History
Ormiston is first mentioned in the mid-1400s, a date matched by the style of the cross found there today. It seems to have served as a mercat cross. We don’t know when Ormiston was granted the privilege of a market, but it presumably came from the burgesses of Haddington.
The village we see today was formally planned by John Cockburn of Ormiston in around 1735. The cross may have been re-erected in the village at this time. Today it stands as a rare example of a pre-Reformation mercat cross.
Set in stone
The cross’s square shaft is carved from a single piece of stone. A shield on its west relief may have been painted with the arms of the landowner.
The cross has an octagonal base. The three steps upon which it stands are not original.
