Boundary stone/cross on Old Fen Dike, near Sutton St James
Parish/DistrictSutton St James/South Holland
Locationon the verge between the road and the dyke, 20m north west of the crossroads of Old Fen Dyke and Broad Gate
CategoryBoundary cross
National Grid RefTF 38103 17293
DesignationScheduled / Listed II
Stone TypeLimestone
RefsAP Survey 24 March 1994; Marratt, W., 1814, The History of Lincolnshire, p.64
VisitsAP: 24 March 1994 | DS/HH: Not visited

There are the remains of a standing cross about 1.4km south west of St Ives Cross at the crossroads of Broadgate and Old Fen Dike. It was drawn by J C Nattes c.1795 and commented on by Marratt (1814 p.64) who states: ‘Nearly three quarters of a mile s. w. of this [St Ives Cross] is another cross, in an inclining posture, somewhat sunk in the earth. Tradition says this was a market-cross, but it is far more probable that these crosses were erected either as boundaries or stations, . . . ‘

These reports make it all the more surprising that Revd Davies seems to have missed this one! He recorded Sutton’s St Ives Cross and also noted a cross to its east which he called White Cross or Sutton Cross (This is now in the parish of Tydd St Mary and is described under that heading) but he did not mention this one. It is not on a current parish boundary, but is thought to be on an earlier boundary.

The cross comprises an almost buried socket stone and a portion of shaft. The socket stone is c.0.8m square with the upper edges and corners slightly chamfered. Where the ground slopes away into the dyke, the stone is at least 0.35m tall. The socket is central, slightly rectangular, and lined with lead.

The fragment of shaft is 0.3 x 0.32m at the base and c.0.9m high with a flat top. It does not taper. The corners, though much eroded, seem to form protruding columns, as suggested in the Nattes drawing. The edges are bumpy, but no crockets survive.

It looks as if the whole structure has been levelled up at some time, as part of the base is underpinned with concrete.

Nattes drawing (c.1795) of the cross on Old Fen Dike, near Sutton St James (c) Lincs Archives
Boundary stone/cross on Old Fen Dike, near Sutton St James
Sutton St James (2)

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