Churchyard cross in St Cuthbert'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 remains of the churchyard cross in St Cuthbert's churchyard represent a good example of a medieval standing cross with a square base and octagonal shaft. Situated to the south east of the south porch, it is believed to stand in its original position. The churchyard is raised considerably above the path adjacent to the church, suggesting a high level of survival for archaeological deposits.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a standing stone cross located in St Cuthbert's churchyard approximately 4m to the south east of the south porch. The cross is medieval in date and includes the socket stone and the shaft, all of sandstone. It is Listed Grade II.

The base of the cross takes the form of a square socket-stone measuring 0.75m in width and standing 0.25m in height. Fixed into the socket-stone is the lower part of the shaft, square in section at the base and rising through chamfered corners in tapering octagonal section to a height of 1.2m. Formerly fixed to the shaft would have been a cross-head, now destroyed.

There are a number of regularly spaced circular holes on the south face of the shaft. A series of grooves radiate from one of the holes indicating that it was reused as a sundial in the post-medieval period.

The gravestones which lie immediately on each side of the cross, including a chest tomb which is Listed Grade II, and all fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 1 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:

33144

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
DOE, List of Buildings of Historic & Architectural Interest,

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