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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. The churchyard cross at St Helen's Church, Mareham le Fen, is a good example of a medieval standing cross with a quadrangular base and octagonal shaft. Situated on the south side of the church, it is believed to stand in or near its original position. Limited activity in the area immediately surrounding the cross indicates that archaeological deposits relating to the monument's construction and use are likely to survive intact. While the socket stone and part of the shaft have survived from medieval times, the subsequent restoration of the shaft and head has resulted in the continued function of the cross as a public monument and amenity. Details The monument includes the remains of a standing stone cross located in the churchyard of St Helen's Church, Mareham le Fen, approximately 5m to the south east of the south porch. The cross is principally medieval in date with modern additions. The monument includes the base, comprising a socket stone, and the lower part of the shaft, which are medieval; it also includes the upper part of the shaft and an ornamented head, which date from an early 20th century restoration. The socket stone of the cross is fashioned from a single limestone block of square section with moulded and chamfered corners rising to a top of octagonal section. An inscription on the western face of the socket stone records the restoration of 1904. Set into the socket stone is the stone shaft, approximately square in section at the base with chamfered corners tapering upwards in octagonal section. The lower part of the shaft is 1.18m high and represents the remains of the original medieval shaft. The head of the cross is integral with the upper part of the shaft and takes the form of a gabled lantern containing figural scenes under canopies, surmounted by an equal-armed cross; both the head and the upper part of the shaft date from the early 20th century restoration. The full height of the cross is approximately 3.3m. The cross is Listed Grade II. Sources Books and journals Davies, D S, 'Lincolnshire Notes & Queries' in Ancient Stone Crosses in Lindsey and Holland Divisions of Lincs, , Vol. XIII no6, (1915), 167

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