MM330

St. Thomas a Becket's Churchyard Cross, Wolvesnewton  

06/01/2003  

Designated  

Monmouthshire  

Devauden  

345425  

199754  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Cross  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument consists of a free standing cross in the churchyard of St. Thomas a Becket's church, Wolvesnewton. The cross base comprises four ashlar-built steps 4.0m square at ground level, surmounted by an square/octagonal socket-stone 0.87m wide by 0.60m high with large, plain, broached (or "bull-nosed") stops at the corners. The stone is chamfered at the top edge. The lowest step has a deeply chamfered underside. The octagonal medieval cross-shaft survives to a height of 1.20m, is 0.21m wide at the base, tapering to 0.28m at the top and has short pyramid stops at the base. The modern cross-head dates to 1900. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the organisation and practice of Christianity. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. A cross may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.