Churchyard cross in Feock churchyard

Reasons for Designation

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 churchyard cross in Feock churchyard has survived well, and is believed to be in its original location. It is a good example of a wheel headed cross and is unusual in showing signs of transition from an early medieval style to the later Gothic style. It is a rare example of a churchyard cross from the later medieval period, and is carved from elvan, rather than the more usual granite.

Details

The monument includes a medieval churchyard cross situated to the south of Feock church on the River Fal estuary in the south of Cornwall. The churchyard cross, which is Listed Grade II, is visible as an upright shaft of grey elvan with a round or `wheel' head, measuring 1.2m in overall height. Elvan is the local name given to intrusive igneous rock. The head measures 0.4m in diameter and is 0.24m thick. The principal faces are orientated north west-south east. Both principal faces are decorated. There is a 0.05m wide bead around the outer edge of the head on both faces. The north west face bears a crowned figure of Christ in relief with arms outstretched and the legs terminating at the knee. The legs of the figure extend onto the top of the shaft. The crown is very eroded. The south east face is decorated with a foliated Gothic cross in relief, consisting of raised curved shapes forming the shape of an equal limbed cross. The shaft measures 0.8m high by 0.28m wide and is 0.24m thick. There is a bead on all four corners of the shaft. The shaft is mounted in a modern base which is not visible as it is covered by gravel. This churchyard cross is a transitional style monument, bearing a figure of Christ with outstretched arms, more typical of the early medieval crosses, and yet also decorated with a foliated cross of early Gothic design. The cross has been dated to the 13th century and is a late example of a churchyard cross. The surface of the gravel footpath passing to the north east, north west and south west of the cross is excluded from the scheduling, where it falls within its protective margin, but the ground beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

29201

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Langdon, A, Stone Crosses in Mid Cornwall, (1994)
Langdon, A, Stone Crosses in Mid Cornwall, (1994)
Langdon, A G, Old Cornish Crosses, (1896)

Other
Title: 1:25000 Ordnance Survey Map; SW 83 & parts SW 73 & SW 93; Pathfinder Series 1366 Source Date: 1984 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Consulted 1995, Cornwall Entry for PRN No. 24377.4,

End of official list entry

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