A standing stone that could serve many purposes

OUTSIDE THE PARISH church of St Hugh in the Cornish village of Quethiock, there is a tall stone cross. Dating from the 10th or 11th century, this is one of the tallest such crosses in Cornwall. During the Reformation, many churchyard standing crosses were destroyed, and disposed of. Such was the case for the cross in Quethiock. However, in 1881, it was resurrected after Quethiock’s Reverend William Willimot’s workmen discovered it while repairing the south wall of the graveyard.

At Quethiock

Cornish crosses, such as the one in Quethiock, served a variety of purposes including: places for preaching; way markers for religious processions; and places for public proclamations and expressions of penance.