4-400: A buttercross , butter cross or butter market cross is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. The name originates from the fact that the crosses were located in market places , where people would gather to buy locally produced butter and other dairy products. The fresh produce was laid out and displayed on the circular stepped bases of
8-792: Is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns , where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. Market crosses were originally from the distinctive tradition in Early Medieval Insular art of free-standing stone standing or high crosses , often elaborately carved, which goes back to the 7th century. Market crosses can be found in many market towns in Britain. British emigrants often installed such crosses in their new cities, and several can be found in Canada and Australia. The market cross could be representing
12-465: The cross. Their design varies from place to place, but they are often covered by some type of roof to offer shelter. The roofs were generally added at a much later date than the construction of the original cross. Examples from most parts of England include: [REDACTED] Media related to Butter crosses at Wikimedia Commons Market cross A market cross , or in Scots , a mercat cross ,
16-584: The official site for a medieval town or village market, granted by a charter, or it could have once represented a traditional religious marking at a crossroads. These structures range from carved stone spires , obelisks or crosses , common to small market towns such as that in Stalbridge , Dorset, to large, ornate covered structures, such as the Chichester Cross , or Malmesbury Market Cross . They can also be constructed from wood; an example
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