a remarkable cross, with octagonal socket and shaft, both having
diamond-pointed stops. The shaft is 6 ft. 5 in. high, and surmounted
with a massive capital or knop. The head is tabernacled on all four
faces, but its end niches are empty. The niches of the obverse and
reverse have each a crucifixion, the one unaccompanied, the other
between Mary and John. This curious anomaly of a double yet divergent
representation in one and the same cross-head occurs also at Mitton,
Yorkshire. The cross-head at Newmarket measures 3 ft. 6 in. wide at
its widest, by 1 ft. 6 in. from front to back. The date of the work is
about the middle of the fourteenth century.
At Maughold, Isle of Man (Figs. 86, 87), just outside the churchyard
gate, and at a distance of about 90 ft. from the north-west angle of
the church, stands a cross of very remarkable design, quite unlike
the distinctive Manxland type. It is, in fact, of middle-Gothic,
belonging, to all appearance, with its blunt cusps and its turgid
crockets and finial, to the approximate period of 1330 to 1340. Some
authorities, however, assign it to a date some hundred years or more
later. The head and knop are in two pieces, which, being of St Bees
sandstone, a material foreign to the island, must have been imported
thither, perhaps already carved complete, ready for fixing. The knop
is square, measuring 14 in. every way. The head is 2 ft. 7 in. high,
by 18 in. wide at the widest part, by 8 in. thick. Both head and shaft
are tenoned into the knop. The shaft, 5 ft. 1 in. high, is octagonal
throughout the greatest extent of its length, but the alternate sides
have stops, so that the shaft is actually square on plan at top and
bottom. The head is of most unusual shape, the principal panel on
either side presenting a sort of rough resemblance to a pointed spade;
and containing, on the west, a Madonna and Child, and, on the east,
a crucifixion, with the arms spread out quite horizontally, after
the manner of earlier tradition. On the knop, under the crucifix,
is a heater-shaped shield, bearing, alone of the six shields in the
composition, a heraldic charge, viz., the Three Legs of Man (only
reversed), with huge rowels to the spurs. The shield on the knop
beneath the Madonna has a rose encircled by a ring, which has a bezel
in the form of a cross. The north side has, at the top, a shield with
a double rose. Lower down, on the same edge of the head, are rude
representations of oak leaves, pointing downward; and below, on the
knop, is a shield with a chalice, which has the invected foot with
points, characteristic of the fourteenth century. The shield at the
top of the south edge is per fess, a bud or flower with two wavy
leaves on either hand; while underneath are three oak leaves on the
shield itself, and one below the shield. Beneath the last-named leaf
is a sunk panel with the representation of a warrior on his knees (no
doubt the donor), turning, with hands upraised, toward the Madonna
in the adjoining panel. On the knop, below the kneeling figure, is a
shield with an unidentified charge, a square object entirely composed
of vertical flutings, above an oak leaf. The top surface of the head
is almost flat, and appears to have borne a capstone, the dowel holes
for attaching which yet remain. The shaft is let into a plain square
socket. The cross, though weathered, is in wonderful preservation,
and is now protected by an iron railing. It is not known ever to have
stood on any other than the present site.
At Wheston, a hamlet in Tideswell, Derbyshire, is a roadside cross
of stone, of the late-fourteenth century, with octagonal, tapering
shaft, culminating in a cusped rood, the uppermost limb of which is
appreciably shorter than the arms (Figs. 92, 93). On the obverse is a
crucifix with the arms horizontally outstretched. The figure is bared
to the waist, but the remainder of the body downwards is missing. On
the reverse is a Virgin and Child, a Gothic rosette being sculptured
near the end of each limb of the cross. The figure-sculpture is coarse
and primitive. The shaft is mounted on four steps, the topmost one of
which forms the socket, and, by means of diamond stops, assumes an
octagonal plan.
The cross in the churchyard at Lanteglos juxta Fowey, Cornwall (Figs.
94, 95), was discovered, about the year 1850, "buried deeply in the
trench which runs round the wall of the church." After having lain
prostrate for two or three years more, it was at last raised and
placed erect, with a disused millstone for base, near the church
porch. It is of granite, encrusted with lichen. The shaft, 8 ft.
high, is octagonal, and tapers slightly from 14 in. at greatest width
across the bottom; the four alternate sides being sculptured with
sunk panelling, wheels, and rosettes of Gothic character. The head,
about 2 ft. high, is an oblong square on plan. The widest sides have
double canopies, with the Crucifixion, unattended, on the north, and
the Blessed Virgin and Child on the south. The ends, being narrower,
have each a single canopy, enshrining an unidentified figure. Mr J.
T. Blight supposed them to represent Saints Peter and Paul; but Mr F.
T. S. Houghton believes that one of the two is meant for St Tecla. So
far as one may venture to judge from the extremely rude and unskilled
figure-sculpture, the work seems to be of the late-fourteenth
century. The above cross is typical of a certain number of Cornish
crosses belonging to the matured mediæval period, in which the head
is set direct on to the shaft, without intervening neck, or knop.
Besides this feature there should be noted another characteristic
in the crosses, for instance, at Callington, St Ives (Fig. 96), and
Mawgan-in-Pyder (Figs. 106, 107), to wit their disproportionately
thick and sturdy stem, as contrasted with the moderate size of the
head.
At St Ives the cross-head was unearthed in the churchyard in 1832,
and re-erected on a new base in 1852. The height of the cross, as
now standing, is 10 ft. 6 in. The reverse of the sculptured head
portrays the Madonna and Child, with a kneeling figure, most likely
meant for the donor. The obverse is remarkable because the Crucifixion
is introduced not, so to speak, _per se_, but rather incidentally,
as constituting part of the Holy Trinity group. The crucified Son,
then, is placed between the knees of the Eternal Father, Whose
hands upraised on either side, the right in benediction, may be
observed above the arms of the crucifix. All and any representations
of this nature, depicting the Trinity, were peculiarly obnoxious
to the reformers, and are yet commonly objected to as being
"anthropomorphic." Similar representations of the Trinity occur on one
side of the cross-head, with the Crucifixion on the other side, at
Cogenhoe, in Northamptonshire, and Pocklington, in the East Riding of
Yorkshire (Figs. 114, 115). There is also a Trinity in the head of the
cross at Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire.
The same subject again is sculptured in the head of another Cornish
cross, that in Mawgan-in-Pyder churchyard (Figs. 106, 107). It is
made of Catacluse stone, and is a late-Gothic example, with very rich
tabernacle-work in the head. In fact, it was singled out by the late
J. T. Blight as "the most elaborate specimen of the kind in Cornwall."
On the opposite side to the Trinity is a subject of uncertain
identity, most likely the Annunciation. A single figure, vested in
pontificals, occupies either end of the head. The shaft is hexagonal,
with diamond-pointed stops, now much overgrown and practically hidden
from view. It stands 5 ft. 2 in. high.
At Ampney Crucis, Gloucestershire (Figs. 97, 98, 99), the churchyard
cross was overthrown at some unknown period. In January 1854 the
head of it was discovered, built up amid a heap of rubbish in the
cavity of the rood-staircase. Taken thence, it was reinstated in
its proper place in the churchyard about 1860. There are two stone
steps, which measure respectively 7 ft. 6 in. and 5 ft. square, and an
octagonal socket. The shaft is square on plan, changing, by means of
stops, into an octagon. The stops, however, instead of terminating in
diamond-points, or otherwise dying away into the chamfer, are crowned
with engaged pinnacles, extending some way up the canted sides, a
most unusual and charming device. It is a misfortune that the effect
of this fine cross is spoilt by the faulty, modern treatment of the
upper portion of the stem, which, being made too short, is obliged to
contract much too abruptly to the junction with the head. Instead of
tapering truly, with a series of straight lines converging gradually
upward, the shaft is pared away in a concave outline, which results
in very serious disfigurement. The total height is only about 10 ft.
The head is in excellent preservation, and, though not elaborate, an
exceedingly beautiful specimen. It is an oblong square on plan, and
thus has two wide sides (occupied respectively by the Blessed Virgin
and Child, and by the Crucifixion between Mary and John) and two
narrow ends (one occupied by an unidentified ecclesiastic, the other
by an unidentified warrior). The canopies are severely plain, being no
more than cusped trefoils; while the top is coped in the shape of a
gabled roof. The work is of the latter part of the fourteenth century.
Two interesting Herefordshire examples, brought to light a few years
ago, have been reinstalled under the auspices of the Society for
the Protection of Ancient Buildings (as recorded in the Committee's
Report, dated June 1916). These two crosses, which are at Madley
(Figs. 101, 102) and Tyberton (Figs. 100, 103), respectively, bear a
striking resemblance to one another. The heads of both are gabled,
with a crucifixion on the obverse, and on the reverse a Virgin,
crowned and throned, with her Child standing, fully draped, on her
knee. The Tyberton cross-head is by far the more perfect of the two.
It had been misused as a finial, or hip-knob, at the end of the brick
church. The head of the Madley cross is so badly defaced that the
figure of the Madonna is all but obliterated. This cross-head was
found among the effects of a private gentleman, Mr Robert Clarke, of
Hereford, after whose death it was "restored to the very complete
base and shaft, which stand in the churchyard." The shafts of both
crosses (monoliths, evidently from the same quarry) stand complete.
They are of octagonal section, with long pointed stops on the four
alternate sides, so that the foot of the shaft is square on plan. The
chamfer-stops of the two crosses differ slightly. Both shafts had
a similar moulded knop at their junction with the head. The Madley
cross-head is executed in a coarse, soft sandstone, which has suffered
much from disintegration. But the Tyberton head owes its better
preservation not a little to the fact that it is executed in stone of
more durable quality. Both these crosses seem to be of approximately
the same date, viz., the late-fourteenth or early-fifteenth century.
In the courtyard of the castle, St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, is a
fifteenth-century cross (Figs. 104 and 105). The head is an oblong
square on plan, measuring 1 ft. 4 in. by 1 ft., by about 3 ft. 3 in.
high to the top of the pinnacles at the angles. On one side is a
seated Madonna and Child; on the other a crucifix between Mary and
John. At one end is a male figure wearing a cap and civilian gown; at
the other a crowned figure holding what appears to be a sword. The
knop is octagonal and moulded, with Gothic square pateras round the
neck, just above the junction with the octagonal shaft.
At Derwen, in Denbighshire, there stands, immediately opposite to the
south porch of the nave, a churchyard cross, which is not only the
most perfect one in the district, but also "one of the finest in the
Principality" (Figs. 110, 111, and 112). Unfortunately, its effect is
marred by the fact that the shaft leans much out of the perpendicular,
towards the east. There are two oblong steps. "The lower portion of
the basement," writes the Rev. Elias Owen, in 1886, "has only some of
its stones remaining in position." It "measures 7 ft. 4 in. by 8 ft.
3 in. In height the step is 8 in., in breadth 1 ft. The second part
measures 6 ft. 1 in. by 5 ft. 6 in. In height the step is 10 in., in
breadth 1 ft. 4 in. The stones forming these steps are large." The
socket, or "pedestal, is a ponderous stone, 2 ft. 9 in. square at the
base, and 2 ft. 4 in. high. The upper bed is brought to an octagon by
broaches of convex outline, and the upper edge is slightly canted.
The shaft, which is mortised into the pedestal, is 13 in. square at
the base, but by sculptured heads, which serve as broaches," or stops
to the chamfering, "it becomes octagonal." The chamfers are enriched
with sculptures in relief, equidistant from one another, representing
angels, human heads, and foliage; and, at the top, oak leaves
underneath the bead moulding. Heads and quatrefoils ornament the cove
which forms the neck of the shaft. The height of the latter is 6 ft.
1 in.; and the total height of the cross, including the steps, is 13
ft. 1 in. Originally, when complete, it was higher still, but the top
of the head, which now measures 2 ft. 10 in. high, has vanished. The
result is a somewhat blunted and ungainly appearance. The head is
oblong on plan, its four faces sculptured like tabernacled niches,
enshrining sculpture. The east and west faces, 1 ft. 9 in. wide each,
have double canopies, while the ends, being no more than 1 ft. 1 in.
wide, have each a single canopy. The subjects, though much worn, can
be identified as follows: North face, the Blessed Virgin, with her
Child on her left arm; south face, St Michael, treading on the dragon,
and weighing souls in a pair of scales; east face, the Coronation of
the Blessed Virgin, with two kneeling donors, the Dove at the top of
the group sadly mutilated; west face, the Crucifixion, flanked by
Mary and John. Much of the ornamental detail suggests late-fourteenth
century work, but it is tolerably certain that it is not earlier than
the second half of the fifteenth century.
To south of the church, in the churchyard of St Donat's,
Glamorganshire, stands a cross admirable in preservation as it is also
in its proportions and detail (Figs. 108, 109). If there is a fault
to be found in it, the arms of the Christ are dragged upward in too
oblique a position. The canopy-work is superb, and, regarding the
structure as a whole, it must be pronounced an exquisite and refined
specimen of the very perfection of Gothic design. Its date is the end
of the fifteenth century.
In the south aisle of Sherburn-in-Elmet church, Yorkshire, may be
seen what looks like a pair of churchyard cross-heads (Fig. 113) of
identical design, viz., a crucifixion between Mary and John, under a
crocketed gable, the extremities of the cross ornamented with emblems
of the Passion, and the interspaces filled with exquisite late-Gothic
pierced tracery. The history of these two sculptures is a strange
one. The head of the cross had been cast down and buried at some
unknown date in the past. But it was dug up in the latter part of
the nineteenth century amid the ruins of a small chantry chapel in
the corner of the churchyard. The owners of the chantry disputed the
possession of the cross-head with the churchwardens; and, incredible
as it may seem, the dispute was settled to the satisfaction of both
parties by a method which recalls the judgment of Solomon. The head
of the cross being, Janus-like, of identical design on both sides,
was sawn asunder down through the middle, so that each of the rival
claimants received a similar sculptured ornament. One section was then
erected against the wall of a chapel on the east side of the church
porch at Sherburn, while the other section was built into a stable
wall at a farm house called Steeton Hall. Since 1887, however, the two
sundered halves, though not yet attached together as they ought to be,
have been set up close to one another in Sherburn church, a puzzle to
all who are unacquainted with their story. It should be added that the
cross-head rises out of a richly-moulded knop, below which, though the
shaft is wanting, enough remains to show that the original stem of the
cross was octagonal.
In the basement of the west tower of Pocklington church, Yorkshire,
is a beautiful late-Gothic cross-head (Figs. 114, 115), fitted on to
a modern stem and base. On the obverse is sculptured the Crucifixion
between Mary and John; on the reverse is the Trinity, while a single
figure occupies either end. Beneath is the inscription: _Orate pro
aia, Iohis Soteby_.
At Cricklade, Wiltshire, are two crosses of the fifteenth century,
one in St Mary's (Fig. 116), the other in St Sampson's churchyard
(Fig. 117). The latter example, however, was not originally in the
churchyard, but stood, at least down to 1807, as the market or town
cross. Both these crosses must, as built, have closely resembled one
another, but that at St Mary's is now much the more complete of the
two. It stands on steps. The head is lantern-shaped, an oblong on
plan, the overhang being corbelled forward by means of a demi-angel
at each angle. The tabernacling is rich, and the figure-sculpture
within it almost intact, though weather-beaten. The subject on the
west is the Crucifixion between Mary and John; on the south, the
Assumption; on the north, a bishop; and on the east, a queen with a
knight. The cross now at St Sampson's has no steps, but the socket is
handsomely panelled with sunk quatrefoils round its sides. All the
figure-sculpture from the lantern head, which was formerly corbelled
on angels, like the other, has been missing at least from 1806
onwards, if not earlier.
[Illustration 47.: ROCESTER, STAFFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, PLAN AND SECTIONS]
The village crosses of Crowcombe (Fig. 118), Bedale (Fig. 119),
Bonsall (Fig. 120), Repton (Fig. 123), Brigstock (Fig. 122), and
Child's Wickham (Fig. 7), especially those which stand on high
flights of steps adapted to the fall of the ground, all illustrate
how charmingly such structures group in with their surroundings, and
how great an ornament they contribute to the village landscape, even
though they may have been robbed of their original head. The cross at
Brigstock is comparatively intact. It bears the royal arms (quarterly
France modern and England), and the initials E.R., with the date 1586.
The cross at Child's Wickham dates from the fifteenth century. It is,
unfortunately, disfigured by an eighteenth-century urn in place of
the mediæval cross-head. In many cases the original heads have been
replaced by square blocks with sundials. At Steeple Ashton (Fig. 121),
however, the classic column and sundial-block and globe are no doubt
all of one date, the late-seventeenth, or the eighteenth century.
[Illustration: 48. ROCESTER, STAFFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 49. GREAT GRIMSBY, LINCOLNSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 50. EYNSHAM, OXFORDSHIRE
MARKET CROSS]
[Illustration: 51, 52. YARNTON, OXFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, WITH DETAILS AND PLAN]
[Illustration: 53. HORSINGTON, SOMERSETSHIRE
ROADSIDE CROSS]
[Illustration: 54. DRAYTON, SOMERSETSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 55. HIGHAM FERRERS, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 56. IRTHLINGBOROUGH, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
MARKET CROSS]
[Illustration: 57. MITCHEL TROY, MONMOUTHSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 58. STALBRIDGE, DORSETSHIRE
MARKET CROSS]
[Illustration: 59. CUMNOR, BERKSHIRE
REMAINS OF CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 60. STANWAY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
SOCKET OF CROSS]
[Illustration: 61. THATCHAM, BERKSHIRE
REMAINS OF CROSS IN THE STREET]
[Illustration: 62. WICKEN, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
SOCKET, AND FOOT OF SHAFT]
[Illustration: 63. CARLTON, BEDFORDSHIRE
SOCKET, AND FRAGMENT OF THE SHAFT, OF THE CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: Elevation of the Base
Plan.
64. KEYINGHAM, E.R. YORKSHIRE
SOCKET AND STEPS]
[Illustration: 65. DORCHESTER, OXFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, BEFORE RESTORATION]
[Illustration: 66, 67, 68. OMBERSLEY, WORCESTERSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, WITH DETAIL OF SOCKET, AND ALSO THE PLAN]
[Illustration: 69, 70. HEADINGTON, OXFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, BEFORE AND AFTER RESTORATION]
[Illustration: 71. RAGLAN, MONMOUTHSHIRE
BASE OF CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 72. HEREFORD
WHITEFRIARS' CROSS, BEFORE RESTORATION]
[Illustration: 73. HEREFORD
WHITEFRIARS' CROSS, AFTER RESTORATION]
[Illustration: 74, 75, 76. DOULTING, SOMERSETSHIRE
SOCKET OF CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 77. NORTH PETHERTON, SOMERSETSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 78. DUNDRY, SOMERSETSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 79. HEDON, E.R. YORKSHIRE
THE RAVENSPURNE CROSS]
[Illustration: 80. KEYINGHAM, E.R. YORKSHIRE
OLD CROSS FROM LINCOLNSHIRE, RE-ERECTED BY THE LATE MR OWST UPON HIS
PRIVATE GROUND AT KEYINGHAM]
[Illustration: 81. SOMERSBY, LINCOLNSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 82. HALESOWEN, WORCESTERSHIRE
REMAINS OF CROSS-HEAD, SHOWING ALL FOUR SIDES]
[Illustration: 83. REMAINS OF CROSS-HEAD]
[Illustration: 83, 84, 85. NORTH HINKSEY, BERKSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, IN PERSPECTIVE AND ELEVATION]
[Illustration: 86, 87. MAUGHOLD, ISLE OF MAN
THE VILLAGE CROSS, FROM TWO POINTS OF VIEW]
[Illustration: 88. CROXDEN, STAFFORDSHIRE
CROSS HEAD FROM THE ABBEY RUINS]
[Illustration: 89. BLEADON, SOMERSETSHIRE
HEAD OF CROSS]
[Illustration: 90, 91. NEWMARKET, FLINTSHIRE
HEAD OF CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 92, 93. WHESTON, TIDESWELL, DERBYSHIRE
ROADSIDE CROSS, SHOWING FRONT AND BACK]
[Illustration: 94, 95. LANTEGLOS JUXTA FOWEY, CORNWALL
CROSS IN THE CHURCHYARD]
[Illustration: 96. ST IVES, CORNWALL
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 97, 98, 99. AMPNEY CRUCIS, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, WITH DETAILS OF HEAD]
[Illustration: 100. TYBERTON, HEREFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 101. MADLEY, HEREFORDSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 102.: MADLEY
HEAD OF CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 103. TYBERTON
REVERSE OF HEAD OF CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 104, 105. ST MICHAEL'S MOUNT, CORNWALL
HEAD OF CROSS IN THE CASTLE COURTYARD]
[Illustration: 106, 107. MAWGAN-IN-PYDER, CORNWALL
CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 108, 109. ST DONAT'S, GLAMORGANSHIRE
CHURCHYARD CROSS, WITH DETAIL OF HEAD]
[Illustration: 110, 111, 112. DERWEN, DENBIGHSHIRE
THE CORONATION OF OUR LADY
CHURCHYARD CROSS, WITH DETAILS
ST MICHAEL, WEIGHING SOULS
]
[Illustration: 113. SHERBURN-IN-ELMET, W.R. YORKSHIRE
HEAD OF THE OLD CHURCHYARD CROSS]
[Illustration: 114, 115. POCKLINGTON, E.R. YORKSHIRE
CROSS, WITH DETAIL OF HEAD]
[Illustration: 116, 117. CRICKLADE, WILTSHIRE
ST MARY'S CHURCHYARD CROSS
THE TOWN CROSS, NOW REMOVED TO ST SAMPSON'S CHURCH]
[Illustration: 118. CROWCOMBE, SOMERSET
VILLAGE CROSS]
[Illustration: 119. BEDALE, N.R. YORKSHIRE]
[Illustration: 120. BONSALL, DERBYSHIRE
MARKET CROSS]
[Illustration: 121. STEEPLE ASHTON, WILTSHIRE
VILLAGE CROSS]
[Illustration: 122. BRIGSTOCK, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
MARKET CROSS]
[Illustration: 123. REPTON, DERBYSHIRE
VILLAGE CROSS]
IV. SPIRE-SHAPED, OR ELEANOR CROSSES