Bewys Cross
Encyclopedia
The monument currently known as Bewys Cross is the steps, plinth
and truncated shaft of an ancient cross of uncertain age (?? 14th/15th century) which used to stand on the shore of the River Severn
near what is now Avonmouth
, Bristol
, UK, apparently close to where the drainage channel called Elbury Gout flowed into the Severn at the northernmost pont of Shirehampton
tithing. It now stands beside a pond in the grounds of Kingsweston School, a school for children with disabilities close to Kings Weston House
. Local tradition has it that in the 12th century (surely an exaggeration of its age) sailors showed their gratitude to God for their safe return by leaving donations to the church at the cross, and there is a hole in one of the steps which is said to have received their coins. Bewys Cross was re-erected at Kingsweston, which was the home of the local "squires", the Miles family, at some time between 1787 and 1868, and moved to its present position after the Second World War by the subsequent owners of the Kingsweston estate, Bristol City Council. There is an image of the Cross at http://www.kingsweston.bristol.sch.uk/history.htm.
The Cross should not be confused with Bewell's Cross
in Bristol. The origin of the name is uncertain. There is a Bevis Cross in Wisbech
, Cambridgeshire
, which may be relevant. There may be an echo in both cross-names of the medieval legendary hero Sir Bevis of Hampton. There is a mention in 1551 (Bristol Record Office document P.Hen/Ch/1/7) of a place called Bewehurste at Compton in the nearby parish of Almondsbury
, which is of uncertain relevance, but it could have been involved in the creation of the current name.
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
and truncated shaft of an ancient cross of uncertain age (?? 14th/15th century) which used to stand on the shore of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
near what is now Avonmouth
Avonmouth
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon.The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.- Geography :...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK, apparently close to where the drainage channel called Elbury Gout flowed into the Severn at the northernmost pont of Shirehampton
Shirehampton
Shirehampton, near Avonmouth, at the north-western edge of the city of Bristol, England, is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having a short identifiable High Street with the parish church situated among shops, and is still...
tithing. It now stands beside a pond in the grounds of Kingsweston School, a school for children with disabilities close to Kings Weston House
Kings Weston House
Kings Weston House is a historic building in Kings Weston Lane, Kingsweston, Bristol, England.It was built between 1710 and 1725 was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh for Edward Southwell on the site of an earlier Tudor house, and remodelled 1763 by Robert Mylne. A significant architectural feature is...
. Local tradition has it that in the 12th century (surely an exaggeration of its age) sailors showed their gratitude to God for their safe return by leaving donations to the church at the cross, and there is a hole in one of the steps which is said to have received their coins. Bewys Cross was re-erected at Kingsweston, which was the home of the local "squires", the Miles family, at some time between 1787 and 1868, and moved to its present position after the Second World War by the subsequent owners of the Kingsweston estate, Bristol City Council. There is an image of the Cross at http://www.kingsweston.bristol.sch.uk/history.htm.
The Cross should not be confused with Bewell's Cross
Bewell's Cross
Bewell's Cross is a lost monument which marked the boundary of the county of Bristol when this was created in 1373. It stood in the Gallows Field at the top of St Michael's Hill, the former principal road from Bristol to Wales via the Severn ferry at Aust...
in Bristol. The origin of the name is uncertain. There is a Bevis Cross in Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, which may be relevant. There may be an echo in both cross-names of the medieval legendary hero Sir Bevis of Hampton. There is a mention in 1551 (Bristol Record Office document P.Hen/Ch/1/7) of a place called Bewehurste at Compton in the nearby parish of Almondsbury
Almondsbury
Almondsbury is a large village near junction 16 of the M5 motorway, in South Gloucestershire, England.-Description:The village is split by a steep hill, part of the escarpment overlooking the Severn floodplain. At the bottom of the hill is Lower Almondsbury where a pub and hotel, The Bowl Inn, is...
, which is of uncertain relevance, but it could have been involved in the creation of the current name.