Cross in Kilross

Located in a pasture field, on the E-facing slope of a small hillock, 100m W of Kilross church (SL021-056001-) and graveyard (SL021-056002-). There is a stream 30m to E. This medieval cross, of unusual and striking design, lay on its side partly buried in the ground, its sculpted features concealed, until it was uncovered and set upright in August 2018. It consists of a massive rectangular sandstone block (total H c. 1.4m; Wth 0.65m; T 0.49m), sculpted with short protruding arms to create the effect of a cross. The stubby arms (projecting Wth 0.16m; H 0.17m; L 0.34m) are rectangular in shape, and disproportionally small relative to the bulk of the stone. They protrude 0.16m from the narrow sides of the stone, 0.24m below the top. They are flush with the NE face of the stone, separated only by a slight dressed indentation. They do not, however, extend across the full thickness of the stone, ending 0.15-0.16m short of the SW face. The arm on the SE side is somewhat rougher in form, possibly at least partly as a result of weathering. On the broad NE face of the stone, there is an incised outline of a double-line Greek cross (H c. 53m; Wth 0.52m) with a square centre and expanded rectangular terminals; the design is now partly eroded. The incised cross fills most of the space on the top half of this side, with its horizontal arms, which span almost the full width of the stone, in line with the protruding stone arms. High on the opposite (SW) side, an oval sculpted protrusion (H 0.21; Wth 0.19m) stands 0.08-0.1m proud of the stone surface. This represents a human head, but its surface is now rough and abraded, with no clearly defined facial features evident. The two corners at the top of the stone, on either side of the head, have each been cut back to a broad sloping angle, which serves to accentuate the 3-dimensional form of the head. The position of the head, relative to the stone arms of the cross, appears to reference the crucified Christ. Lower on the same side, 0.95m below the top, a horizontal moulded band (H 0.1m) extends across the width of the stone; it is evident as a shallow, double shelf, protruding c. 0.05m from the stone surface. This provides a decorative base to the cross, below which it is likely to have been embedded in the ground or set in some supportive structure. A rectangular, vertical-sided, flat-based slot or socket (L 0.3m; Wth 0.11m; D 0.13m) is cut into the flat top of the block. The upper edge of each long side is slightly splayed. This socket is likely to have held another element of the cross, now lost: possibly a sculpted stone cap or another smaller cross of stone or even wood. A number of very small hemispherical pits or hollows (max. diam. 0.02-0.03m; D 0.015-0.02m) can be seen on the NE side of the stone, above and to the side of the incised cross. Some are surrounded by a slight discoloration oF the stone surface. The nature of these holes is as yet uncertain. Shallow, narrow fissures or indentations, part of the natural fabric of the stone, are evident on all sides. Two pronounced fissures/cracks on the NE side extend from close to the base of the stone obliquely across the surface, and intrude on the lower part of the incised cross. The history of the cross -where it stood originally and how long it was buried at its current location- is uncertain. In the mid-1800’s the OS name books recorded ‘two stones, holy water pots (fonts), one is built in the road’ (SL021-055001-; SL021-055002-) (OSNB no. 2, 246); they were indicated on the 1837 OS 6-inch map as ‘Fonts’, located in the field boundary on the S side of this field, a few meters from the current position of the cross. Later in the 19th century, Wood-Martin (1882, 352), recorded the following local tradition: ‘The church and burial-ground at Kilross were reputed to have been formerly situated on the opposite side of the rivulet which flows near them. One night, in council assembled, the occupants of the graveyard came to the conclusion that they were too tightly packed, and next morning the church and church-yard were found transported to their present position. The two wells, however, which were in the old burying-ground remained in their original position, and two large rocks, one of them sculptured, and called the "holy-water stone" mark the site of these “fonts”.’ Wood-martin’s large ‘sculptured’ rock may have been a bullaun stone, but it may well have been this cross: the socket on the upper surface naturally fills with water, and could have been interpreted locally as a 'holy water stone'. In light of the discovery of the cross, the legend of the changed location of the church and graveyard is interesting, and may reflect a folk memory of an ecclesiastical site which was older and more extensive than the current church remains suggest. In the 1980’s two 'pillar stones' (SL021-105001-; SL021-105002-) were noted lying on, or embedded in, the ground in this general area; one of these may have been the buried cross. Attached images: SL021-214----_01.JPG: Incised cross on NE face SL021-214----_02.JPG: Incised cross on NE face SL021-214----_03.JPG: Incised cross on NE face SL021-214----_04.JPG: Sculpted head on SW face; band of moulding at base of stone SL021-214----_05.JPG: SW face, viewed from W SL021-214----_06.JPG: SE side SL021-214----_07.JPG: NW side SL021-214----_08.JPG: Socket on top of stone cross, viewed from NW SL021-214----_09.JPG: Socket on top of stone cross, viewed from NE This following 3-D images are courtesy of Martin Duffy, IRC Gov. of Ireland Postgraduate Scholar, UCD: SL021-214----_010.JPG: 3-D image of NE side. SL021-214----_011.JPG: 3-D image of SW side. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 29 August 2018