Information for record number MWA1057:
Site of Cross at Junction of High St and Wood St, Stratford upon Avon.

Summary The original site of a Medieval market cross for which there is documentary evidence from the 14th century. It was taken down in 1821, but a part of it remains in the garden of the Shakespeare Birthplace in Henley Street.
What Is It?  
Type: Cross, Market Cross
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 54
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The first mention of a cross in the High Street is in 1381. In 1431 a new cross, the High Cross, was made. The name is certainly applied to the cross in the High Street in 1464. By 1478 a more substantial structure may have taken its place, for in that year the clock was transferred from the Clockhouse to the 'High Cross'. The structure was depicted by Saunders and appears to be probably of 16th century origin. A new clock was provided in 1730.
2 The cross was pulled down in 1821, but part survives in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
3 The site of the 16th century cross appears to be shown on Henry Winter's map of 1759 as 4 pillars at the east end of High Street, monument moved slightly to this position.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Stratford
Author/originator: Bearman R
Date: 1973
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Verbal communication
Title: Pers. Comm.
Author/originator: B Gethin
Date: 2013 onwards
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey. back
period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument MARKET CROSS * A cross found in a market place. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument HIGH CROSS * A churchyard or memorial cross set on a long shaft. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument CROSS * A free-standing structure, in the form of a cross (+), symbolizing the structure on which Jesus Christ was crucified and sacred to the Christian faith. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record