Pre-Norman Stone Crosses in the British Isles

The notice board outside St. Mary's church in Cheadle proclaims that it was "founded in 1520". In contrast, diocesan records indicate that Christian ministry has been exercised in the area since at least as far back as the twelfth century, so the date on the sign merely refers to the building. When I visited the church one Monday afternoon in November 2002, the presence of the "Praise and Play" group in the church made it clear that the church in Cheadle is much more than the building. Here the Christian Gospel is preached and lived out among the members of the church, and not just on Sundays.

In fact, the building is indeed largely the result of early sixteenth century building work, and as a result, it creates an impression of being a very comfortable building, especially as it is well cared-for. Despite the fact that it now sits on the edge of Manchester, a very short distance from the M60 round-Manchester-motorway, for most of its history, Cheadle has been a village in a country landscape, and the church interior reflects the patronage of wealthy land-owning families that have featured in its story, just as well as any typical country church might.

Inside the church, in a wooden display case with a glass front, an Anglian cross is on display. This cross was discovered about three hundred metres away from the church, on the banks of a brook in 1874. Ironically, it then took a century to travel from there to its current location. For a while, it was in the possession of one Dr. Richard Bangay, who sought to use it to mark his wife's grave in a Yorkshire cemetery. Wiser counsel prevailed, and it was taken into the Philiosophical Society Museum in York. During the 1960's it was returned to its original locality, being kept at Abney Hall, the site of the local Council Offices. When those closed in 1974, it was brought back to the church. Originally, it was displayed within the chapel outside which it currently stands. It was moved to its present location in the past year, and I am told it will stay where it is. Time, as they say, will tell.

The church guide book describes this as an eleventh century preaching cross, and speculates, based on the fact that it was found near the small brook, that it once marked the site where Christian baptisms took place, until such time as there was a priest to administer them, and presumably a building to administer them in. It goes on to suggest that at some time this cross fell down and "when it fell no one would think it worthy of re-erection." Another possibility mentioned by the guide is that the cross was linked in some (unspecified) way to St. Chad, who founded the Lichfield diocese; unlike the cross at Middlesmoor, which bears an inscription mentioning St. Chad, there is apparently no writing on this cross at all.

Against those ideas, the mute witness of the cross itself must be taken into account. The eleventh century is certainly not an unreasonable date, though this cross may actually be somewhat older than that. However, the rest of the story does not fit the cross very well. First, the cross itself is only about 75cm tall and 40cm wide at the widest part of the head. Whilst clearly the bottom is missing, so it is impossible to assert the original height with certainty, the small width of the head militates against this being a preaching cross. For something so far out of the centre of the village to attract attention, it would need to have been somewhat larger. Second, close examination of the surface of the cross shows both that the carving is unusually fresh, and also hints that the cross may have been painted originally - the reddish tint of the lowest boss is not the natural colour of the stone. Taken together, these two observations tend to suggest this cross has spent most of its existence sheltered from the elements, rather than standing outside. Third, the idea that this cross just fell over is challenged by looking closely at the head. Even in this picture, but especially in the one below, it is quite apparent that the head was broken with some force, and what is on display in the case now has been reassembled from five pieces (possibly more - one would need to see the reverse to be sure).

The sides of the cross (and also the reverse, according to earlier reports of its appearance - see Collingwood's drawing, below) also bear carvings. Also in the "armpit" on this side of the cross, there seems to be more encrusted colour, offering evidence for the cross having previously been painted.

Here is an alternative interpretation of the Cheadle cross: The cross may have been an altar cross in the first Anglian wooden church building here. As such, it would have stayed in the church, under cover. As time went on and the Normans came, so they replaced the wooden building with one of stone, taking the old cross into it. The presence within the tower and some other external walls of stones bearing geometric carvings typical of Norman style seems to confirm the existence of such a church. In due time, the elements eroded away the soft stone from which the church was largely built, necessitating a rebuilding project in Tudor times. Again the cross migrated to the new building, a symbol of continuity with the earlier Christian heritage and witness. Hardly was the new church open for worship when Henry VIII severed his links with Rome, nationalised the English Church and set in motion a century and more of religious controversy that would reach its height in the mid-17th century with Puritan iconoclasts excising any objects that even hinted at "Popery" including the stone cross. The cross was taken out of the church and smashed, and, aiming to finish the job properly, the zealots threw the pieces into the river (as happened, for example, with one cross at Ilkley), which was somewhat broader in those days than in more recent times. More than two centuries went by until the pieces of this cross (and parts of another that had been similarly treated) were discovered in 1874...

Ah well, it's a theory...

St. Mary's Church in Cheadle is at the heart of Cheadle village, overseeing the busy road junction.
A public car park is available just behind the church. Note that junction 2 on the M60 only faces the west.

* The Ordnance Survey National Grid Reference (and corresponding Latitude/Longitude) given at the top of the pages describing individual sites usually refer to the location of the closest or most prominent entrance to the site where the monument is to be found - e.g. a gate into a churchyard. For monuments located in open country, or at a significant distance from the site entrance as just defined, the co-ordinates usually refer to the exact location of the monument.
Please allow for a small error in the co-ordinates of up to a couple of dozen metres.

Thanks to the people at streetmap.co.uk, if you click on the Grid References in the magenta boxes on the site pages,
you'll see an extract from the relevant Ordnance Survey 1:50000 Landranger map!

As the official mapping agency of the United Kingdom Government, the Ordnance Survey produces the definitive maps of the country. They contain a wealth of information.
For more details, visit www,ordnancesurvey.co.uk/leisure

Click here if you need an explanation of the terminology on these pages

Click here if you would like to see a bibliography

Click here if you would like to download the freeware "Mordred" font (in True-type for Windows)
so that the headings used on these pages will then look like the following:

Click to go to Pre-Norman crosses in:	England	the island of Ireland	the Isle of Man	Scotland	Wales	Read about the Saints
Click to go to Mediaeval crosses in:	England	the island of Ireland	the Isle of Man	Scotland	Wales

Locality maps at this web-site have been developed using Microsoft AutoRoute Express 2000 (and later editions).

This page is a part of Chris Tolley's web-site. Latest update: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 11:43
Links on my pages can point to other web-sites. If you find that the administrators of those web-sites have made changes which mean you can't access them, please let me know, so I can update or remove the links. As far as I know, none of my links point to sites likely to contain offensive material - but if you discover otherwise, please let me know, as I would like to remove such links from my pages.
return to my home page.	Frequently asked Questions	send me an e-mail
©1996 to 2003: Christopher J. Tolley