Parish/District | Huttoft/East Lindsey |
Location | south of the nave of St Margaret’s church |
Category | Churchyard cross |
National Grid Ref | TF 51161 76405 |
Designation | Listed II |
Stone Type | Limestone |
Refs | AP Survey 14 June 1995; Davies, D. S., 1915, Lincs N & Q, Vol XIII No.5, p.156 |
Visits | AP: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?