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Butter Cross is a Grade II* listed market cross located in Witney, Oxfordshire. Dating from the 15th century, it stands as a stone structure that originally served as a focal point for the town's commercial life, particularly for the sale of butter and other produce in the market square. The cross features a polygonal or octagonal plan typical of medieval market crosses, with a central shaft and protective roof structure designed to shelter traders and goods from the weather. It remains an important example of late medieval civic architecture and continues to mark the historical centre of Witney's town plan.
Butter cross is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006360. View the official record →
Butter Cross is a Grade II* listed market cross located in Witney, Oxfordshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006360.
Butter cross is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006360.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rectangular enclosures 1100yds (1010m) NW of Mount Owen Farm (5.7 km), Great kitchen of manor house (7.2 km), The Devil's Quoits (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Butter cross's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Butter cross stands on Great Oolite Group, bedrock that formed in the Bathonian. The rock here is sandstone, limestone and argillaceous rocks.