Scheduled Monuments›England›Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church

Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church

England
List entry 1017839
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1017839
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.01 hectares
Grid reference
SJ 70908 61061
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church is a medieval monument comprising the stone base of a cross that once stood in the churchyard. The structure consists of a stepped plinth typical of medieval cross bases found throughout England, dating to the medieval period. Such crosses served important functions as focal points for parish gatherings, outdoor worship, and market activities within the ecclesiastical precinct. The survival of this base represents a significant feature of medieval parochial topography and demonstrates the continued use of the churchyard as a ceremonial and communal space.

Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017839. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church?

Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church is a medieval monument comprising the stone base of a cross that once stood in the churchyard. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017839.

Who is responsible for protecting Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church?

Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church 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 1017839.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moated site, fishpond and connecting channel, Minshull Vernon (2.1 km), Murgatroyd's Brine Works (4.9 km), Sandbach Anglo-Saxon crosses (5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Moated site, fishpond and connecting channel, Minshull Vernon
2.1 km
Murgatroyd's Brine Works
4.9 km
Sandbach Anglo-Saxon crosses
5 km
Early medieval sculptural fragments in St Mary's churchyard
5 km
Standing medieval cross 10m south of the nave of St Mary's Church
5 km
King Street Roman fort, Harbutt's Field
5.9 km
Kinderton Hall moated site, two annexes, five fishponds, garden and prospect mound
6 km
Moated site and fishpond north east of Wood Farm
6.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church

Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Stepped cross base in the churchyard of St Leonard's Church

Battle of Nantwich 1644Battle (1644) · ~6.6 milesBattle of Rowton Heath 1645Battle (1645) · ~15.7 milesBattle of Blore Heath (1459)Battle (1459) · ~16.1 milesBattle of Winwick (also known as Battle of Red Bank) 1648Battle (1648) · ~21.8 miles
Domesday entry for Occleston, Cheshire →
All Scheduled Monuments