Address of the Vice-President. 29 



The inscription or sculpturing on this Cross is supposed 

 to bo Runic or in Runes — terms employed to designate 

 alphabetic characters in use in early times by some nations 

 of Northern Europe. The Runes are of three classes — 

 Scandinavian, German, and Anglo Saxon. 



The inscription on the Ruthwell Cross was considered 

 Anglo Saxon, and supposed to be part of a poem entitled 

 " Dream of the Holy Rood." But other views were also 

 taken, and Mr Carr, a late investigator, considers the inscrip- 

 tion merely illuminated or decorated Saxon. 



A portion of another Cross was discovered in taking down 

 the walls of the old church of Hoddam. This was presented 

 to the Society of Antiquaries by Mr James Gibson Craig. 



And another portion, apparently one of the arms of the 

 same cross, was acquired by that Society. 



This Cross has sculptured on it various figures of a Chris- 

 tian character ; and a sculptured Stone with an inscription 

 in Runic supposed to be of an age co-eval with the Cross.* 



So also in the old church-yard of Dunrod the Society 

 found, in one of its excursions, an ancient Font, and portions 

 of an ancient Stone Cross. 



In the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, vol. 4, 

 page 112, there is a paper on the Market Crosses of Scot- 

 land. 



This excellent paper is interesting to us in so far as it 

 takes notice of Crosses in this district. These are Lochma- 

 ben and Thornhill — which are contrasted with one another, 

 — the Cross of Lochmaben having, like many others, been 

 raised on steps, whereas the Cross of Thornhill, like others 

 there mentioned, consisted of a solid basement with the Cross 

 or pillar springing from the centre. 



No mention is made of the Market Cro?s of Dumfries, 

 which is to be regretted. Perhaps some member of this 

 Society will favour us with a paper on the subject, describing 

 the old Cross of the town, with its local and historical as- 

 sociations. 



* See Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, vol. 1, p. 11. 



