170 LEWANNICK OGAM STONE. 



them out of the walls. On placing the two pieces together, 

 they fitted exactly at the fracture. The length (of the two 

 together) is 4 feet 10 inches, — the width 1 foot 1 inch, and the 

 original thickness 10 inches They have now been cemented 

 together and placed inside the church, in a good light, against 

 one of the columns. 



When the pointing and mortar-bedding had been carefully 

 removed, the Ogams proved to be perfectly distinct. At first 

 those on one edge were rather puzzling, but at the third attempt 

 I found that they read backward. Those on the dexter angle 

 read in the usual way from left to right, those on the sinister in 

 the opposite direction. In both cases they read from the top 

 downward. The name ULCAGNI occurs on both angles, — a 

 repetition which I believe is unique, as far as Ogam inscriptions 

 are concerned. 



The inscription on the face of the stone is, — in debased 

 Latin capitals : — 



. .. C lACIT VLCAGNI 



The first letter, 0, is probably part of the word hic, or ic 

 as it is often written on debased monuments ; the G, in the 

 name, is sickle-shaped, as in many other instances. 



It is probable that the uneven line taken by the legend is 

 due to the workman having commenced too low down on the 

 stone, — for, having cut a number of letters, it was found 

 necessary to make a deviation from the straight line, to give 

 room for the longer Ogams. 



The name VLCAGNI occurs also on monuments of this 

 period at Nanscow, in the parish of St. Breock, Cornwall ; at 

 Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, in Carmarthenshire ; and from Ballyhankj 

 county Cork, now in the Museum of the Eoyal Irish Academy, 

 Dublin. 



With regard to the stone itself, it is what is locally called 

 grey " elvan," equivalent to what geologists call trap dykes. 

 Mr. Nicholls gave me some interesting particulars with respect 

 to its nature. It appears that this kind of stone is found on the 

 surface in small blocks only. The one in question is considered 

 a large specimen. The natural face is quite smooth, so that no 

 tooling is required, and it is on this weU-weathered surface that 



