REMAINS OF THE PRE-NORMAN PERIOD 
impossible from the character of the ornament on the slab, which 
suggests twelfth century work. Herr Vietor only says: ‘The northern 
rune M (earlier R) shows that the inscription is not English in character.’ 
We leave our tracing to the reader’s consideration. 
The amulet ring found at Kingmoor in 1817 or 1818 (now in 
the British Museum, Anglo-Saxon Room) also bears runes, which 
appear to be a magical formula (see Stephens, O/d-Northern Runic 
Monuments, i. 496 ; iii. 218). 
The Aspatria gold armlet, found in 1828, and now lost, had runes 
which were thought to read GEROT, but the drawings made at the time 
are not sufficiently exact to determine them (Stephens, of. cit. i. 160). 
The Anglian cross-head found at Carlisle in 1857, and now in the 
Fratry, has an inscription in uncials on both sides. At the time of its 
discovery Professor Westwood 
dated it about 700 a.p., remark- 
ing that the forms of the letters 
were those of MSS. of that period. 
The peculiar S after the cross 
occurs in the Durham book and 
in the book of St. Chad. The 
word SIGTTEDIS was thought to 
be a female name. 
The cross of St. Bridget’s, 
Beckermet, used to be called 
Runic, and it has been variously 
read; but the rubbings (still exist- 
ing) from which some of these : 
attempts were made were very FRAGMENT, FounD 1857. CaRLisLE. 
imperfect. There is no doubt that 
the letters are minuscules, rather tall for their breadth, with d for a. 
They may be read somewhat as follows— 
[Aine wanting] 
rinftaleqne 
Tuan : lcair 
gbre 3 tmtec’ 
fos: fa: selfe (or safe) 
ivrst.. rbn:st 
Wy 
To Mr. John Rogers of Barrow-in-Furness we owe suggestions 
leading to an interpretation which however must be regarded as only 
tentative. Considering the inscription as some form of Gaelic, and the 
q at the beginning of the third existing line as a form of d (ze. a), the 
words might be expanded: ‘. . . rinta le gne Iuan (mb)i(c) Cairabre, 
ithmigh aig fos fa selbh, ‘(This cross was) made for the face of (ée. for 
the purpose or memory of) John son of Cairbre, gone to rest under the 
keeping of ’—J. Xst, ‘Jesus Christ.’ For the remainder Mr. Rogers 
281 
