Image: Dwarfie stane inscription by Bruce McAdam

Description: This is an inscription in Persian calligraphy on the Dwarfie Stane. It was left by captain William Henry Mounsey of Castletown and Rockcliffe, who camped here in 1850, and reads: "I have sat two nights and so learnt patience". Above the Persian is his name written backwards in Latin. The complete text is "YESNVOM SVMLEILVC". Visible here is "ELMVS MOVNSEY"; in mirror writing: "YESNVOM SVMLE". Mounsey was a British spy who worked in Persia and Afghanistan. After his retirement he wandered in the UK dressed in a Jewish outfit and visited the Neolithic rock-cut tomb. He was born in 1808 and christened at Saint Cuthbert's Church in Carlisle in Cumbria, had a military career and became an amateur archaeologist (c.1850). He wrote about the Celtic culture (c.1860) and lived for some time at the Castletown House near Carlisle (c.1870). He died in Carlisle in 1877.
Title: Dwarfie stane inscription by Bruce McAdam
Credit: Arabic Graffiti
Author: Bruce McAdam from Reykjavik, Iceland
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes