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Remains of the market cross of Old Aberdeen erected circa 1545 by Bishop Gavin Dunbar. Old Aberdeen existed as a town independent from the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen from the late 15th century until 1891 when it was absorbed into the City of Aberdeen. Old Aberdeen had the right to hold a weekly market and two annual fairs. The markets would have been around the market cross. In many ways the medieval mercat cross in Scotland was the centre of the burgh. Not only did it define the area of the market but it was also the place from where proclamations and news were announced and where people were punished in a variety of different ways. It would seem from the fragment of Old Aberdeen's market cross that survives that this cross dates from sometime about 1540. It was described in 1724 as having an image of the Virgin engraved on the north and south sides of the top of the cross as well as having coats of arms of the kings of Scotland and bishops Dunbar, Stuart and Gordon. The image of the Virgin had been defaced at the time of the Reformation in 1560 whilst a crucifix from the cross was destroyed at the time of the Civil Wars in 1640. The cross originally stood in front of the Town House of Old Aberdeen. The Council of Old Aberdeen sold the cross in 1788-9, when they were rebuilding their Town House, but a fragment of the remains was found in 1841 in a smithy in Old Aberdeen. In 1951 this fragment was erected on top of a modern shaft in front of St Mary's Church, High Street, by the University of Aberdeen (currently St Mary's houses the Geography Department of the University - see NJ90NW0316)). It was transferred back to its current and original location in 1993. All that remains of the original 16th century cross is the knop with four coats of arms. The shaft was renewed in 1951 and the stepped base is modern. It comprised an upright stone set on a stepped base, and bore an effigy of the Virgin Mary above armorial panels. The effigy was removed and the remainder of the cross dismantled and scattered around the beginning of the 19th Century. The heraldic panels (including the Royal arms and those of Bishops Dunbar (1518-32), Stewart and Gordon) were recovered in 1880 and are now mounted on modern steps and shaft (renewed 1951). The original socket was in the Kings College Archaeological Museum in 1888.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Aberdeen City
HER -
NJ90NW0029 - OLD MARKET CROSS, OLD ABERDEEN