1. THE CROSS-CARVED STONE Aka “The Promise Stone”

2.  The Promise Stone is a slab of black-speckled granite inscribed with a carving of a Latin ringed cross.  While at first glance appearing simple, this slab provides a variety of different perspectives into a variety of different aspects of Newry’s history.  It is this paradoxical element of complexity through simplicity that attracted me to this particular topic

3. WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FORM THE PROMISE STONE  From the promise stone historians can observe many different elements of the culture from which it originated, such as:  The development of craftsmanship at the time  The standard of architecture and housing at the time  The state of religion at the time  The myths, superstitions and traditions of the time

4. THE STANDARD OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ARCHITECTURE AT THE TIME  The quality of craftsmanship at the time of its creation for even over the centuries the stone still retains its cross carving.  It was the increasing influx and development of the Cristian religion that allowed this stone to be created  The 11 th and 12 th centuries “saw construction of thousands of churches and cathedrals across western Europe. Due to this, the medieval masons were very much in demand” 1  Additionally Christianity already had a significant presence in Ireland “It has also been suggested that the site may have been an existing Benedictine abbey, and that its disaffected monks broke away to join the new order” 2

5. THE STATE OF RELIGION AT THE TIME  Newry was to be part of a pan-European expansion of the Cistercian order, yet surprisingly “for an order stressing humility and Spartan living, the founders were often the great families and royalty of Europe” 3  “little work has been done in studying the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries” 4 as the significance and effect of the predeceasing centuries far outstripped the events occurring then; “These two centuries were not marked by… the spiritual reorganization and spiritual renewal which characterized the twelfth century” 5.  “

6. THE IMPACT OF PAST OBJECTS  Even after the abbeys destruction, the Promise Stone still retained significant presence and power to the towns people.  With the abbey gone the stone was moved to a central location in the marketplace; it was here that the slab earned its iconic title “The Promise Stone”.  The stone held such a presence that traders often made deals in front of it with the stone acting as a witness - a substitute for god.

7. CONCLUSION  So in conclusion while the cross carved stone may seem simple and even insignificant, all one must do is closely analyse it in order to be provided with a multitude of different perspectives into various aspects of religion throughout Irish history.

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY  ( Architecture - Early Christian and Medieval Period, Available at: http://www.ireland-information.com/reference/earlyarch.html (Accessed: 3 January 2016).  Dawkes, G (2009) 'Before Bagenals Castle: Evidence of the Medieval Cistercian Abbey at Newry, County Down', Ulster journal of archaeology, 68(), pp. 124-126.  Lynch, A (1981) 'Religion in Late Medieval Ireland', Archivium Hibernicum, 36 (), pp. 3.  Gwynn, A (1968) The twelfth-century reform (A History of Irish Catholicism), : Gill & Macmillan Ltd.