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 Kirkmadreen, according to the Scotch pronunciation of the 
letter 2. 
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, ec. 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 Greek capital 
letter P, which, when thus united with the cross, constitutes the 
sacred monogram. Onthe 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 Jnitium et Finis, to correspond and explain the Greek letters 
on No. 1. Itis the sacred monogram, called the Chi-Rho Mono- 
gram, which give these stones their peculiar significance. The 
Chi-Rho 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-Rho 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 west of England, 1 in North Wales, 4 in 
Scotland (Co. Wigtown), and zoe 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 
