Puleston Cross
Encyclopedia
The Puleston Cross is a Butter cross in the market town
of Newport, Shropshire
The Cross sits in Middle Row, formerly Rotten Row, and denotes the market place. The cross was built in the early 14th century and was moved to this position in 1633 after the new market hall was built by William Adams
.
The inscription on the cross is as follows;
Named memory of Sir John Puleston who lost his life 1272, during the reign of King Edward 1st in campaign against Wales
. It was moved to the current position and then the Butter Cross (market) was built around it by Richard Barnefield in 1632.
Some records indicate that it was rebuilt by Thomas Talbott in 1665. The market was demolished in 1866. It was taken down as there was no further use for it when the new market hall was built."
The Market cross
was spared demolition and given railings to protect the cross from damage; these have since been taken down.
"The market cross consists of five steep octagonal steps leading to the remains of a square-sectioned fluted shaft made from Sandstone and is overall 500cm high"
This meant the designs for the Buttercross pavements were amended so that the footprint of the foundations can be traced and by digging a small, deeper hole around the monument, the team have also unearthed original cobbles which appear to date back hundreds of years and small pieces of china and animal teeth where also found and have been taken away for examination.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Newport, Shropshire
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
The Cross sits in Middle Row, formerly Rotten Row, and denotes the market place. The cross was built in the early 14th century and was moved to this position in 1633 after the new market hall was built by William Adams
William Adams
-Politicians:*Acton Adams , 19th century New Zealand politician*William Adams , MP for Totnes*William Adams , rancher and politician in British Columbia, Canada...
.
The inscription on the cross is as follows;
Named memory of Sir John Puleston who lost his life 1272, during the reign of King Edward 1st in campaign against Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was moved to the current position and then the Butter Cross (market) was built around it by Richard Barnefield in 1632.
Some records indicate that it was rebuilt by Thomas Talbott in 1665. The market was demolished in 1866. It was taken down as there was no further use for it when the new market hall was built."
The Market cross
Market cross
A market cross is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, originally from the distinctive tradition in Early Medieval Insular art of free-standing stone standing or high crosses, often elaborately carved, which goes back to the 7th century. Market crosses can be found in most...
was spared demolition and given railings to protect the cross from damage; these have since been taken down.
"The market cross consists of five steep octagonal steps leading to the remains of a square-sectioned fluted shaft made from Sandstone and is overall 500cm high"
2010 redevelopment
In the summer of 2010 the cobbles that surrounded the monument where removed and replaced with paving, stopping cars parking around the cross, with Archaeologists from English Hermitage caring out work on surroundings of monument, uncovering that the monument had stood in the same position since around 1280 and finding the foundations of the 1850s market hall.This meant the designs for the Buttercross pavements were amended so that the footprint of the foundations can be traced and by digging a small, deeper hole around the monument, the team have also unearthed original cobbles which appear to date back hundreds of years and small pieces of china and animal teeth where also found and have been taken away for examination.