Inscribed stone (present location) in Ramstown

A stone came to light on a cliff-top at Lady Betty’s Pool. c. 1880, which is c. 340m N of the linear earthwork at Baginbun (WX050-015002-). It had an inscription that resembled those on a stone at Fethard Castle (WX050-011009-) c. 1.8km to the NNW and on a cross at Carew, in Pembrokeshire in Wales. Many interpretations of the inscription were attempted but it was generally accepted that it was Latin and recorded the name ‘Margit’ (Vigors 1897). Doubt was cast on the antiquity of the inscriptions (Lynn 1904; 1905), but while Orpen (1904, 1905) regards the Fethard inscription as a 19th century copy of the Welsh stone he was inclined to accept the Baginbun stone as more ancient. Both stones are probably 19th century copies of the Welsh stone. The Baginbun stone is a sub-triangular stone (dims 1.58m x 1.08m; T 0.68m) that was moved c. 1980 for its own safety from its cliff-top position to a nearby house where it is displayed in the front garden. Only slight traces of the inscription remain. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload; 12 February, 2014

Dated to the early medieval period, the inscription may have a Christian or runic character, reflecting the cultural transitions of the time. Local folklore sometimes associates such stones with protective charms or territorial markers.