Crosses

Although the symbol itself is a pre-christian one, to most of us it means that dreadfully boring religious crap we’ve had to contend with since childhood. But relics of old stone crosses, which scatter Britain in huge numbers, relate to periods in our history when the xtian ways were damning the ways of our indigenous ancestors – sometimes with frightening furore: burning, hanging and torturing British people for not accepting their strange new religious ways. The stone crosses which we find today as archaeological relics, tended to be positioned where earlier heathen sites were found – and as a result of this, I thought it important to include such sites on TNA. But these relics took various forms, each relating to the function of the site it meant to supplant or suppress: market crosses, boundary crosses, village crosses, wayside crosses, etc. You’ll find them all here!

CROSSES:  Bibliography & References

  1. Abel Cross, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
  2. Acrehowe Cross, Baildon Moor, West Yorkshire
  3. Adam’s Cross, Saddleworth Moor, Lancashire
  4. Annel Cross, Twiston, Lancashire
  5. Annot Cross, Lane Bottom, Brierfield, Lancashire
  6. Banbury Cross, Banbury, Oxfordshire
  7. Bingley Cross, West Yorkshire
  8. Black Knoll Cross, Morton Moor, West Yorkshire
  9. Blacko Cross, Barrowford, Lancashire
  10. Bread Cross, Banbury, Oxfordshire
  11. Butt Yeats Cross, Hornby, Lancashire
  12. Catshaw Cross, Thurlstone, South Yorkshire
  13. Church Cross, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Lancashire
  14. Churchyard Cross, Prestbury, Lancashire
  15. Cowper’s Cross, Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire
  16. Corwen, Denbighshire, Wales
  17. Cowcliffe Cross, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
  18. Curwen Hall Cross, Hornby, Lancashire
  19. Deighton Cross, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
  20. Dull, Aberfeldy, Perthshire
  21. Duncroisk Crosses Stone, Glen Lochay, Killin, Perthshire
  22. Dyke Nook Cross, Clitheroe, Lancashire
  23. Eastwoods Cross Base, Summerbridge , North Yorkshire
  24. Emmott Cross, Colne, Lancashire
  25. Exley Head Cross, Keighley, West Yorkshire
  26. Eyam Cross, Eyam, Derbyshire
  27. Fairy Hill Cross, Rishworth Moor, West Yorkshire
  28. Fearby Cross, Masham, North Yorkshire
  29. Foldys Cross, Towneley, Burnley, Lancashire
  30. Golcar Cross, West Yorkshire
  31. Greystone Cross, Blacko, Barrowford, Lancashire
  32. Grimeford Cross, Adlington, Lancashire
  33. Handsome Cross, High Bradfield, South Yorkshire
  34. Hangman’s Bank, Preston, Lancashire
  35. Headless Cross, Grimeford, Adlington, Lancashire - see Grimeford Cross
  36. Hebden Wood Cross, Slack, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire
  37. Herders Cross, Wycoller, Lancashire
  38. Ilkley Crosses, West Yorkshire
  39. Keighley Cross, West Yorkshire - see Market Cross, Keighley
  40. Laycock Cross, Keighley, West Yorkshire
  41. Lilla Cross, Fylingdales Moor, North Yorkshire
  42. Maen Achwyfan, Whitford, Flintshire 
  43. Maiden or Tailor’s Cross, Foulridge, Lancashire
  44. Market Cross, Bradford, West Yorkshire
  45. Market Cross, Glastonbury, Somerset
  46. Market Cross, Highburton, West Yorkshire
  47. Market Cross, Keighley, West Yorkshire
  48. Market Cross, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
  49. Market Cross, Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire
  50. Marsden Heights Cross, Nelson, Lancashire
  51. Marsh Cross, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
  52. Mercat Cross, Doune, Stirlingshire
  53. Mitton Church Cross, Great Mitton, Lancashire
  54. Mitton Green, Great Mitton, Lancashire
  55. Mount Cross, Todmorden, West Yorkshire
  56. Netherurd Mains, Kirkurd, Peeblesshire
  57. Nick o’ Pendle Cross, Sabden, Lancashire
  58. Old Market Cross, Sedbergh, Cumbria
  59. Oxenhope Cross, West Yorkshire
  60. Pendle Cross, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Lancashire
  61. Pillar of Eliseg, Pentrefelin, Llangollen, Denbighshire
  62. Plague Stone, Adel, Leeds, West Yorkshire
  63. Ralph’s Cross, Westerdale Moor, North Yorkshire
  64. Ratten Clough Cross, Emmot Moor, Lancashire
  65. Rocester Church Cross, Staffordshire
  66. St. James Church, Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria
  67. St. Peter’s Cross, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
  68. Salford Cross, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
  69. Shay Cross, Wiswell, Lancashire
  70. Slaithwaite Cross, West Yorkshire
  71. Stump Cross, Haworth, West Yorkshire
  72. Swastika Stone, Kirkurd - see Netherurd Mains, Peeblesshire
  73. Swinden Cross, Foulridge, Colne, Lancashire
  74. Thursday Market Cross, York, North Yorkshire
  75. Upper Cross, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Lancashire
  76. Water Sheddles Cross, Oakworth Moor, West Yorkshire
  77. Whalley Crosses, Lancashire
  78. White Cross, Banbury, Oxfordshire
  79. Withgill Cross, Great Mitton, Lancashire

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian