The Cross of Saint John

The girth with a Maltese Cross drawn in its center marks the original site where the boundary between Edinburgh and Canongate state. These were, in the past, two completely different boroughs separated by a wall that surrounded Edinburgh. The Canongate was owned by the Knights of the Order of St John. It was a gathering place for civic dignitaries, traders and the reading out of public proclamations. The city of Canongate has had many times a turbulent relationship with its neighbor, Edinburgh, the boundary issue being the main reason for these disturbances, which continued until their unification in 1856, an event which proved unpopular with the former’s townsfolk. Some believe that the cross that stood in that place would be in front of the Canongate church, as this one has a plaque in its front, announcing it is the “Canongate Mercat Cross, 1128”. That theory is debatable since according to the locations and descriptions given by Canmore (an online database of ancient Scottish national monuments); and the British Listed Buildings indicate it is a different cross. In these two sources it is said that in the past there were three old crosses in Canongate: St. John’s, the Market Cross (which is the one found in the Canongate Church) and the Girth Cross, near Holyrood Palace. The girth of cobbles with a Maltese Cross indicating the original location of the Cross of Saint John is located in front of 196 Canongate Street, on the Royal Mile, where there is also a descriptive plaque that reads: “The cross on the roadway marks the site of the original standing cross of St. John which was on the boundary between Edinburgh and the Burgh of Canongate. The ancient order of St. John is thought to have owned land and property next to the cross during the middle ages.”