The Madron Church Inscribed Stone

The Madron Church Inscribed Stone is probably the most beautifully decorated of all the Cornish inscribed stones.

Dated to the first third of the 7th century, the inscription is within a divided cartouche, and unique in that it begins with the Latin word ‘vir’. Literally “man”, it probably means “my man” or “my husband”, maybe indicating that the stone was commissioned by the widow.

The man is Conmael (cuno-maglo-s, “princely hound”, and represented on the stone as QONFAL), son of Uennorcit (uenn-orgit, “fair slayer”). Full details of the carving can be found in the CISP database.

The leaf-armed cross at the head of the stone suggests that Conmael may have been an early priest of the Celtic Church at the site, and the stone originally stood in the oval ‘lann’, or church enclosure, of the period, the outline of which can still be traced.

by the late Craig Weatherhill, via Myghal Map Serpren. Tom Goskar’s 3D model of the stone can be seen below.