The Voteporix Stone

Where did it come from?

The stone originally came from St Teilo’s Church, Castell Dwyran, where it was reused as part of a stile in the church boundary wall. In 1921 it was donated to the museum of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society (now Carmarthenshire Museum). 

A possible link to the Roman world is suggested by the fact that the church lies close to a Roman road running west of Carmarthen. 

What does the writing say?

One inscription is written in Latin using Roman letters. It can be translated as:
“The memorial (or tomb) of Voteporix the Protector.” 

“Protector” may have been a title linked to power and status. Together with the carved cross and the word memoria, it suggests this stone marked a Christian memorial, possibly from as early as the 4th or 5th century. 

What is Ogham?

The second inscription uses Ogham (also spelled Ogam) – an early medieval alphabet made from short strokes and notches. It was mainly used to write early Irish between about AD 300–800, often on stones that marked graves, boundaries or land ownership. On this stone, the Ogham records a name: VOTECORIGAS.