54 Transactions. 



churches of which were chapels of ease in ancient times to the 

 famous monastery at Whithorn. It is pronounced by the country 

 folks Kii-kmadrfen, according to the Scotch pronunciation of the 

 letter /. 



And now I proceed briefly to describe the characteristics of 

 pillar-stones, and in what respect these are distinguished from 

 others. Pillar-stones are generally sepulchral, but sometimes they 

 mark sacred boundaries, or are commemorative only of persons, or, as 

 in the Ruthwell Cross, have been erected as a sign and memorial 

 of the Crucifixion, and any name inscribed, e. g., " Caedmon made 

 me," being of secondary importance. These are probably 

 sepulchral. Of the three stones, the two which serve as gate 

 posts are about 5 ft. in height and between 1 ft. and 1-| ft. in 

 breadth. On the top of one are inscribed the first and last 

 letters of the Greek alphabet, and on both of them are incised 

 a simple Greek Cross, the limbs of which gradually expand in 

 breadth towards their extremities ; the perpendicular limb being 

 turned to the right at its top, so as to make the Gi'eek capital 

 letter P, which, when thus united with the cross, constitutes the 

 sacred monogram. On the third stone, which was seen and copied 

 by Mr Todd 75 years ago, there was a similar shaped cross and 

 monogram at the top, and at the foot, in Latin capital letters, the 

 words Inithun et Finis, to correspond and explain the Greek letters 

 on No. 1. It is the sacred monogram, called the Chi-Rho Mono- 

 t^rani, which give these stones their peculiar significance. The 

 Chi-Elio Monogram is composed of two Greek letters, the former 

 of which is similar to our St. Andrew's Cross ; and the Rho is like 

 our letter P. By swinging round one limb of the Greek letter X 

 so as to place it at right angles with the other limb, we have the 

 Latin form of a cross, which has either the one limb put exactly 

 across the other limb or a little upwards. This Latin form of the 

 Greek Chi-Eho Monogram soon spread from Rome to other 

 countries, and is found upon monuments in Gaul A.D. 377. It is 

 the chief characteristic of these Kirkmadrine Crosses. It is only 

 found upon the very early pillar-stones. There are very few 

 examples of it upon stone monuments throughout Great Britain, 

 there being only 3 in the Avest of England, 1 in North Wales, 4 in 

 Scotland (Co. Wigtown), and none in Ireland. — Allen's E.C.Sy. 

 pp. 86-113. 



The Kirkmadrine Crosses have these further special charac- 

 teristics, viz., that they are rough undressed pillar-stones, without 



