Kilnsea Cross

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Kilnsea Cross

THE KILNSEA CROSS

One of the most enigmatic relics to have survived from the Spurn peninsular is a medieval stone cross. Known as the Kilnsea Cross, this feature, thankfully illustrated c1818 remains, but its meaning and original location is a mystery still despite decades of research by dedicated local antiquarians. It is impossible to say if this cross, which is preserved on private property in the village of Hedon, in Holderness, originated at Kilnsea, Ravenser Odd, or at any of the other lost communities along the fast eroding Holderness coast.

The design of the cross head is similar but distinct from another from the village of Leven, several miles north, near Hornsea. The carved figures and heraldic devices are similar, but those of the Kilnsea Cross appear to be considerably more primitive by comparison. The Leven Cross, found in St. Faith’s church (demolished), which now resides within the confines of the Holy Trinity church in the village, appears from the drawing contained in the Victoria County History to be much more sophisticated in execution, and yet the three dimensional depiction of human and animal figures seems common to both.

The documented history of the cross begins and ends with the Gentleman’s Magazine, 1821, Vol. XCl, part II, page 17, which says:

“Mr. Urban, June 24 th

The accompanying engraving (see the Frontispiece) represents the west view of Kilnsea Cross, upon the coast of Holderness, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

This ancient cross, according to tradition, was originally erected at the town of Ravenspurn (a place of importance before the foundation of Kingston upon Hull), to commemorate the landing of Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, afterwards king Henry the Fourth, in the year 1399. The appearance of the two latter numeral figures formerly observed on the cross, seem to support this conjecture. Ravenspurn was also celebrated for the landing of Edward Duke of York, afterwards King Edward the Fourth, in the year 1471.

“In the year 1818 the cross was taken down on account of the encroachment of the sea, and removed into the park of Marmaduke Constable Esq. at Burton Constable in Holderness.

“The cross is engraved by permission of Mr John Child of Easington, from drawings taken by him previous to its removal, and presented by the late Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. to the Society of Antiquaries.

“The east side of the cross, as it appeared after its demolition, is shown in the vignette. B.H.”

When this and the Leven crosses are compared to yet another, that of Middleham in north Yorkshire, the immediate thought comes to mind that the wide plinths of the Kilnsea and Middleham crosses are very similar. That at Middleham is called the Market Cross, does this mean therefore that the Kilnsea Cross too was a market cross, and if so, what exactly does it mean? According to Wikipedia: “a market cross is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, originally from Western European architecture. Market crosses can be found in most market towns in Britain, with those in Scotland known as "mercat crosses". This however does not tell the entire story. For a community to hold a market in the medieval period it was necessary for that community to be in possession of a royal license to hold a market. We know already that Ravenser Odd was in the possession of such a license: “On the 22 nd of February 1250-1, King Henry III granted to William de Fortibus a charter giving him the right to free-warren in the lands of the lordship of Pocklington, and for Ravenser Odd to hold a weekly market and also a yearly fair of sixteen days”. Another market cross from north Yorkshire, that at Bedale has an almost identical column, and is of a similar height by proportion to the plinth base. The only serious alternative to the market cross hypothesis is that it was a Sanctuary Cross, and this should be considered. For there to have been such a cross, there would have had to have been a place of sanctuary. These were places where criminals could claim sanctuary from arrest by the authorities, but the strictures of such sanctuaries were severe. One could be tempted to wander into the history of such sanctuaries, but it is necessary not to get side-tracked. In general sanctuary crosses were different in their plinth design from market crosses. The former had much narrower bases when compared to the latter. This might not seem to be a great detail, but it is significant. Not only that, but in the Spurn area, there cannot have been many, if any such places where a sanctuary cross could have been a part of, such as a very large church, abbey &c. The only such is the abbey of Meaux and the collegiate church at Beverley, both of which are a considerable distance from Spurn.

[ http://www.yorkshirehistory.com/RAVENSER/beginning.htm ]

If therefore this was indeed the market cross from Odd, then it could date to the late 1250’s, which would go some way to explaining the crudeness of the carving when compared to that of the Leven cross, which is dated two hundred years later.

The reasons for the need of a cross where commercial transactions took place are, when one thinks about it, quite obvious. Any oath or transaction taken or made beneath the sacred cross would be binding, legal, and faithful under God. Other than that, the cross also acted as a beacon to out of town traders, once they had located the cross, they knew they were within the precinct of the market area and could set up for business.

The depiction of the cross c1818 shows some heraldic devices, as mentioned. These are as follows:

On the east side:

A fleur-de-lis; a shield surrounded by an angel head and wings, the shield bearing what appears to be intertwined upper-case letter ‘V’s.

On the west side:

A fleur-de-lis; a shield surrounded by an angel head and wings, the shield showing a plain cross, such as that of England or St. George.

The eight sided column is shown broken into several sections, of which one would appear to have carvings of saints on four sides, possibly originally they faced towards the cardinal points of the compass, but this is highly speculative. The actual cross head is shown from both sides. It is a highly ornate and unusual work showing from the top, a figure of a dressed woman beneath the remnants of an arched cover, holding a wreath above the head of a standing naked figure of a man. Initial thoughts say this is a crucifixion, but it is not, his arms are by his sides, not outstretched. He stands in-front of what appears to be a cross, but possibly a cross with two sets of arms, like that of Lorraine. Flanking the male figure are two women, these discernable only by their breasts, which seem to be uncovered. Both the female figures are resting their arms on the lower set of arms of the ‘cross’ giving them the appearance of sitting up in bed! Beneath them are depictions of either hounds or sheep, it is difficult to determine precisely. They are outward facing, with their rear-ends in the centre, their tails up-curving, forming an ornate base for the male figure to stand on. Sweeping down and outwards from the rear legs of the animals are two gargoyle-type busts both looking towards the ground, or to Hell, perhaps? The whole might be meant to represent the Ascension, with a crowned Jesus rising from his tomb flanked by his mother Mary and Mary Madeleine, and the ‘sheep’ representing His flock, tempted as always by base instincts that lead to Hell or Purgatory. It has been pointed out to me that taken in its simplest form, the whole looks rather like an anchor, which is has to be said, when looked at again, is a possibility. It is known from the archaeological record that stock anchors were in use in the medieval period, but whether they date back to c1300, is not so certain.

The depiction of the western side of the cross-head is shown a-top of the octagonal column. This shows beneath the remnants of the arched cover, a seated woman, possibly the Virgin Mary, with a crown or wreath held over her head by another, fully dressed, woman or angel. These two figures are positioned at the top of the cross piece of a crucifix upon which is suspended the figure of a man in a loin-cloth with his arms out-stretched along the arms of the cross. On either side of him is a woman or angel, both of which appear to be in mourning. They then form the means for the projecting gargoyle figures on this side of the cross-head. These two however seem to be mythical beasts rather than grotesque people. One possibly is a sea-horse, the other is less identifiable. This it would seem is an interpretation of the Crucifixion of Christ, but yet again, from this aspect there is still the semblance of an anchor if the whole is seen in silhouette.

An entablature beneath this collection surmounts the collar which contains the heraldic devices. The column then leads down to an expanded collar tapering outwards by sections to form the base of the column; this then stands upon a three tiered stone base or plinth.

The eastern aspect of the monument is shown in a derelict state with the column broken into three or four parts, the cross-head of which is shown resting vertically on the grass. Quite why John Child chose this composition has gone to the grave with him, however, the article from the Gentleman’s Magazine as quoted above does provide an answer of sorts. On condition that his drawing is representative of the truth, then it goes a long way to seeing the current remains, some two hundred years older, with a little more comprehension. The cross and its head as it stands today is little more than a lichen encrusted oddity, an unrecognisable relic of times past, which may have been saved from the inundation of Ravenser Odd and removed thence to a safer site at Kilnsea, which haven was but a stop-gap as Kilnsea itself fell victim the relentless waves of the sea. According to tradition, it was then moved by one of the Holderness Constable’s to their seat at Burton Constable. After spending some years in an outbuilding, still dismantled, it was acquired by James Iveson who intended it to form a centre-piece for a new square of houses to be known as Holyrood. The scheme was never fulfilled however, Mr. Iveson had to settle for building Holyrood House instead, at which location the cross remains today.

This might indeed be the only object to remain from that enigmatic place called Ravenser Odd, the rest plundered or washed away, this cross, be it a market cross or some other kind, is there to remind us, should we need it, that Odd was of sufficient importance to be able to afford this monument and that where it once stood, people lived their lives, died and were buried, and yet all has vanished beneath the waves, gone forever, except perhaps for this inscrutable Cross.

My sincere thanks and gratitude must go to Philip Mathison, Peter and Jan. Crowther without whom this addition to the history of Ravenser Odd could not have been achieved. Peter Crowther, in particular, who has generously permitted to the use of his personal photographs taken of the cross only a couple of years ago. These are to my knowledge very rare glimpses of this monument, and possibly unique.