| Corpus Refs: | Macalister/1945:362 Nash-Williams/1950:142 |
| Site: | EGLWC |
| Discovery: | recognised, 1889 Treherne, C.G.T. |
| History: | Treherne/1889, 224, states that the stone `formed a step on the right of the path leading through the churchyard from the boundary wall up to the entrance porch on the south side of the church'. Macalister/1945, 346, records that it is `now preserved in a box at the W. end of the church'. Nash-Williams/1950, 111, states that it is `inside [the] church at W. end'. |
| Geology: | Treherne/1889, 224: `very similar to the stones now obtained from the quarries at Llandowror a mile and a half distant, on the old silurian formation. The church itself stands on old red sandstone'. |
| Dimensions: | 1.02 x 0.33 x 0.25 (converted from Nash-Williams/1950) |
| Setting: | in display |
| Location: | on site Now in the west end of the church at Eglwys Gymyn. |
| Form: | plain Macalister/1945, 346: 'the edges of the stone are rounded as though it had been water rolled'. Nash-Williams/1950, 109: 'rough pillar-stone formed of a natural water-worn boulder'. |
| Condition: | incomplete , some Nash-Williams/1950, 109: `water-worn boulder (top partly fractured away)'. Treherne/1889, 224, indicates that the stone had its top broken off when it was found. |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | none |
| Decorations: | no other decoration |
| Rhys, J. (1889): | AVITORIA | FILIACVNIGNI Expansion: AVITORIA FILIA CVNIGNI Jones/1923 20 reading only Rhys/1889 225 reading only |
| Allen, R. (1889): | AUCTORIA | FILIACUNIGNI Expansion: AUCTORIA FILIA CUNIGNI Allen/1889a 96 reading only |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1945): | AVITORIA | FILIACVINIGNI Expansion: AVITORIA FILIA CVNIGNI Macalister/1945 346 reading only |
| Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950): | AVITORIA | FILIACVNIGNI Expansion: AVITORIA FILIA CVNIGNI Translation: Avitoria (PN) daughter of Cunignus (PN) (lies here). Nash-Williams/1950 109 reading only |
| Thomas, C. (1994): | AVITORIA | FILIACVNIGNI Expansion: AVITORIA FILIA CVNIGNI Thomas/1994 75 reading only |
| Orientation: | vertical down |
| Position: | n/a ; broad ; n/a ; undecorated |
| Incision: | chiselled Macalister/1945, 346: 'the straight lines are chisel-cut, but some of the rounded letters are pocked'. Nash-Williams/1950, 109: 'thinly incised, except the last four letters of l.1, which are lightly picked'. |
| Date: | 400 - 533 (Nash-Williams/1950) 466 - 499 (Jackson/1953) 400 - 499 (Rhys/1889) |
| Language: | Latin (rcaps) |
| Ling. Notes: | none |
| Palaeography: | Nash-Williams/1950, 109: 'roman capitals'. The G in CVNIGNI is sickle-shaped, and the R in AVITORIA has a short, almost horizontal oblique stroke. A number of the other letters lean either to the left or right, in particular the leftward leaning F, and the rightward leaning T and L. |
| Legibility: | good The text of the Roman inscription is clear. |
| Lines: | 2 |
| Carving errors: | 0 |
| Doubtful: | no |
Jackson/1953, 186 suggests that AVITORIA might be a 'feminine derivative in *-o-riga' of a British *Auitorix, and that if so `the Latin would stand for [auidoriga] or [auidorija], with the lenitedg or j lost or abasorbed very early, or at least ignored after the i'.
Also see Jackson/1953, 456, 623.
For earlier discussion of the origin of AVITORIA see Rhys/1889, 228--229.
Jackson/1953, 461, 463, argues that this name indicates that -g- had not yet been vocalised before -n-. Jackson/1953, 670, cites CVNIGNI as evidence for Cun-. Also see Thomas/1994, 75.
| Rhys, J. (1889): | INIGINACUNIGNI ||| AVITTORIGES Expansion: INIGINA CUNIGNI AVITTORIGES Translation: Daughter of Cunignos (PN), Avittoriga (PN). Rhys/1889 226 reading only |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1921): | INIGENACUNIGNI ||| AVITTORIGES Expansion: INIGENA CUNIGNI AVITTORIGES Macalister/1921 22 reading only Macalister/1945 346--347 reading only |
| Nash-Williams, V.E. (1950): | INIGENACUNIGNI | AUITTORIGES Expansion: INIGENA CUNIGNI AUITTORIGES Translation: (The stone) of the daughter of Cunignos (PN), Avittoriga (PN). Nash-Williams/1950 109 reading only |
| Thomas, C. (1994): | INIGENACUNIGNI | AWITTORIGES Expansion: INIGENA CUNIGNI AWITTORIGES Thomas/1994 75 reading only |
| Orientation: | vertical up up |
| Position: | n/a ; arris ; n/a ; undecorated |
| Incision: | chiselled Nash-Williams/1950, 109, 'incised'. Macalister/1945, 346, 'chisel cut'. |
| Date: | 400 - 533 (Nash-Williams/1950) 466 - 499 (Jackson/1953) 400 - 499 (Rhys/1889) |
| Language: | Goidelic (oghms) |
| Ling. Notes: | This inscription has the only appearance of the Primitive Irish word INIGENA for 'daughter'. Jackson/1953, 185, sees INIGENA, `daughter' as nominative and states that AVITTORIGES `is agreed to be genitive'. |
| Palaeography: | Macalister/1945, 346--347, 'Apparently the inverted construction is intended to bring the words of the Ogham translation adjacent to the corresponding Roman words. The fifth letter was first blocked out as an I, but only the first four notches were deepened to their full depth. Evidently the engraver hesitated to deface the erroneous score completely, lest he should make difficulties for himself by breaking the smooth surfaceof the stone. The A of AVITTORIGES is a long score not a notch'. |
| Legibility: | good The only point of contention has been the number of vowel strokes after the G in INIGENA. Rhys/1889, 224 argued there were five strokes, but Macalister [Macalister/1921, 22; Macalister/1945, 346] has argued that the fifth stroke was only lightly carved after the lapidary recognised that only four were needed. This was accepted by Nash-Williams/1950, 109, and fig. 112. |
| Lines: | 2 |
| Carving errors: | 1 |
| Doubtful: | no |