The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright ; with numerous engravings on wood.

  • Thomas Wright
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright ; with numerous engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    chap, xvii.] EARLY SEPULCHRAL INSCRIPTIONS. road between Eowev and Castledor, and popularly called from its height (eight feet) the long stone, is CTRVSIYS Hie IACET Cirusius lies here, cvnomori filivs the son of Cunomorus. At Worthy vale, not far from Camelford, in Cornwall, there is an inscribed stone, nine feet nine inches long, and two feet three inches wide, which had been formerly thrown across a small stream to serve as a bridge. The inscription is : catin hic iacit Catinus lies here, FILIVS MAGABI the son of Magarus. These inscriptions are usually assigned, and probably with reason, to the fifth and sixth centuries. Those found in Wales have generally a mixture of cursive letters with the capitals, and belong apparently to a later period, perhaps from the ninth to the eleventh centuries. One stone, however, which was dis- covered near the Roman road from Nidum {Neath) to the southern Bovium {Ewenny), is of a date as early as those found in Cornwall, and is expressed in the same form. The inscrip- tion. in one line, commemorates Cantusus, the father of Pavi- nus :— HICI ACIT CANTYSVS FATER PAYINVS. It was evidently written by one who spoke Latin corruptly; but its greatest singularity is the circumstance that the inscrip- tion is cut on the back of an older inscribed stone, dedicated to the emperor Maximinus; and although the pure Roman in- scription is written in lines across the stone, the later insciiption is written, like those found in Cornwall, lengthways. It re- mains to be stated that one or two of these stones have evi- dently had a cross at the top, so that there can be no doubt of the people to whom these belonged being Christians.