Norton Memorial Cross

Summary

First World War memorial, designed by the practice of Brierley and Rutherford of York, unveiled 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Norton Memorial Cross, which stands in the churchyard of the parish church, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: a well-executed memorial cross;
* Group value: with the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Grade I), a number of Grade II-listed churchyard monuments and the Grade II-listed Vicarage and Glebe Cottage.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Norton-on-Tees as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was unveiled on 3 February 1921 by Colonel GB Price and dedicated by the vicar, Reverend Canon Scott. It commemorates those local servicemen who died in the First World War; their names are recorded on a Roll of Honour inside the adjacent parish church. The memorial cross was designed by the practice of Brierley and Rutherford of York, and paid for by public subscription. Following the Second World War a dedication was added to mark the loss of those who died in that conflict.

Details

Memorial cross, designed by the practice of Brierley and Rutherford of York.

The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Grade I), immediately to the south-east of the church’s south porch. It takes the form of a tall stone cross. The cross head is a hooded crucifix bearing the clothed figure of Christ crucified. The cross head rises from the moulded collar of the octagonal cross shaft. The cross shaft stands on a tapering plinth, square on plan, which is raised on a three-stepped circular base.

The principal dedicatory inscription is incised to the front face of the plinth, reading TO THE UNDYING MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF NORTON/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR/ LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1919/ THEY LOVED NOT THEIR/ LIVES UNTO THE DEATH/ THEIR NAMES ARE RECORDED/ IN THE CHURCH. The later inscription on a second face reads REMEMBER/ ALSO THOSE WHO/ LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN/ THE SECOND WORLD WAR/ 1939-1945.


This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 21 February 2017.

Sources

Websites
North East War Memorials Project, accessed 20/09/2016 from http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=8176
War Memorials Register, accessed 21 February 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/9820
War Memorials Online, accessed 21 February 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/201639

End of official list entry

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