SDAV3/3

Westwood/1892, 78: `INSCRIBED STONE AT ST. DAVID'S. -- The fortunate discovery made on taking down some of the rubble of the western gable of the Lady Chapel of St. David's Cathedral, in order to insert a relieving arch above the twin arches of the entrance, now under repair'.

Allen/1896, 292, `Found, in 1892, built into the rubble wall at the west end of Lady Chapel of Cathedral, now fixed in wall of south transept'.

Macalister/1949, 173, `Built into the East wall of the South Transept of St. David's Cathedral...discovered in 1891'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 210: `Grey slate'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 211: `Inside Cathedral, built into E. wall of S. transept'.

The sculpture is very well executed, the material having probably been softer when fresh from the quarry than at present. The obverse side bears in relief a cross similar in shape to that which surmounts the enriched cross on the other side'.

Macalister/1949, 173: `a slab'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 210: `Roughly shaped round-headed pillar-stone...27" h. x 13" w. x?" t.'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 210: `right-hand edge and bottom fractured away'.

Westwood/1892, 78--79: `the base of the cross, the whole of the inscriptions and of the ornamental carving of the left side are entire; the latter being of an elegant character and carefully executed, representing a Maltese cross with equal arms, dilated at the ends into triangular knots, within a circle surmounted with a Latin cross, on either side of which are inscribed the letters Alpha and Omega...The ornamental details are very interesting; the general form of the bars forming the circular cross are seen in the three Pen Arthur stones (Lap. Wall., pl. 60), the curious step-pattern in figures 1 and 3, whilst the pretty central device of the four interlaced hearts is exactly copied in figure 3 of the same plate'.

NB: Westwood/1892 is the only publication to provide a drawing of the cross on the back of this monument.

Macalister/1949, 174: `The stone bears a cross in a circle, ormamented with interlacement, which can be best understood by referring to the drawing. Above it is a small plain cross'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 210--211: `The stone bears carved decoration back and front, and is also inscribed. Front. This face is decorated with an ornamental wheel-cross carved in medium relief, framed in a plain-bordered circular panel with a small Latin cross above and part of the upper quadrants of a second wheel-cross (?) conjoined below (cf. No. 357). To the l. of the Latin cross is a Latin inscription (Fig. 238) in an irregular incised outline panel (see below). The arms of the Latin cross are faintly splayed and edged with an incised line. In the interspaces above and below are the Greek letters...The wheel-cross below is of debased Anglo-Norse form, with slightly splayed arms, wide angular interspaces, and fully extended wheel.[6] The arms are filled with four-cord double-beaded interlacing carved in medium relief, comprising double Stafford-knots with bifurcations, interjoined around a central composite knot of Celtic type and merging at the arm-ends into double-beaded straight fret filling the arcs of the wheel. The bifurcated plait and the straight fret are both usually regarded as Scandinavian features.[1] The second wheel-cross was perhaps of similar form, but undecorated save for a double-beading to the arms (? and wheel) and with pellets or bosses in the interspaces...Back. This face bears a plain Latin cross, of the same form as that in front, carved in relief, suggesting that the stone was intended to stand erect.

[6] Cf. NC, [Collingwood/1927] p. 14 and fig. 154 (showing somewhat similar decoration of the cross-arms); MC, [Kermode/1907] pl. xlvii (showing Scandinavian features).

[1] For the bifurcated plait see AADS, i, p. 288; iii, p. 264. For the fret, ibid., p. 160'.

[5] On early monuments and in the manuscripts the {A} and {W} are commonly placed in the lower interspaces of the cross and represented as suspended by chains or bars from the arms above, evidently in imitation of the jewelled crosses (cruces stationales) so equipped that were carried in processions'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 211: `The inscription at the head of the slab is in five lines reading horizontally'.

Macalister/1949, 174: `an accentual hexameter verse'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 211: `The formula Hic quiescit was one of the oldest of the Early Christian burial formulae[2] (though not used in Wales); like the analogous Hic iacet, it subsisted in use on the Continent throughout the Early Christian period, being reintroduced into Britain following the Norman Conquest. The occurrence of the formula on the present stone suggests that Romanesque influence was reaching St. Davids already immediately before the arrival of the Normans.

[2] Cf. ICG, ii, [LeBlant/1865] p. viii'.

Rhys/1905, 42: `Hiberno-Saxon letters'.

Macalister/1949, 174: `The first son's name has been read HED, but it looks more like NED (perhaps = Nudd); the initial differs in appearance from the H at the beginning of the preceding word'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 211: `Irish round half-uncials. The words are interpunctuated with single points set above the line. 7, the old Tironian sign for ET, is found in Irish writing and inscriptions from the 8th century onwards'.