Kirton market cross today – moved into the churchyard
Parish/DistrictKirton in Holland/Borough of Boston
LocationMoved – now a few metres to the south of the west end of SS Peter and Paul church
CategoryMarket cross (now in the churchyard)
National Grid RefTF 30479 38511
DesignationListed II
Stone TypeLimestone & sandstone (& iron)
RefsAP survey 2 Feb 1994; Davies, D S, 1915, Lincs N & Q, Vol XIII No.6, p.162
VisitsAP: 2 Feb 1994 | DS/HH: not visited

Kirton was granted a market charter in 1308 and became a busy market centre, the importance of the market and town only declining in the 20th century. The market place was on the wide road junction in front of (south of) the parish church of SS Peter and Paul. The 1887 O.S. 25” map shows the remains of the market cross along with a pump and a guide post still in place. Inevitably the whole of the area is now given over to traffic management.

Old photographs of the market place show the ‘butter cross’ and the village pump and at some stage the cross has been converted to form a guide post – which can also be seen in old photographs.

Davies surveyed the cross c.1915. He reports a socket stone that is 0.86m square and 0.46m tall. The shaft is 0.38m square, chamfered to octagonal and 0.61m high. Davies thinks the shaft is modern – but he does not mention the addition of the metal pole and guide post . . . although it must still have been therein 1915. The listing description notes that:  A circular iron plate has been fixed to the top [of the shaft] supporting a metal spike with two twists.

At some time 1940s/50s? this street furniture was moved away and it seems the cross base was moved into the churchyard and positioned near the west end of the church a few metres to the south of the building. Initially it still had its wrought metal pole (which had once held the signboards of the guide post) fastened into it. More recently, this has been removed and only the socket stone and damaged fragment of shaft remain. An ignoble end for Kirton’s market cross.

The cross, pump and guide-post are shown on the 1887 O.S. map (below) – by the time of the postcard (Left – c. 1905) the cross has become the guidepost and a street lamp has joined the grouping

Kirton cross relocated to the churchyard, photographed in 2006, still with its metal pole
Kirton cross today – the metal pole now gone
Kirton in Holland

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