Details

The monument includes a medieval wayside cross which lies to the west of
St Michael's Church, Helston, in west Cornwall and a cross slab at the south
east entrance to the churchyard.
The wayside cross, which is 0.5m high, survives as a short section of an
upright granite shaft with a round `wheel' head which measures 0.42m high,
0.49m wide and 0.2m thick. The principal faces are orientated north west-south
east and both bear a relief equal limbed cross with splayed ends to the limbs
and a narrow bead around the outer edge of the head. The shaft measures 0.8m
high and is cemented onto a large granite block inscribed with the name
PENBERTHY in large letters. This block forms part of a substantial raised
granite kerb forming the sides of a pair of linked chest tombs. The cross and
the chest tombs are Listed Grade II. The original location of this
cross is unknown. It is believed to have formed part of Mr Penberthy's
collection from his house in Porthleven.
The cross slab, which measures 0.84m high by 0.36m wide survives as an upright
granite slab with a relief Latin cross with chamfered edges on its visible
face. An incised line runs across the slab above the cross motif, and two
incised lines run down the sides of the slab forming a frame or panel around
the cross. The cross slab forms part of a memorial set into the west wall of
the south east entrance to the churchyard. A slate plaque on one side is
inscribed as a memorial to a headmaster of St Michael's School; a small slate
plaque above the cross slab is inscribed: `This is a medieval cross', and the
slate plaque on the other side commemorates the founding and rebuilding of the
church. The cross slab and memorial are set in a large rectangular niche with
a granite bench below, within the granite wall forming the western side of
this entrance to the churchyard. The cross slab and the south eastern entrance
to the churchyard is Listed Grade II. The cross slab was first recorded in
1936, and is probably part of a medieval coffin slab or lid.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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 medieval wayside cross and cross slab in St Michael's churchyard have
survived reasonably well, the wayside cross as a good example of a `wheel'
headed cross. Both crosses have been re-erected in the churchyard clearly
demonstrating the changing attitudes towards religion and their impact on
the local landscape since the medieval period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Langdon, A G, Stone Crosses in West Cornwall, (1999)
Other
Consulted July 1998, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN No. 30125.11,
Consulted July 1998, Cornwall SMR entry for PRn No. 30125.12,
Listing entry for Church St Helston, SE entrance to church,
Listing entry for Penberthy tombs & cross, Church St, Helston,
Title: 1:25000 Ordnance Survey Map; SW 52/62; Pathfinder Series 1369
Source Date: 1983
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England