Provenance
Discovery: According to Goudie (1904, 53), this fragment was discovered by Rev. George Clark ‘at the same place and about the same time’ as Cunningsburgh 2 (S-SHE-003) which was found in 1874 or 1875 close-by the burial-ground at Mail.
Findspot: Dunrossness, Shetland, Scotland (National Grid Reference: HU 4330 2790)
Last recorded location(s): The stone is now lost. The last record of the stone was while it was in Clark’s possession (Forsyth 1996, 206).
Support
Mail Cemetery Trove: 938
Object type: Slab
Material: Stone type unknown
Condition: The ogham-bearing fragment is described by Goudie (1904, 53) as being ‘smaller’ than Cunningsburgh 2 (S-SHE-003). Goudie does not provide any details on the state of the inscription.
Inscription
Text field: Goudie (1904, 53) does not offer any information into how the ogham text was arranged on the fragment.
Letters: Goudie (1904, 53) does not describe the ogham writing on the fragment.
Edition
Critical apparatus:
. Goudie (1904, 53) does not supply a reading.
Translation
No translation can be provided.
Commentary
There is a dispute over whether this ogham-inscribed fragment from Cunningsburgh exists. Padel (1972, 88) discounts the existence of this ogham fragment, deeming it a myth borne from a misunderstanding of Goudie’s (1904, 53) statement in his book. However, four ogham-inscribed fragments were recovered from Cunningsburgh. The smaller fragment mentioned by Goudie (1904, 53) cannot be Cunningsburgh 1 (S-SHE-002) because by then it was already in the National Museum of Scotland. Similarly, it cannot be Cunningsburgh 4 (S-SHE-009) which was not discovered until 1903. Brash (1879, 366) also corroborates the existence of this ogham-inscribed fragment. According to Forsyth (1996, 206), Gilbert Goudie informed Brash that this ogham-fragment was one of two which had been discovered quite recently and since Brash died in January 1876, it must mean that there were two ogham-inscribed fragments found in 1874 or 1875.
References
- Brash 1879, 366
- Forsyth 1996, 206
- Goudie 1879, 136-64
- Goudie 1904, 53-55
- Padel 1972, 88