| Corpus Refs: | Macalister/1945:517 |
| Site: | KMADR |
| Discovery: | first mentioned, 1810 Todd, W. |
| History: | Craig/1997, 617, notes that this is one of three inscribed stones first recorded in a drawing made in about 1810 by William Todd, parish schoolmaster of Kirkmaiden, not 1822 as stated in Allen/Anderson/1903, 495. Then standing in old burial ground at Kirkmadrine, they were still there in 1839, according to Anderson/1845, 164: `During the incumbency of the Rev. Robert M'Neil, who was minister from 1840 to 1844 the previously unenclosed burial ground was walled in (Robertson/1918, 139) and [KMADR/1 and KMADR/2] were reused as gateposts at the entrance'. Holes were bored in them to hang the gates. The stones were recorded as gate-posts in this position by the Ordnance Survey (1847--8) who noted `some antique inscriptions thereon' (OS name Book, Wigtown No.70, p.18). The stones were first published by Mitchell/1872 who reproduced Todd's sketch. Mitchell arranged for casts to be made and these were donated to the NMS in 1861. Craig/1997, 618: `Mitchell's discovery brought the two stones to general attention, and they were scheduled under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882. However, they remained in use as gateposts until 1890 (Starke/1890, 170)...when an open alcove was built at the end of the restored burial chapel, and all the known stones were placed behind an iron railing...Given the probable expansion at the base of the pillar it is possible, as Baldwin Brown argued in detail (1921, 43--8), that the base of each stone was embedded in a mound, such as a cairn or barrow'. CISP: The above sequence was established in detail only by Craig/1997. Previous authors have suggested that the earliest known position (as gateposts) was not original. In the light of Craig's discoveries, Thomas's assumption that the stones came from the same site as Low Curghie (Thomas/1981a, 284), must be questioned. |
| Geology: | Allen/Anderson/1903, 494: `indurated schist'. |
| Dimensions: | 2.13 x 0.36 x 0.08 (converted from Allen/Anderson/1903/III) |
| Setting: | in display |
| Location: | on site With the other stones, behind an iron railing in an open alcove built at the W. end of the restored burial chapel. |
| Form: | cross-marked Craig/1997, 618, notes that the stone weighs at least 450kg (1000 lbs); and is about two metres high and expanding in width at the base.
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| Condition: | complete , some Hole bored into pillar in order to hang gate.
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| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | 1: equal-armed; linear; expanded; curved; square; circular; none; none; n/a |
| Decorations: | no other decoration |
| Allen, R. (1903): | [--]S ET | FLOREN | TIVS Expansion: [--]S ET FLORENTIUS Allen/Anderson/1903 494 reading only Macalister/1945 494, 496 reading only Thomas/1992a 2 reading only |
| Orientation: | horizontal |
| Position: | inc ; broad ; below cross ; undivided |
| Incision: | inc Type of incision not recorded. |
| Date: | 467 - 499 (Radford/Donaldson/1957) |
| Language: | Latin (rcaps) |
| Ling. Notes: | none |
| Palaeography: | Allen and Anderson/1903, 495: `debased Latin capitals'. The ET of the first line is ligatured, the `F' of the secondline has its bars slanted upwards, and the L has an oblique `foot'. The final `S' looks more like a 5 and is slanted to the right. |
| Legibility: | some The letters which survive are clear, before the S of the first line, however, the stone is flaked away. |
| Lines: | 3 |
| Carving errors: | |
| Doubtful: | no |