Parish/DistrictBenniworth/East Lindsey
Locationc.10m south of tower of St Julian’s church
CategoryChurchyard cross
National Grid RefTF 20938 81767
DesignationScheduled / Listed II
Stone TypeLimestone
RefsAP Survey 10 Mar 1994; Davies, D S, 1915, Lincs N & Q Vol XIII No.5, p.133
VisitsAP: 10 Mar 1994 | DS/HH: NV | DS: 31 Aug 2024

The churchyard cross at Benniworth stands alone in a completely cleared area of the graveyard, 10m south of the tower – it is an almost surreal setting.

The socket stone is massive but has a horizontal fault two-thirds up, that makes it look like two stones – indeed, Davies took it be so, but the unevenness of the joint confirms it is one stone with a major fault – the crack has been repaired with mortar in some places, which has dropped out in others.

The corners of the socket stone are carved into large ‘knobs’ with a deep chamfer along the sides between them. The east corner is in best condition, but the west corner is badly damaged, the stone spalled away revealing the bottom of the shaft in its lead-lined socket.

The socket stone is c. 0.9m x 0.9m square with a maximum height (E corner) of 0.6m. There are crude shallow carvings on the sides of the socket stone which appear to be quatrefoils set in incised square panels.

The shaft is central and is set in lead which can be clearly seen on the west corner where the top of the socket is broken away. It is square stopped to octagonal.  At its base the shaft is 0.26m x 0.26m – it tapers slightly and is 0.24m x 0.24m at the top . It is 0.77m high and the top is flat with no fixings.

On a map of the churchyard inside the porch, the cross is shown as ‘Saxon cross’.

Benniworth cross – deep chamfered edges and ‘knobs’ on the corners.
Benniworth – faint carvings of quatrefoils incised on the sides of the socket stone.
Benniworth – Detail of the shaft set in lead on the damaged west corner
Benniworth- the cross stands all alone – the churchyard has been cleared of gravestones
Benniworth

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *