| Corpus Refs: | Huebner/1876:41 Macalister/1949:984 Nash-Williams/1950:59 |
| Site: | LGORS |
| Discovery: | in/on structure, 1873 inc |
| History: | Westwood/1876, 60--61: `I am indebted to the Rev. D. Lewis of Llangors, Talgarth, for a notice and rubbing of an early inscribed stone, of which no representation has hitherto been published, and which was discovered when the old chancel-arch of the church was pulled down'. Macalister/1949, 136: `it was found in the process of taking down the old church'. |
| Geology: | |
| Dimensions: | 0.66 x 0.25 x 0.08 (converted from Macalister/1949) |
| Setting: | in struct |
| Location: | on site Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `Inside church, affixed to sill of window on S. side of nave'. |
| Form: | cross-marked Westwood/1876, 61: `It is 2 feet in length, 10 inches in width, and 2 1/2 inches in thickness'. Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `Rough pillar-stone (top and bottom partly fractured away), decorated and inscribed. 26 1/2" h. x 10 1/2" w. x 3" t.'. |
| Condition: | frgmntry , some Westwood/1876, 61, states that the `interlaced ornamental ribbon-patterns much defaced, apparently from the irregular surface of the stone'. Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `top and bottom partly fractured away'. |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | 1: latin; outline; straight; plain; plain; none; outer curv; none; plain |
| Decorations: | geometric key pattern Westwood/1876, 61: `On the face is a rudely-designed cross, formed of double incised lines, the head of the cross being inclosed within an ill-cut circular line. On either side of the stem of the cross are rude attempts at interlaced ornamental ribbon-patterns much defaced, apparently from the irregular surface of the stone. On the right edge of the stone are two inscriptions'. Macalister/1949, 136: `On the face of the stone there is a plain cross within a circle, rather irregularly drawn. Along the sides of the stem of the cross there are curved lines, apparently degenerate interlacements as on the stone at Llanarthey. On the dexter edge there are traces of toolmarks, but nothing more than the work of masons making the side of the stone straight: and on the sinister side there is this inscription'. Nash-Williams/1950, 79: `Front. Incised outline Latin ring-cross (Fig. 5, 27), with a rude T-scroll pattern on either side of the stem (? and above). Right. Inscription'. |
| Westwood, J.O. (1876): | + GURCI+BLEDR[U]S Expansion: + GURCI + BLEDRUS Westwood/1876 61 concise discussion |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1922): | + GURCI BLEDRUS Expansion: + GURCI BLEDRUS Macalister/1922 201 minor reference Macalister/1949 136 concise discussion |
| Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950): | + GURCI BLEDRUS Expansion: + GURCI BLEDRUS Translation: (The cross) of Gurci (PN). Bledrus (PN) (? set it up). |
| Orientation: | vertical down |
| Position: | n/a ; narrow ; n/a ; undivided Macalister/1949, 136: `on the sinister side'. Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `Right. Inscription (Fig. 48) in one line reading vertically downwards'. |
| Incision: | inc Macalister/1949, 136: `The inscription is cut, but the cross and ornamentation is pocked'. |
| Date: | 800 - 999 (Westwood/1876) Westwood/1876, 61: `two inscriptions, in early characters, probably of the ninth or tenth century (if not earlier)'. 600 - 899 (Nash-Williams/1950) |
| Language: | name only (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | Macalister/1922, 201--202: `It is to be noticed that the two names on this stone reappear together as witnesses to a grant of land (`Book of Llandav', ed. Evans and Rhys, p. 251)'. CISP: The Bledri of the charter was a bishop and Gurci a layman, they were therefore, only 'together' because they appear in the same charters. In any case these charters (LL 249b, 251) are of 11th-century date. |
| Palaeography: | Westwood/1876, 61: `two inscriptions, in early characters, probably of the ninth or tenth century (if not earlier). They are evidently to be read -- + gurci + bLeDru(?)s and are two distinct proper names cut in different characters and in very different sized letters, those of the first word occupying the whole width of the edge of the stone, whilst those of the second word are only about 3/4 of an inch high, being exactly of the size of the detached figure given below fig. 3. The first word offers a certain analogy with `gurmarc' of the Penarthur inscription in Pembrokeshire, whilst the second word is a curious mixture of small and capital letters, the b and e being minuscules, the l, d, and s capitals, and the r of the true Anglo-Saxon form, whilst the following letter is doubtful. (J. 0. W. in Arch. Camb., 1874, p. 232.) The name Gurci is preceded by a small +, and Prof. Rhys (Arch. Camb., 1875, p. 370) states that this is also the case with the second name; but in two rubbings before me I cannot satisfactorily perceive the second +. He also asserts that the second name is bledrus, and not bledrys. as I had read it in 1874. There is, however, a circular chipping in the stone cutting off the bottom of the penultimate letter, which may be either u or y'. Macalister/1922, 201: `There is not, I think, justification for inserting a cross before the name Bledrus (Westwood, [1876] p. 61)'. Macalister/1949, 136: `The second name is in very minute letters and (pace Rhys) is not preceded by a cross...Above the cross there appear marks like the letters (...E?)VII; but these may merely be crude ornament'. Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `Mixed Roman capitals (L, D, S) and half-uncials. The first word is in large lettering, the second in a smaller hand'. |
| Legibility: | good |
| Lines: | 1 |
| Carving errors: | n |
| Doubtful: | no |