St Meriadoc's church, Camborne, in churchyard, outside west door of tower (SW 6449 4004)

First recorded in 1856 as 'Gate-way on Connor Down, Gwinear' (Blight 1856, 27 and fig.). Described and illustrated in use as gatepost on Connor Down in 1896 (Langdon, Arthur 1896, 306–7 and figs.); comparison of these drawings suggests that it may have been moved. Moved to present location in 1907 (Langdon, Andrew 1996a, 24). Thomas suggested cross was to be identified with one seen by Borlase in May 1755 but this is far from certain (Borlase, W. unpub. 1751–8, p. 180; Thomas, A. C. 1967a, 96).

Monument complete and stable though damaged by holes for gate-hangings; ornament worn, much lichen; situation fair

Complete cross with small round head and tapering rectangular-section shaft. At the junction between head and shaft is a projecting roll-moulding. The limited decoration is all incised.

A (broad): On the head is a St Andrew's cross, formed by sinking four areas which Langdon describes as having 'three-sided sinkings with rounded angles' (Langdon, Arthur 1896, 308). The shaft has an incised edge-moulding which extends approximately half way down the shaft. In the middle third of the shaft, within a rectangular panel defined by a faint incised line on all edges except the bottom, are irregular rows of dots.

B (narrow): There is no decoration on the head. The shaft has an incised edge-moulding which is double in places. On the upper half are irregular lines of dots.

C (broad): Within faint traces of an incised edge-moulding is a St Andrew's cross, formed as on face A by sinking four roughly triangular areas. On the shaft are traces of an incised edge-moulding and rows of incised dots.

D (narrow): There is no decoration on the head. The shaft has no trace of an edge-moulding (unlike side B) but in the top half of the shaft are irregular rows of dots.

Appendix D item (continuing tradition)

Thomas suggests that this cross is a converted menhir (Thomas, A. C. 1967a, 96–7), and its highly tapering shape makes this very likely. The minimum appears to have been done to 'convert' it; a head has been fashioned and some crude decoration added, but the basic shape may be virtually unchanged. The St Andrew's cross is rare but not unknown in Cornwall, appearing elsewhere, for example on Perranzabuloe 1 (St Piran's Cross, Ills. 193–6) or Kenwyn 1 (Tregavethan, now at Eastbourne, Ills. 103–9).

Presumably this monument is a crude derivative of better executed monuments with similar features (round head, cross formed by sinking triangular areas, moulding at neck, dots on shaft), like Penzance 1 (Ills. 185–8), Kenwyn 1 or Perranzabuloe 1. Since Penzance may date from the eleventh century or early twelfth century, a slightly later date is suggested for this.

Standing on Connor Downs, the cross is likely to have acted as a wayside cross on the main spinal road through Cornwall (now the A30, now diverted to the north), but would also have marked the parish boundary between the parishes of Gwithian and Gwinear (Thomas, A. C. 1967a, 96).

Twelfth century

Blight 1856, 27 and fig.; Langdon, Arthur and Allen, J. R. 1888, 316, 322; Langdon, Arthur 1890–1, 61, 70, 91; Langdon, Arthur 1892, 34; Langdon, Arthur 1896, 22, 24–5, 306–8, passim and figs.; Langdon, Arthur 1906, 429, 437; Hencken 1932, 270; Dexter and Dexter 1938, 73–5, 119–21, 126–7, 176 and figs.; Thomas, A. C. 1966a, 69; Thomas, A. C. 1967a, 96–7 and fig.; Thomas, A. C. 1970, 140; Langdon, Andrew 1996a, 24; Langdon, Andrew 1999, 16, no. 12, and fig.; Henderson, M. unpub. 1985, entry 96, pp. 212–13 and figs.; Thomas, D. unpub. 1989, no page numbering