The Crosshall Cross[1] is a wheel-head cross near Crosshall Farm, Eccles, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the historic county of Berwickshire. According to a detailed description by Hardy (1882-84, page 366)[1] it is 'One of the best preserved of the ancient historical monuments of the Merse district'.
In earlier days, before the Crosshall Farm was established (sometime between 1797 and 1821), the cross was known as the Eccles Cross[2] due to its proximity to the priory and hamlet of Eccles. The nearest settlement although was Deadriggs, approx. 500 metres to the southwest, which has now completely vanished.[3]
The cross shaft is set in a sturdy stone socket which, in turn, is set atop a square base of masonry. On all sides the shaft tapers slightly up to the head. The aptly named wheel-head, an originally Celtic design[5], is 56 centimetres (1ft 10 inches) in diameter.
Historical Attribution
According to local lore a governor of nearby Hume Castle was killed in a skirmish (R.D. Thomson 1845, page 56).[6] In 1947 the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society published an article about the feudal family of de Soulis[7], whereby a Randolph de Solis died before 1170, his death being associated with "an old monument close to Eccles in Berwickshire". The article indicates that he may have been killed when repelling a Border raid.
The coats of arms engraved on two sides of the column shaft both depict three chevrons, two at the top of the shield, one centered below, all three pointed upwards. This is very similar to the image of a modernised triple upright chevron displayed on the external site Soulis Surname History & Family Crest.[8]
The above facts give additional credit to the assumption stated by the corresponding Ordnance Survey record[6] that the heraldry depicted on the Crosshall Cross may represent the Soulis family.
Engravings
The two faces of the cylindrical wheel-head are oriented east-west and each displays the same simple cross relief set within an outer rim.
Crosshall Cross - views of all four sides with outlines of engraved figures; manually retraced from original OS index card
The four flanks of the cross shaft are engraved with the following figures. [9][6][10]
North flank (N): a latin cross placed on a calvary
East flank (E): a male figure above a hound positioned upright
West flank (W): a shield above a latin cross
South flank (S): a shield above an upright longsword
The heraldic shields probably relate to the Soulis family.
No engravings are reported on the socket.
Historical Descriptions
Descriptions of this monument differ greatly as to which images are recognisable on the various faces of this structure, but some authors report a host of details. A selection of reports:
Excerpt from 1771 'Map of the County of Berwick, SE section'. A pillar symbol indicates the position of the Crosshall Cross, near the then existant place name 'Deadrigg'
The 1854 edition of "The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland; or, Dictionary of Scottish topography", Section "Berwickshire", page 164, line 10 states: "... In the parish of Eccles, at Crosshall, there is an upright stone column, with various sculptures; but there is no inscription, nor is there any tradition concerning it."[12]
James Hardy (1882-84) described the cross in the late nineteenth century as: "One of the best preserved of the ancient historical monuments of the Merse district".[3]
In 2006, the cross was described as such: "a male figure and a hound on one face and a Latin cross on the other; one of the sides has a cross and the other a sword. Shields with unidentified arms are carved on one face and one side, just below the cross-head."[3]
Ordnance Survey Records
The original Ordnance Survey Records for this historical monument, location Crosshall, Eccles Cross, NT74SE 5, are preserved on the following index cards.
A collection of photographs, sketches, and paintings of the Cross from various angles previously provided by canmore.org.uk, now supplemented by RCAHMS and Ordnance Survey records, has been transferred to a more generalised site, hosted by Historic Environment Scotland. [2][13]
Adjacent Cottages
On the opposite (northern) side of the road that passes the cross once stood a row of houses, now demolished (2024). An older painting (ca. 1850)[14] from the above stated collection depicts two entrances to adjacent, presumably thatched roof houses.[15] Two photographs of the cross taken during the following century, approx. 1960, from a position in the field behind the cross display the then-existant row of 5 slate-roofed houses.[16][17]
↑McMichael, Thomas (1947). "The Feudal Family of de Soules"(PDF). Transactions and Journal of Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History & Antiquarian Society. Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, 1947–1948. 26 (Third seriesed.). Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
