Information for record number MWA721:
Medieval cross, Priors Marston

Summary Findspot - part of a stone cross was found near the church yard in Priors Marston. It is thought to be the remains of the churchyard cross.
What Is It?  
Type: Findspot, Cross, Churchyard
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Priors Marston
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 48 57
(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 Medieval cross-head unearthed in 1976, beside the churchyard. It was presented to the church. It is presumed to have belonged to the former churchyard cross, of which no other trace has survived. The loss of the heads of the figures suggests defacement by the iconoclasts in the 16th century or 17th century. The unusually elaborate sculpture has as its main scene the Crucifixion, flanked by standing figures of Our Lady and St John the Apostle. On the reverse, Our Lady is seated with the infant Jesus, between kneeling figures whose identity is uncertain. The standing, robed figures on the narrow sides of the cross-head are also unidentified. The whole is supported on the bowed shoulders belonging to two splendidly grinning faces. The cross-head is of Cotswold limestone and the work of a sculptor trained in the West Country. It dates from the last quarter of the 14th century.
2 Correspondence containing description as above.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Correspondence
Title: Stone cross fragment in Priors Marston
Author/originator: Lamb, R.G
Date: 1976
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Descriptive Text
Title: The Priors Marston Cross Head
Author/originator: Lamb, R.G.
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
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 YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FINDSPOT * The approximate location at which stray finds of artefacts were found. Index with object name. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CHURCHYARD * An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground. back
monument SCULPTURE * A figurative or abstract design in the round or in relief, made by chiselling stone, carving wood, modelling clay, casting metal, or similar processes. 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