Celtic inscribed stone
Stone monuments with Celtic or Latin inscriptions from post-Roman Britain.
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Between the 5th and 11th centuries, people carved stones with Celtic or Latin writing, using either Ogham or Roman letters. These monuments, mostly grave markers or memorials, appear across Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and western England. Over 1,200 such inscriptions, not counting Runic ones, are catalogued by the Celtic Inscribed Stones Project.
Quick Facts
- Date range
- 400 to 1000 AD
- Total recorded inscriptions
- over 1,200
- Writing systems
- Ogham, Roman letters
- Languages
- Celtic, Latin
- Regions found
- Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Isle of Man, western England
Facts from the source article.
Cornwall
The Tristan Stone, perhaps of c. 550, near Fowey, bears a Latin inscription reading DRVSTANVS HIC IACIT CVNOMORI FILIVS. The Mên Scryfa is inscribed in Latin, possibly added to a much earlier megalith. The Selus Stone, thought to date from the late 5th or early 6th century, bears the Latin inscription Selus Ic Iacet and is preserved at St Just in Penwith Parish Church.
In the south aisle of Cuby church is a 6th or 7th century stone inscribed Nonnita Ercilini Rigati [...]tris Fili Ercilini. The churchyard of St Clement contains an inscribed stone cross with the inscription Ignioc Vitali fili Torrici, dating from the 5th to 7th century, and another inscription in Ogham. An inscribed stone from the 6th to 8th centuries, found in the walls of Cubert parish church, bears the name Cenet[o]cus, son of Tege[r]nomalus.
Wales
The final word Ordovs is believed to refer to the Ordovices tribe of North Wales, suggesting the stone was carved by local tribes in honour of a member of the Ordovices who had settled in the area. Other readings include Cor Balenci jacit Ordous, interpreted as The Heart of Balengus the Ordovician lies here, and CORBALENGI LACIT ORDOVS, where lacit means thrashed, possibly referring to a tribal battle. No other record of a Corbalengi tribe is known.
More in Sub-Roman Britain
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Celtic inscribed stone (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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