Percy’s Cross

Well he would be - he has been dead over 600 years!

This is all that remains of a stone ‘cross’ (it may have been just an obelisk type memorial) that was erected on Bramham Moor by the Percy family after Henry Percy (1st Earl of Northumberland) was killed at the Battle of Bramham Moor in 1408. The stone remained in place until the 1930s when farmers moved it to the bottom a hedge as it was in the way! By 1952 it had been moved to the side of the road connecting Bramham to Tadcaster. At this point the top part was missing - no one is really sure where it is - it may have been buried or still in a hedgerow somewhere.

I remember seeing this remnant but never knew what it was!

In 2019 a grant was made available from the Bramham Community Fund (which is financed from donation from the Leeds Festival at Bramham Park) and the remains were removed to a site in the village churchyard. Lots of approval from various bodies was required and excavations for the new foundations had to be supervised by an ‘Osteoarcheologist’ to ensure any human remains found were suitably re-buried. Spoil from the excavation was spread within the churchyard.

The cross had been mounted on a concrete base at the road side (which is visible above ground in the new location) and this was lifted with the cross and placed on a new concrete bed in the churchyard.

As you can see I did get out for while with Finlay today - but it completely knackered me! Late afternoon I helped Mrs madwill take stuff from her studio to a hotel in Wetherby where she is ‘on retreat’ until Sunday afternoon with a load of other quilters. Beer and sausages in the fridge for me…

Had to resurrect my TZ90 (my only other pocket camera) as my LX5 appears to be dead - some investigation needed.