Mercat cross

The Mercat Cross on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

One of the finest examples of a mercat cross in Inverkeithing in Fife.

The mercat cross in the small burgh of Culross in Fife.

The mercat cross in the Berwickshire village of Coldingham.

A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations. To this day several important announcements and proclamations are still ceremonially made at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh, including the calling of general elections and the succession of new monarchs.

Despite the name, the typical mercat cross is not actually cruciform, or at least has not been since the iconoclasm of the Reformation; variations range from a concrete pole with a cross,originally, or a tiny statue, been modified- some of them are in a "cross house". They were originally thought to be made of wood in the 12th century but by the 16-18th century it was thought to have been changed to concrete.

Scottish emigrants to countries such as Canada and especially Australia brought the mercat cross with them, and several cities in the new world have or used to have them in the town centre.

List of places with mercat crosses

A-E	F-L	M-Z
Aberdeen Aberlady Abernethy, Perth and Kinross Airth Anstruther Banff Beauly Biggar Brechin Burntisland Callander Campbeltown Canongate, Edinburgh Carnwath Clackmannan Cockburnspath Coldingham Crail Crieff Cullen Culross Cumnock Cupar Dingwall Dornoch Doune Duffus Dumfries Dundee Dunfermline Dunkeld Duns Edinburgh Elgin, Moray	Falkirk Fettercairn Forfar Forres Fraserburgh Galashiels Gifford Glasgow Haddington Houston Inveraray Inverbervie Inverkeithing Inverness Irvine Jedburgh Kilmarnock Kilmaurs Kincardine on Forth Kinross Kirkcaldy Kirkcudbright Kirkwall Langholm Leven Linlithgow Luss	Maybole Meikleour Melrose Moffat Moniaive Montrose Musselburgh North Berwick Oldhamstock Old Rayne Ormiston Peebles Perth Preston Prestonpans Prestwick Renfrew Rutherglen St Andrews Scone Palace South Queensferry Stirling Stonehaven Swinton Tain Thornhill Turriff Whithorn Wick

External links

• Mercat Cross
• Gazetteer for Scotland
• Rampant Scotland
• Glasgow Mercat Cross
• The Tolbooth and the Mercat Cross, Stirling