The Market Cross Malmesbury

MARKET CROSS. One of the finest in the country. This was built in the reign of Henry VII, about 1490. The carvings are excellent, and mainly intact. As Leyland said on his travels as Henry VIII's antiquarian, told to survey the country, that it was "erected in hominum memoriam" or in other words in recent times, and praised it as being "a right fair and costly peace of work . . made al of stone, and curiously vaulted for poore market folkes to stand dry when rayne commith." It still fulfils this purpose and people for many centuries have used it for their meeting place, and for especial occasions even now.

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