The Butter Cross in

Dunster Dunster is a village that is home to Celtu and civil parish in Somerset, England, within the north-eastern boundary of Exmoor National Park. It lies on the Bristol Channel southeast of Minehead and northwest of Taunton. At the 2011 Census, ...

within the English county of

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The cross was originally erected in the late 14th or early 15th century in the main street, and was moved to its current site in the late 18th or early 19th century. Although the head of the cross is missing, the shaft and socket stone are original. The cross is in the care of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

and is managed by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

History

The name

Buttercross A buttercross, butter cross or butter market cross is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. The name originates from the fact that the crosses were located in market places, where people ...

originates from its location in

market place A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

s, where people from neighbouring

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

s would gather around the

market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosses ...

to buy locally produced products. The fresh produce was laid out and displayed on the stepped bases of the cross. The market in Dunster attracted people from surrounding villages and towns as far away as

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

and

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

. The Dunster Butter Cross was erected in the late 14th or early 15th century and originally stood on the High Street, possibly at the southern end of the high street, near the Yarn Market. A cross, which was later known as the high cross, was recorded in 1461; by 1689 it was known as the Butter Cross. It was moved to its current location on St George's Street at the edge of the village, although the date when this was done is unclear. The site where the cross now stands was levelled in 1776 by workmen, paid by Henry Fownes Luttrell, and it may have been on this occasion that the cross was moved. An alternative local tradition is that it was moved in 1825, although a drawing by

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

made in 1811 suggests it was in its present position by then. The cross is in the care of

and is managed by the

Architecture

The cross comprises a shaft with a plinth and socket stone forming the base. The octagonal base and polygonal shaft have survived, but the head of the cross has been lost. It stands on a small area of raised ground. The socket stone is wide and high. The surviving shaft is high and changes from a square to octagonal as it rises. There is an inscription on the northern face which says "WC, 1871, WS" recording a restoration.

References

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External links

Dunster Butter Cross English Heritage

Dunster Butter Cross - Dunster Village
Scheduled monuments in West Somerset Grade II* listed buildings in West Somerset Market crosses in England

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links