Alford

Parish/District	Alford/East Lindsey
Location	Alford (Tothby Manor) 2m from east wall of Tothby Manor Farmhouse – in use as a garden feature.
Category	Wayside Cross (?)
National Grid Ref	TF 4445 7668
Designation	None
Stone type	Good quality Jurassic oolitic limestone
Refs	Lincs HER: Mee, A., 1949, The King’s England: Lincolnshire, p. 12-134
Visits	DS/HH: 29 Sept 2005 | DS/DAS: 10 Apr 2015

A cross base/socket stone, reported as moved from its original position and now used as a garden ornament, 2m from from east wall of Tothby Manor Farm House, having been relocated recently from the front of the house. Stone is 85cm x 84cm by 60cm tall with a chamfer of c. 9cm. The socket is 39cm E-W x 27.7cm N-S and 27cm deep (later modified for unknown function. a smaller rexctangular socket (20cm x 14cm) has also been cut into the side and there are two small slots on its west face (4cm x 2cm)

The Lincolnshire HER records a ‘Large wayside cross base …, known as ‘Plague Stone’. Traditionally from Miles Cross Hill’. The road from Alford to Ulceby Cross (now the A1104) is known as Miles Cross Hill, but it is not known where the cross originated – Could it have been the origin of the nearby Ulceby Cross placename?

The Plague Stone folktale is reported in many locations – the Alford version is given by Rawnsley (1914) and reiterated by Mee (1949) as follows: ‘A tragic period in Alford’s history began on a summer’s day in 1630 when the vicar wrote in his register the awesome words “the plague begins”. The scourge lingered on until the following February, having in those dread months carried off no fewer than 132 of the townsfolk. A link with those unhappy far off days is to be seen under a weeping ash on the lawn of the old Manor House at Tothby…. A stone about a yard square – doubtless the base of an old cross originally – it was used as a plague stone during the pestilence, probably on the road to Spilsby.’

The socket stone has a rectangular depression a few cms deep, of unknown function, cut into one of its sides (see photo), possibly indicative of some secondary use.

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Note on size:

Location: 2m from east wall of Tothby Manor Farmhouse – in use as a garden feature.

Size:  850 x 840 mm 600mm high to top of chamfer – chamfer is c.90mm. S/S is 600mm deep – all visible

Main socket is 390 (E/W) x 2770mm (N/S) and is 270mm deep  but has been later modified on its south side with a sloping edge from top down to 160mm deep with a channel connecting the recess to the edge of the block (just visible on photo)

There is a secondary rectangular socket cut into the side (N face) of stone 301mm from top and 310 mm from edge. The socket is 200 x 140mm. Function unknown

There are two small slots cut into the west face of the stone c. 40 x 20mm, about half way down and regularly spaced Clearly this S/S has had a secondary use requiring modifications

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