THE BLACKO CROSS / MILESTONE ?

Os grid reference SD 8552 4194. The Blacko Cross / milestone was located between the Blacko Bar road and Wheathead Lane at the top end of the village of Blacko and close to a spring. The cross marked what was then the King's Highway between Colne and Clitheroe, and was probably late Medieval in date.

It was about 4 feet 6 inches high and tapered away to a point at the top. There was a Maltese cross three-quarters of the way up the shaft, while just below that was carved or painted the word BLACKO. The stone showed signs of having been broken in a couple of places but restored again to a resonably good standard (according to an old photo of the cross by local historian Mr Bert Hindle). The base/stump of the cross-cum-milestone now stands 110 metres away and is built into a wall on the south-west side of Blacko tower hill. The whereabouts of the rest of the cross are not known, but it was apparently the only cross of this type to have survived in the Pendle area.

It is sad that many of these antiquities are now lost, only bases and fragments remaining - one such being The Swinden Cross fragment. But that's another story.

Sunbright57 wrote:Os grid reference was SD.854419. The Blacko Cross / milestone was located between the Blacko Bar road and Wheathead Lane at the top end of the village of Blacko and close to a spring. The cross marked what was then the King's highway between Colne and Clitheroe, and was probably Medieval in date.

It was about 3 feet high and tapered away to a point at the top. There was an incised Maltese cross three-quarters of the way up the shaft, while just below that was carved the word BLACKO. The stone showed signs of having been broken in a couple of places but restored again to a resonably good standard (according to an old photo of the cross). The base of the cross cum milestone now stands on the opposite side of the road near a farm wall on the side of Blacko tower hill. The whereabouts of the cross are not known, but it was apparently, the only cross of this type to have survived in the Pendle area.

It is sad that many of these antiquities are now lost, only bases and fragments remaining - one such being The Swinden Cross fragment. But thats another story.

Fascinating stuff Ray. Keep 'em coming! We'll have to sort out some images and add the details & profile to the Northern Antiquarian proper - if that's alright with you?

atb - Paul

The Blacko Cross / Milestone (drawing taken from an original b/w photo by Bert Hindle).