Welsh on gravestone

[barbara lee]

A family gravestone in St Andrews Major, Glamorgan is headed with a carving that looks like a Lamb and Flag (the Lamb of God?) which is standing above the words (best guess)

DUW arfym rhan (or rhau)

I know that DUW is God, but what do the other words mean?

The rest of the gravestone, with all the names of the family, is carved in English. The first burial was 1809.

I hope someone will be able to translate it for me.

Barbara

[GRHughes]

Hi Barbara,

Rhan is welsh for part. Arfym (Ar fy'm) could mean "on my" (ar = on, fy'm = of my). I don't think arfym is a word on it's own, if I can dig out my dictionary later I'll double check.
Think it's probably God on my part.

Gareth

[barbara lee]

Thanks Gareth

I will try to post a link to the image, in case that helps.

http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae118/barley28/Welshongravestone.jpg

Cheers

Barbara

[JAP1]

Googling finds some similar words as the PRYCE family motto.

"Duw ar fy rhan"
which is shown in translation as 'God for my protection' or 'God for my portion'.

JAP

[barbara lee]

Thanks Jap
Barbara

[JAP1]

Dear Barbara,

This was just from Googling because I was curious!

I know no Welsh, and - unfortunately - I have no Welsh ancestry at all.

Let's hope that a Welsh speaker will post!

Best of luck,

JAP

[Sue Mackay]

I can't improve on what's been said already, and I have learned Welsh rather than being a native Welsh speaker, but in case others get stuck with Welsh on gravestones there is a useful glossary here (http://home.clara.net/tirbach/hicks3a.html)

Strangely enough I am in the middle of writing a sticky on Research in Wales which should be going live next week :) - just need to check a few things out.

[Gododdin]

Hi Barbara,
JAP has done well in finding the Pryce motto, which I suspect has been a little more carefully inscribed. May I suggest 'God on my behalf' ('on my side' is very close - echoes of Bob Dylan?).
Also appreciation of your sticky, Sue, many bookmarkable links; gwych!
Godo

[barbara lee]

Thanks, Godo.
I like "God on my side" ;)
Barbara