LHAML/1

Macalister/1949, 136: `Discovered by Westwood doing duty as a lintel in the ruins of the mediaeval rectory of Llanhamlach. This building...was afterwards demolished, and the stone transferred to the modern rectory, where it was to be seen in 1874. It was afterwards moved to the churchyard, and now stands against the outside of the church porch, on the E. face'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `Roughly rectangular pillar-stone...The inscription implies that the stone was intended to stand erect'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 76: `fractured in two, top partly gone'.

Westwood/1876, 68--9: `ornamented on the outer edge with an interlacing double ribbon-pattern (fig. 4), whilst on the inner edge is the inscription...The under-side of the stone, as fixed in the top of the window at the time of my visit, exhibited a variety of patterns, chiefly of an interlacing character with a square cruciform design in the middle. Since my visit the stone has been rescued from its former position, and it has been found that the upper part of the design consists of a cross of the Latin form, each limb formed of three incised lines which are dilated at the ends, on either side of which is represented a human figure most rudely delineated, with raised arms and outspread fingers, as in the attitude of prayer, and a long shirt-like garment reaching down to the knees. The figure on the left side of the cross is smaller than the other on the right side, the latter of which has a large circle between the arm of the cross and the head of the figure, two smaller circles over the shoulders, and two upon the breasts of the figure, from each of which last mentioned circlets three small straight lines extend downwards. `At first sight', says Prof. Rhys, `they seem to stand under a cross, but I am not certain that it is not the apple-tree with Adam and Eve beneath it; at any rate, above the lady's shoulders there are two or three small circles which may be an attempt at representing apples' (Arch. Camb., 1874, p. 332). As a small part of the basal portion of this cross was visible whilst in its former situation, and closely resembled the same part of the Llandevailog cross (Pl. XXXIII. fig. 2), I felt satisfied that the whole represented a cross with figures of the Virgin Mary and St. John standing at its sides...I presume, notwithstanding the larger size of the figure on the right-hand side, that the peculiarities of the ornament over the shoulders and on the breasts indicate a female, and it is probable that a larger size was given to this figure in order to express a greater amount of reverence to the mother of the Redeemer than was due to St. John'.

Rhys/1905, 71: `On the face appears a Latin cross with figures, supposed by Westwood to represent the Virgin Mary and St. John standing beneath the arms of the cross'.

Macalister/1949, 137: `The designs are pocked. On the face of the stone there is a cross with bifid ends to the arms: the part above the cross-arm is lost with the fracture of the stone. Below the cross are two figures, male on the dexter, female on the sinister side. Although they appear at first sight to be attired in tunics this may be merely a result of the barbaric drawing: for the figures are clearly nude, and are most probably meant for Adam and Eve. The whole design, including the interlacements, illustrates an advanced artistic degradation'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 76--77: `The face and edges of the stone bear rudely picked decoration within cable-borders (mostly fractured away); the stone is also inscribed. Front. The upper part of the face is filled with a large combined outline and linear Latin cross with bifid terminals, with incised motifs in the interspaces: (a) top l., wanting; (b) top r., square key-pattern (R.A. 908, used also on Nos. 37-8); (c) bottom l., standing male figure, facing front clad in a long straight tunic, with arms upraised (`orans') and holding a book (?) in the r. hand. In the field on either side are nondescript linear motifs; (d) bottom r., standing female figure, with stylized breasts (?) and arms upraised, facing front, clad in a long straight tunic, with roundels (? brooches) on the shoulders. In the spaces on either side are linear motifs as before. In the field below the cross are miscellaneous motifs disposed in two rows: (a) upper - straight key-pattern (R.A. 908), quadruple-looped square[1] (based on R.A. 810), irregular double-beaded knot; (b) lower - horizontal band of plain four-cord plaitwork (R.A. 503). The combination of central cross and flanking figures is clearly intended to symbolize the Crucifixion (Pl. LXIX, 10), with the male figure representing St. John and the female figure the Blessed Virgin. Left. Part of a vertical band of four-cord double-beaded plaitwork (R.A. 503). Right. Latin inscriptions'.

Macalister/1949, 137: `The inscription is cut on the sinister edge of the stone. It is divided into two parts by a line [see LHAML/1/2] that should have been more carefully observed than it has been by some decipherers'.

Rhys/1905, 71--72, following Westwood/1876, sees this inscription and LHAML/1/2 as one, but Macalister/1922, 206, Macalister/1949, 137, and Nash-Williams/1950, 77, all identify two inscriptions.

Macalister/1922, 206: `A fracture precedes the Iohannis ; and the engraver has been at pains to separate this word from Moridic by a long space and by a stroke extending across the whole of the inscribed field. In short, Iohannes and Moridic were the names of two different persons, not the two names of one person. The lost portion may have contained Pro salute, or Orate pro anima, or perhaps more probably, NN filius. It is impossible to tell'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 77: `round half uncials'.

Rhys/1905, 71: `Needless to say, surrexit ought to have been erexit, as on the Llangaffo stone'.

Rhys/1905, 71--72, following Westwood/1876, sees this inscription and LHAML/1/1 as one, but Macalister/1922, 206, Macalister/1949, 137, and Nash-Williams/1950, 77, all identify two inscriptions.

Macalister/1949, 137: `as Basil Jones and Rhys have independently noticed, [this] is a literal translation from Welsh, in which the word cyfododd could mean either `rose' intransitively, or `raised' transitively'.

Nash-Williams/1950, 77: `Round half-uncials...The D's with closed loop and sharply inclined stem are a characteristic Irish form'.