BLACK ROOD OF SCOTLAND
Black Rood of Scotland: translation
A relic described as being a casket made in the form of a cross and said to contain a piece of the 'true Cross' set in a piece of ebony, also cruciform - hence the name. It is first heard of as belonging to the Wessex princess, Margaret, sister of Edgar *Aetheling, who married Malcolm, king of Scotland, c. 1070. She left it in her will to her children, after which it remained in Scotland. In 1346, David II, king of Scots, invaded England, taking the rood with him in the hope of its bringing success. Instead, at the Battle of Neville's Cross, David himself was captured and the rood fell into English hands. It was taken to Durham Cathedral and placed in St Cuthbert's shrine. At some time during the Dissolution it disappeared.
Cf. Rood2