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Summary

Rectangular socket stone for a wayside cross, situated at Beatland Cross on the east side of the road leading to Cadover Bridge, and about 22 metres north of the crossroads. This location is on an important medieval route northwards from Plympton. Beatland Corner socket stone survives more or less in situ, marking the location of a wayside cross at the junction of important medieval routes, along which other significant crosses survive.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Bronze age landscapes on Shaugh Moor and Wooter Moor comprising earthworks and walling of enclosures, hut circles, cairns, stone circles and rows, reaves and field systems, and medieval and post medieval field systems
• Scheduled Monument 1009185: Beatland Corner socket stone: a wayside cross 900m south east of Shaugh Prior church

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SW/14
• Old SAM Ref: 24818
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX56SW17
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WAYSIDE CROSS (Constructed, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Masson Phillips, E. N., 1937, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon: Part I, 305 (Article in Serial). SDV240502.

Beatland Corner, cross, about half a mile from Shaugh Prior, where the road from Shaugh to Cornwood crosses the road from Cadover Bridge to Plympton. On the bank by the roadside. Type A. A socket-stone, roughly rectangular in shape, with a very large rectangular socket-hole, the thin edges of which have been broken.

Ancient Monuments, 1994, Schedule (Schedule Document). SDV273174.

Rectangular socket stone for a wayside cross, of moderately coarse granite. On east side of road leading to Cadover Bridge, about 22 metres north of the crossroads. West edge of stone is 3.5 metres from road edge to west. This location is on an important medieval route north from Plympton.
Base dimensions of the stone are 0.73 metres by 0.63 metres. Maximum height above ground surface is 0.54 metres.
On top surface a neat rectangular socket has been cut, with straight sides. On west and south sides the inner edge of the socket is only 0.12 metres from the outer edge of the stone, while on the east side it is 0.18 metres and on the north side 0.21 metres. The long axis is oriented north-north-east by south-south-west.
Base dimensions are 0.36 metres by 0.26 metres. Top surface has been broken away on west and south edges of socket. Present maximum surviving depth of socket, probably its original depth, is 0.16 metres.
Would once have housed a medieval wayside cross at this important junction.

Watson, A., 2007-2017?, Devon Crosses, 17 (Un-published). SDV360833.

Beatland Corner Cross. A socket-stone on the roadside bank about half a mile from Shaugh Prior, where the road from Shaugh to Cornwood crosses the Cadover to Plympton road. A socket-stone roughly rectangular with a very large rectangular socket hole, the edges of which have been broken.
Socket stone 0.63 metres by 0.61 metres by 0.48 metres. Socket hole 0.35 metres by 0.27 metres by 0.17 metres deep.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

'Cross (remains of)' depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, Accessed 29/06/2016 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

The monument includes a rectangular socket stone for a wayside cross, formed of moderately coarse granite. It is situated at Beatland Cross on the east side of the road leading to Cadover Bridge, and about 22m north of the actual crossroads. The west edge of the stone is 3.5m from the road edge to the west. This location is on an important medieval route northwards from Plympton.
The base dimensions of the stone are 0.73m by 0.63m. The maximum height of the stone above ground surface is 0.54m. On the top surface of the stone a neat rectangular socket has been cut, with straight sides. On the west and south sides the inner edge of the socket is only 0.12m from the outer edge of the stone, while on the east side it is 0.18m and on the north side 0.21m. The long axis of the socket is orientated NNE-SSW.
The base dimensions of this socket are 0.36m(maximum) by 0.26m. The top surface of the stone has been broken away on the west and south edges of the socket. The present maximum surviving depth of the socket, which is likely to be its original depth, is 0.16m. This socket would once have housed a medieval wayside cross at this important junction.
Beatland Corner socket stone survives more or less in situ, marking the location of a wayside cross at the junction of important medieval routes, along which other significant crosses survive.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, SM11 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 06/06/2019. Cross socket is very stable with no deterioration visible or damaging agents in play other than vegetation surrounding the socket.
2 metres to east of the cross is a drainage ditch running parallel to the road but is not impacting on the socket. Photo taken

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, SM11 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Visited 06/06/2019. Photo taken giving an overall view of the cross socket looking north , parallel to the road

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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