Relhan Collection : 138 Coton, Wayside cross

Relhan, Richard, 1782-1844

Relhan Collection

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>Only the truncated shaft remains above ground of this medieval wayside cross, having lost its pedestal (or this has been buried) and much of its height. It now stands 163 cm above ground level, and at the base measures 32 X 35 cm. It is made of Barnack limestone. A faint hollow with a raised central ridge runs down all 4 faces but otherwise it is lichen covered and worn almost smooth. It is sited on the Coton side of Bin Brook before this runs into the Cam, set just within woodland and is visible on the roadside as long as vegetation around it is cut back. The road once turned a sharp dog-leg here, and travellers would turn near this cross immediately after crossing the brook over Stonebridge (which no longer exists except as a slight rise in the road). It would therefore act as a waymarker as well as marking the extreme SE of the parish, perhaps reflecting boundary disputes with the parent parish of Grantchester. Being on the parish boundary it could also have been a stopping and praying point for ceremonies associated with Rogationtide festivals. There were 3 gilds in Coton, one of which, St Catherine’s, owned a guildhall opposite the church, and all would have been involved in these processions. Sketches made of the site in the later C19 show it as an idyllic place for couples to meet and travellers to rest. The cottage Relhan shows no longer exists.</p><p>Fowle 2013; RCHME 1968</p></p>