Mercat Cross
Place of public proclamations concerning church and state
About this Site
The Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, standing near St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile, has served for centuries as the place where royal proclamations, acts of parliament, and public announcements were made. During the Covenanting period, it was here that government decrees against Presbyterians were proclaimed, and where the tensions between Crown and Kirk were played out in public.
1784
Historical Significance
The Mercat Cross represents the intersection of religious and civil authority that lay at the heart of the Covenanting struggle. It was here that the rights and freedoms of Scots were publicly affirmed or denied, making it a powerful symbol of the contest between royal prerogative and popular sovereignty. Proclamations read here could mean life or death for those who held to their Covenanting principles.