Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society 3

Describes a Roman tombstone and its inscription. A number of letters are weathered away, whilst some words are contracted. The inscription is translated and interpreted, restoring some of the missing letters and outlining possible alternatives in uncertain cases. An apparently related inscription to M. Aurelius Alexander displayed in the Vatican Museum is quoted and commented upon. LD

Five tombstones discovered at Vale [sic] Crucis Abbey in Wales, built into the floor of the dormitory, had apparently been used to infill hollows over the vaulted roof of the chapter house below. Three of the stones and their inscriptions are described; the fourth and fifth are fragmentary. The three larger stones are considered of likely 13th century date; one includes the name 'Madog' and was perhaps the tomb of the founder of the abbey, Madog ap Gryffydd Maelor. LD

A sculptured stone with a runic inscription, possibly dating to the 7th century, was discovered amongst the material from a church at Upton on the Wirral, taken down in 1887. The inscription is discussed in the previous article in this volume (pp 178-84). The present article outlines the history of an earlier church at Overchurch from which the building materials for the Upton church were taken, and describes the process by which the stone and its inscription were studied. One possible scenario describes a historical context in which the stone may have originated. LD