GLHAN/1

Corpus Refs:Cuppage/etal/1986:568
Macalister/1945:183
Site:GLHAN
Discovery:in/on structure, 1893 Deane, T.
History:Macalister/1945, 175--176: `A slab...found by officials of the Board of Works engaged in the repair of the ancient structure...There is a bare mention of the discovery, without any details, in a report by Sir. Thos. Deane, at the time Inspector of Ancient Monuments'.

Cuppage et al/1986, 203--204: `The site has been considerably restored by the OPW, and, during restoration work in the 19th century, an elborate cross-slab was discovered; this is now housed in the NMI'.

Geology:
Dimensions:1.39 x 0.63 x 0.13 (Cuppage/etal/1986)
Setting:in display
Location:National Museum of Ireland
Cuppage et al/1986, 203: `now housed in the NMI'.
Form:cross-marked
Macalister/1945, 175: `A slab'.
Condition:complete , some
Folklore:none
Crosses:1: equal-armed; outline; expanded; plain; plain; none; outer curv; angular; plain
2: equal-armed; linear; straight; plain; plain; none; none; none; n/a
3: equal-armed; linear; expanded; plain; plain; none; none; none; n/a
4: equal-armed; linear; straight; expanded; plain; none; none; none; n/a
5: equal-armed; linear; straight; plain; plain; none; none; none; n/a
6: equal-armed; linear; straight; plain; plain; none; none; none; n/a
Decorations:figural; geometric other; other

Macalister/1945, 176--177: `It bears a crudely outlined crucifix, crosses, croziers, a serpent (?), and ornamental spiral figures, pocked upon the broad faces[1] (AC); on one edge (D) a feeble attempt at an interlacing plait; and on the other (B) the letters.

[1] These designs have some affinity with those on a cross-slab at Reask, in this barony, and with the figures on the stone at Llywell (341)'.

Cuppage et al/1986, 204: `The following description is summarised from information provided by Beití O Tuama:

The upper portion of one face bears a Maltese cross within a subcircular frame, with a short stem pendant from the frame. The cross is formed by 4 sunken panels which are separated from the intervening panels in false relief by narrow grooves, 1cm wide x 1.5cm deep. Beneath this design, on either side of the stem, is a saltire crosslet, that on the left being a plain linear cross, that on the right has slightly expanded terminals. Directly beneath the stem of the main cross is a tunic-clad human figure. A head, upstanding hair (or halo?), 2 eyes, and a mouth are faintly visible. Even more faint is a diamond-decorated tunic, from which stick like arms and legs protrude. The arms appear to bend at the elbows towards the body, and the feet turn outwards in opposing directions. A spiral and chevron design runs down either side of the face from below the main cross to below the human figure where the designs are linked by a C-curve which runs across the width of the stone.

The upper part of the opposite face bears a Greek cross with widely-expanded terminals; within the lower terminal is a very slightly raised triangle. Beneath the right terminal is a plain, equal-armed crosslet, and a plain linear crosslet also occurs between the left terminal of the main cross and the edge of the stone. Beneath the crosses, a triple, figure of 8 knot spans the width of the stone. The single strand from which the design is formed swings upwards and downwards at opposite ends of the design, and then runs across the width of the stone framing the figure of eights above and below.

Much of one side of the stone is decorated with an interlace design, now quite worn'.

References


Inscriptions


GLHAN/1/1     Pictures

Readings

Macalister, R.A.S. (1945):LMCBDV
Expansion:
LMCBDV
Macalister/1945 177 reading only
O Tuama, B. (1986):LBMCBDV
Expansion:
LBMCBDV
Cuppage/etal/1986 204 reading only

Notes

Orientation:vertical up
Position:ind ; narrow ; beside cross ; undivided
CISP: On one of the narrow faces of the slab.
Incision:inc
Date:None published
Language:Indeterminate (oghms)
Ling. Notes:For general discussion of scholastic oghams see McManus/1991, 130--32.
Palaeography:Macalister/1945, 177: `the letters LMCBDV in ogham characters on an incised stemline with loops at the ends of it. The M is sloped in the wrong direction. The inscription shows some similarity to that on the Ennis amulet (53), and doubtless had a similar magical purpose. See also the Ardcanaght inscription (247A).'

Cuppage et al/1986: `an unintelligible ogham inscription on a vertical stem-line. At top the stem-line terminates in a circle, and at base it terminates in an oval beneath which is a diamond motif. If read from bottom to top, the inscription reads LBMCBDV. Macalister...noted only the L before the M, and Rhys (1902, 378) read the 3 scores here as V'.

Legibility:good
Lines:1
Carving errors:n
Doubtful:no

Names

References