Historic Buildings in Scotland

The Mercat Cross

Alphabetical Listing - By Area - Gallery - Alphabetic c.1900 - By Area c.1900

The Mercat, or Market, Cross was the symbol of a burgh's right to trade and was located centrally in the town's market place. There are about 126 examples through Scotland, most of which date from the 16th and 17th century, although there is evidence that this type of monument existed as early as the 12th century (these are believed to have been wooden).

These crosses (according to town council records) were also the sites of announcements, celebrations and sometimes even executions.

The cross is not actually a cross, but a shaft crowned with an appropriate heraldic or religious emblem (e.g. unicorns). The earlier examples of these have the shaft rising from a solid, stepped base. In some cases, where the cross no longer exists, the location is marked in the ground.

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