"No one knows how it came to have its present name( a proctor is a legal person such as lawyer, solicitor, procurator or procecutor) (from the page you linked to)

It would be fascinating to find out the origins of the name--whether there's a folktale associated with it of something.

Also, to say the features above may represent a snake only leads to the question of why a snake?!

Wayside crosses--how cool. Like in Japan, where you'll get wayside statues of Jizô (in my icon).