Summary
First World War memorial cross, with later additions for the Second World War.
Description
The war memorial stands outside the Church of St Mary, Moulton (Grade I-listed), just inside the gate at the south-west corner of the churchyard. It comprises a stone wheel-head cross with interlace decoration carved in low relief to the cross-head, standing on a two-stage plinth, square on plan, with a moulded base. The plinth’s upper stage has a moulded panel to the front. The base stands on a two-stepped octagonal base. The plinth bears the inscriptions in incised lettering.
The principal dedicatory inscription, beginning on the upper stage of the plinth and continuing on the lower stage, reads TO/ THE GLORY OF GOD/ AND IN/ GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF/ THE MEN OF MOULTON ST MARY/ WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ (NAMES)/ "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE". The later Second World War dedication reads ALSO IN MEMORY OF/ (2 NAMES)/ WHO FELL IN THE 1939 – 1945 WAR.
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.
One such memorial was raised at Moulton as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by six members of the local community who died in the First World War. Following the Second World War, the names of two men who died in that conflict were added to the memorial.
Reasons for Listing
Moulton War Memorial Cross, which stands in the churchyard, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20.
Architectural interest:
* a wheel-head cross memorial decorated with carved interlace patterns, in the Celtic style.
Group value:
* with the Church of St Mary, Moulton (Grade I-listed).
External Links
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
Recommended Books
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)