York Historic Environment Record

Boundary marker. 1677 inscription, possibly on an earlier cross shaft. Limestone. Square-section base approximately one metre square and 0.25 metres in height, supporting a square-section shaft approximately 0.50 metres square and 1.50 metres in height. Inscriptions to each face. To south: Ebor Monkward Stray. Mat Walls. Jo Blackburn. John Beforth. Edgoforth. Pasture Masters 1677. To east: This cross repaired in the year 1782 by Wm Bamburgh, John Dale, Jos Gorwood, Ricd Pearson. Pasture Masters. To west: This cross was blown down by the great wind on the 7th of January 1839 and replaced by her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland 1840. To north: Restored by John Hetherton in 1912. The ashes of John Hetherton who died Feb 14th 1937 aged 74 years lie around this stone.
Listing NGR: SE6695758581

Derived from English Heritage LB download dated: 22/08/2005

NMR:
[SE 66955857] Sandburn Cross [L.B.] (Remains of)

Close to Sandburn Mill is a stone cross in the form of a rough
obelisk. The base, raised on one step, is apparently medieval,
and the shaft is inscribed on 3 faces. One face refers to the
cross as having been repaired in 1782 and another states that
the cross was blown down on 7.1.1839 and replaced by the Duchess
of Sutherland in 1840. It probably marks the bounds of one of
the Commons of the freemen of York.

Description correct. The third inscription attests the
erection of the cross in 1677, whilst the fourth face records a
further restoration in 1912. See G.P.

The approximately 2m tall cross shaft is set into a 0.5m square base positioned centrally on a 1m square plinth whose top is now flush with the ground surface. The cross shaft is inscribed on all four sides:

East Face:
EBOR
Monkward
STRAY
Mat Walls
Jo Blakburn
John Beforth
Edgoforth
Pasture
Masters
1677

South Face:
This Cross
Repaired
in the year
1782
by Willm
Bambrough
John Dale
Jos Gorwood
Ricd Pearson
Pasture
Masters

North Face:
This Cross
was blown
down by the
Great Wind
on the 7th of
Jany 1839
and replaced
by Her Grace
the Dutchess
of Sutherland
1840

West Face:
Restored
by
John
Heatherton
in
1912

The ashes of
John
Heatherton
who
died Feby 9th
1937
Aged 74 Years
lie around
this stone.

The idetification of the cross as Medieval in the Victoria County History may be the result of the east face inscription being missed and unrecorded at the time (the east face is away from the trackway beside the cross and may have been onscured by undergrowth as it is currently). Given that the corss seems to date from 1677 and has been repaired at least three times since then, it is recommended that Grade II listed status is the appropriate level of protection for the monument and that no further scheduling action is taken. (4)

1 Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. OS 6", 1958
2 VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION VCH Yorks, (N.R.) 2, 1923, 191
3 Field Investigators Comments F1 ECW 27-JUN-67
4 English Heritage Alternative Action Report Eric Instone, MPPA, 6 June 1997
Reports produced by English Heritage on monuments being considered for Scheduling Status, but rejected.

Mark Barratt, 2009, Sandburn Cross (Unpublished document). SYO1380.