Stone five centuries old

This lump of old stone rock, which, curiously, has a lot of pebbles studded into it (why?), is a Grade II listed building.  Stuck behind a fence, just away from the road, it doesn't look at all significant.

In fact, it is the fifteenth century Ousley Old Cross - so called because it sits almost next to the Ousley Brook, because it resembles an ancient preaching-cross, and, er, it's old.  You wouldn't know.  

No one knows its history really; it just seems to have been a fixture here since forever.   But someone must have thought it worth preserving, even three or four centuries ago.

Holme Farm & its crosses

This cross decoration on the roof of Holme Farm at Mayfield is one of two crosses, one at each end of the roof.
But it is not just there for ornament - the crosses signify that this house (parts of which are very old) was part of the possessions of Tutbury Priory some five hundred years ago.
The Mayfield Heritage Group has produced a wonderful leaflet of a walk around the village outlining all these wonderful facts.

Isn't it strange how the past keeps a presence (albeit not always understood) in our ordinary lives?

All is not as it appears

It is always incredibly disappointing for me whenever I happen to pass this 'ancient cross'.  At first sight, it would appear to be the ancient preaching cross of the now-destroyed Chapel Of St Bertelin in Stafford centre - which would make it an astonishing 1000 years old.
In fact, it is actually a replica of the real cross, which is buried immediately under it.  The real cross was deemed too fragile to be left out in the atmosphere.

Incidentally, Saint Bertelin is a proper home-grown Staffordshire saint (though he may be just legendary....).  Also known as Bertram or Beorhthelm, he has a few sites dedicated to him around the county.
And the cross may actually not be a cross, it may even be a coffin.  Hmm.

Frosty cross

The mild autumn has turned into a blowy, drizzly… and now frosty… December.

This churchyard cross at the wonderful Norman church in Tutbury shows not just the frost on the spider-web, but the collection of victims gathered by its resident arachnid.