IS THIS THE MISSING MEDIEVAL STUMPS CROSS STONE?
Could this rare piece of medieval stone be the base of the long lost Stumps Cross?
The landmark once stood at the road junction between Saffron Walden and Cambridge, just north of the village of Littlebury. Although the name still exists, the spot has long been covered by the M11.
A will of Elizabeth Thomys, dated September 6 in what is believed to be 1501, leaves £3.6s.8d for the making of a stone cross against the south door of Littlebury Church. There are no relevant references to a cross at the junction, but the very name implies that there was one.
Recent research suggests it may have been a casualty of the Reformation and thus ejected from the church in the mid 1500s, probably to reside outside the front door of The Gatehouse in Littlebury for the next 450 years.
The landmark once stood at the road junction between Saffron Walden and Cambridge, just north of the village of Littlebury. Although the name still exists, the spot has long been covered by the M11.
A will of Elizabeth Thomys, dated September 6 in what is believed to be 1501, leaves £3.6s.8d for the making of a stone cross against the south door of Littlebury Church. There are no relevant references to a cross at the junction, but the very name implies that there was one.
Recent research suggests it may have been a casualty of the Reformation and thus ejected from the church in the mid 1500s, probably to reside outside the front door of The Gatehouse in Littlebury for the next 450 years.
The cross itself would have been wooden and would have slotted into the top of the stone.
Latterly, the monument was used as a mounting block for generations at the family home of the vendor.
Measuring 23in x 17in, it will appear in the summer country house sale at Sworders in Stansted on June 16, with an estimate of £3,000 to £4,000.
"It is fascinating that important missing artefacts from local history can still come to light like this after centuries," said Sworders auctioneer Guy Schooling. "It makes you wonder just what else is out there waiting to be found."
Herts and Essex Observer
