Information for record number MWA689:
Churchyard Cross at Ratley Church

Summary A Medieval cross. It has a stepped base, an octagonal socket stone, an octagonal shaft, and part of the head showing a Crucifixion scene. Its condition is now poor. It stands in the churchyard of St Peter's Church, Ratley.
What Is It?  
Type: Cross, Churchyard
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Ratley and Upton
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 38 47
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Situated on N side of church. Head partly complete, showing Crucifixion on one side, and on the back (?). Original shaft and head set onto an octagonal socket stone with chamfered top edge with signs of carving. shaft is octagonal until it enters socket stone, where it is square. Remains stand on three steps, octagonal in formation.
3 In the churchyard is a 15th century preaching cross 3.7m high with an octagonal shaft on a moulded base and two steps. It has a moulded capital and remains of a carving of the Crucifixion facing W and apparently our Lord in majesty facing E.
4 The three steps are now crumbling away and breaking up. The cross is in poor condition.
5 Scheduled in 1996. The churchyard cross at Ratley is a good example of a medieval standing cross with a stepped base and an octagonal shaft. It is believed to stand in its origianl position and has not been restored. Limited activity in the immediate area indicates that any archaeological deposits are likely to survive intact.
 
Sources

Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 5, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1965
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 5
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Descriptive Text
Title: TBAS vol 68
Author/originator: Nelson J
Date: 1952
Page Number: 86
Volume/Sheet: 68
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Photograph
Title: Medieval Crosses in Warwickshire
Author/originator: Nelson J
Date: 1952
Page Number: Plate 15
Volume/Sheet: 68
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Churchyard Cross, St Peter ad Vincula, Ratley
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1996
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. 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 SHAFT * Use only if function unknown, otherwise use specific type. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CARVING * A carved figure or design. back
monument CHURCHYARD * An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument PREACHING CROSS * A cross, erected on a highway or in an open place, at which monks and others used to preach. back
monument SIGN * A board, wall painting or other structure displaying advice, giving information or directions 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
monument STEPS * A series of flat-topped structures, usually made of stone or wood, used to facilitate a person's movement from one level to another. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record