buttercross

English

The buttercross in Chippenham

Etymology

From butter +‎ cross.

Noun

buttercross (plural buttercrosses)

1. A type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from mediaeval times; fresh market produce was laid out and displayed on the circular stepped bases of the cross.
   • 2011, Eric Newton, Lands End to John O'Groats with a Bus Pass and a Dog, AuthorHouse, page 68:

     Another interesting structure in the town centre is the Buttercross, with its pitched roof supported on six circular stone columns.

   • 2015, Jos Simon, The Rough Guide to Yorkshire, Rough Guides UK, page 134:

     Pontefract's wide, irregular Market Place, thronged every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with market stalls, is dominated by its Buttercross, a sturdy structure consisting of a stone roof supported by stone columns built in 1734 to shelter dairy traders and still today offering protection from the sun and rain.

   • 2018, Ann Latham Cudworth, Extending Virtual Worlds, Taylor & Francis (CRC Press), page 225:

     Just north of the village is a buttercross, or town market meeting place.

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