Listed Building record MDO6142 - Churchyard cross at St Mary's church, Sturminster Marshall

Remians of a fourteenth century stone cross, consisting of a tapered shaft with moulded angles, set on a chamfered octagonal base. Situated around 15 metres to the south west of the church tower.

In the churchyard to the west of the tower are the remains of what must once have been a very beautiful Perpendicular cross, probably of the 14th century. They consist of a socket and shaft only without a calvary and may at one time have formed the upper portion of the village cross. <1> <3>

The socket stone is square at the base (each side measuring 1.2m.) and octagonal above 0.3m.of the socket stone is visible above the ground. The tapering shaft is 0.3m. square at the base and 2.0m. high. The cross is not 'in situ'; its original site was not ascertained. <2>

<1> Pope, A, 1906, Old Stone Crosses of Dorset, 125-6 (Bibliographic reference). SWX1408.

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 17-MAR-1959 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 284 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘(1) The Parish Church of St. Mary stands at the N. end of the village… Churchyard Crosses: W.S.W. of tower, (1) tapered shaft with moulded angles, set on chamfered octagonal base with shaped spurs, 14th-century; W. of tower, (2) base, octagonal to square, 14th-century, said to have come from Spettisbury, cross modern.‘

<4> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map, 1978 (Map). SDO17396.

(ST 95090038) Cross (NR)

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209507 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 23 2024 3:12PM