^12 The Market Cross of Dumfries. 



local patriotism. The Market Crosses in Scotland which had 

 large and handsome understructures were, from the expense their 

 construction entailed, practically to be found only in large 

 burghs. Edinburgh, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen, Dunfermline, 

 Glasgow, Banff, Preston (Haddingtonshire), and probably 

 Peebles^i all had Crosses of this type. None of them, however, 

 seem to have had private shops in the building, neither do any 

 of them appear to have been erected by private persons as was 

 the Dumfries Cross. Also Dumfries alone seems to have feued the 

 site upon which stood its central civic sign and honour. The only 

 other example of a similar but unauthentic sale we have found is 

 in a curious story told of the Market Cross of Banff. It is said 

 that the then Earl of Fife for a joke offered a barrel of sovereigns 

 for the Cross. The offer was accepted, but when the barrel came 

 it was so small as not to be able to hold many sovereigns. The 

 Earl, however, took possession of the Cross and re-erected it 

 about a mile out of the town. Dumfries was more shrewd than 

 Banff in its transaction and rouped once and again, when Provost 

 M'Brair offered less than a fourth of what Avas ultimately obtained 

 for the site. 



The Perth Cross appears to have had an understructure 

 prior to 1578. The Crosses of the other Burghs named above 

 "were probably originally all erected about the same time, 

 namely, in the early part of the seventeenth century, "^2 perhaps 

 between 1617 and 1620. The Dumfries Cross would thus be one 

 of the earliest to boast an elevated platform. The understructures 

 of these crosses were in shape hexagonal or octagonal. In Dum- 

 fries, we have seen, the understructure was an oblong. The 

 stair which gave access to the platform on the top was usually 

 internal, whereas in Dumfries it was on the outside. 



These comparative points add considerably to the interest of 

 this relic that has disappeared. Is it too much to hope that 

 some day a son of Dumfries who has borne the burden of empire 

 not unprofitably may erect a Market Cross of Dumfries upon its 

 ancient site to his lasting honour and the Burgh's pride? 



21. " The Scottish Market Crosses," by John W. Small, Stirling, 

 1900. 



22. Op. cit. ; Preface by Alexander Hutcheson, F.S.A.Scot. 



