King Doniert's Stone consists of two pieces of a decorated 9th century cross, located near St Cleer, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. The inscription is believed to commemorate Dungarth, King of Cornwall who died around 875.
The site consists of the remains of two late 9th century granite cross-shaft fragments and an underground passage and chamber. The northern cross, termed the "Doniert Stone" is 1.37 metres high with panels of decoration on three sides and the inscription "doniert rogavit pro anima". The inscription translates as "Doniert has asked for his soul". The inscription is thought to refer to the local ruler "Dumgarth" (or "Dwingarth") who is recorded in the early Welsh chronicle known as the Annales Cambriae, as having drowned in around 875 AD. It has a mortise slot and a plinth at the base.
The southern cross, sometimes referred to as the "Other Half Stone", is 2.1 metres high with a panel of interlace decoration on the east face, a broken mortise slot at the top and a plinth at the bottom.
The underground rock-cut chamber begins as a passage about 8 metres to the south east of the crosses, turns into a tunnel and ends as a cruciform chamber beneath the crosses. The relationship between the underground chamber and the crosses is unknown.
The site is managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust on behalf of English Heritage.
Famous quotes containing the words king and/or stone:
“Oh the rose, the rose, the gentle rose,
And the fennel that grows so green!
God give us grace in every place
To pray for our king and queen.”
—Unknown. The Seven Virgins (l. 41–44)
“Most of the stone a nation hammers goes toward its tomb only. It buries itself alive.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)