Young Ralph Cross
Young Ralph Cross (German: Young Ralph Cross ) or Young Ralph for short , sometimes imprecisely called Ralph's Cross , is an approximately 3 m high floor cross in the North York Moors in Northern England . It stands at an old crossroads, was probably first built in the 11th century AD and has been on the list of monuments in England worthy of preservation since October 6, 1969 under the number 1148563.
Young Ralph is a well-known signpost and can also be seen in the logo of the North York Moors National Park.
Location
Young Ralph stands at an altitude of 417 m ASL almost at the highest point of an elevation in 429 m ASL , at which the upper ends of the valleys Farndale (southwest), Rosedale (southeast), Westerdale (northwest) and Danby Dale (northeast) meet . To the south the Blakey Ridge ridge runs between Farndale and Rosedale, to the north the Castleton Rigg runs between Westerdale and Danby Dale.
The cross marks the highest point of an old trade route in a north-south direction across the central part of the mountainous region, today's road C20. A few meters north of Young Ralph a road branches off to Westerdale, a little south of the C63 to Rosedale. About 2.5 km south of the cross is the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge , a popular destination.
The Coast to Coast Walk , a long-distance hiking trail , passes the cross a few hundred meters south; the Lyke Wake Walk leads right past it.
The older and less conspicuous Old Ralph cross stands about 250 meters to the west-southwest .
history
According to popular legend, Young Ralph (and Old Ralph too) was built by a farmer named Ralph in memory of an unknown destitute traveler whose impoverished body was found here in the highlands. In order to spare future travelers a similar fate, the noticeable notch at the top was intended as an alms store: wealthy travelers passing by put a few coins in it, which poor people could use to buy a meal. Other stories interpret the cross as a secret meeting place of a monk and a nun from two of the adjacent valleys, in which important monasteries were located. It is more likely to be interpreted as a border marking the areas of influence of the surrounding monasteries, where meetings were held to coordinate the missionary work.
The current cross itself probably dates from the 18th century, although the much older age of the base indicates that it was predecessor. Young Ralph can be seen as a one-piece cross in photographs from around 1930 (as well as in the national park logo). The third division visible today with two cemented joints goes back to several destruction, after which the cross was last rebuilt in 1985 and reinforced with an internal steel profile.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ For example, uttered in The Northern Echo , accessed June 30, 2016.
Coordinates: 54 ° 24 ′ 35.3 " N , 0 ° 57 ′ 29.1" W.