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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. Digby village cross is a good example of a medieval standing cross with a stepped base. 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 construction and use of the cross in this location are likely to survive intact. While parts of the cross have survived from medieval times, subsequent restoration has resulted in its continued function as a public monument and amenity. Details The monument includes Digby village cross, a Grade II Listed standing stone cross, located at a road junction at the centre of the village. The cross is of stepped form and is medieval and later in date. The monument includes the base, comprised of five steps and a socket-stone, parts of which are medieval; a medieval shaft; and a modern head. The base includes five steps, all quadrangular in plan and constructed of ashlar slabs on coursed brick. The lowest step stands to a height of nearly 0.6m and is topped with worn slabs of limestone; filled slots indicate the former position of iron clamps. Similar limestone slabs form the southern side of the second step. The remainder of the second step, and all the upper steps, are topped with modern slabs. The base of the cross occupies an area approximately 3.2m square. On the uppermost step rests the socket-stone, which is composed of two courses: the lower, a large limestone block with a base of square section with moulded and chamfered corners, and the upper a pair of narrower slabs clamped together to form a piece of octagonal section with chamfered edges. Set into the socket-stone is the shaft, which is square in section at the base and has chamfered corners tapering upwards in octagonal section. The shaft survives to its original height and is topped by a later knop, which is also octagonal in section. The head is late 20th-century in date and takes the form of a simple crucifix within a circle. The full height of the cross is approximately 5m. The modern paving immediately surrounding the cross and the road-signs adjacent to it are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features is included. Sources Books and journals Davies, D S, 'Lincolnshire Notes and Queries' in Ancient Stone Crosses in Kesteven, , Vol. XII no.5, (1913), 139

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