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Market Cross

A Scheduled Monument in Lund, East Riding of Yorkshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.9198 / 53°55'11"N

Longitude: -0.524 / 0°31'26"W

OS Eastings: 497032.547667

OS Northings: 448080.168705

OS Grid: SE970480

Mapcode National: GBR SRS3.BM

Mapcode Global: WHGDP.XQNW

Entry Name: Market Cross

Scheduled Date: 24 May 1951

Last Amended: 15 December 1995

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1013710

English Heritage Legacy ID: 26532

County: East Riding of Yorkshire

Civil Parish: Lund

Built-Up Area: Lund

Traditional County: Yorkshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): East Riding of Yorkshire

Church of England Parish: Lund All Saints

Church of England Diocese: York

Details

The monument includes a late medieval stone cross shaft and stepped base,
situated on the triangular village green at the centre of the village of Lund.
The cross shaft is set into a square socket in a single stone block base
measuring 0.6m square, off-set to the west on top of a four tiered
plinth constructed of dressed stone blocks. It is secured to its base with
lead supports. At its base, the lowest step measures 3.2m east-west and 2.6m
north-south. The cross remains to a height of 1.45m from the base to the top.
There is a cornice at the top and the remnants of a pedestal which would once
have held a stone ball. On the west side of the shaft there are the very worn
remains of an inscription which is now no longer legible.
The cross is a Listed Building Grade II.
The surface of the modern paved road surface which adjoins the monument to the
east is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is
included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Although lacking the cross head, the Market Cross at Lund still stands almost
to its original height and is in fair condition. Its position in the centre of
the village marks its function as a focus for the economic activity of the
community. As it stands in its original position, it will also retain
archaeological information relating to the period of its construction.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Morris, J E, Little Guide to the East Riding of Yorkshire, (1906)
Other
Bastow, M.E., AM107, (1985)
Bastow, M.E., AM107, (1988)
Humberside SMR, Sites and Monuments Records Sheet, (1994)
Walker, J., AM12, (1979)

Source: Historic England

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