SNCL1/1

Corpus Refs:Macalister/1945:452
Nash-Williams/1950:400
RCAHMW/1925:1067(ii)
Site:SNCL1
Discovery:first mentioned, 1690 Lhuyd, E.
History:RCAHMW/1925, lii: `St. Nicholas is one of the Pembrokeshire parishes visited by Mr. Edward Lhuyd or one of his assistants about the year 1690, when a rough sketch of the stone and its inscription was made by the visitor. Its substantial accuracy will appear if it is compared with the photograph'.

RCAHMW/1925, 379: `Leaning against the chancel wall are two other pillar stones, which formerly served as gateposts on the farm of Llandrudian'.

Rhys/1898a, 54, explains how this stone was noticed by Mr. William Williams, a postman, who reported the find to Mr. W. H. Clapp of Fishguard, who in turn reported it to Mr. H. W. Williams of Solva, who told Rhys. The postman had been passing the stone for 25 years, but noticed the text following an article in the Pembroke County Guardian. The stone was then visited by Mr. H. Williams, accompanied by the manager of the local hotel, Mr. W. Dunstan, where they took rubbings etc. and relayed their results to Rhys. At the time, Lhwyd's unpublished drawings were not known to Rhys, Westwood, etc. and the stone was thought to be a `new' find.

Macalister/1945, 429: `found acting as gateposts on the farm of Llanrudian...now preserved in the vestry of the parish church'.

Geology:Rhys/1898a, 54: `The stone is of the igneous formation intrusive in the Pancaer district'.
Dimensions:1.19 x 0.36 x 0.15 (converted from Macalister/1945)
Setting:in display
Location:other
Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `Inside church, mounted on S. side of chancel'.

CISP: [MH, 1997] the stone remains inside the church.

Form:cross-marked
Rhys/1898a, 54: `The stone...measures 4 ft. high by about 1 ft. 3 1/2 ins. wide'.

Macalister/1945, 429: `The present stone has been reduced...but in Lhuyd's time it was larger -- about 5' 6" long -- and an inscription in two lines'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `Rough pillar-stone. 46" h. x 14" w. x 7" t.'.

Condition:incomplete , some
Folklore:none
Crosses:1: latin; linear; straight; plain; square; none; none; none; n/a
Decorations:

Rhys/1898a, 55: `[The text is] preceded by a small cross, the shaft of which is produced right into the perpendicular of the first letter. This may have been merely accidental, but I am more inclined to regard it as done on purpose, and that the actual contact with the name of the deceased was to identify the cross with him'.

Macalister/1945, 430: `There is a roughly cut cross of two lines at the top of the stone, running into, but not through, the initial P'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `Incised linear Latin cross (Fig. 3, 11) of coarser and shallower cutting than the inscription. 7th--9th century'.

References


Inscriptions


SNCL1/1/1     Pictures

Readings

Rhys, J. (1898):PAA{N}{I}
Expansion:
PAANI
Translation:
(The Stone or the Cross) of Paan (PN).
Rhys/1898a 56 reading only
Macalister, R.A.S. (1945):[V/ALAVIFILI] | PAA{N}{I}
Expansion:
[VALAVI FILI] PAANI
Macalister/1945 429--430 reading only
Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950):[--] | PAA{N}{I}
Expansion:
[--] PAANI
Translation:
(The stone)...of Paanus (PN).
Nash-Williams/1950 217 reading only

Notes

Orientation:vertical down
Position:n/a ; broad ; below cross ; undivided
The surviving text lies directly below the cross. The vertical of the cross runs into the initial letter.

Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `The inscription is in one line reading vertically downwards, with vestiges of further lettering on the r. edge of the face'.

Incision:inc
Macalister/1945, 429: `pocked'.
Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `deeply cut'.
Date:400 - 533 (Nash-Williams/1950)
Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `Fifth to early sixth century'.
Nash-Williams/1950 dates the cross to 7th--9th century.
500 - 599 (Thomas/1994)
Thomas/1994, 106, dates the inscription to the sixth century.
Language:Latin (rcaps)
Ling. Notes:Macalister/1945, 429, reads the inscription as [VALAVI FILI] / PAANI, basing the first line on a transcription from Edward Lhuyd.

Nash-Williams/1950, 217, reads the stone simply as PAANI. If Macalister is correct the inscription was in Latin, if Nash-Wiliams was correct then the inscription should be clasified as 'Name only'.

Thomas/1994, 106, sees this stone as a name-only inscription.

Palaeography:Rhys/1898a, 55--56: `the AA look peculiar, and they seem to join like two deltas. The last consonant is an N with its middle line drawn the wrong way...the last limb of it looks also prolonged, as if to form a pendant to the longish perpendicular of the P. As to this first letter, Mr. Williams calls attention to a point or hollow underneath the semicircle forming the upper part of it, and suggests one might with the aid of this read R. The hollow or depression in question is visible in all three rubbings. It does not seem, however, to join the P, and I am inclined to regard it as no part of the writing; but this is partly because I can make nothing of a name Ranni, while I can make something of Paani. While desirous that this should be treated provisionally as an open question, I proceed to submit what I should have to say of the reading Panni'.

Macalister/1945, 429: `[in the missing line] the VA being ligatured. The first line, containing the first two words, is now broken away except the tips of some of the letters: only the third word, which was pocked, remains in good condition'.

Macalister also notes that the cross runs into the initial P.

Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `Roman capitals, deeply cut in rather clumsy style, with horizontal final -I. AA and NI are conjoined'.

Legibility:some
The remaining text appears legible. Macalister/1945, 429, notes that in Lhwyd's time there was a second line of text which is now missing, see drawing reproduced in RCAHMW/1925, 380.

Nash-Williams/1950, 217: `with vestiges of further lettering on the r. edge of the face'.

Lines:2
Carving errors:0
Doubtful:no

Names

References