The Market Cross
Market crosses were built in many Ulster towns as symbols of the successful establishment of a market. The original cross in Newtownards was built in 1636 and was rebuilt after destruction by Cromwell’s troops in 1653. It is now the only surviving seventeenth century market cross in Ulster. The original building was less than 11 feet tall and octagonal in shape with a low door and staircase leading to the roof. The present replacement building was finished in 1666. Its conical roof was probably used as an office or shelter for the town’s night watchmen. Towns people say that the Cross used to "flow with wine" at the birth of a royal baby. Its importance declined when the new market house was built in Conway square in 1765. The story goes that the cross was the centre for local commerce and a bargain struck within its shadow was legally binding.
An octagonal building it is about twenty feet high and topped with a weather vane. It is made of wrought iron and Scrabo sandstone. Each panel of the octagon measures 5 feet 6 inches in length. The complete cross is 10 feet 10 inches from the pedestal cornice, but lower walls are now obscured by a modern plinth. On the northeast face there is a lintel lead door opening. The other faces have niches segmental in plan with semi-domed head and carved scallop shell. Each of the panels on the side of the cross has a carving and these include images of a rose, a helmet with the horns of a half moon, a fleur-de-lys within a laurel wreath, a cross within a coronet and the Shaw, Montgomery, Royal and Irish Coats of arms.
The cache is a magnetic nano. It is not attached to the monument itself. Please take care in crossing the roads to the site as the roads around it can be quite busy at times, keep a close eye on children too. As this is an extremely public area ensure that you are very discrete in retrieving and replacing the cache. Also please put it back exactly where you got it from. You may want to move elsewhere to sign the log and then return to replace it. Parking is available nearby on the street and also in an NCP car park. Please take note of any parking restrictions in force.