Roisia's Cross

Roisia's Cross is a medieval stone block located at a road junction in Hertfordshire, England, with a square hole that once held an upright cross. The stone remains at this historic crossroads as evidence of a structure that has long since disappeared.

The stone dates to the medieval period and stood at the intersection of two important ancient routes, Ermine Street and Icknield Way. An 18th-century antiquarian examined and documented the stone, confirming the hole once secured an upright cross.

The cross marked where different routes through the Hertfordshire countryside met, and local people would have recognized this stone as a known gathering point. The mortise hole in the block shows it once held an upright wooden or stone cross that stood at this junction.

The stone sits at a road junction near Barkway and is easily reached on foot. Visitors should look closely at the square opening on the top surface to understand how the cross was originally secured.

The stone itself is actually a glacial erratic, a boulder transported by ancient ice sheets that people repurposed as a cross base. This natural origin gave the structure local significance as a landmark formed by nature itself.

GPS coordinates: 52.04806,-0.02417

Latest update: December 14, 2025 17:03