Details

The monument includes Ancaster village cross, a Grade II Listed standing stone
cross, located on the pavement on the east side of Ermine Street north of
Sleaford Lane. The cross takes the form of a socket-stone with two pieces of
shaft, all of which are medieval in date.

The socket-stone is roughly rectangular in section, with moulded and chamfered
corners forming a top of irregular octagonal section. Rising from the centre
of the socket-stone is the lower part of the shaft, a fragment of quadrangular
section at the base which reaches a maximum height of 0.3m. In its eastern
face is a broad vertical groove. Set onto this piece is the upper part of the
shaft, in section a rounded octagon tapering upwards to a height of
approximately 0.85m, terminating in a rounded top with a hole in the centre.
The combined height of the three stones which now make up the cross is
approximately 1.1m above ground level.

The pavement immediately surrounding 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.
It includes a 1 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Ancaster Village Cross is a good example of the remains of a medieval standing
cross with a quadrangular base and octagonal shaft. Situated by the side of
the Roman road, Ermine Street, it is believed to stand in or near its original
position.
Limited development of the area immediately surrounding the cross indicates
that archaeological deposits relating to the monument's construction and use
in this location are likely to survive intact. The cross has not been
significantly restored and has continued in use as a public monument and
amenity from medieval times to the present day.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Davies, D S, 'Lincolnshire Notes and Queries' in Ancient Stone Crosses in Kesteven, , Vol. XII no.5, (1913), 132

Source: Historic England