Cross - Churchyard cross, Magheross, Co. Monaghan

A headstone, long since lost from the site, was almost certainly not a headstone at all, but a medieval churchyard cross that had been repurposed as a grave marker at some point in its long history. The reuse of early crosses as later memorials was not uncommon in Irish graveyards, where old carved stones were pressed into new service rather than discarded, but this particular example carried details unusual enough to attract attention well before it disappeared.

The stone was described and illustrated by Shirley in 1879, and that record remains the primary source for what it looked like. The cross had an expanded head, meaning it flared outward toward the terminals rather than maintaining a uniform width, with chamfered edges and a surface decorated with running animals. On the front, a partial inscription read: THIS AND, CROS THA, T IEVERM, the full text now irrecoverable given how much has been lost. On the reverse, carved into the stone, was what appeared to be a harp. By 1942, when it was noted as part of the Davies ITA Survey, the stone had already been identified as likely medieval in origin. At some point after that, it vanished from the graveyard entirely.