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Description of 5-C Earl of Northumberland Monument - Percy's Cross

The Percy Cross at Bramham was initially placed in open fields to the North of the Toulston Road on the slope of the Oglethorpe Hills. If as is documented, the battle commenced to the South towards Hazelwood Castle, it is plausible that any soldiers trying to escape the rout that the battle became as Henry Percy's fighters were defeated would head to the North towards the river Wharf and their path back to home territory. Could it be that Henry Percy was overtaken on the slopes of the hills and there met his end ? - his family later commissioning a stone cross to be placed at the point where he met his gruesome demise - this being in keeping with them doing the same at the other Battlefields of Otterburn and Hedgeley.

The original position of the cross is shown on old maps of 1849 and 1909 - this being approximated on the photos taken in July 2017 as below. By 1952 the cross had been moved to its present position by the Toulston Road as indicated on the map of that date.

When this happened is not certain, however by 1933 the farmers who cultivated the field in question had become inconvenienced by the presence of the cross in the field and took it upon themselves to remove the cross and place it in a hedge bottom at the edge of the field. In the process of so doing the upright portion of the stone was damaged leaving the stump we now see.

The broken pieces could have been buried or otherwise disposed of or may still be in the overgrown hedge bottom. We may look at the Percy Crosses at Otterburn and Hedgeley with their much longer stems and intricate designs and wonder if the Bramham cross was the same.

There appear to be 2 other Percy Crosses marking battlefields in the North of England, this in addition to the Percy Cross commemorating the death in battle of Henry Percy at Bramham in 1408.

In chronological order -

Firstly - The Battle of Otterburn 5th August 1388 - details here

Secondly - The Battle of Bramham Moor. 1408.

Thirdly - The Battle of Hedgeley Moor 25th April 1464 - details here

1. A brief paragraph about the memorial previously situated in Black Wood giving details of its former locations.

2. Architectural details of what remains of the monument, a newspaper article written by Alfred Taylor about its origin and a photograph of it in its last location taken in about the year 2000.

3. A newspaper article about the Dukes of Northumberland from the 1st Earl to the 10th Earl

4. 5. 6. View of the field where maps indicated the cross lay before being removed by the farmer.

7. View from the field towards Black Wood Hollow with arrow indicating its last position.

8. 9. 10. Pictures of the cross in Black Wood Hollow July 2017 - note the amount of undergrowth now covering the cross and evidence of fly tipping rubbish

11. The cross approximately 20 years ago already showing signs of vandalism

12. 13. Views along Toulston Lane to the East and West showing the approaches to Black Wood Hollow and the danger presented to pedestrians when accessing the site

14. The Percy Cross from the 1388 Battle of Otterburn

15. The Percy Cross from the 1464 Battle of Hedgeley

16. - 33. October 29th 2019 -

Permission to relocate the Cross from Black Wood to Bramham All Saints' Churchyard has been obtained from Bramham Park Estate, Historic England, The Diocese of York by way of a Faculty being granted and Leeds City Council Planning Department.
The spot for the new location was determined by All Saints' Church officials in consultation with Bramham Historic Asset Conservation Group (BHACG) and The Diocese of York.

In granting a Faculty, The Diocese of York imposed the following conditions :-

The excavation of the new Cross foundation should be supervised by a qualified Osteoarchaeologist.

BHACG were happy to operate under the auspices of Katie Keefe of York Osteoarchaeology Ltd.

Any human remains excavated were to be re-buried in the same area they were discovered in.

After examination and logging by Katie Keefe, any remains found were buried beneath the foundation as shown in Fig. 31

Any spoil removed from the excavation was to be kept within the Churchyard boundaries.

The spoil from the Cross foundation was spread beneath an adjacent tree.

The foundation was completed with the insertion of a hard core base with concrete topping. The hole sized accordingly to accept the concrete base the Cross was mounted on in Black Wood.

34. - 65. November 15th 2019 -

The operation to remove the Cross from Black Wood commenced. A condition of the granting of Planning Permission from LCC and Historic England was that the project be supervised by a qualified Archaeologist and that all care should be taken in handling the Cross. Once again Katie Keefe from York Osteoarchaeology Ltd supervised.

Members of BHACG had made exploratory excavations around the periphery of the Cross base and these confirmed that the original Cross had been mounted on a more contemporary concrete base.

The Cross appeared to be grouted to the base and would be difficult to separate without damaging the fabric of the Cross. However it was determined that the base could act as a carrier for the Cross and there would be no need to separate the two. The excavations around the base allowed for the insertion of lifting slings on two sides and this methodology was to be utilised for the lifting.

The old base became the new base in the new foundation where it fitted in well within the surrounding Churchyard area. See Fig 64.

A Hiab crane/lorry was hired to perform the lifting/transport at both ends with the crane reach being similar.

As it was possible that traffic control would be needed at both sites, local Police Officers were contacted and they performed the duties on the day. The local Fire stations and the Ambulance Services were also advised of possible road closures.

The Cross removal proved to be quite straightforward, the slings on two opposite sides system worked well, and on lifting we were pleased to find that the bottom face of the base was reasonably flat and level and would provide a good fit on the new foundation with minimal leveling packing being needed.

Fig 64. shows the Cross in its new home.

Figs 65. and 66. Show the ground beneath the Cross base after its removal, the area was examined by the Osteoarchaeologist Katie Keefe. No human remains or other items of historical value were found at the site.

Many thanks to the following who contributed to the success of the project. Their patience, enthusiasm and commitment made this happen !

The BHACG Team :-

Paul Simpson
Michael Corrigan
Pam Corrigan
Angus Carlisle
Neil Ferres
Tess Ferres
Linda Richards
Lynne Marshall
Paul Marshall
Sharon Green

All Saints' Church Officials :-

Anne Palmer
Chips Browning
Rev Nick Morgan

Diocese of York :-

Catherine Copp, Secretary to the Diocesan Advisory Committee

Osteoarchaeologists :-

Katie Keefe
Malin Holst

Bramham Park Estate :-

Nick Lane Fox

Many thanks also to Bramham Community Fund for financing the project !

Sovereign God,
whose power eclipses all military and political power
and whose reign outlasts the rise and fall
of great names, nations and families;
may Henry Percy, First Earl of Northumberland
who is commemorated here,
and those who, like him, fell in battle on Bramham Moor,
rest in your eternal peace
which exceeds the peace of this place of rest and remembrance
through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

“Farewell, good brother: we shall thrive, I trust.”
– Henry, Earl of Northumberland, Henry IV: Part I, Act 1, Scene 3