Wyfordby Wayside Cross

Summary

The remains of a C14 wayside cross.

Reasons for Designation

Wyfordby Wayside Cross is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: though the shaft of the cross is heavily weathered it is likely to date to the C14 and demonstrates how wayside crosses served to mark routes guiding medieval travellers;
* Group value: the cross survives in close proximity to two other sites of similar date, Wyfordby moated site to the south and the church of St Mary to the east, together they have group value.

History

In the medieval period, mostly from the C9 to C15, routes were sometimes marked by stone crosses, boundary stones or other markers, with crosses often being erected at parish boundaries as pious reminders to the wayfarer. 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 which might have a more specifically religious function, including providing access to religious sites for parishioners and funeral processions. Wayside crosses vary considerably in form and decoration but several regional types have been identified.

The wayside cross at Wyfordby is likely to date to the C14 and stands approximately 100m to the west of the church of St Mary the Virgin with which it is contemporary. Approximately 50m to the south east of the cross are the archaeological remains of Wyfordby moated site and fishpond which also date to the C14.

The remains of the cross were uncovered by a local archaeological society in 1954 and had by that point been almost completely covered by soil and undergrowth. A square brick enclosure was subsequently added to surround the remains of the cross.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the remains of a C14 wayside cross on the north side of the road through Wyfordby.

DESCRIPTION: the limestone shaft of the cross is heavily weathered and stands at approximately 33cm tall. It is cylindrical in section and is set into a socket of 22cm square. The cross is situated at the centre of a C20 small, brick enclosure.

Sources

Websites
Cross to the west of Wyfordby Church, Leicestershire and Rutland HER, accessed 16 June 2020 from https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MLE3686&resourceID=1021
Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Vol 31 (1955), p66., accessed 23 June 2020 from https://www.le.ac.uk/lahs/downloads/1955/1955%20(31)%2066-68%20Record%20Office%20and%20Museums.pdf

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