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Description

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. Swinstead village cross is a good example of the stepped base of a medieval standing cross. Situated at a road junction in the village centre 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 survives in good condition, having continued in use as a public monument and amenity from medieval times to the present day. Details The monument includes Swinstead village cross, a standing stone cross located at the road junction at the centre of the village north west of the parish church. The cross is of stepped form and is principally medieval in date. The monument includes the base, comprising two steps and a socket-stone, and the shaft. The base includes two steps, both octagonal in plan and constructed of worn slabs of limestone resting on coursed limestone which has been joined by mortar in modern times. The lower step is about 2.5m wide and stands to a height of nearly 0.6m. The upper step is about 1.8m wide and 0.27m high. On the upper step rests the socket-stone, which is composed of two courses. The lower is formed by a limestone plinth approximately 1.2m square in section and 0.23m high, chamfered along the upper edge and at the corners; the north, south and west sides are also moulded. The upper course is composed of a plain slab approximately 0.9m square in section and 0.58m high with slightly chamfered upper corners. Set into the socket-stone with lead is the shaft, which is rectangular in section at the base rising over 1m through chamfered corners in slightly tapering octagonal section. The shaft terminates in a flat-topped cone, also of octagonal section. The full height of the cross is nearly 3m. The monument includes a 1m margin around the cross which is essential for the monument's support and preservation. The modern paving immediately surrounding the cross and the adjacent road-signs are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included. The cross is listed Grade II. Sources Books and journals Davies, D S, 'Lincolnshire Notes and Queries' in Ancient Stone Crosses in Kesteven, , Vol. XII no.5, (1913), 148

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