Original Market Cross, Biggar

This is a postcard showing the original market cross which stood on a mound near the Corn Exchange in Biggar. The cross was sketched by John Pairman, a famous artist whose grave is in Biggar Churchyard. The cross was badly damaged as a bonfire was lit near it in 1820 to celebrate the accession of George IV. Some fragments were recovered and later out in the gable end of the Corn Exchange. There is a story that a Roman gold aureus was found underneath the mound in 1823. If such a discovery was made, the whereabouts of the coin are unknown.