Welsh Journals

Search over 450 titles and 1.2 million pages

93 EXCAVATIONS AT VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY. I resume my account of the excavations at Valle Crucis. Since my last communication, three more sepulchral slabs have been discovered, two of which are very remarkable, and one is a plain stone, tapering towards the feet, without any inscription; besides these, the fragment of another inscribed stone has been dug up. Of the two former, the first is beautifully carved with foliage and interlacing pat¬ terns, amongst which, near the head of the stone, is some sort of a fabulous animal. This is the earliest example of a monumental slab upon which I recollect to have ob¬ served a date. Though broken, but few fragments are missing. I read the inscription upon it as follows, but some of the letters are broken or entirely gone:— HIC JACET GWEIR- CI FILIA OWEIN CVIVS ANIME PROPICIETVR DEVS AMEN O......E A° DOMINI M°CC°LXXXX°+ The other memorial is still more remarkable. At the upper end, in a sunk panel, is a well executed half effigy of a warrior, having on the breast a shield, on which are represented his armorial bearings; and over his chain armour is a surcoat, on which a portion of the same bearings also appears, in low relief. It is difficult heral- dically to describe them. In chief, are three roses; underneath is a bar or fess, which might be described as charged with a fess indented. But the remarkable feature in this monument is, that instead of tapering towards the feet, it is wider there than at the head, and it would seem that the lower part, towards the feet, is a portion of an earlier monument, awkwardly adapted to suit the more recently carved upper half. The inscription, so far as it remains, reads thus,— HIC JACET YEVAF [A]P ADA[M]...... ................E AMEN;