Corpus Refs: | Huebner/1876:124 Macalister/1949:993 Nash-Williams/1950:124 |
Site: | LLLYR |
Discovery: | first mentioned, 1863 Westwood, J.O. |
History: | Rhys/1873, 5: `The original stone was split longitudinally along the shaft of the cross: the one half has been lost, and the remaining one is, I believe, to be removed to a more fitting place than it now occupies, when the repairs going on at the house have been completed'.
Westwood/1876, 134--135: `During the meeting of the Cambrian Archæological Association at Cardigan in 1859 an inscribed stone...was brought to the temporary museum from Llanllear or Llanllyr, near Llanfihangel Ystrad, which had been used as a gate-post...The stone was visited at Llanllyr House, the residence of Colonel Lewis, where it was lying in a field near the out-buildings, during the Meeting of the Cambrian Archæological Association on August 23, 1878, but with no greater success in the interpretation of the inscription. The members were informed that the other part of the stone was believed to be built in the wall of the mansion'. Rhys/1896, 119: `I saw the stone in 1874...but since then Col, Lewis...was good enough to have the stone turned so that its face was for some time buried in the ground. This has the effect of killing the lichen'. Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `The stone stands in the flower-garden at the back of Llanllyr House'. CISP: [MH] the stone remains at Llanllyr, and is kept within a a garden near the house. It is partially protected and stands under a small alcove in the garden wall. |
Geology: | |
Dimensions: | 1.37 x 0.24 x 0.2 (converted from Macalister/1949) |
Setting: | in ground |
Location: | on site CISP: [MH] the stone remains at Llanllyr, and is kept within a a garden near the house. It is partially protected and stands under a small alcove in the garden wall. |
Form: | cross-marked Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `Right-hand half of a rough pillar-stone'. |
Condition: | frgmntry , poor Macalister/1949, 140: `It is only about half, or perhaps a little more than half, of the original monument...The original back of the stone is flaked away. Nothing seems to be lost from the inscription'. Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `l. half and back fractured away'. |
Folklore: | none |
Crosses: | 1: latin; linear; straight; plain; plain; none; outer curv; other; n/a 2: latin; linear; straight; plain; plain; none; outer curv; none; n/a |
Decorations: | Westwood/1876, 135: `it had evidently been partially incised with the longitudinal base or stem of a cross, the upper part of which was inclosed within a circle, of which one half remained on the portion exhibited'. Macalister/1949, 140: `Part of the head of a plain Latin cross, surrounded by a ring, remains on the face: the stem is lost, but it ended below in a spiral bifurcation, one branch of which remains. There is another wheel cross on the surviving sinister edge'. Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `Front. Incised linear Latin ring-cross (incomplete), with bifid (?) recurved foot (Fig. 5, 18). In the field to the r. of the stem is a Latin inscription...Right. Incised linear Latin ring-cross (Fig. 5, 12)'. |
Rhys, J. (1873): | TEMUICUCOITOC | ACIONINUATO | CASFILIUSASA | ITTMEITCII[-- Expansion: TEMUICUCOITOC ACIONINUATO CAS FILIUS ASA ITTMEITCII[-- Rhys/1873 5 reading only |
Rhys, J. (1894): | TESQUITUSDITOC | MADOMNUACO | CCONFILIUSASA | ITGENDEDIT Expansion: TESQUITUS DITOC MADOMNUACO CCON FILIUS ASAITGEN DEDIT Expansion: TESQUITUS DITOC MADOMNUAC OCCON FILIUS ASAITGEN DEDIT Translation: Ditoc's (PN) plot of ground: MoDomnu (PN) and Occon (PN) son of Asaitgen (PN) gave it to him. Rhys/1896 120 reading only Rhys/1905 54--55 reading only |
Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | TESQUITUSDITOC | MADOMNUACO | UONFILIUSASA | ITGENDEDIT Expansion: TESQUITUS DITOC MADOMNUACO UON FILIUS ASAITGEN DEDIT Translation: The little waste place of Ditoc (PN), Uon (PN) son of Asaitgen (PN) gave [it] to Mo-Domnac (PN). Macalister/1949 140 and Fig. reading only |
Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950): | TESQUITUSDITOC | MADOMNUACO | CCONFILIUSASA | ITGENDEDIT Expansion: TESQUITUS DITOC MADOMNUAC OCCON FILIUS ASAITGEN DEDIT Translation: The small waste plot of Ditoc (PN) which Occon (PN), son of Asaitgen(PN) gave to (?Saint) Madomnuac (PN). Expansion: TESQUITUS DITOC MADOMNUAC OCCON FILIUS ASAITGEN DEDIT Translation: The Hermitage of Ditoc (PN) (which) Occon (PN) son of Asaitgen (PN) gave to Madomnuac (PN). Handley/2001b inc reading only Nash-Williams/1950 100 reading only |
Orientation: | vertical down |
Position: | n/a ; broad ; below cross ; undecorated Macalister/1949, 140: `entirely on the sinister side of the cross-stem'. Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `In the field to the r. of the stem is a Latin inscription in four lines reading vertically downwards'. |
Incision: | pocked Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `neatly picked'. |
Date: | 600 - 650 (Rhys/1905) Rhys/1905, 55: `In any case it is not impossible that the inscription dates about the beginning of the seventh century'. 600 - 899 (Nash-Williams/1950) 650 - 799 (Handley/2001b) Handley/2001b, argues that the inscription must post-date the arrival of Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae in Britain, and therefore is unlikely to date before the middle of the seventh century. |
Language: | Latin (rbook) |
Ling. Notes: | Macalister/1949, 140, `It is of unusual purport'. Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `Tesquitus is regarded by Sir John Rhys as a diminutive of the Latin tesqua, `wastes', `deserts'...The inscription presumably records the dedication of a piece of land to the church of (Saint) Madomnuac'. Handley/2001b, argues that the word TESQUITUS is the unique product of the borrowing of the word TESQUA from Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae. This word has, in turn, had the adjectival, not diminuitive, suffix -itus added to it in the style of `Hisperic' Latin. In Isidore this word is glossed as meaning `the hut' or `the rough and wild place' -- or a hermitage and a desert. Linking the two meanings supplied by Isidore, and noting the use of dísert in Old Irish to signify a monastery, Handley argues that rather than the stone recording the donation of `a little waste plot', it should instead be seen to record the gift of a monastery. |
Palaeography: | Rhys/1873, 5: `we tried to decipher a cross-inscribed stone, but with exceedingly little success, as will be seen from the following reading which is not, perhaps, altogether wrong'. Westwood/1876, 135: `The letters are for the most part minuscules of the Hiberno-Saxon form. The second line commences with the word MACLONIN, and the third with LLOR FILIUS. There are several longitudinal cracks in the surface of the stone which adds to the difficulty'. Rhys/1896, 120--121: `This has the effect of killing the lichen, and I had the written portion washed clean, so I succedeed far beyond my expectation in deciphering. I examined it in April 1894, and made out the whole except the first line'. Rhys/1905, 54: `Hiberno-Saxon type of Brythonic letters'. Macalister/1949, 140: `So far as the reading of the lettering goes, the only uncertain point is the character at the beginning of line 3, read here U; but the U of FILIUS is very similar'. Nash-Williams/1950, 100: `Round half-uncials...The form of the initial M in l. 2 appears to be exceptional (but see Nos. 214, 253)'. CISP: The `exceptional' M spoken of by Nash-Williams is paralleled in Brittany at Langombrac'h [LDAUL/1]. |
Legibility: | some Westwood/1876, 135: `I published a figure in Arch. Camb., 1863, p. 258, regretting I was unable to give the reading'. Nash-Williams/1950, and Macalister/1949, however, very largely agree on their readings. |
Lines: | 4 |
Carving errors: | 0 |
Doubtful: | no |