The earliest known surviving inscription of the Welsh language comes to us from the Cadfan Stone or “Carreg Cadfan.” While the exact date of its making is unknown, historians believe it dates between the 7th and 9th centuries. However, there are two important Welsh stones often called by this name, which we’ll explore.
Why is the Cadfan Stone so important? As mentioned earlier, the stone bears the earliest known inscription of the Welsh language—Old Welsh, in this case. Even though we don’t know exactly when its maker inscribed it, experts have dated its creation between 600 and 800 AD. This period falls within the Dark Ages in the early Middle Ages. It was a turbulent time when the tribes were forming Welsh kingdoms, fighting invaders, and the Welsh people (the Britons) were getting inklings of an identity as a nation.
This post is about the Cadfan Stone in Wales.
The Cadfan Stone
The stone above is the first of the two stones in North Wales called by this name. Historians believe the monument was a grave stone and commemorative marker for King Cadfan of Gwynedd, who died circa 625 AD. Cadfan was considered “the wisest and most renowned of all kings.” In the present, the stone honoring him is located in Llangadwaladr, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), inside St. Cadwaladr’s Church.
The Cadfan Stone also bears a Latin inscription near the top of the stone beneath a simply inscribed cross. The message reads: CATAMANUS REX SAPIENTISIMUS OPINATISIMUS OMNIUM REGUM (King Catamanus, the wisest, most illustrious of all kings). “Catamanus” is the Romanized form of “Cadfan.” The Latin word “Rex” means “king,” as that was the most commonly used title of a ruler in this time period in Wales. Note that there is no Welsh on the stone at all, only Latin. So when people say that it bears the earliest known Welsh, they’re referring to a different monument: the Tywyn Stone. Both stones are often called by the same name.
The Tywyn Stone: Famous Stone Bearing Old Welsh
The Tywyn Stone is usually what is meant by “Cadfan Stone” in the context of the earliest inscribed Welsh. It and the other stone are sometimes confused. For one thing, the Tywyn Stone is located not far from the other, and people often call it by the same name! It’s no wonder when you consider that the Tywyn Stone dates to roughly the same period and is also located inside a church—in this case, St. Cadfan’s.
Unlike the other monument, which is positioned against a wall, this one is an ancient stone pillar standing inside St. Cadfan’s Church. Most importantly, the Tywyn Stone is the one that bears the earliest known example of written Old Welsh. The originally 2.3-meter-tall stone has worn over the centuries to 2.18 meters in height. It is slender in diameter (0.25m x 0.2m) and has four faces that bear inscriptions. The writings consist of two primary inscriptions and two footnotes. According to the information panel beneath the pillar in the church, the stone’s origins date back to the 8th century. Below the image, you can read what the Welsh writings say.
Old Welsh Inscriptions
Faces A and B read:
Trengrui gwraig annwyl gryfreithlon Adgan
Erys poen (y golled)
(Trengrui, beloved legal wife of Adgan.
Grief remains.)
Faces C and D read:
Cin (neu Cun) gwraig Celen rhwng Budd a Marciau
(Cun, wife of Celen, between Budd and Marciau.)
The footnotes on the stone read:
Yma mae tri
Yma pedwar
(Here lie three.
Here are four.)
This rare and valuable artifact from the days of Wales’ ancient kingdoms didn’t always get the respect and reverence it does now. Because people of the past didn’t know the stone’s significance, they forgot it for a time. At one point, farmers were using it as a gatepost to mark a pigsty. That, of course, changed when they realized what it was. Some conscientious persons salvaged the pillar from its muddy fate and brought it to the church in 1761. It wasn’t until 1914 that church members brought the Cadfan Stone inside the church to preserve and protect it permanently.
If you’d like to see this fascinating piece of Welsh history, you might consider paying a visit to St. Cadfan’s church. You can find it at Ffordd Gwalia Rd, Tywyn LL36 9DH (in Gwynedd). Be prepared for a friendly, busy-with-people atmosphere in historic surroundings. Have a hot cup of coffee as you browse. Open from 9 or 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. daily, depending on the time of year, the church also often hosts local events you might enjoy. For more information, please see St. Cadfan Church’s website.
This post was about the Cadfan Stone in Wales.
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