Sudbrooke cross – near the south door of Edward the Confessor church – It was restored in 1861, but the socket stone and lower shaft may be medieval
Parish/DistrictSudbrooke/West Lindsey
Locationto the south west of the south door of the church of St Edward the Confessor
CategoryChurchyard cross (restored cross)
National Grid RefTF 03104 76071
DesignationListed II
Stone TypeLimestone
RefsAP Survey 4 Aug 1997; Davies, D S, 1915, Lincs N & Q, Vol XIII No.6 p.217
VisitsAP: 4 Aug 1997| DS/HH: 3 Oct 2000 | DS 26 Aug 2024

Sudbrooke has a churchyard cross near to the south door of the church of St Edward the Confessor. Its origins and history are not clear: White’s 1856 Directory (p.158) records: ‘The church (St Edward) is a plain brick building, and has in its burial ground the remains of an ancient cross’.

Surprisingly (for it was entirely unremarkable) J C Nattes drew the brick church at Sudbrooke (c.1800) and included the churchyard cross in his drawing (see below) – thus confirming its antiquity.

Sudbrooke church was entirely rebuilt in 1860-2 by John Dobson (Pevsner p.729) and it is reported (see newspaper report below) that the cross was also to be restored (1862) – It seems that the sockets stone and shaft were in good condition and only a new stepped base and cross-head were required. But Davies (1915) seemed of the opinion that all of it was all modern. When he recorded it, it had a 10 foot (3m) shaft and a ‘gracefully designed cross’.

When listed, in 1977, the shaft had collapsed and was lying in undergrowth – it seems to have been listed on the basis that the surviving piece of shaft was thought to be medieval.

When surveyed by Alison in 1997, it had been repaired – she though the socket stone possibly medieval but the steps and shaft to be modern reconstructions – It has a new (sandstone) knop but the cross head had not been replaced. She thought it was probably not in situ and did not recommend it for scheduling.

When we visited, we thought that although the socket stone was very plain, it could well be medieval. Also, the lower part of the shaft looks medieval. The socket is much larger than the present shaft installed within it, suggesting the lower part of the shaft was missing; there is only c. 2m of shaft today – not the 3m reported by Davies. There were fragments of a stone cross-head lying on the steps, which could well have been part of the ‘gracefully designed cross‘ reported by Davies.

Nattes drawing of the old brick church at Sudbrooke, with the standing cross in the foreground (c) Lincs Archives
Newspaper report in the Lincolnshire Chronicle of 3 October 1862 stating the cross base and shaft are in good condition and the intention to restore the cross
The plain socket stone at Sudbrooke – the slender shaft sits in a much bigger socket than is required

A modern knop is attached to the (possibly) medieval shaft (left) – it has a metal peg on its top which once held a cross-head. Fragments of a broken cross-head (below) are placed on the steps below

The churchyard cross at Sudbrooke today – the steps and knop are modern (1861) but the socket stone and shaft may be medieval.
Sudbrooke

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