These are the remains of the mighty Neville's Cross in Durham. My first time seeing it!

The origins of what we see fenced off are medieval, planted to commemorate the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346. This was a critical battle during the Second War of Scottish Independence, with the Percy's and Neville's defeating a much larger Scottish contingent - one of the largest and most powerful to have ever crossed the border. On their way, they sacked the priory of Durham, burned down the abbey of Lanercost with similar orders for those at Darlington, Durham and Corbridge to come. They came north west over the Tyne and Derwent Valley without meeting any serious opposition. 16,000 men were mustered under the Archbishop of York, Bishops of Durham, Lincoln and Carlisle, the lords Neville and Percy as well as the Sheriffs of York and Northumberland. The English lay at Auckland Park and moved forward via Ferryhill and Sunderland Bridge where a Scots foraging party were pursued with the loss of 500 men. At Redhills, a quarter of their army, which included French, were killed and many more captured, including King David II who was hiding underneath Aldin Grange Bridge to the west (https://x.com/neheritagelib/status/1686343436104863744). On the English side only Lord Hastings fell, and Copeland who captured King David was rewarded with £500 per annum in land and made a knight.

Ralph Neville had this monument erected to commemorate it. It was once lavish and will have been much taller, perched upon a bank until relatively recently. According to Surtees and Ridpath's account, as noted in the Alnwick Mercury of 01/09/1857:

"This cross had seven steps about it, every way squared to the socket, wherein the stalk of the cross stood, which socket fastened to a large square stone; the sole, or bottom stone, being of a great thickness.... The stalk of the cross was in length three yards and a half, up to the boss, having eight sides, all of one piece. In the midst of the stalk, in every second square, was the Neville's cross, a saltier on an escutcheon, being lord Neville's arms, finely cut, and, at every corner of the socket, was a picture of one of the four evangelists, finely set forth and carved. The boss of the top of the stalk was an octangular stone, finely cut and bordered, and most curiously wrought, and on every square of the nether side, was Neville's cross in one square, and the bull's head in the next, so in the same reciprocal order about the boss. On the top of the boss, was a stalk of stone whereon was cut, on both sides of the stalk, the picture of our Saviour Christ, crucified; the picture of the blessed virgin on one side, and St. John the evangelist on the other, both standing on top of the boss: all which pictures were most artifically wrought together, and finely carved out of the entire stone. The cross was broken down and defaced by some lewd and wicked persons in the year 1589".

The cross replaced a much earlier one which provided the name for the battle. It marked the point in which those on the old Roman Road from Brancepeth would see Durham Cathedral where Cuthbert lay, and was similar to others located around the city as a waymarker (in fact there's at least another still extant). It continued to do so as a meeting place and local landmark. The Neville's Cross toll house was located next door, meaning it was a stopover point for many travelling on the road north. It also formed the name of the local parish.

The cross does actually still feature very faint markings, including the bulls head which is that little bump on the right hand side. Other than that its greatly eroded, but is a remarkable survivor from an unrecognisable period still teaching us about a significant battle in national history.