Provenance
Discovery: The stone was first mentioned by Fenton in 1810, but makes no mention of the ogham. The stones was then reported to have been dug up many years before in the ruins of the priory. Rhys provides a reading of the ogham inscription in 1873 (Edwards 2007, 294).
Findspot: Caldy Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales (National Grid Reference: SS 140 963)
Last recorded location(s): In the Old Priory Church (St Illtyd) set in a slab against the south wall fo the nave, towards the east end.
Support
Dyfed Archaeological Trust Historic Environment Record: 4245 St David’s Church
Object type: Slab
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 1.725 × W 0.43 × D 0.115 m
Inscription
Text field: The stone is inscribed with ‘two fragmentary ogam inscriptions. The first is on the left angle (A/D) near the top and reads vertically upwards. The second is in a similar position on the right angle (A/B) and reads vertically downwards’. There is also a ‘roman-letter, Latin inscription set horizontally in eight lines’ (Edwards 2007, 294).
Letters: Edwards (2007, 294) describes the ogham strokes as ‘finely and lightly incised’ and it appears to have been chiselled. The Latin inscription is medium-incised (Edwards 2007, 294).
Edition
Ogham text: ᚋᚐᚌᚂ[---
Transcription: MAGL[---]DUBR[---] [---]QI[---]
Translation
Roman: With the sign of the cross I fashioned on that [?] I ask all walking there that they pray for the soul of Catuoconus
Commentary
‘The surviving ogham letters suggest a compound personal name: (i) MAGL[-]DUBR, and (ii) -QI-, which could be part of MAQI. The inscription is unlikely to be other than Irish, in view of the use of ogham and the presence of Q… Both DUBAR[CUNAS] and… DUBR[ACUNAS].. seem possible restorations, both being possible spellings of Old Irish doborchú, gen. doborchon, “water-dog, otter”’ (Edwards 2007, 296).
CATUOCONI is later Welsh Cadwgan, a compound of cad, ‘battle’, and g(w)ogawn, ‘glory’, with a Latin genitive ending added. The meaning of illam ‘…cannot be satisfactorily resolved’ (Edwards 2007, 298).
References
- Edwards 2007, 294-299
- Macalister 1945, 405-409