Provenance
Discovery: Discovered in 1909 during the investigation of the ancient church site of Knoc of Doonee. The inscribed pillar was recovered from a spot just west of the keeill. The first publication referencing the stone was by Kermode (1911-12).
Findspot: Knoc y Doonee, Kirk Andreas, Ayre, Isle of Man (National Grid Reference: NX 4040 0220)
Current repository: Isle of Man Manx Museum (inv. no. MM 5)
Last recorded location(s): Now in Manx Museum.
Support
Isle of Man Historic Environment Record (IOMHER): 0343.40
Object type: Pillar
Material: Slate
Dimensions: H 1.57 × W 0.48 × D 0.12 m
Condition: The stone is damaged and the ogham inscription is consequently incomplete, ‘some of the vowels are lost, as well as the proximal ends of some of the side scores’ (Macalister 1945, 480). However, Macalister (1945, 480) maintains that it is ‘possible to recover the whole inscription’. Macalister (1945, 479) also notes that the ends of the lines of the Roman inscription are a ‘little battered’ but the letters are still ‘clearly legible’.
Inscription
Text field: According to Macalister (1945, 480), the ogham inscription is ‘not actually on an angle, but on the edge of the stone, which is rounded like a ridge’ and reads upwards. The Roman inscription consists of three lines reading horizontally across the face of the stone.
Letters: The ogham scores are ‘as fine as pin-scrapes’ and are lightly scored (Macalister 1945, 480). Macalister (1945, 480) also highlights that the ‘cross-scores are sloped in the wrong direction’. In comparison, the Roman letters ‘have been well cut in grooves of a V-shaped section’ (Macalister 1945, 479).
Edition
Ogham text: [ᚐᚋ]ᚁ[ᚔ]ᚉᚐᚈᚑᚄ ᚋ[ᚐ]ᚊᚔ ᚏ[ᚑ]ᚉ[ᚐ]ᚈ[ᚑ]ᚄ
Transcription: [AM]B[I]CATOS M[A]QI R[O]C[A]T[O]S
References
- Kermode 1911-12, 53-76
- Macalister 1945, 479-480