Butter Cross

The name Buttercross originates from its location in market places, where people from neighbouring villages would gather around the market cross to buy locally produced products. The Dunster Butter Cross was erected in the late 14th or early 15th century and originally stood on the High Street, possibly at the southern end of the high street, near the Yarn Market. A cross, which was later known as the high cross, was recorded in 1461; by 1689 it was known as the Butter Cross. It was moved to its current location on St George's Street at the edge of the village, although the date when this was done is unclear. The site where the cross now stands was levelled in 1776 by workmen, paid by Henry…

The cross comprises a shaft with a plinth and socket stone forming the base. The octagonal base and polygonal shaft have survived, but the head of the cross has been lost. It stands on a small area of raised ground. The socket stone is 0.85 m wide and 0.5 m high. The surviving shaft is 1.1 m high and changes from a square to octagonal as it rises. There is an inscription on the northern face which says "WC, 1871, WS" recording a restoration.