In the corner of the churchyard of St Mary, Ross on Wye, is a fourteenth century cross. It comprises three octagonal steps, a base, shaft and renewed cross-head. The base is inscribed
Plague, An Dom 1637, Burials 315, Libera nos Domine (Lord deliver us).
It is a memorial near the burial place of those in the town who died when the plague made a resurgence in England in that year. Presumably the town "re-purposed" the cross as a memorial to the victims of the disease. A modern plaque nearby also notes that the dead were buried at night without coffins.
photos © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
