Processional cross

Object Type
This base-metal processional cross is a type that was in common use in English churches and abbeys before the Dissolution of the Monasteries (their closure) in the 1530s. Such crosses seem to have been mass-produced and are rather coarse in their finish and construction. The three roundels would have contained symbols of the Evangelists - the authors of the Gospels - SS Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These may have been removed at the Dissolution, when any religious imagery was frowned upon. Two side branches are also missing. They would have contained figures of the Virgin Mary and St John.

Ownership & Use
The base of the cross is formed as a flat tongue, which could be fitted into a long pole for carrying in procession. It could also be fitted into a base for use on an altar. These crosses appear to have been very common in England in the late 15th and early 16th centuries because a number of examples survive.

Historical Association
At the Dissolution and also later, in the Puritan revolution of the mid-17th century, the zeal of the reformers destroyed many church furnishings and altar plate. A cross such as this would have been hidden to save it from destruction. A similar cross, together with church vestments and altar furniture, were found inside an oak chest at a farmhouse in Abbey Dore, Herefordshire. They had been concealed at a time of religious persecution when it was dangerous to own such items. The cross and socket do not belong together. They were bought separately, then assembled in the V&A to give an impression of the appearance of a late 15th-century English processional cross. The cross was found in Spain in the 1920s.