Mathry (W-PEM-016)

Provenance

Discovery: In 1698 Lhuyd and his assistants recorded Latin but the ogham was not noted until 1937 by Nash-William (Edwards 2007, 380).

Findspot: Mathry, Pembrokeshire, Wales (National Grid Reference: SM 879 320)

Last recorded location(s): Standing in the church porch, set into the floor.

Support

Monument Dyfed Archaeological Trust Historic Environment Record: 2862 Mathri; Church of the Holy Martyrs

Object type: Slab

Material: Microgranite

Dimensions: H 1.35 × W 0.42 × D 0.18 m

Condition: The top of the slab is missing, along with the first line of the Latin inscription. This is preserved in BL Stowe MS 1024, fos. 52-53.

Inscription

Text field: ‘Towards the top of the left angle is a fragmentary incised ogam inscription, which reads upwards’ (Edwards 2007, 380-382). The surviving four horizontal lines of the Latin inscription are described as being finely incised on the remaining upper half of the slab.

Letters: The ogham inscription is chiselled or as Edwards (2007, 382) described, incised. The roman-letter inscription consists of capital (Edwards 2007, 381-382).

Date: A.D. (linguistic)

Edition

Ogham text: ᚋᚐᚊ.. ? ..

Transcription: MAQ.. ? ..Ḍ[---]

Critical apparatus:

Although the ogam inscription is fragmentary, MAQ is quite clear. These letters are followed by two (or more?) vowel-notches, but the angle is damaged at this point and no reading is possible. Above are two fragmentary horizontal strokes to the left, which almost certainly form a D. 2. ‘The first line of the Latin inscription… may be reconstructed with confidence from the drawings in BL Stowe MS 1024, fos. 52-3… The inscription uses the “X son of Y” formula in the nominative case’ (Edwards 2007, 382).

Translation

Ogham: The surviving inscription is insufficient to produce a translation.

Commentary

‘It is possible that the ogham inscription originally read MAQID- and could therefore be the beginning of a slightly different form of Maccudiccl. It seems possible that CATICVVS is OI Cathchú (“battle-hound”), with VV representing the Irish long vowel and only the -S being Latin’ (Edwards 2007, 382).

References

Edwards 2007, 380-383
Macalister 1945, 422

Visiting the Mathry (W-PEM-016) Ogham Stone

The Mathry (W-PEM-016) stone is one of Wales's finest early medieval monuments — and well worth the journey. Whether you're a dedicated epigrapher, a history enthusiast, or simply someone who loves exploring ancient places, seeing a 1,500-year-old inscription in person is an experience unlike any other.