In the Middle Ages they were often used as gathering points in the centres of communities, generally as venues for regular markets.

[1] Although their origins are unclear, they are generally believed to derive from the High crosses or free-standing stones of the Early Mediaeval period.

[3] Historic England suggests that the presence of a cross in a marketplace may have served to “validate transactions”.

[5] Their religious associations led to many crosses being damaged or destroyed during the Reformation and in the aftermath of the Civil War.

[8][9][b] 36 feet (11 m) in diameter,[9] a central stone shaft and eight encircling timber posts support a tiled roof.