Cumnock’s market cross, or mercat cross, as it is locally named, currently stands in the south-west corner of the Square, where it is at its widest.

The cross stands on a base of five steps, which replaced older steps which had become much weather-worn.

The shaft is of freestone, square in section, chamfered along the edges and with bevels at the ends, rising from the top step to the bottom of the finial. The finial comprises of a roughly cube-shaped block, the underside of which is stepped, and which is surmounted by a stone sphere.

The four faces of the cube have the following on them:

1. The coat of arms of Earl of Dumfries, with the motto ‘God Send Grace’.

2. The inscription ‘1703, repaired 1778’. There are also figures 45 adjoining the 1703 date – this may refer to 1745, being when the cross was moved back to the Square.

3. A sundial.

4. A sundial.

The right to erect a market cross was granted by King James IV in 1509 when Cumnock was created a Burgh in Barony. The charter notes that power was given ‘to the burgesses and inhabitants within the said burgh to have and maintain within the same, perpetually, a market cross’.

The existence of the cross was a means of indicating to others of the rights that the burgesses had.

The present cross does not date from that period, however, or at least it is unlikely. The only part that may be so old would be part of the shaft itself, as the finial contains the arms of the Lord Dumfries, who only became owner of Cumnock in 1629.

The arms depicted are those of the Crichtons, Earls of Dumfries, before they inherited the Stuart of Bute titles and estates.

The arms depict blue lions rampant in two of the quarters, which represent the Crichton family who were prominent landowners around Sanquhar.

The other quarters show three ‘water budgets’ or buckets, which were used to carry water over the shoulders.

This part of the arms represents the Ross of Sanquhar family, ancient landowners in that area. William Crichton, a son of the Crichtons of that Ilk (who held Crichton Castle near Edinburgh), lived during the reign of Robert the Bruce. He was married to Isabel Ross, one of the co-heiresses of Sanquhar, and thus inherited half of the Barony of Sanquhar.

Through time the Crichtons were able to purchase it all.

The sundials on the cross head are of the upright type, where the gnomon casts a shadow on a vertical surface. The numerals indicating the hours are located around the edge of the square face. Although the gnomons are broken, the current position of the stone head would give a false representation of the time.

Sundials on market crosses are not too common, but they do exist on those at Melrose, Peebles, Galashiels and other places.

It has been claimed that the cross was for a time located in Townhead Street, almost opposite number 78. Certainly, around the middle of the eighteenth century, it appears to have been there.

Dr John Strawhorn speculates that the cross had been moved to the Townhead in 1703, hence the date on the finial. On the roadway there are granite sets forming a Maltese cross-shape in the carriageway, marking the spot.

Before tarmacadam was introduced, the setts on the road hereabouts had a larger square stone which was said to indicate the cross’s location. This part of the town is referred to as Crossrigs, a name that probably came about from the cross itself.

The cross is then thought to have been moved to the north-east corner of the Square, positioned in the roadway in front of what was the Black Bull Hotel. It is shown in this spot on a plan dating from 1769. The Square was originally the churchyard, and it was only opened up as a market place around 1768-9, so the cross must have been moved there fairly soon after the change. When the new Barrhill Road was opened up into the Square it was moved again, to a location directly in front of the Old Church door.

In the 1880s a gas pipe and lamp were affixed to the market cross to aid visibility at night. Old photographs of the cross show this in place. The gas lamp was removed from the cross in 1911.

In March 1925 the council, in particular James Neil, proposed moving the market cross again to a new location in the gusset between Glaisnock Street and Cairn Road. The cross was seen as a hindrance to traffic, and it was though that it should be relocated to where the market was at that time. This was not carried out, due to objections from residents.

Prominent in the campaign to retain the cross where it belonged was Dr James MacQueen. The tale is retold in a poem that begins:

Auld Cumnock Cross! We ken ye fine,

Your steps are worn by Faither Time;

Wi’ you oor freenship we aye seal,

Nae maitter though the cauld we feel:

On Hogmanay at twal o’clock

We staun below the Auld Kirk nock,

An’ wi’ a hottle in oor haun

We drink tae freenship ower the laun.

The cross was listed as an ancient monument by the Commissioner of Works in 1935. Renovation work was done to it in 1944 and 1955.

In 1971 the cross was restored once more, with new stone additions to the shaft, the original being cracked and with a sliver broken off. The work was done by Historic Scotland’s masons at Newbattle, near Edinburgh.

Once repaired, the cross did move once more, this time to its present position in the south-west corner of the Square. It is probably unlikely to move from this position.