This stumpy, white-painted cross is known locally as Fat Betty. She's one of many moorland crosses and standing stones dotted about the North York Moors, including the nearby Young Ralph Cross, an emblem of the national park. Used as ancient waymarkers and believed to ward off evil spirits, the crosses were an important landmark for travellers in days gone by.

Fat Betty is a carved piece of roughly square shaped rock with a rounded head. Like nearby Young Ralph, the cross has folk tales associated with it.

RichD

September 7, 2024

The monument includes a standing cross, Listed Grade II, used as a boundary marker and known as Fat Betty or the White Cross. It stands on Danby Moor at the junction of three parishes whose boundaries were fixed during the medieval period. It is on the north side of a minor road to Rosedale 510m to the east of the cross known as Young Ralph.

On the north side of the base is the date 1919 cut in the stone. On the west side is an inscription BS IB 1953. Neither inscription bears on a date for this monument. There is also an OS benchmark on the west face. The cross has been repeatedly whitewashed over the years in accordance with the practice of the Downe Estate on which it stands.

The cross has been set up on Danby Moor to mark the meeting of the old parishes of Danby, Westerdale and Rosedale. It also marks the side of an old road down to Rosedale from the cross called Young Ralph. The road is mentioned in a 13th century charter from Guisborough.

Tom

July 6, 2024

don't eat the bananas

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Elevation 410 m

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Friday 10 October

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Location: Westerdale, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire And The Humber, England, United Kingdom

Fat Betty (White Cross)

1. Fryup Dale loop from Danby High Moor — North York Moors National Park

2. Castleton Village – Fat Betty (White Cross) loop from Castleton Moor

3. Young Ralph Cross – Margery Bradley Standing Stone loop from Botton

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