Huttoft churchyard cross – restored in 1895and repaired after a gale in 1903 (Photo: Jonathan Thacker)
Parish/DistrictHuttoft/East Lindsey
Locationsouth of the nave of St Margaret’s church
CategoryChurchyard cross
National Grid RefTF 51161 76405
DesignationListed II
Stone TypeLimestone
RefsAP Survey 14 June 1995; Davies, D. S., 1915, Lincs N & Q, Vol XIII No.5, p.156
VisitsAP:14 Jun 1995 | DS/HH: 29 Sept 2005

The strange tale of Huttoft churchyard cross . . . Davies tells us: ‘This cross was restored in the year 1895, but unfortunately it was blown down in a gale during 1903, and very much damaged. The present Rector and Churchwardens carefully gathered the broken portions and had the cross so skilfully re-erected and restored that the damage is hardly noticeable.’ He describes it thus: ‘It consists of two modern steps, base (half of which is old) and shaft surmounted by a canopied crucifix with figures of St. John and The Virgin on either side. A portion of the shaft is ancient. 1st step is 5 ft. 7 ins. sq., 2nd step is 3 ft. 11 ins. sq. and 6 ins, deep, the base is 281/2 ins. sq. and 18 ins, deep, the shaft is 11 ins. sq. at the bottom, then octagonal.’

Alison records that the eastern half of the socket stone (longitudinally) is medieval, along with the lower (0.88m) of the shaft. Everything else appears to date from the 1895 restoration, The socket stone is 0.74m square and 0.46m high with a chamfered top edge. The shaft is 0.29m square at the bottom with chamfered broach stops to form a regular octagonal section. An oddity in the shaft is a small (9 cm high) shaft fragment, fitted into the shaft – perhaps part of the 1903 repair?

Newspaper report of the cross restoration from the Boston Guardian, 28 December 1895
This photograph (courtesy Richard Darcy) is from a collection of Nainby glass negatives. Nainby was an Alford photographer active c.1780-1800. He took several photos of the restored Huttoft cross (presumably in 1895) and they clearly show the new and old masonry. They do not show the repair on the upper shaft, which was presumably a result of the gale damage of 1903.
The restored socket stone of Huttoft cross. The western (left) side is medieval as is the lower part of the shaft
The lower part of the cross shaft is medieval – note the small inserted section of shaft – presumably gale-damage repair?
Huttoft

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