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Market cross

Structure marking a market square

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
2 min read
Source updated June 10, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

A market cross, or, in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market, or fair, was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron.

01History

Market crosses were originally from the distinctive tradition in Early Medieval Insular art of free-standing stone standing or high crosses, often elaborately carved, which goes back to the 7th century. Market crosses can be found in many market towns in Britain. British emigrants often installed such crosses in their new cities, and several can be found in Canada and Australia.

The market cross could be representing the official site for a medieval town or village market, granted by a charter, or it could have once represented a traditional religious marking at a crossroads.

French market with cross, from an early 15th-century illumination by the Master of the Cité des dames
French market with cross, from an early 15th-century illumination by the Master of the Cité des dames

02Design

These structures range from carved stone spires, obelisks or crosses, common to small market towns such as that in Stalbridge, Dorset, to large, ornate covered structures, such as the Chichester Cross, or Malmesbury Market Cross. They can also be constructed from wood; an example is at Wymondham, Norfolk.

03Towns and villages in the British isles with a market cross

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Market cross”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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