The Long Causeway is a Medieval route that began on the eastern outskirts of Burnley and then travelled on towards Halifax. Records show its origin in Towneley Hall parkland, and continuing up to Mereclough. Today the remaining part can easily be followed by car from Mereclough village, out on to the moors into Yorkshire, ending at Hebden Bridge. Along the way were stationed five Medieval Crosses: Stump, Robin, Maidens, Duke’s, and Stiperden. Although the locations of all of them are known, only Stump Cross and Maidens Cross remain. There are now no traces of the other three. The original crosses could have been religious devotional places, and some sources claim they were set up by the monks from Whalley Abbey. They were also way markercrosses, reassuring visual points on a well-travelled route, perhaps standing out in heavy snow.
The Long Causeway later became a turnpike road. This meant that tolls would be charged for travelling the route, depending on what was being transported. Mereclough had a tollbar cottage near the present day Kettledrum Inn to collect the fees (for a history of tollbar houses see our page on Broughton Toll Cottage here).
Below the Medieval crosses are described in order, travelling out from Mereclough towards Yorkshire. They were sited fairly close together, strung out along the Long Causeway.
Stump Cross
Stump Cross (grid reference 878 300) has the look of a prehistoric standing stone, some four feet high. It could well be related to the nearby Bronze Age burial site of Mosley Height. This is located just over the wall in the neighbouring field, but has no direct public access to it. Stump Cross stands on the bank of the Long Causeway, and can be inspected at close quarters. It could be the original Medieval Cross, and has its name carved low down on it. A small cross is carved near the top, and a modern benchmark appears lower down. Benchmarks were put in place by the Ordnance Survey to calculate height above sea level for their mapping surveys.
Robin Cross
Robin Cross (grid reference 881 298) is shown on the 1848 Ordnance Survey map, but has now vanished. It was located near to where the Long Causeway meets Green Lane. Nearby are the intriguingly named Stone Jug Farm and Pottery Farm. The hill to the south east is called Robin Cross Hill and there is a trig point on top of it which also bears its name.
Maiden Cross
Maiden Cross (grid reference 894 288) was seen by Henry Taylor in 1900 during his huge survey of ancient crosses and wells of Lancashire. He identified Maiden Cross as a plain slab of millstone grit, built into the roadside wall. In a 1974 survey, an inscribed stone slab was found, some 20 metres north of Taylor’s site, but whether this is the same piece of stone that Taylor saw, is unclear. The slab had been engraved with a small cross shape and ‘Maiden Cross’ below. On our recent visit (2026), this side now appears to have been turned around to face the modern drystone wall (but can still be seen). A new inscription has been carved into the side facing out. It is conveniently located opposite the Coal Clough public car park.
The name Maiden Cross has given rise to folklore to explain the name. Local author Paul Bennet, on his The Northern Antiquarian website gives a version of the most repeated tale, and where it first appeared. The story goes that a young shepherd and his sweetheart would meet up at the cross regularly. During the Civil War the shepherd was recruited into the Royalist army fighting for King Charles. He is said to have subsequently died at the battle of Marston Moor. The heartbroken young woman would linger by the cross, vainly awaiting his return. As time passed it was named in memory of her. Local folklorist T T Wilkinson collected the tale, but it is unlikely to be true. A more plausible explanation is that Maiden Cross was named after the biblical figure of Mary.
Duke’s Cross
Duke’s Cross (898 286) was situated near Warcock Hill on the Long Causeway. It was shown on the 1848 OS map but Taylor records that it had disappeared by the time of his survey in 1900.
Stiperden Cross
Stiperden Cross (904 283) is shown on the 1848 Ordnance Survey map at the point where the Long Causeway has just become Kebs Road and turns sharply to the left.
The site of Mereclough Chapel now has four modern versions of the crosses described above (it does not feature Stump Cross, for some reason). These are all named and uniquely carved, but the harsh weather of the exposed site has already started to crack some of them. In addition it has the Cross of Deyn (898 269). This was never a cross of the Long Causeway, but instead seems to have been sited on the A646 road to Todmorden, in the valley far below. The grid reference coordinates would put it in the area of Portsmouth as the road begins to lead in from the open moorlands towards Todmorden.
Access
The Long Causeway today begins at Mereclough and can be driven all the way to Hebden Bridge. Part way along it is renamed Kebs Road, but once again becomes called the Long Causeway further along the route.
Stump Cross stands high on the bank of the Long Causeway. There is a pull in place nearby it.
Maiden Cross can be found near the Coal Clough car park, on the opposite side of the road, just before the public entrance into the windfarm. The car park is free and there are public footpaths through the windfarm.
Mereclough Chapel has onroad parking. It is at the start of the driving route along the Long Causeway.
Nearby
The Lost Wesleyan Chapel of Mereclough
Mosley Height Bronze Age Ring Cairn
References
The Ancient Crosses and Holy Wells of Lancashire, Volume III Blackburn Hundred A.J. Noble (2004) North West Catholic History Society
historicengland.org.uk The Long Causeway 45213
thenorthernantiquarian.org/2025/07/02/maiden-cross/
ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/25-years-since-last-benchmark
trigpointing.uk/trigs/5703
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