Our Saturday walk continued eastwards through Spaunton village to this stone cross which overlooks the village of Lastingham.
Stone crosses and other standing stones are probably more common on the North York Moors than in any other part of Britain. They vary widely in age and purpose. One of the best known is Ralph Cross, on Blakey Ridge, which was adapted and included in the emblem of the North York Moors.
Some crosses mark the site of a local market if they are in a town or village. Some are route markers, while others commemorate particular events.
This cross is known as Victoria Cross, and it was carved and erected in 1897 to mark the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. It commands a lovely view over Spaunton Moor to the north, and the bench just behind it was out lunchtime picnic stop. Unfortunately, by the end of our lunch we had a short but intense shower of rain, as you can see with the wet stone.
There are other crosses in the area. To the south, beside the road to Appleton le Moor are two very old crosses - High Cross and Little Cross - and both would have been route markers showing the way between Appleton le Moor and Lastingham well before the modern road existed.
To the north of Lastingham village is a modern millennium cross. At least three crosses can be found on the North York Moors commemorating the millennium in 2000.
In remote moorand areas the crosses can be a reassuring presence to help with navigation. I've also done several walks to find and take photos of some of the more remote crosses.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
This cross looks in very good condition considering that it is 125 years old - but there are crosses almost 10 times older than that, with the oldest thought to date back to the 10th century. It is amazing that we can share this physical link with people from all that time ago.
Ian
July 26th, 2022
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Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
This cross looks in very good condition considering that it is 125 years old - but there are crosses almost 10 times older than that, with the oldest thought to date back to the 10th century. It is amazing that we can share this physical link with people from all that time ago.
Ian