Cornish Crosses  

By Andrew Langdon

 For the Federation of  Old Cornwall Societies

Distribution Map

DISTRIBUTION OF MONUMENTS

Almost ninety percent of the stone crosses in Cornwall are cut from surface moorland granite, and it is therefore not surprising to find that the majority of these monuments are to be found in the moorland areas. The west Penwith moors and Bodmin Moor have the largest concentration of crosses, with smaller accumulations around the Wendron moors.   Another reason for large numbers of crosses in certain areas was undoubtedly due to the presence of important religious settlements during the medieval period, such as at St Buryan and Bodmin.

The eastern side of the county, including the parishes bordering the Tamar valley has few crosses. This area, together with the south-east of Cornwall displays crosses of a much later date. Most are gothic and display either cross-shafts with chamfers or are octagonal in section. Wheel-headed crosses depicting figures of Christ are found almost exclusively in west Cornwall, although a few have been removed to other parts of the county.

Several groups of crosses are found around the two main estuaries on the north coast, the rivers Hayle and Camel. Perhaps this again is partly due to the early Christian settlements founded by missionaries from both Wales and Ireland.

The writer considers that many wayside crosses may have been lost during the early years of Cornwall's industrial revolution, especially in the china clay area where large areas of moorland were excavated.