Documentary sources from the 14th and 15th centuries state that a chapel was established in Rippingale parish, 'near the high road in which stood and still stands a certain wooden cross'. The bridge and fields adjacent to this location, named Chapel Bridge and Chapel Field respectively, are thought to indicate the location of this former chapel. In 1386, the vicar of Rippingale had asked the Bishop of Lincoln for a licence to build a chapel dedicated to 'Holy Cross' on the place where a statue known as 'Jurdon Cros' had stood and attracted many pilgrims. The cross had been the site of public processions, sermons and bell ringing for many years, and miracles are alleged to have occurred around the site. Bishop Buckingham had initially refused to grant the licence, but a successful petition to the Pope in 1390 overturned that decision. The chapel is said to have survived as a hermitage for many decades after its establishment, although exactly when religious use of the site ceased is not known. {1}{2}{3}