| Corpus Refs: | Huebner/1876:143 Macalister/1949:999 Nash-Williams/1950:82 RCAHMW/1964:1518 |
| Site: | BARDS |
| Discovery: | in/on structure, 1848 CAA |
| History: | Westwood/1879, 181--182, `During the meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological Association at Caernarvon in September, 1848, a visit to Bardsey Island was made, when a stone was found in a cottage adjacent to the ruins of the abbey, of which the Dean of Hereford took a clay cast, from which a plaster one was made...The cast is still preserved in the museum now in Caernarvon Castle, and was again examined by me during the meeting at that town in 1877. The drawing here published is the result of my examination...' Macalister/1949, 143: `Found in a cottage in 1848, during an excursion of the Cambrian Archaeological Association to Bardsey.' The stone was moved to its current location prior to 1964. |
| Geology: | |
| Dimensions: | 0.71 x 0.39 x 0.13 (converted from RCAHMW/1964) |
| Setting: | unattch |
| Location: | Wesleyan Chapel; Current location. RCAHMW/1964, 19, `...in porch of Wesleyan chapel near site of abbey'. |
| Form: | Cramp shaft B Nash-Williams/1950, 86, `Lower portion of a splayed shaft (? of a free-standing slab-cross). The shaft bears carved decoration in low to medium relief on all (?) faces, and is also inscribed.' RCAHMW/1964, 19 `Fragment of a cross-slab...the lower part, tapering towards the missing head.' |
| Condition: | incomplete , poor The slab is broken, probably in about half, and has also been dressed down on both the right-hand side and the back (Nash-Williams/1950, 86, RCAHMW/1964, 19). |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | none |
| Decorations: | figural; geometric ribbon interlace Nash-Williams/1950, 86, `Front. The decoration is disposed vertically in panels : (a) lower part of a standing male (?) figure, facing front, with feet turned outwards, wearing a long `pleated' kilt-like skirt coming down below the knees...; (b) vertical band of plain ten-cord (?) circular knotwork (mostly defaced). Right Inscription...The decoration on the other faces has been dressed away.' RCAHMW/1964, 19, `The front is carved in relief in two framed panels. The lower contains a cruciform single-strand ring-knot, surrounded by interlacing pattern, much defaced. The upper shows the lower half of a figure facing front, wearing a pleated skirt falling to the shins; the top is broken off below waist level. ...[The text] is within an incised border. The dexter edge shows traces of a similar border but no inscription.' |
| Westwood, J.O. (1848): | --]MARCVELIO Expansion: --] MARC VELIO Anon/1848 363 reading only Huebner/1876 50 reading only Westwood/1876 181 reading only |
| Westwood, J.O. (1877): | ESILVMARCUELIO Expansion: ESILV MARC UELIO Westwood/1876 182 reading only |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | --]ESAUMARCUEUA Expansion: [FILI name] ESAU MARCU EUA Translation: Esau (PN), Marcus (PN), Eua (PN), [children of NN]. Macalister/1949 143 reading only |
| Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950): | --]ESILLIMARIGUELIO Expansion: --]ESILLIMARIGUELIO Nash-Williams/1950 86 reading only |
| Orientation: | vertical down |
| Position: | inc ; narrow ; n/a ; panel The broad face of the stone is decorated, the inscription is on the narrow face of the stone in a panel. |
| Incision: | picked Nash-Williams/1950, `lightly picked and deepened by cutting'. |
| Date: | 900 - 1099 (Nash-Williams/1950) 500 - 599 (Anon/1848) |
| Language: | Indeterminate (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | Macalister/1945, 143, `We may compare for the formula the Cuby inscription (461) [TGONY/1/1]'. This formula is that reconstructed for the missing section of the inscription. Nash-Williams/1950, 86, `Meaning uncertain'. |
| Palaeography: | Westwood/1876, 182, `the letters about an inch and a-half high, consisting of Hiberno-Saxon minuscules'. Macalister/1949, 143, `Judging from the length that must be added to complete the damaged figure, I estimate that about nine letters are missing from the beginning of the inscription ; this would give space for a restoration FILI [name of 4 or 5 letters]I.' Nash-Williams/1950, 82, `Round half-uncials'. |
| Legibility: | some There is some disagreement as to the reading of this text suggesting that although the letters are visible they are difficult to decipher. Macalister/1949, 143, `I estimate about nine letters are missing from the beginning of the inscription'. |
| Lines: | 1 |
| Carving errors: | 0 |
| Doubtful: | no |