More information : An inscribed pillar stone (see illus) was found in the ruins of St Hilary's Church, at the NW corner of the chancel, in 1853. It 'may date anywhere between the 5th century and perhaps the 7th' (3). In 1906 this 6ft 7in high stone stood in the churchyard against the E bank of the path on the S side (SW 53043126). (1-3)
The pillar stone is at SW 55033127, 1.9 metres high and 0.5 metres wide. It is very well preserved and the inscription is clearly visible. (4)
The inscription is pecked and rubbed on the W face of the stone. At the top are the letters a, w, with M (= Maria) between them, fantastically formed. Beneath is the name NOTI.
The second line of the inscription is a very poor attempt by someone to make a copy. (5)
Listed and scheduled. (6,7)
The inscription reads:
`N[.] NOTI [..] NOTI'
This may be interpretted as `(the stone) of Notus (son of) Notus' with some marks preceding the text. These marks, said to represent a,w and M, are of odd form, or were decorative. The inscription dates to the 6th-8th centuries. (8)
Listed. (9) |