The Swine Cross

About

Swine Cross is a historic structure in Middleham, a town in North Yorkshire, in England. The market cross was constructed in the 15th century in Swine Market. It is believed that it was built to commemorate the award of a twice annual fair and market to the town by the future Richard III of England, in 1479.

The cross was grade II listed in 1967, and is also a scheduled monument. The identity of the animal carved on the cross is unclear; it may be a swine, or a white boar, the emblem of the House of Neville, which owned Middleham Castle. The base of the cross is rectangular, approached by a flight of steps at each end.

On it are two pedestals, one with a medieval capital, and the other with a much-worn effigy of a recumbent animal.