The inscribed stones and ancient crosses of Devon / by C. Spence Bate.

  • Charles Spence Bate
Date:
[between 1870 and 1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The inscribed stones and ancient crosses of Devon / by C. Spence Bate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    tive of B is so ascertained without resorting to any external proof. “ External corroboration is however found abundantly in the sub- stantial agreements of the results with those derived from the Irish lapidary Ogham texts, many of which ‘ echo ’ formulae found in Latin inscriptions, and in one Ogham legend in South Britain. The manuscript keys to the Ogham alphabet preserved in the Irish books differ in one material respect from the South British, and from the generality of Irish lapidary texts, but agree with the Scottish examples; and the South British texts being older than the manuscripts, an inference arises that the Scottish Oghams are more recent than the others.” The following represents the Oghamic inscription on the stone: N ABA R R The stone is irregularly square, and probably represents some old boundary mark. There are three names in three lines, and the inscription may be read as being in memory of Dobunnius Eaber, the son of Ennabarrus; or, according to Mr. Bray, of Dobunnius the smith, the son of Enna- barrus; or of Eaber, the son of Ennabarrus, one of the Dobuni. Eaber in later ages was no uncommon name, and meant a skilful workman in any art (more particularly in metal; for Eaber has more especial reference to a smith or worker of iron). It would be of paramount importance in barbarous ages, that a man’s trade or occupation would naturally become, not only an addition, but in itself a proper name ; and probably it is so in this case, j ust as that of Smith in our own. It is also probable, Mr. Bray thought, that the first name in the inscription may have been that of his people. According to Henry (p. 32), a part of the Dobuni submitted to the Homans. These were probably the subjects of Cogidunus, who became a great favourite of Claudius and succeeding emperors for his early submission and steady adherence to their interests. Camden says that the Cassii had conquered the Dobuni before the arrival of Caesar, who made the prince of this country com- mander-in-chief of the forces of the whole island. This tribe inhabited Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. They are supposed to have derived their name Dvffen, a British word signi-
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