middle, the upper part having probably formerly supported a sun-dial, judging from the nails still remaining in its head. A figure and description of the stone was published by T. L. D. Jones Parry, Esq. (Arch. Camb., 1848, p. 105), by whom the inscription was read MELI MEDICI FILI MARTINI JACIT. The letters of the inscription are entirely Roman capitals, a proof of the great age of the stone. They are about 2 inches high, the M's with the first and last strokes splayed outwards, the second м having the second and fourth strokes carried above the line as in the rustic letter м; the L and I in the first line are conjoined, the I not so tall as the L, and extending below the line. This conjunction indicates a debased style, and which is sometimes carried so far that the L and I were formed (the i at the end of words is often carved like a j below the line in early Irish and Anglo-Saxon MSS.). The F and R are also debased in form, the bottom right stroke of the latter being short and nearly horizontal. The formula commencing with two names in the genitive and without any hic is to be noticed. (J. O. W., Arch. Camb., 1848, p. 107.) Sir J. S. Simpson gave a figure of this stone in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1863, vol. iv. p. 130. It is Hübner's Inscript., No. 142. PLATE LXXXII. FIG. 4. THE LLANELHAIARN STONE. About fifteen years ago, in digging a grave in a newly-inclosed piece of ground adjoining the churchyard of Llanelhaiarn (about four miles from the Chwilog station and close to Yr Eif mountain), there was discovered a block of stone 4 feet 3 inches long, here figured, on which is inscribed A HORTVSEIMETIACO HIC IACET, the whole being in good Roman capital letters of good proportions, but slightly irregular in size. The second letter has an oblique line or dash at the bottom of its first upright stroke, apparently making it into an L, so that it may be taken for H, LH conjoined, or LI. The account and figure which I published in Archæologia Cambrensis, 1867, p. 342, were prepared from rubbings received from the Incumbent, the Rev. J. W. Ellis, of Glasfryn, near Pwllhelli, and the schoolmaster, Mr. R. Hughes, together with a careful drawing executed by Mr. Blight. Prof. Rhys subsequently examined the stone, and read the second letter as L and H conjoined, the seventh as a G instead of s; and again after another visit (Arch. Camb., 1874, p. 247) he doubted the L in the first letter and adopted the reading of the seventh letter as s (giving philological reasons for this change in his opinions). In July, 1876, he read the second letter as LH and the seventh as s, translating the first line as Alhortus the Bronzespeared. In August, 1877, the stone was visited by Prof. Rhys, Mr. Robinson, myself, and several other members of the Association during the Caernarvon Meeting, when the inscription was discussed; and in the report of the visit it is stated that the inscription was read it will at once be seen, are of a character quite unlike that of any of the inscriptions hitherto published, not only as regards the form of the letters but also the style of the inscriptions themselves. It is evident that they are contemporary, and I was, at first, inclined to regard them as of the tenth or eleventh century, that is, sometime before the introduction of the angulated Gothic or rounded Lombardic (as they are miscalled) letters. They record the sepulture of ecclesiastics, the second stone showing them to have been members of a fraternity. The records of the locality will probably afford a clue to the history of this establishment. The first and most important of these stones is evidently to be read SENACVS PRSB HIC IACIT | CVM | MVLTITV | DINEM | FRATRVM|. : : : FRE ET The long thin form of the entirely Roman capitals of this inscription will attract attention, as well as the mode of contraction of the word Presbyter and the extraordinary conjunction of most of the letters of the fourth and fifth lines. The false Latinity of the word multitudinem is almost surprising. The lower part of the stone is much rubbed, and the letters FRE ET (. . . . fratre et .?) are almost defaced. Unless it were to record the burial of the superior of the community and a number of his companions, perhaps slaughtered at one time, the formula is certainly a curious one. The second stone is easily to be read MERACIVS PBR HIC IACIT. Except in the conjunction of the first and second letters, the ill-shaped third letter R (the bottom stroke of which should join the first of the following A), and the equally ill-shaped B in the second line, this inscription does not offer any observation of note. The length of the first of these stones is 3 feet 6 inches, and its diameter varies from 6 to 18 inches; and the length of the second stone is 3 feet, and its width varies from 6 to 12 inches. The letters vary from 2 to 3 inches in length. Prof. Rhys (Notes, p. 10) reads the first name of fig. 1 as Veracius, and the bottom line of fig. 2 as PRESPITER. The drawing and rubbings sent me show a splaying stroke to the right of the supposed v in the former word, and the first letter of the latter word may possibly be a P, but after the third letter it is but guess-work to determine what is the true reading of this bottom line. PLATE LXXIX. FIG. 4. THE LLANGIAN STONE. In the churchyard of Llangian, on the south side of the church, stands an erect stone 3 feet 10 inches high, resting on a circular paved space sinking slightly towards the 1 Hübner, Inscr., p. 50, Nos. 144, 145, regards them as much older. middle, the upper part having probably formerly supported a sun-dial, judging from the nails still remaining in its head. A figure and description of the stone was published by T. L. D. Jones Parry, Esq. (Arch. Camb., 1848, p. 105), by whom the inscription was read MELI MEDICI FILI MARTINI JACIT. Ι The letters of the inscription are entirely Roman capitals, a proof of the great age of the stone. They are about 2 inches high, the M's with the first and last strokes splayed outwards, the second м having the second and fourth strokes carried above the line as in the rustic letter M; the L and I in the first line are conjoined, the I not so tall as the L, and extending below the line. This conjunction indicates a debased style, and which is sometimes carried so far that the L and I were formed ↳ (the i at the end of words is often carved like a j below the line in early Irish and Anglo-Saxon MSS.). The F and R are also debased in form, the bottom right stroke of the latter being short and nearly horizontal. The formula commencing with two names in the genitive and without any hic is to be noticed. (J. O. W., Arch. Camb., 1848, p. 107.) Sir J. S. Simpson gave a figure of this stone in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1863, vol. iv. p. 130. It is Hübner's Inscript., No. 142. PLATE LXXXII. FIG. 4. THE LLANELHAIARN STONE. About fifteen years ago, in digging a grave in a newly-inclosed piece of ground adjoining the churchyard of Llanelhaiarn (about four miles from the Chwilog station and close to Yr Eifl mountain), there was discovered a block of stone 4 feet 3 inches long, here figured, on which is inscribed A HORTVSEIMETIACO HIC IACET, the whole being in good Roman capital letters of good proportions, but slightly irregular in size. The second letter has an oblique line or dash at the bottom of its first upright stroke, apparently making it into an L, so that it may be taken for H, LH conjoined, or LI. The account and figure which I published in Archæologia Cambrensis, 1867, p. 342, were prepared from rubbings received from the Incumbent, the Rev. J. W. Ellis, of Glasfryn, near Pwllhelli, and the schoolmaster, Mr. R. Hughes, together with a careful drawing executed by Mr. Blight. Prof. Rhys subsequently examined the stone, and read the second letter as L and H conjoined, the seventh as a G instead of s; and again after another visit (Arch. Camb., 1874, p. 247) he doubted the L in the first letter and adopted the reading of the seventh letter as s (giving philological reasons for this change in his opinions). In July, 1876, he read the second letter as LH and the seventh as s, translating the first line as Alhortus the Bronzespeared. In August, 1877, the stone was visited by Prof. Rhys, Mr. Robinson, myself, and several other members of the Association during the Caernarvon Meeting, when the inscription was discussed; and in the report of the visit it is stated that the inscription was read ALHORTVS ELMETIALCO-, but that a subsequent examination by the same gentlemen had decided. in favour of ALIORTVS ALMETIACO. I made a rubbing of the inscription at this visit, and although there appears the oblique stroke at the bottom of the first portion of the letter following the initial a, there appears to be a slight cross-bar 13 inches long joining the first and second upright strokes. There is likewise a slight nearly horizontal stroke at the top of the s1, which is, I think, only a fracture in the stone; the I preceding the м has an apparent oblique base (making it into an 1), and there is no trace of an L preceding the terminal co, nor do I see any trace of the horizontal stroke after the final o. PLATE LXXVIII. FIGS. 5 & 6. THE TWO HEXAGONAL INSCRIBED STONES AT LLANNOR. In the Archæologia Cambrensis, 1847, p. 201, T. L. D. Jones Parry, Esq., published a notice of two hexagonal stones 6 feet 2 inches long, found forming the sides of a grave close by a little cottage called Bandŷ-yr-Mynydd, or more properly Beudy-r-Mynydd, on the farm of Pempris in the parish of Llannor on the promontory of Lleyn, Caernarvonshire, accompanied by two wood-cuts made from drawings by myself from rubbings communicated by the Editor. They had been discovered some years previously in pulling up a hedge under which the grave had extended at right angles. Between them was found the skeleton of a man not less than 7 feet high, with the feet to the south; also with a head and footstone, the whole being covered with two slabs. Two meinihirion were near the grave, being 160 feet apart, the immediate vicinity being named Tir-Gwyn. Mr. Parry read the longer inscription ICVEN RHIFIDI being able to make nothing of the inscription on the second stone. The rubbings submitted to me enable me to suggest that the first line might be read ICAENALI FILI, the two letters LL being of a very debased form; and that the name on the second stone had an evident affinity with that of VINNEMAGLI on the Gwytherin stone. In the Archæologia Cambrensis, 1859, it is stated that about three years previously these stones were buried by the farm tenant more than a yard under ground. By the exertions however of the Rev. O. Ll. Williams, Rector of Bodfaen, these stones had been lately rediscovered and disinterred. (Arch. Camb., 1876, p. 313, and 1877, p. 72.) The stones were visited by Prof. Rhys and Mr. Breese in the autumn of 1876, when the former read the first word as IOVENALI, adding that the inscription on the other stone is VENDESETLI, in taller and much finer letters than the longer inscription, and that the name Vennisetli Vende-setli, whereof sell is the correct antecedent of the modern 1 It is still doubtful whether this s or g is to be considered as the last letter of the first word or the first of the second word. hoedl, life.' In the Cambro-British Saints, pp. 267-268, the name appears as Gvennoedyl, and in the Iolo MS. (p. 141) it is Gwynoedl, and elsewhere Gwynoedl and Gwynodl; and it is added that the church of Llangwynoedl is in the neighbourhood, and that this stone commemorates the saint to whom the church is dedicated.' (Arch. Camb., 1877, pp. 143-144, where the philological peculiarities of these names are discussed at length by Prof. Rhys.) It happens unfortunately, however, for this philological theory that the sepulchral inscription of S. GUYNHOYDYL still exists in the church of Llangywnhoydyl (H. L. Jones in Arch. Camb., 1848, p. 147) in Gothic capitals, for a drawing of which I am indebted to T. L. D. Jones Parry, Esq., who has added a MS. note to the effect that the inscription was originally terminated by the numerals 750. In the same work (1877, p. 329) it is stated that these two stones have again disappeared from the field where they were last seen, having been probably buried either to preserve them or to get them out of the way. The accompanying figures have been drawn by camera from two sets of rubbings kindly sent to me since the first account of the stones was published. PLATE LXXXI. FIG. 4. THE FIGULINUS STONE AT LLANNOR. In the year 1856, and again in 1863, the Rev. H. L. Jones made a series of rubbings of an inscribed stone used as the western jamb of the churchyard gate on the south side of Llannor Church, near Pwlhelli. These rubbings were sent to me, and enabled me to communicate the inscription (with many others) to Dr. Hübner (Inscript., p. 49, No. 138), who in return has thought fit to add, Lectionem sola Westwoodii fide stare ne obliviscaris.' During the Caernarvon Meeting of the Cambrian Archæological Association in 1877 the stone was visited by several of the members, who were not able to make out more of the second line than I had done. The inscription occupies 24 inches by 14 inches, the letters being debased Roman capitals. PLATE LXXXI. FIG. 10. THE BARDSEY ISLAND INSCRIBED STONE. During the Meeting of the Cambrian Archæological Association at Caernarvon in September, 1848, a visit to Bardsey Island was made, when a stone was found in a cottage adjacent to the ruins of the abbey, of which the Dean of Hereford took a clay cast, from which a plaster one was made (Arch. Camb., 1848, pp. 357, 363), and a portion of the inscription was deciphered by the Dean and myself thus, MARCVELIO. The cast is still .... |