Heritage Gateway

Shropshire HER

HER Number (PRN):	03700
Name:	Churchyard cross and sundial, St John the Baptist's Church
Type of Record:	Monument
Protected Status:	Listed Building (II) 1177664:
	Scheduled Monument 1015284: Churchyard cross

Monument Type(s):

CROSS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1540 AD)
SUNDIAL (18th century - 1700 AD to 1799 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument and Listed Building: Though later altered to house an 18th century sundial, this is still a good example of a medieval churchyard cross with a hexagonal socket stone, and is believed still to stand in its original position.

Parish:	Ruyton-XI-Towns, Oswestry, Shropshire
Map Sheet:	SJ32SE
Grid Reference:	SJ 3947 2214

Related records

00860	Related to: Church of St. John the Baptist, Ruyton-XI-Towns (Monument)
01123	Related to: Ruyton XI Towns Castle (Monument)

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

ESA3173 - 1983 field observation by Shropshire County Council
ESA3174 - 1984 field observation by Shropshire County Council

Description

A 27cm diameter ..sundial..It stands to a total height of 1.17m to the SW of the main entrance to the church (SA 860) just to the N of the churchyard wall. P Ward FI 1983 <1>

The hexagonal base of the sundial is in fact the base of a medieval cross shaft. M Watson FI 1984 <2>

Sundial. Dated 1725 but base is possibly earlier. Sandstone. Stepped hexagonal plinth has octagonal shaft with moulded plinth and capping. Brass gnomon and plate, latter inscribed Edmd Bullock Ellesmere Fecit 1725 Peter Bassnett James Alexander Church Wardens around the rim. The hexagonal base may possibly be that of a medieval churchyard cross <3>

MPP Medium score as one of 31 Standing Crosses <5>

Scheduled in 1996. Scheduling description: ->

-> The monument includes a standing stone cross located in the churchyard of St John the Baptist at Ruyton-XI-Towns, c.18m south west of the south porch. The cross takes the form of a hexagonal plinth, socket stone and shaft, of medieval date, and is Listed Grade II. The socket stone is hexagonal in plan and sits on a hexagonal plinth, both having a diameter of 0.9m. The shaft is also octagonal in section and 0.9m high. A separate knob has been cemented to the top of the shaft and the lead rivet through the centre of this has been partly exposed on one side. The concrete base and copper rivets of the 18th century sundial which once surmounted the shaft remain, although the dial itself has been removed. In all the cross stands to a height of 1.2m. The grave marker to the east of the cross is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included <5>

Photographs taken on 15th May 2015. Top part of column and head replaced at some point and sundial plate refitted. <8>

Sources

[00]	SSA20722 - Card index: Shropshire County Council SMR. Site and Monuments Record (SMR) cards. SMR record cards. SMR Card for PRN SA 03700.
[01]	SSA8954 - Site visit report: Ward Penny A. 1983-Aug-01. Visit Notes, 01/08/1983.
[02]	SSA8955 - Site visit report: Watson Michael D. 1984-Jun-08. Visit Notes, 1984.
[03]	SSA2144 - List of Buildings: Department of the Environment (DoE). 1987-Oct-21. 20th List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Vol 1574-0. List volume. p93.
[03a]	SSA3099 - Monograph: Cranage D H S. 1908. An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire Vol 9. Vol 9. p825.
[04]	SSA8953 - Photograph: Watson Michael D. 1984. Sundial and Cross Base, Ruyton XI Towns (1 Slide). Colour.
[05]	SSA20084 - TEXT: Horton Wendy B. 1990/ 1991. MPP Evaluation File.
[06]	SSA8952 - Scheduled Monument notification: English Heritage. 1997. Scheduling Papers (New Scheduling, 23/12/1996). 29362.
[07]	SSA12963 - Photograph: Ward Penny A. 1983-Aug. Sundial, Ruyton XI Towns - Film 227, Frames 21 to 22. Black and white. 35mm.
[08]	SSA27226 - HER comment: Haynes J B. 2014 onwards. Comments by J B Haynes, HER Compiler.

Date Last Edited:	Mar 11 2024 11:40AM

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