The Village Cross, its History and what could happen to it!!

The cross, erected in 1835, stood for 76 years before a new one was built in 1911 to celebrate the Coronation of George V. There was obviously great sentimental feeling for the “old” cross which had been a landmark and through the generosity of Lord Londesborough a section of land was gifted to the village adjacent to the present War Memorial (which was not yet there, but also gifted by the landed gentry in 1920). A recess was built and the remnants of the old cross were placed on a set of steps on which the village elders could sit and view the new cross. The new octagonal cross, built in Bath weather stone with an ornamental cap and cross in 15th century Gothic style, standing 16ft 9in (around 5 metres) high, was made in the workshop of Mr F.W. Baldock of Metheringham. The cross which bore the inscription “GVR” in gun metal on the shaft was mounted on an octagonal base in the form of steps, surrounded by a pavement of local stone. The cost of the work amounted to around £60.00 and was met by public subscription.
Prior to the cross being erected a “jar” (time capsule) containing a list of the donors, together with a copy of the Holy Bible, Lord Tennyson’s works, the Times newspaper of 22 June 1911, picture papers and a number of coins were buried under the site. Also in the sealed jar was a message which read “This cross is erected to the glory of God, and in commemoration of the Coronation of our Sovereign Lord King George V, June 22nd 1911. Long may he reign. When they again see the light of a far distant day, may it be the noon-tide of that reign of world-wide peace that has been the cherished object of Britons under Edward VII, the Peacemaker.”
The ceremony to unveil the new cross was reported on in the Lincolnshire Gazette of 26 August 1911 where it said
“Metheringham was quite a centre of interest on Saturday afternoon and there was a large assembly of visitors and parishioners to witness the unveiling by Lord Londesborough of the newly constructed cross. Owing to the dilapidated condition of the old cross, it was, after advice had been taken as to the antiquarian interest, pulled down, and this new one erected, as a memorial of the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. It is handsome and durable and forms a conspicuous feature on the site of the old one. The ceremony on Saturday was presided over by Mr J. Scoley, Chairman of the Parish Council. The Chairman in his opening remarks, referred to the lateness of the celebration. The committee appointed to arrange the celebration decided to make a permanent memorial to celebrate the event and it was decided to build a new cross. Dr J. E. Ellis explained the meaning of the old cross, saying there were similar erections in all parts of the country – some of them built in the Middle Ages. The history of the erection of the present cross was well known. The one that precede it had gone through neglect, partly through age. An ugly lamp was placed on top of it and it was felt generally throughout the village that it was somewhat of a disgrace. A meeting was held to consider how best to celebrate the Coronation, and it was unanimously decided that a new cross be erected on the site of the old one. It was agreed to take expert opinion as to whether the old cross ought to be preserved and as a result
preserved and as a result it was found that there was nothing to show that the erection was any older than 1835. As it was so dilapidated it was decided to take it down and build an entirely new one”.
This Cross was to stand for only 36 years before it was accidentally knocked down by a US Army Truck around January 1945. A local resident who witnessed the accident portrayed the incident to one of our local historians as follows, “Around lunch time I was cycling down Mill Lane (Prince’s Street) towards the Cross Hill on my way to my mother’s in Drury Street. It was snowy and the roads were icy. I was near to the Star and Garter when I saw an American Army Lorry coming up the High Street passed the old school building. It started to slip on the icy road and the driver could not control it and it skidded across the road, not stopping until it had totally demolished the Cross. Having virtually fallen off my bike and badly shaken I shakely got back on my bike and continued on my way to Drury Street for my lunch”.
Being at War at this time the Parish Council was reluctant to spend good money on replacing the Cross and for two years this issue was hotly debated at Council Meetings. Then in January 1947 Tuttell’s of Lincoln, who were in the process of adding names to the War Memorial, advised the Council that they had some suitable stone to rebuild the cross. It then took until November 1949 for the present Cross to be officially unveiled by the Chairman of the Parish Council. Two years later, in April 1951, the Parish Council received notification from the Ministry of Works that Cross Hill was to be scheduled as an “Ancient Monument.”
This means that there has been a Cross on Cross Hill for at least 170 years and probably much longer.
To move to the present time:
In recent copies of this magazine we have tried to regularly update our readers on the on-going proposed regeneration scheme for the centre of our village. Such scheme, under the auspices of Lincolnshire Development and Arts NK, was in principle, a proposal to upgrade the area around the Village Cross. Unfortunately at the latest Open Meeting the “key” players suggested that from the workshops held in the village during the Summer, the best way forward was to remove “our” Cross in its entirety. Those present made it known to the delegates that this would be totally unaccepted by our parishioners. The thinking behind their suggestion was that the site of the present Cross is not a site of historical importance and the location of the remnants of the “old” cross in the small alcove adjacent to the War Memorial is in fact the “listed” site. This in fact is not the case as “Cross Hill” in its entirety is a scheduled “Ancient monument” as previously quoted. It was further felt by the delegates, to replace it with a “new” monument would not be cost effective. No matter which of these is viewed as the Monumental “Site” it was viewed by those parishioners at the meeting that it would be criminal to remove our Cross totally. What ever condition the present Cross might be in, it is the focal point of Metheringham and it would not be Cross Hill without the Cross!
In the light of this it is paramount that we fight to the bitter end to ensure our cross is not taken away. However, many of us wish to move forward with this project and we need your views on the type of cross you would like to see in your village. Perhaps you are happy with what we have at present. Whatever your point of view, we need to hear from you, so please send your comments to the Editor, or to the Parish Council, via the Parish Clerk.