Mên Scryfa (or ''Mên Scrifa'', literally "stone with writing") is an inscribed

standing stone A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright rock (geology), stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the Eur ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, United Kingdom (). The inscription, dating to the

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...

period, commemorates "Rialobranus son of Cunovalus."

Location

Mên Scryfa stands near the

Madron Madron ( (village) or (parish)) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Madron is named after Saint Madern's Church. Its annual Trafalgar Service commemorating the death of Horatio ...

Morvah Morvah () is a civil parish and village on the Penwith peninsula in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish has a population of 49. Geography The village is centred approximately west-southwest of St Ives and north-west of Penza ...

road in

. It stands in the middle of a field.Bernard Deacon, (2010), ''Exploring Cornwall's Past'', page 56. The prehistoric

Mên-an-Tol The Mên-an-Tol (Cornish language, Cornish: ''Men an Toll'') is a small formation of standing stones in Cornwall, England (). It is about three miles northwest of Madron. It is also known locally as the "Crick Stone". Location The Mên-an-Tol s ...

standing stones lie about 300 metres to the south.

Description

The stone is 1.7 metres high and roughly rectangular in section, with sides of 0.4 metres by 0.5 metres.MEN SCRYFA
Pastscape, retrieved 9 November 2013 The inscription is on the northern face, although the bottom of the inscription is buried in the ground. At one time two plain crosses were said to be viewable at the upper end of the stone. The horizontal axis of the lower cross, is clearly visible but the vertical stroke is very indistinct. The smaller cross above this can no longer be distinguished.

The inscription

The inscription, in debased Roman capitals, reads "Rialobrani Cunovali fili", which translates as "Rialobranus son of Cunovalus." Rialobran is not known elsewhere, but he may have been a Cornish petty king or tribal leader. ''Rialobran'' (or ''Ryalvran'') may be Cornish for "royal raven", whereas ''Cunovallos'' may be

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

for "famous leader" (being

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

to the second element in the surname McConnell), thus the inscription would read "royal raven son of famous leader". Alternatively, ''Cunovalus'' may be Cornish for "worthy hound". Antiquarians, at one time, used to identify Cunovalus with the pre-Roman British king

Cunobeline Cunobeline or Cunobelin (Common Brittonic: *''Cunobelinos'', "Dog-Strong"), also known by his name's Latin form , was a king in pre-Roman Britain from about to about Malcolm Todd (2004)"Cunobelinus [Cymbeline/nowiki> (d. ''c''. AD 40), king in ...

Dating

The inscription has been dated on stylistic grounds to the 5th to 8th century AD. It is thought, however, that the stone itself could be a prehistoric

History

The antiquarian William Borlase described the stone in 1769: at that time it was lying prostrate on the ground. It was erected in 1825 only to be toppled again in 1849 by treasure hunters. It was lying face down when John Thomas Blight described it in 1861.John Thomas Blight, (1861), ''A Week at the Land's End'', pages 19–21 It was however re-erected in its current position around 1862, the last word of the inscription being buried. On Thursday 1 June 2023, the stone was vandalised by unknown individuals. The top of the stone was covered in petrol and lit on fire. Additionally, a 4" hole had been dug around the base of the stone. CASPN and police were alerted.

In folklore

A popular tradition stated that a battle was fought nearby, and that Riolbranus was slain and buried at the spot. It was further claimed that the length of the stone (about 9 feet) was the exact height of the warrior.

Possible identification

The genealogist Peter Bartrum records two men with a connection to the area who bear the name "Cynwal", the Brittonic rendering of "Cunovalus": both occur within the same genealogy; one being Cynwal Garnwch, son of

Amlawdd Wledig Amlawdd Wledig (Middle Welsh and other alternative spellings present in relevant sources include Amlawd, Amlawt, Anlawdd, Anlawd, Amlodd, Amlwyd, Aflawdd and Anblaud) was a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain. The Welsh title '' ledig'', archaica ...

; the other being Amlawdd's father, Cynwal son of Ffrwdwr. As such, Rialobrani (modernised as Rialfran or Rialbran) could either be a cousin to King Arthur as son of Cynwal Garnwch, or his great uncle as son of Cynwal son of Ffrwdwr.

References

External links

* https://www.library.wales/discover/digital-gallery/printed-material/a-welsh-classical-dictionary/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Men Scryfa Megalithic monuments in England Monuments and memorials in Cornwall Penwith Sub-Roman Britain Tourist attractions in Cornwall