Corpus Refs: | Macalister/1945:442 Nash-Williams/1950:346 |
Site: | MTHRY |
Discovery: | first mentioned, 1698 Lhuyd, E. |
History: | RCAHMW/1925, 223--224, records that the site was visited in 1921, but the stone was not found. It publishes, however, Edward Lhwyd's report and sketches of the stone. Nash-Williams/1937, 325--326: `This stone, seen and recorded by or for Edward Lhuyd at Mathry in 1698 and afterwards lost, was rediscovered during the recent summer (1937) built head downwards in the church wall serving as the western gatepost of the entrance opposite the west end of the church. Lhuyd's record of the stone...[includes] two sketches left by him...According to the first of these the stone was found `on the south side of Mathry church', according to the other on the `north side'. The discrepancy was doubtless due to a slip, for the sketches, despite slight differences of detail, are obviously of one and the same stone...A number of hanger holes have been sunk in both faces of the stone showing that the slab has been used and reused as a gatepost...the vicar...intends to have the stone carefully preserved in the porch of Mathry church'. Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `Inside church porch'. CISP: [MH, 1996] the stone remains inside the porch. |
Geology: | |
Dimensions: | 1.35 x 0.43 x 0.18 (converted from NashWilliams/1950) |
Setting: | unattch |
Location: | on site Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `Inside church porch'. |
Form: | plain Nash-Williams/1937, 325: `roughly rectangular slab'. Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `Rough pillar-stone...53" h. x 17" w. x 3 1/2--7" t.'. |
Condition: | incomplete , some Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `top fractured away and with gate-hanger holes in both faces'. |
Folklore: | none |
Crosses: | none |
Decorations: | other Nash-Williams/1937, 326: `the back part of an incised circle 14 1/2 inches in diameter in double outline...The significance of the double circle on the back of the stone is obscure, and no precise parallel can be cited'. Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `The latter face also bears part of an incised double-outline circle (?) (Fig. 3, 10)'. |
Nash-Williams, V.E. (1937): | [MAC] | C/VDICCL | {F}ILI/V{S} | C/ATIC | V/V{S} Expansion: MACCVDICCL FILIVS CATICVVS Translation: Maccudiccl (PN), son (of) Caticuus (PN) (lies here). Nash-Williams/1937 326 reading only Nash-Williams/1950 195 reading only |
Macalister, R.A.S. (1945): | [MAC] | CVDICCL[I] | {F}ILIV{S} | CATIC | VV{S} Expansion: MACCVDICCL[I] FILIVS CATICVVS Macalister/1945 422 reading only |
Thomas, C. (1994): | [MAC] | CVDICCL[.] | FILIVS | CATIC | VVS Expansion: MACCVDICCL[I] FILIUS CATICVVS Thomas/1994 75 reading only |
Orientation: | horizontal |
Position: | n/a ; broad ; n/a ; undecorated Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `The Latin inscription is in four (originally five) lines reading horizontally'. |
Incision: | inc |
Date: | 400 - 533 (Nash-Williams/1937) 466 - 533 (Jackson/1953) 500 - 533 (Thomas/1994) Thomas/1994, 75, dates the stone to the early sixth century. |
Language: | Latin (rcaps) |
Ling. Notes: | Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `For the uninflected form of the first name cf. Nos. 170, 353; for the use of the nominative case in the second name cf. No. 54'. |
Palaeography: | Nash-Williams/1937, 326--327: `The lettering of the Latin inscription is Roman capitals, with certain unusual forms. The ends of the letters in l. 1. are sufficiently preserved to confirm Lhuyd's reading MAC. The E-shaped F in l. 3, with oblique top bar and two horizontal bars below instead of one, is a well known Early Christian form, found in continental inscriptions fron the late fourth to the seventh century A.D., though rare in this country. The remarkable symbol used for S in ll. 3 and 5 appears to be without parallel among contemporary inscriptions either in this country or on the Continent. In both cases it is placed above the line, as though a mark of abbreviation rather than a true letter'. Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `The completion of l. 1 is known from a reading made by or for Edward Llwyd in 1698. The lettering is Roman capitals with CV (l. 2), IV (l. 3), CA (l. 4), and VV (l. 5) conjoined. The E-shaped form of the F is not uncommon on contemporary continental inscriptions, but occurs more rarely in Britain (cf. Nos. 127, 384). The form of the S is based on the Greek letter [Sigma] (sigma) (cf. Nos. 160, 352)'. |
Legibility: | some The remaining letters seem reasonably legible from Nash-Williams but line one is missing and has been reconstructed from Lhwyd's sketch of 1698. |
Lines: | 5 |
Carving errors: | 0 |
Doubtful: | no |
Jackson/1953, 620, note 2, sees the name as Irish.
Nash-Williams, V.E. (1937): | [--] Expansion: [--] Nash-Williams/1937 326 reading only Nash-Williams/1950 195 reading only |
Macalister, R.A.S. (1945): | [--] Expansion: [--] Macalister/1945 422 reading only |
Orientation: | Indeterminate |
Position: | inc ; arris ; n/a ; undivided Nash-Williams/1950, 195: `Back. The Ogam inscription (incomplete) is incised along the l. angle (? and originally across the top)'. |
Incision: | inc |
Date: | 400 - 533 (Nash-Williams/1937) 466 - 533 (Jackson/1953) |
Language: | Incomplete Information (ogham) |
Ling. Notes: | none |
Palaeography: | Nash-Williams/1937, 386: `mutilated traces of Ogams'. |
Legibility: | poor Jackson/1953, 140: `illegible ogam'. |
Lines: | 1 |
Carving errors: | n |
Doubtful: | no |