Cross — Bigwood

This cross was recorded by the OS in 1873 as 'part of an old cross, stands near the roadside about 18 inches (0.45m) high the bottom portion is destroyed. I. H. S. cut on face of cross' (OS Name Book 1873, 33). Drawn by Du Noyer in the 19th century (George Victor Du Noyer, “fragment of small calvary cross on side of bye road Td. Of Bigwood close to Balrath Td. Co. W. Meath. Sheet 1/3,” Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, accessed January 22, 2020, http://rsai.locloudhosting.net/items/show/23481.) and described in 1928 as 'The head and base of a plain cross 1ft. 9in. (0.53m) across the arms, having a solid ring 14in. (0.35m) in diameter. It is situated near a house on the south side of a lane leading from near Foyran church (WM001-042----) to Whitegate, and is almost a mile west of the former' (Crawford 1928, 57, no. 1). Described in 1980 as 'the cross is in a fragmentary condition, only the head (H 0.51m; Wth 0.5m) of the cross and its base remain. The cross has a solid ring head and short arms (L 0.1m; H 0..15m) and a slightly longer top (H 0.12m). The shaft has broken off just below the ring and is now missing. The ring and cross are well made and have bevelled edges. One face has suffered some damage around the edges and pieces of the ends of the arms are broken off. There is no sign of any carving or decoration on the cross. The base is a subrectangular stone (0.52m x 0.44m) with a rectangular socket (0.19m x 0.31m x 0.1m) cut into its flat upper surface. The socket is quite shallow and it is much larger than the cross, the shaft might have tapered from the base to the head. The socket is placed in the N side of a small low mound of earth and stones at the foot of a small thorn tree. This is situated in a wide roadside bank and on the S side of the modern roadway just NW of the castle site (WM001-036----) in a small valley W of Foyran Church (WM001-042----)' (SMR file). Medieval castle (WM001-036----) 80m to SE of the wayside cross. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 23 June 2010