Browse crosses

 
Location:  50 yards to the west of the track that runs along the top of Hameldown, from Hameldown Beacon to Hameldown Tor.

Grid Ref:  704 801          Map location:  Click here to view map.

Purpose:  The cross was probably erected as a manorial boundary marker.

Size:  4 feet 5 inches (1.30 metres) tall. 2 feet 1 inch (0.64 metres) across the arms.

Information:  This is an old and battered cross, with the Southern Arm having been broken off. The following has been inscribed into the Eastern face of the cross:

            H C
            D S
          1854

The ‘H C’ stands for Hameldon Cross, the ‘D S’ for the Duke of Somerset and ‘1854’ as the date of inscription. This is one of several stones on Hameldon which was used by Edward Augustus Seymour, the 11th Duke of Somerset, to mark the boundary of his estate, Natsworthy Manor, in 1854. However, although used by the Duke of Somerset to mark his estate, it had probably been in use for a similar purpose for centuries prior to this date.