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Summary

Early Medieval inscribed stone formerly in use as a threshold stone at Lustleigh Church. It has been suggested that it be the boundary marker known as the Writhelstan, but is more likely to be a grave slab. Probably 6th-7th century. A tall slender rectangular pillar 1.70m by 0.37m by 0.20m. Likely to be conglomerate rather than granite, although petrological analysis not undertaken. Probably originally erected in the early Christian graveyard, the stone was removed from the porch in 1979 and re-erected within the church. Proposed to be 'The Writhelstan' or 'Writelan Stone'.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX78SE9
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445600
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX78SE/6/2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• COMMEMORATIVE STONE (VII to Saxon - 700 AD to 1065 AD (Between))
• GRAVE SLAB (VII to Saxon - 700 AD to 1065 AD (Between))
• INSCRIBED STONE (VII to Saxon - 700 AD to 1065 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV280530.

Birch, w. De g. /cartularium saxonicum/1-4(1885-99)no.1323. Writelan stone. Brown granite, inscribed "dettuidoc conhinoc". 7th or early 8th century. It was formerly the sill to the church door.

Davidson, J. B., 1876, Some Anglo-Saxon Boundaries, Now Deposited at the Albert Museum, Exeter, 402-3 (Article in Serial). SDV279615.

Crossing, W., 1892, Old Stone Crosses of the Dartmoor Border, 135-7 (Monograph). SDV279564.

Chanter, J. F., 1910, Christianity in Devon before AD 909, 482 (Article in Serial). SDV870.

An inscribed stone, measuring 4'6" x 1'1", is now in use as a threshold at Lustleigh Church (SX 78508126). The inscription reads DATUIDOC-CONHINOC-FILIVS (MacAlister, 1946) and is either 7th century (correspondence with OS, A. Fox, 1950) or 8th century (Chanter, 1910). It may be the boundary stone, called the Writelanstan, mentioned in a charter of the time of Edward the Confessor.

Chanter, J. F., 1925, Address of the President: Celtic Devon, 50 (Article in Serial). SDV339011.

Tapley-Soper, H., 1930-1931, A Tour of Dartmoor in 1752, 216 (Article in Serial). SDV280527.

Alexander, J. J., 1937, 8th Report on Early History, 154 (Article in Serial). SDV93411.

Macalister, R. A. S., 1945, Corpus Inscriptionum Insularum Celticarum, 469-70 (Article in Serial). SDV345993.

In two pieces having broken when in use as a porch stone. Inscription reads "DATUIDOCI CONHINOCI FILIUS".

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1953, SX78SE9 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV280523.

Site visit 9th September 1951. Inscribed memorial. 7th century stone in church porch (under mat).
The card cites an article in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association (1910), William Crossing (1882) and a paper by J.B. Davidson. The inscribed stone was formerly a sill to the church door. The inscription is probaby 8th century, perhaps Brythonic. It has been recorded as CATVIDOC CONRINO but some of the letters are not very distinct. It is suggested that the stone is one of the boundary markers named in a manuscript related to the boundaries of the See of Exeter.
Site visit 7th May 1953. Stone cemeted into the floor in the church porch. Brown granite, 1 metre long and 0.3 metres wide.

Unknown, 1979, Newspaper article (Article in Serial). SDV359285.

Pearce, S. M., 1982, Church and Society in South Devon, AD 350-700, 1-18 (Article in Serial). SDV336077.

Pearce argues that the Lustleigh stone is not the "Writelan Ston" mentioned in the 11th century charter of "Peadington" estate (citing Birch, 1885), being "babbling stone" rather than "inscribed stone". The stone was removed from the porch in 1979 and re-erected within the church.

Pearce, S. M., 1982, The Early Church in Western Britain and Ireland, 139-43 (Monograph). SDV357255.

(13/03/1979) Celtic tombstone. The Lustleigh stone is the only example known to the author of Ogham inscription without accompanying Latin translation (citing Chanter, 1925).
A tall slender rectangular pillar 1.70m by 0.37m by 0.20m. Likely to be conglomerate rather than granite, although petrological analysis not undertaken. The stone was trimmed square when first prepared, with rough surfaces apart from the polished face which has also been polished by human traffic. In two pieces having broken when in use as a porch stone. Inscription reads "datuidoci conhinoci filius" (citing Macalister, 1946) although the final "i's" and "filius" are largely worn away. Probably erected c. AD550-600 on stylistic grounds. Had not formed an integral part of the church porch and was probably originally erected in the early Christian graveyard, SX78SE-006-05.

Gray, C., 1996, 8th Report of the Building Section, 240 (Article in Serial). SDV280532.

The church contains a crudely inscribed memorial stone in Latin dated AD550-600, a rare survival of the early Christian church in Devon. Since the churchyard resembles a 'lan', an early Christian enclosure, it is presumed that Lustleigh is an early religious site.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 22/06/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

Additional source noted: Okasha, E., 1993, ' Corpus of early Christian inscribed stones of south-west Britain'.

Davidson, J. B., Unknown, A Paper on a Document from Exeter Cathedral Archives (Unknown). SDV359284.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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