{{Short description|Structure in Middleham, North Yorkshire, England}} thumb|right|The structure, in 2013 thumb|right|The structure, in 2019 '''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.<ref name="nhlelisted">{{NHLE |num=1318550|desc=Swine Cross, Middleham|access-date=16 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="scheduled">{{NHLE |num=1010544|desc=The Swine Cross|access-date=18 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="vch">{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=William |title=A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1 |date=1914 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/north/vol1/pp251-257 |access-date=18 June 2025}}</ref>
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.<ref name="nhlelisted" /><ref name="scheduled" /><ref name="vch" />
==See also== *Listed buildings in Middleham *Middleham Market Cross
==References== {{reflist}} {{commons category|The Swine Cross}}
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Category:Grade II listed buildings in North Yorkshire Category:Market crosses in England Category:Middleham Category:Scheduled monuments in North Yorkshire