Cornish Crosses  

By Andrew Langdon

 For the Federation of  Old Cornwall Societies
Introduction Types of Cross Distribution Map Questions and Answers Discovering Crosses
Restoration Projects Micro chipping Interview  Legislation, Scheduling, Listing etc Books
Modern Crosses Links Acknowledgments

 

This web site is still under construction.

 

Types of Crosses

These are some of the different types of Cornish cross.

Lantern crosses 

Lantern crosses (late Medieval sculptured crosses) 15th to 16th century.  Normally show biblical images on four faces, with the principal face showing the Crucifixion, Holy Rood or Trinity.

 

 examples St Mawgan

St_M_Mt_SB_cross.jpg (42784 bytes)

St Michael's Mount

 

Wheel-headed crosses

Wheel-headed crosses from the 12th century onwards, usually set up as wayside crosses, marking a route to the parish church, or from parish to parish.  They were also set up to mark boundaries of the glebe, parish and even monastic land and sanctuaries.

 

Examples: Boswarthen cross, Madron

Treslea Cross, Cardinham.JPG (70540 bytes)          St Just in Penwith.JPG (70253 bytes)  

       Treslea Cardinham,     St Just now in churchyard

Pre-Conquest churchyard crosses

Pre-Conquest churchyard crosses, set up to mark a Christian burial ground often pre-date the fabric of existing churches. 

Examples:  St Piran's

  Copy of St Buryan churchyard apr 05.JPG (66190 bytes)  Copy of St Levan churchyard cross.JPG (84465 bytes)

St Buryan; and St Levan

 Latin crosses 

Latin crosses usually used as boundary or wayside crosses, about 8 % of Cornwall's crosses are of the latin type and are the prevailing parochial style in the parishes of Paul in west Penwith and St Cleer and St Neot on Bodmin Moor.  

example Treglines Cross at St Minver.

Carracawn, St Germans.JPG (75501 bytes)

Carracawn, St Germans.

 

Late Medieval latin crosses 

these are octagonal in section, and are mostly found in the east of the county.

Nancor Cross, Creed with Grampound.

Trehan or Trematon Cross St Stephens by Saltash.JPG (54389 bytes)


Trehan or Trematon Cross St Stephens by Saltash.

Base-stones

Two examples of base-stones, the one at St Buryan is a typical base-stone for a wheel-headed wayside cross, while the second at Colan is a typical late medieval base-stone which is square at the bottom and has chamfered corners creating an octagonal top surface.  These would support a Late medieval latin cross.

 
Base-stone of wayside cross, St Buryan.

 

Late medieval base-stone, Colan.JPG (79303 bytes)


Late medieval base-stone, Colan.

 

 

(c) 2008 Andrew Langdon - Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd

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