club in Herefordshire Churchyard Crosses, (1918), 117-118

Other
RCHM, An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Herefordshire, (1932)

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.