Details

The monument includes a standing stone cross, situated in the churchyard of
Great Malvern Priory, 37m north of the north door of the priory. The cross,
which is Listed Grade II, takes the form of a stepped base which is medieval
and modern in date, a medieval socket stone and shaft, and a 19th century
cross head.
The base is of four steps, and is octagonal in plan with a diameter of 3m.
The cross is located on a gentle north westerly slope and the bottom step,
which has been replaced in concrete, is flush with ground level on the east
side, giving the base a maximum height of 0.4m. The socket stone is square in
plan at the base, with broached stops at the angles giving an octagonal top
which has chamfered edges. The socket stone measures 0.84m in width and is
0.36m high. The slightly tapering shaft is made of very shelly limestone, and
is also square at the base, with a width of 0.4m. It rises about 2.5m and has
chamfered angles over broached stops. On its west face is an ogee-headed
niche, 0.65m high, with the remains of a limestone plaque at the bottom. The
shaft was restored in 1896 and now has a moulded neck and a simple cross head
under a gabled canopy.
The grave marker to the north east of 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.

The cross in Great Malvern Priory churchyard is a good example of a medieval
standing cross with an octagonal stepped base. 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. While much of the cross has survived from medieval times, its
subsequent restoration illustrates its continued function as a public monument
and amenity.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Deane, A, Great Malvern Priory Church, (1914)
Other
held on SMR, HWCM 12117,
HWCM 12117,

Source: Historic England