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The information given in part 8, that the Saxon shaft of the churchyard cross at Kinwarton “is dated 900 A.D. by the experts” came from ‘Transactions and Proceedings of the Birmingham Archaeological Society’, volume 68. On page 74 we are reminded that in ancient times statues of pagan gods and goddesses were erected not only in great cities, as we know, but also all over the Ronan Empire at important points along the high ways. The. Emperor Constantine (324 - 337) ordered that these statues should all he replaced by Christian crosses; many of them were. This is the origin of wayside or village crosses, to remind people of the continual presence of Jesus Christ. During the Ages of Faith they were used as places for open-air preaching and when there was a procession of any kind a ‘station’ would be made at the cross and prayers would be offered there. Such a cross in a churchyard was used in a similar manner. Banns of marriage were sometimes published at the Market Cross in a town and in Cromwellian times marriages sometimes took place there before a magistrate instead of in the parish church
On page 85 the writer is incorrect in stating that at
Kinwarton the Saxon shaft is ‘utilised on a grave in conjunction with a modern
memorial’. It was re-erected in 1871 on new stone steps and given a new top portion
by the sons and daughters of the Rev.Richard Seymour and his wife, Fanny, as a memorial to
their mother (hence the initials ‘F.S.) , but quite separately from her grave. She is
buried with her husband at the opposite end of the churchyard. Amongst the correspondence
of the late Edwin Smith of Great Alne, now at Warwick Record Office, is a letter to him
from Admiral Edward Seymour (son of the Rector) stating that the shaft was found in the
stableyard at the Rectory in 1870. It had been used as a mounting block to help people
mount their horses, perhaps ever since the widespread destruction of Cromwellian times.
During the Great Rebellion an Act was passed on 28 August 1643 entitled ‘Monuments of
Superstition and Idolatry to be Destroyed’. it ordered that ‘ all Crosses upon
all and every ... churches on chappels or other places of publique prayer,
churchyards,etc. belonging the 1st day of Novembre to be taken away and defaced and none
of the like permitted hereafter in any such church ... or other places aforesaid’. As
likely as not this is the date when cross, which had already stood there for nearly 750
years was destroyed. The ‘Proceedings’ quoted above also state that the original
was not a monolith,i.e. not carved from a single piece of stone, for there are none in
Warwickshire; also that crosses standing on steps are more common in Warwickshire than
elsewhere.
© Alcester & District Local History Society 1986