Details

The monument includes the remains of a stone cross, situated on a grass island
on a crossroads in the village of Uckinghall. The grey limestone cross is of
probable 15th century date and consists of a stepped base and shaft. It is
Listed Grade II.
The base is square in plan and has three steps, the bottom two of which have
become buried as the surrounding ground level has been raised to combat
flooding. The visible step has sides of 0.85m and a chamfered rim. The shaft
is 0.3m square at the base rising to an octagonal section higher up, and is
c.1m tall. The top 0.15m of the shaft narrows to a rectangular section, having
the appearance of `tenon' with a groove and hole in the top.
Wayside crosses such as this were reputedly places where penances were
sometimes performed, and local tradition holds that this example was once a
whipping post. Another cross at Ripple, c.600m ESE, is adjacent to a set of
stocks and is the subject of a separate scheduling (SM27551).

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

Wayside crosses are one of several types of Christian cross erected during the
medieval period, mostly from the 9th to 15th centuries AD. 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 having a more specifically religious
function, including those providing access to religious sites for parishioners
and funeral processions, or marking long-distance routes frequented on
pilgrimages.
Over 350 wayside crosses are known nationally, concentrated in south west
England throughout Cornwall and on Dartmoor where they form the commonest type
of stone cross. A small group also occurs on the North York Moors. Relatively
few examples have been recorded elsewhere and these are generally confined to
remote moorland locations.
Outside Cornwall almost all wayside crosses take the form of a `Latin' cross,
in which the cross-head itself is shaped within the projecting arms of an
unenclosed cross. In Cornwall wayside crosses vary considerably in form and
decoration. The commonest type includes a round, or `wheel', head on the faces
of which various forms of cross or related designs were carved in relief or
incised, the spaces between the cross arms possibly pierced. The design was
sometimes supplemented with a relief figure of Christ and the shaft might bear
decorative panels and motifs. Less common forms in Cornwall include the
`Latin' cross and, much rarer, the simple slab with a low relief cross on both
faces. Rare examples of wheel-head and slab-form crosses also occur within the
North York Moors group. Most wayside crosses have either a simple socketed
base or show no evidence for a separate base at all.
Wayside crosses contribute significantly to our understanding of medieval
religious customs and sculptural traditions and to our knowledge of medieval
routeways and settlement patterns. All wayside crosses which survive as earth-
fast monuments, except those which are extremely damaged and removed from
their original locations, are considered worthy of protection.

The cross at Uckinghall is a good example of a medieval wayside cross with a
square base. It is believed to stand in its original position, and limited
development in the area immediately surrounding the cross suggests that
archaeological deposits relating to the monument's construction and use in
this location are likely to survive intact. The close proximity of the cross
at Ripple further enhances interest in the monument. The cross at Uckinghall
is clearly visible to pedestrians and motorists alike.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
FMW, AM107, FMW report, (1983)
Uckinghall Village Cross 00308,

Source: Historic England