Barochan Cross

[2][3] It was originally located on the northside of Barochan burn, about 2 km north of Houston in Renfrewshire, then moved to a position nearby on top of Corslie Hill in 1790.

Once repaired it was decided it couldn't return to its exposed position, that resulted in the 1981 decision to move it to Paisley Abbey to protect it from the elements.

[1] The first known examination of the cross' carvings were made by the antiquarian and genealogist John Stuart who published his drawings in "Sculptured stones of Scotland" in 1856.

[9] This is reflected in the statement of significance of the 9th century Dupplin Cross in Perth and Kinross that has similar design that demonstrate that "Christianty is used to legitimise kingship".

[13][14] The position on the hill where the cross was placed was once the location of the former baronial house of the Fleming family that was reputedly burnt-down by English during the 1296 invasion of Scotland by Edward I of England.

[15] Moving the cross was part of a wider trend amongst landed elites at the time, in an attempt to improve the landscape to prove ownership and increase social status.

[22] In 1947, it was reported to the Scottish arm of the Council for British Archaeology that the cross was undergoing significant deterioration and that it should be moved to a parish church to protect it.

[22] In March 1977, the cross was taken to Stenhouse Conservation Centre in Edinburgh for repair, where the senior preservation officer stated it must not return to its exposed hilltop position.

[24] However, the request was rejected as the minister believed the growing numbers of parishioners would endanger the cross and they considered the church floor wasn't strong enough to support it.

[28] A fence has been recommended in the 1924 report to protect it from grazing cattle who used it as a scratching post but also stated that its exposed position led it to be a convenient perch for birds, whose excrement caused surface damage.

[30] A 1947 assessment by inspectors recorded that the cross was covered in Lichen and recommended that it be physically removed by washing, which caused further surface damage, including blunting of detail in the carvings.

[30] The damaged carvings on the body were recast with the new mortar and recarved on the edges and then injected with a mix of shellac resin and sand to stabilise each repair.