Barochan Cross
Barochan Cross is an ancient Scottish Celtic Christian cross whose construction has been dated to the early Middle Ages,[1] between the 8th and the 11th century.[2][3] It was originally located on the Mill of Barochan in Renfrewshire, but was moved to Paisley Abbey in 1981 to be conserved. Barochan Cross is one of three Christian crosses remaining from the ancient Kingdom of Strathclyde. (The others are the Sun Cross in the grounds of Govan Old Parish Church[4] and the Netherton Cross in Hamilton Old Parish Church.)[5]
History[edit]
In 1919, the Scottish archeologist Ludovic McLellan Mann (1869–1955) published a pamphlet "War Memorials and the Barochan Cross, Renfrewshire on the cross.[6]
Description[edit]
Barochan Cross is constructed using a pale sandstone.[2] It is approximately 3.4 metres (11 ft) in height with 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) of the base designed to fit in the ground.[2]
Moving the cross[edit]
In the late 18th century, the cross was moved by the local laird Malcolm Fleming, whose family had owned the land since the 14th century, to a position on top of Corslie Hill,[7] described as some 11 chain lengths or 726 feet (221 m) from its previous position.[8][9] Moving the cross was part of a wider trend amongst landed elites at the time, in an attempt to improve the landscape to prove ownership and increase social status.[10] By that point in the 18th century, the cross had lost much of symbolic power as a religious fixture or marker of kingly power, but still a place of myth[10] and had become a tourist attraction, popular with day trippers from Glasgow.[8]
Revaluation[edit]
Conservation[edit]
The cross was finally removed by Historic Scotland in 1977 to prevent further damage to it.[11] The cross was moved to Stenhouse Conservation Centre in Edinburgh where it was cleaned and restored over a three-year period.[11]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ Edensor 2022, p. 29.
- ^ a b c Canmore 1985.
- ^ Maim 1919, p. 23.
- ^ Lynch 2007, p. 274.
- ^ Coventry & Miller 2003, p. 68.
- ^ Ritchie, J N Graham (2002). [journals.socantscot.org/index.php/psas/article/download/9857/9824 "Ludovic McLellan Mann (1869–1955): 'the eminent archaeologist'"]. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries. 132: 43–64.
{{cite journal}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Edensor 2022, p. 51.
- ^ a b Calcluth 2023.
- ^ Scotland Places 2023.
- ^ a b Edensor 2022, p. 52.
- ^ a b Edensor 2022, p. 95.
Bibliography[edit]
- Calcluth, Helen (2023). "Barochan Cross". Renfrewshire Local History Forum. Houston, UK. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- Coventry, Martin; Miller, Joyce (2003). Churches and Abbeys of Scotland. Vol. 1. Cockenzie: Goblinshead. ISBN 978-1-899874-29-3.
- Edensor, Tim (2022). Landscape, materiality and heritage: an object biography. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-981-19-7030-6.
- Lynch, Michael (2007). The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0.
- Maim, L. M. (19 April 1919). "War Memorials and the Barochan Cross". Westminster: The Spectator Archive. The Spectator. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- "OS1/26/10/22". Scotland Places. Edinburgh: National Records of Scotland, National Library of Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland. October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- "Barochan Cross | Archaeology Notes". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. 1985. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
External links[edit]
- Barochan Cross - Ancient Cross in Scotland in Renfrewshire
- University of St Andrew Collection Rear view of stone cross decorated with interlace ornament set in stone base on top of hill above broad flat glen with fields and woods in 1955