| Corpus Refs: | Huebner/1876:33 Macalister/1949:988 Nash-Williams/1950:67 Rhys/1905:37 |
| Site: | PATRS |
| Discovery: | first mentioned, 1856 Westwood, J.O. |
| History: | First mentioned by Westwood/1856a, 286--90. Nash-Williams/1950, 79, indicates that the font is still inside the church. |
| Geology: | |
| Dimensions: | 0.0 x 0.81 x 0.15 (converted from Nash-Williams/1950) |
| Setting: | on ground |
| Location: | earliest In the parish church. |
| Form: | font Westwood/1876, 71: `The font is large and circular, with a narrowed circular base resting on a broader circular block. Its upper part measures 34 inches in its external diameter, the basin being 20 inches in diameter with an excavated drain. The outside of the body of the font is quite plain, but upon the flat ridge of the top of the font is the inscription...On either side are two holes for the staples for the cover'. Macalister/1949, 139: `plain massive cylindrical basin upon a thick cylindical stem'. Nash-Williams/1950, 79: `Bowl-font. 32" diam. x 6" w. (across rim)'. |
| Condition: | complete , good |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | none |
| Decorations: | geometric other Westwood/1876, 71: `two semi-foliated ornaments, extending into a line which runs all round within the outer edge and encloses the inscription'. Macalister/1949, 1399: `On the rim there is a simple ornament of spirals'. Nash-Williams/1950, 79: `incised foliated border'. |
| Westwood, J.O. (1876): | MENHIRMEFECITI~TE~POREGENILLIN Expansion: MENHIR ME FECIT I[N] TE[M]PORE GENILLIN Westwood/1876 71 reading only |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | MENHIRMEFECITI~TE~POREGENILLIN Expansion: MENHIR ME FECIT I[N] TE[M]PORE GENILLIN Macalister/1949 139, Plate LI reading only |
| Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950): | MENHIRMEFECITI~TE~POREGENILLIN Expansion: MENHIR ME FECIT I[N] TE[M]PORE GENILLIN Translation: Menhir (PN) made me in the time of Genillin (PN). Nash-Williams/1950 79 concise discussion |
| Orientation: | circular |
| Position: | n/a ; top ; n/a ; undivided Westwood/1876, 71: `upon the flat ridge of the top of the font is the inscription'. Macalister/1949, 139: `On the rim'. Nash-Williams/1950, 79: `around the upper rim in one line within an incised foliated border'. |
| Incision: | inc Macalister/1949, 139: `very roughly cut'. Nash-Williams/1950, 79: `thinly, but fairly deeply cut'. |
| Date: | 1060 - 1060 (Westwood/1876) Westwood/1876, 71: `From Jones's `Brecknockshire' we learn that Cynhyllyn, or Genyllin Voel, the only son and heir of Rhys Goch, was Lord of Ystradyw, as well as Prince of Powis, in the middle of the eleventh century, and that the church itself was consecrated by Herwald (who was consecrated Bishop of Llandaff in 1056) under the name of Methur Issur, evidently corrupted from Merthyr Ishav, or St. Ishaw the Martyr. Hence we learn that the font is coeval with the dedication of the church in the year 1060...The foliated ornaments on the rim suggested a later date to the font than is here proposed to the Editors of the Archaeologia Cambrensis (1856, p. 287), where my original article appeared; in reply to which I cited many instances of similar foliated ornamentation in Anglo-Saxon MSS. of the end of the tenth and eleventh centuries'. 1075 - 1199 (Nash-Williams/1950) |
| Language: | Latin (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | Rhys/1905, 63, examines the metre of the inscription. Nash-Williams/1950, 79: `For in tempore Genillin, cf. No. 281 (in tempore Ewini)'. |
| Palaeography: | Westwood/1876, 71: `consisting of rudely-formed letters of irregular size, being for the most part Anglo-Saxon minuscules...Hence we learn that the font is coeval with the dedication of the church in the year 1060, and this is of considerable importance, as we have in this inscription round its top a very different style of letters either from the debased Roman capitals of the Paulinus and other earlier stones, or the Hiberno-Saxon characters of the Llantwit and other similar monuments. The system of contracting the words, wherever possible, had also commenced'. Nash-Williams/1950, 71: ``Hiberno-Saxon' minuscules, thinly but fairly deeply cut in good style, with bars of abbreviation'. |
| Legibility: | good CISP: all authorities agree on reading. . |
| Lines: | 1 |
| Carving errors: | n |
| Doubtful: | no |
Rhys/1905, 62--63: `The name is unfortunately obscure, but Westwood treats the font as coeval with the church, which he dates from the year 1060. This agrees with the fact that a Genillin, son of Rhys Goch, was in the middle of the 11th century prince of Powys and lord of Ystrad Yw, in which Patrishow is situated'.
Macalister/1949, 139: ``Genillin' is identified with Cynhyllyn, son and successor of Rhys Goch, lord of Ystrad Yw, who flourished in the middle of the 11th century'. Also see Bartrum/1966, 190.