The base of the cross is ancient but the upper part was added in 1911 by Owen Williams, a notable local stonemason and craftsman. In the early 19th century funeral processions used to walk around it three times and people still do so at the Common Walk (Beating the Bounds).
Locally, the name Grist is pronounced Greist (to rhyme with Christ) but the origins of the name are unclear and have caused much debate.