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The Northern Antiquarian Forum

Archaeology, folklore & myth of Britain's pre-christian sites & heritage: stone circles, holy wells, maypoles, tombs, archaic cosmologies and human consciousness. Everyone welcome - even Southerners!


2 posters

    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors.

    Sunbright57
    Sunbright57


    Join date : 2011-02-10
    Age : 67
    Location : Nelson - the one in Lancashire sorry to say!

    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors. Empty RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors.

    Post  Sunbright57 Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:06 am

    Os grid Reference NZ.677 021. The cross stands high-up on Danby High Moor between Hutton-le-Hole and Castleton at the junction of two moorland roads to Rosedale and Westerdale, in north Yorkshire. The monument stands on private land.

    Ralph's Cross stands at 9 feet high on a solid stone base. There is uncertainty about it's age; the present-day cross could date from the 18th century though some historians date it to around 1200, certainly the base could date from that time. It seems likely that a much older cross once stood on this site - perhaps an Anglo Saxon one that was actually made of wood. At that time it may have been referred to as 'The Roda Cross' (Rude Cross). More than likely the cross acted as a medieval highway marker because it stands at the junction of two moorland roads. Originally there were some letters carved on the cross, one in particular, being the letter "R" for Ralph was carved on the south face.

    According to legend, the cross was set up to mark the resting place of a monk from Farndale and a nun from Rosedale; they would often meet here and a romantic liason of sorts occured, but they were found out by their superiors and came to a nasty end possibly with their deaths. But the most common folk-tale tells us that a farmer called Ralph from Danby found the dead body of a traveller at this spot; he was so moved by this that he decided to erect a cross in memory of this poor, unfortunate traveller who had starved to death and was found to be penniless. Ralph had a hollow carved into the top of the cross so that more wealthy travellers, those on horseback, might place a few coins for the benefit of any less fortunate travellers, or as a thanksgiving for having reached this point on their journey. The poor traveller was able to take a coin, if he/she could reach the hollow, and buy a hot meal at the nearest inn. Ralph then vowed that such an terrible thing would never ever happen again, and it seems to have worked, thanks to him.

    Over the centuries the cross has suffered damage and vandalism by being knocked down, particularly in the 1960s and again in 1984 afterwhich it lay in two pieces. However, in 1985 the cross was lovingly restored and re-erected by some local men, Mr Robert Dixon, Mr Tom Rudd and Mr Michael Smith, at the English Heritage Commission's stone masonry workshop at Mount Grace Priory. The middle section of the cross was made from new stone from nearby quarries; the top section was not badly damaged, but a section of delta metal was inserted inside the shaft to make a secure link between the sections and the cross-head. The cross is a listed monument.

    A few hundred yards to the south stands another cross called 'Old Ralph' which is just 5 feet high and is located on Blackey Ridge. This cross dates from the beginning of the 13th century and is perhaps a memorial to Ralph, bishop of Guisborough.

    References:

    Ford, Joseph; - Some Reminiscences and Folk-Lore of Danby Parish & District.
    Sunbright57
    Sunbright57


    Join date : 2011-02-10
    Age : 67
    Location : Nelson - the one in Lancashire sorry to say!

    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors. Empty Ralph's Cross or Young Ralph's Cross, North York Moors.

    Post  Sunbright57 Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:29 pm

    A better b/w image of 'Ralph's Cross' or 'Young Ralph's Cross' on Danby High Moor, North Yorkshire. Os grid reference NZ.677 021.
    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors. P6011610


    Last edited by Sunbright57 on Thu Jun 02, 2011 2:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
    Paulus
    Paulus


    Join date : 2009-08-20
    Location : Yorkshire

    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors. Empty Re: RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors.

    Post  Paulus Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:41 pm

    ...and I've just activated its profile on TNA, here:

    http://megalithix.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/ralphs-cross/

    Hope you dont mind me using another old photo of the place Ray? I was sure I had some old drawings of it somewhere, but can't get mi hands on it at the mo...

    All the best - Paul
    Sunbright57
    Sunbright57


    Join date : 2011-02-10
    Age : 67
    Location : Nelson - the one in Lancashire sorry to say!

    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors. Empty Ralph's Cross or Young Ralph's Cross

    Post  Sunbright57 Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:34 pm

    Ok thanks Paul, your photo is a bit sharper than mine. There's plenty more stuff to come, have made many notes over the last 20-30 years so will start to fill all your blank spaces, so to speak !! Cheers, Ray.
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    RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors. Empty Re: RALPH'S CROSS or YOUNG RALPH'S CROSS, North York Moors.

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