Cornish Crosses By Andrew Langdon For the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies |
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| Introduction | Types of Cross | Distribution Map | Questions and Answers | Discovering Crosses |
| Restoration Projects | Micro chipping | Intreview | Legislation, Scheduling, Listing etc | Books |
| Centenary | Modern Crosses | Acknowledgments | Links | |
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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 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 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 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. Late Medieval latin crosses these are octagonal in section, and are mostly found in the east of the county.
Nancor Cross, Creed with Grampound.
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.
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