MDE1209 - Late medieval cross shaft in St Peter's Churchyard, Twitchen (Building)

In the churchyard exists the remains of a cross, the top of which has disappeared. [1] SS 7885 3048. Cross set in the churchyard to the south of the church. Type B. Tapering octagonal shaft, lacking head and arms, mounted upon a socket-stone square at the base with corner shoulders and octagonal above. [2] The tapering octagonal cross shaft is 1.7 metres high with 0.3 metre square base below the stops. It has obviously been moved to the west side of the church since Masson Phillips saw it, and the socket stone mentioned is no longer visible. Positioned on 1:2,500. [3,4] Cross shaft approximately 3 metres to the west of the tower of the Church of St. Peter. Probably 15th century or 16th Century. Sandstone. Tapered octagonal shaft, with square base. The head of the cross is missing. [5] Churchyard cross shaft stands 6.5 metres west of the church tower. Cross includes a shaft although the socket stone, head and arms are missing. The shaft is 1.63 metres high, of octagonal section and 3 corner stops are just visible. At the base, the shaft is 0.36 metres in diameter and tapers to 0.17 metres diameter at the top. There is no clear evidence for a socket stone. In 1937 Masson Phillips recorded that the shaft with a socket stone was located to the south of the church. By 1973 it had been moved to its present location and the socket stone appears to be missing or possibly buried. [6] At SS 78840 30486, on the west side of St Peter's Church, 1.66 metres high. The width of the shaft tapers from 0.2 metres at the top to 0.3 metres at the base. The eight faces average 0.1 metres across. At the foot of the shaft is a square base 0.3 metres wide carved from the same piece of stone, though obscured by moss. This is probably the socket stone mentioned by [2]. Cut into the top of the shaft is a central socket. No other fragments are visible in the fabric of the church or around the graveyard. [7] The Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment of 2009 gave the site a survival score of 0. [8] The cross was visited in September 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 4A. [9] The site was surveyed in June 2015 as part of the 2015 Exmoor Scheduled Monument Condition Assessment. It was given a survival score of 0. [10] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [11]