REMAINS OF THE PRE-NORMAN PERIOD 
which Stephens adopted with slight alteration. ‘The circumstances in 
which the inscription: was found seem to warrant its genuineness, but the 
spelling is curious and the forms unusual. 
Near Bewcastle at Barnspike a shepherd found runes on a rock in 
1864. Mr. Maughan read— 
BARANR. HRAIT. AT. GILLHES. BUETH. 
IAS. VAS .DAUThR.1. TRIKU. RAB. 
D.VAULKS.AT.FADRLAND. NU. 
LLANERKASTA. 
He referred this to the legend, exploded by Mr. Hodgson Hinde, of 
the circumstances which led to the foundation of Lanercost priory ; and 
BRAR ART T FINDS 
py AORER AYRE 
SME PP ERI, 
MRT 
PERERA ATELY by 
Hazelgill 
translated : ‘Baran wrote this inscription in memory of Gillhes Bueth, 
who was slain in a truce by Robert De Vaux for his patrimony now 
called Lanercost.’ We believe that the inscription was a practical joke. 
The runes and some of the forms are taken from Mr. Maughan’s own 
pamphlet, and especially from his erroneous copy of the Carlisle 
cathedral inscription. The word he read FADRLAND should be read 
FETRIANA, and it was Mr. Maughan’s theory that Petriana was the 
Roman name for Lanercost. No Scandinavian rune-writer in the 
eleventh century would have called Rodbertus de Vallibus ‘Rab D (or 
te) Vaulks,’ or have described Lanercost with imaginary antiquarianism 
as ‘ Petriana now Llanerkasta.” The F was used as initial for Petriana 
because P is a rare letter in late Scandinavian runes ; and the double L 
for Lanercost was to suggest a Welsh or British origin of the name. 
279 
