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Summary

Modern churchyard cross with war memorial set up after the First World War. Octagonal base utilises an ancient stone, thought to have originated as a cross base, later hollowed out and used as an 'ancient font'. Formerly located in the church, it is probably late medieval. Cross is moulded granite with truncated, moulded arms. Set on a square 19th or 20th century stepped base. Listed 2018.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1452650: Holne War Memorial

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Archive: 100638
• National Monuments Record: SX76NW4
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 444788
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX76NW/12

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CROSS (Constructed, Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• CROSS (Early 20th Century - 1919 AD to 1925 AD?)
• WAR MEMORIAL (Early 20th Century - 1919 AD to 1925 AD?)

Full description

Masson Phillips, E. N., 1937, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon: Part I, 339 (Article in Serial). SDV240502.

Cross in the village. The base of the war memorial cross incorporates an ancient octagonal socket stone that had been hollowed out as a trough, and formerly rested in the church, where it was pointed out as an "ancient font", in which Charles Kingsley was baptised. So trimmed and re-cut that all traces of antiquity have disappeared. Probably the socket stone of the churchyard cross.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951, SX76NW4 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV172073.

(03/07/1951) SX 70656949 The war memorial cross is supported by a base of four octagonal stones of diminishing size one on top of the other. The second stone from the bottom is different in texture from the other granite stones and has signs of weathering. This would appear to be an ancient socket stone.

Starkey, F. H., 1983, Dartmoor Crosses and Some Ancient Tracks, 115-6 (Monograph). SDV345128.

The socket stone probably originally held the cross now in the churchyard, (SX 76 NW 2).

Daniel, M. + Bearne, G., 2011-2021, Dartmoor Crosses, Accessed 31/10/2017 (Website). SDV305618.

Holne Memorial Cross
2.13 metres tall, relatively modern cross, standing on an elaborate pedestal of seven steps, the upper four of which are octagonal in shape.
The inscription reads: "To the glory of God and in honoured memory of the men of Holne who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918".
In addition, the following is inscribed around the base, with one word to each face: "Their glory shall not be blotted out" Ecclus 4: 4-13.
The 3rd pedestal down was once the socket stone of a cross, which was later hollowed out to form a granite trough. It is possible that this was the original socket stone to the nearby Holne Churchyard Cross.
The trough was incorporated into the War memorial when it was first set up shortly after the first World War. This was outside the Churchyard, opposite the Church House Inn. When this site was being developed, during the 1960s, the cross was moved inside the Churchyard for safekeeping.

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

'War Meml' is depicted on the modern mapping.

Dartmoor Trust, 2017-2021, Dartmoor Archive, http://www.dartmoorarchive.org/record/100638 (Website). SDV360491.

Image of the base of the Holne memorial cross, attributed to J. H. Boddy (date unknown), labelled as 'Holne - War Memorial ancient socket (middle)'. No further details.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

The tall granite memorial cross stands in the churchyard, immediately to the south-east of the Church of St Mary the Virgin (Grade I) and close to Grade II-listed structures including a possibly late-medieval cross.
The plain Latin cross, octagonal in section with short, tapered, cross arms, rises from a slim pedestal. The pedestal stands on a three-stage plinth, and the plinth is raised on a three-stepped base. The plinth stages are octagonal in plan whilst the base steps are square on plan.
The principal dedicatory inscription runs across the front three faces of the pedestal. It reads TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN HONOURED MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF HOLNE/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT/ WAR. The dates 1914 – 1918 are inscribed on the upper stage of the plinth below. The plinth’s middle stage, which is the re-used older socket-stone (possibly from the adjacent earlier cross), carries the inscription THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT ECCLUS 44-13, each word on one face.
The commemorated First World War names are listed on the front three faces of the bottom plinth stage, whilst the later Second World War name is recorded on the riser of the upper step of the base, reading 1939 – 1945/ (NAME). An inscription on the front face of this upper step reads ERECTED/ BY GRATEFUL PARISHIONERS. All the inscriptions are in applied metal letters.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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