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St Michael's Church, Bishop's Stortford

In the Churchyard of St Michael’s on Windhilll in Bishop’s Stortford stands a First World War memorial market cross made from limestone. The memorial has a two-tiered octagonal base surmounted by a plinth which has the inscriptions incised into the stone. On top of the shaft are ornately carved Gothic details such as crocketed pinnacles and a scene of the crucifixion of Christ. The memorial is within the grounds of the Grade I listed Church.

In 2011 a grant of £390 was offered by the Trust towards cleaning the cross with the DOFF steam cleaning system because the algae and lichen on the memorial were making the inscriptions difficult to read. Cleaning was also required to allow for the repairs needed to be undertaken. Special attention was required around the top with the delicate carvings (if the stone was too delicate no work would be undertaken). Some damaged areas of stone required replacement by indent and repair and re-pointing were carried out with lime mortar.

The cross dates from the 15th century where it stood on the south side of the Church. It was removed around 1643 and stored in places such as under the Church floor and in the belfry until being re-erected in its current position on the north side of the Church. The memorial was dedicated on Wednesday 23rd June 1920.

In 2017, the memorial received a further grant of £1,430 from War Memorials Trust Grant Scheme towards conservation and repair works. The memorial was cleaned using natural bristle brushes and low-pressure water washing. The memorial’s construction joints were re-pointed using lime mortar, and the incised lettering was carefully sharpened and deepened selectively to reinstate the original design of the memorial. The perimeter at the base of the memorial was also reinstated to protect the stone from impact damage.

The general dedication on the memorial reads:

“In grateful memory of men of
this parish and congregation
who died for their country in
the Great War 1914-1919
R.I.P.

Let those who come after see to it that
their names are not forgotten”

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM2843
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 31014

War Memorials Online

The National Heritage List for England record for the Church

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

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