Cross — Churchyard cross in Ratoath

This cross is situated inside the S wall of the old graveyard attached to the site of the medieval church of Ratoath (ME044-034003-). It was reconstructed under the direction of Fr. Peter Mulvany, who was a curate at Ratoath (1970-83), from pieces in the graveyard (Ratoath Heritage 2008, 56). The reconstruction is accurate, although a piece might be missing from beneath the crux. It is a late medieval latin cross (H 1.49m; span 0.44m) with octagonal cross-sections on the shaft (dims 0.22m x 0.2m) and the arms (H 0.25m; Wth 0.2m). There is a mortice on top of the stem and pyramidal stops at its base which is set into a rectangular block (dims 0.65m x 0.62m; H 0.2m) with a hammer-dressed finish. The cross has no inscription but it is possible that it is the Market Cross (ME044-034008-) which has been missing for almost 200 years. See attached image. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 7 April, 2015 Amended: 9 December 2021