catalogue of 95 antiquarian drawings presented to the academy

Catalogue of 95 Antiquarian Drawings Presented to the AcademyAuthor(s): George V. Du NoyerSource: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (1836-1869), Vol. 8 (1861 - 1864), pp. 282-289Published by: Royal Irish AcademyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20488832 .

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282

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1863.

The VERY REV. CHARLES Gav-Es, D. D., President, in the Chair.

John Ribton Garstin, Esq., and John H. Tyrrell, Esq., were elected

members of the Academy.

MR. GEORGE V. DU NOYER presented the following drawings:

CATALOGUE RELATING TO NINETY-FIVE DRAWINGS FROM ORIGINAL

SKETCHES OF VARIOUS OBJECTS OF ANTIQUITY.

No. 1. View looking north of the Kistvaen on the south flank of Bree Hill, towniand of Ballybrittas, county of Wexford, near Enniscorthy. Ordnance Survey Map, No. 31, 2nd quiarter.

No. 2. View of the same, looking west. No. 3. Plan of the same, showing the side and covering stone. No. 4. Plan and section of a square earthen rath, in the townland

of Craane, parish of Clonmore, on the northern flank of Bree Hill, and close to the Enniscorthy road. This structure is one of the most perfect of its class which I have observed in the county of Wexford. It con sists of a deep fosse, about 22 feet wide, having a narrow platform and high parapet wall around its outer face, which is sloped like the glacis of a modern fort. The inner enclosure is bounded by a thick earthen wall, and measures about 80 feet square.

Works such as this are rather common over the eastern or lowland portion of the county of Wexford, extending from near Arklow on the north, to the Waterford estuary on the south.

In the townland of Myler's Park, a few miles to the south-east of New Ross, there is one of these earthen works which measures about 170 feet square internally, and the walls are protected by a massive semicircular bastion at each angle, being in fact an earthen model of an Anglo-Norman castle. I have an idea that raths of this cha racter are not as old as those which are circular in form; and as the county of Wexford was the territory which the Anglo-Normans first gained possession of in Ireland, they may have constructed those square earthen works as camps, or forts of occupation, for such was certainly the rath in Myler's Park. If they are native structures, the Irish may have copied this form of defensive work from their invaders. Be this as it may, it is well to direct attention to the occurrence of square earthen raths' over the county of Wexford. The rath which I have illustrated is not engraved on the Ordnance Survey Map.

No. 5. View of the group of stones at the ancient grave at Tivoria, half a mile east of the village of Dunquin, to the west of Dingle. Tivo ria means the house or resting place of Mary; and this spot is popularly recognised over the Irish-speaking districts of the whole south-west of Ireland, as being the farthest or most remote grave or " house of rest." If by this is implied the most westerly place of interment, the old idea



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is quite correct, as Dunmore Head, which is close to it, stretching into the Blasket Sound, is the most westerly point in Ireland. One of the stones exhibits the Greek cross enclosed in a circle; and the upright mo nolith has a single straight-armed cross, with divergent ends deeply cut on it.

No. 6. Sketch of the tall and rude cross standing in the grave-yard of Adamstown, county of Wexford; it is cut out of a single slab of trappean ash, and is ten feet high.

No. 7. View looking west of the rude and small granite cross and large square plinth on the road side, close to the old church of Kill-o' the-Grange, county of Dublin. The cross is of the simplest form, and the only ornamentation on it is a small circle deeply cut at the centre of the intersecting arms. This may be the embryotic form of the circle as connected with the cross, and, if so, it is of some interest.

Nos. 8, 9. Sketches of St. Gobbonet's Stone, preserved in a field close to the Roman Catholic chapel of Ballyvourney, county of Cork. The rude incised carving on this monolith is exceedingly curious. It represents a cross of the Greek form, enelosed in a narrow double circle, the whole being surmounted by a diminutive figure in mere outline of the saintly female, St. Gobbonet. The hair is divided on the forehead, and falls over the back of the neck, to the waist; the dress is long, and reaches to the ankles; and one hand carries the cam butta or short pastoral staff, of the same type as those in our Museum. The opposite face of the stone exhibits merely the same form of cross as the other. St. Gobbonet lived in the 6th century, and this carving is undoubtedly of contemporaneous age.

No. 10. On the rise of ground to the west of, and close to the old church of B3allyvourney, I discovered the remains of a large circular cloghaun or stone hut, measuring 26 feet in diameter, internally, the wall at the doorway being 3 feet thick, but increasing to 5 feet at the opposite part of the circle. This is erroneously marked on the Ordnance Survey Map as the base of a round tower. Local tradition calls this St. Gobbonet's house, and we have every reason to believe that it is so. I give a plan of this building in the sketch No. 10.

No. 11. View of what remains of St. Gobbonet's cloghaun, showing the two upright flags which formed the sides of its doorway.

No. 12. This represents a small rude carving on the top stone of the window, in the south wall of the nave of B3allyvourney old church; it is popularly known as the effigy of St. Gobbonet, and its date may be about the fourteenth century.

No. 13. View of the doorway of the old church of Mungret, county of Limerick. The massive cyclopean character of this work stamps it of considerable antiquity, though its proportions are not slender enough to induce me to class it with the earliest doorways of this type.

No. 14. View, looking east, of the croft of St. Columbkill's house, at Kells, county of Meath, showing the two partition walls which divide it into three chambers, and the square opening in the floor affording access to, or from, the body of the building beneath; St. Columb died



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A. D. 596, and we have every reason to believe that he caused this structure to be erected for his use. See Dr. Petrie's work on the Round Towers, p. 430.

No. 15. Plan of the croft of St. Columbkill's house. No. 16. Section of the building from north to south, showing the

rude method of constructing its roof by causing the stones to overlap till the apex of the croft was closed in by one stone, after the manner of the very earliest of our stone oratories. See Dr. Petrie's account of the stone oratory at Gallaru5, county of Kerry, p. 133.

No. 17. Plan of St. Flannan's Oratory at Killaloe. The date of this building is the seventh century. See Dr. Petrie's work, p. 281.

Nos. 18 and 19. Sketches of the capitals of pilasters at either side of the doorway to St. Flannan's church at Killaloe. That on the north side is strikingly Corinthian in its style; and that on the south side is ornamented with two animals, having one head at the external angle of the capital, common to both.

No. 20. Incised cross with enclosing circle, carved on a limestone slab, placed at the foot of the ancient doorway built up into the south wall of the cathedral of Killaloe, and close to the west gable.

No. 21. View of the doorway of the Round Tower of Kells, county of Meath, showing the mixture of sandstone and limestone used in its construction.

No. 22. View of the rouind tower of Kinneigh, county of Cork. The base of this singular structure is hexagonal within and without, to the height of about 18 feet, when it abruptly becomes circular. The doorway is flat-headed, and constructed in the side of the hexagon facing the north-east. The doorway is revealed within, to receive a wooden door; the first floor is level with the doorway, and is con structed of four large flag-stones crossing each other, but so far apart as to allow of a large square opening in the centre, affording access to the dark chamber beneath. The walls at the basement are five feet thick. Above the hexagonal base there are four offsets in the wall, and about ten feet apart, thus dividing the tower into a corresponding number of rooms, each of which was lighted by a small porthole-shaped window. I believe that the tower wants one story to complete it height, as there are none of the ordinary large openings at the summit. The present height of the tower is fully 60 feet, to which, if we add 10 feet for the terminal chamber, and 10 feet for the conical roof, we would have 80 feet as the original height of the tower. Its external diameter at the springing of the circular portion is 16 feet 6 inches, and only 8 feet 6 in ches internally.

No. 23. View of the doorway of this tower. No. 24. Plan of the hexagonal base at the doorway of this tower,

showing the manner in which the stone floor was constructed. No. 25. Section of the Round Tower at Kinneigh. No. 26. Ground plan of St. Edan's Monastery at Ferns, county of

Wexford, showing the connexion of the round tower with the na-ve of the building at its north-west angle.



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No. 27. View of the round tower attached to the Monastery of St. Edan, at Ferns. This tower, which is 58 feet in height, forms a por tion of the west gable of the nave of the church, and is square from its base to the height of 40 feet, when it becomes circular; the base is square within, and incloses a winding stairs which terminates where the tower becomes round; the upper circular portion is divided into two apartments, the upper one being lighted by four square-hcaded aper tures, facing N. N. W., S. S. E., E. N. E., and W. S. W. The conical roof is wanting.

No. 28. Sketch of one of the windows lighting the upper floor of this round tower.

No. 29. One of the narrow loops lighting the winding stairs at the square base of the same round tower. Nos. 30, 31, 32, and 33. Views of the four sides of the granite shaft

of a cross, highly ornamented with the Greco-Irish fret pattem; and standing in the grave-yard of the cathedral of Ferns (now the parish church).

No. 34. rlan and section of the plinth of the above cross. No. 35. Head of granite cross built up in the wall of the grave-yard

attached to Ferns cathedral (now the parish church). No. 36. Head of large granite cross from the gateway to Ferns

church, where its fragments are used to prevent the gate from swinging. No. 37. Top of mediteval window, now used as a tombstone in the

grave-yard of Ferns church: at either side of the ogee are sculpturings typifying the good and evil spirit by an angel in the attitude of prayer, and a non-descript grinning monster.

No. 38. Small standard cross of granite from the grave-yard of old Leighlin cathedral, county of Carlow.

No. 39. Small standard granite cross and plinth from Nurney, county of Carlow.

No. 40. Doorway of the ancient church of Agha, county of Carlow, possibly of the seventh or eighth century. It was closed from the inside by a wooden door.

No. 41. Ground plan of Agha old church, showing the ancient or western portion, which is constructed in courses of dressed blocks of granite, as is illustrated by the doorway and surrounding masonry; and the less ancient, or eastern part, built of rubble masonry.

No. 42. View of the interior of the east window of Agha old church. From the style of this window it is doubtless a work of the twelfth century.

No. 43. Exterior view of the same window, showing the change in the style of masonry, as compared to the western portion of the church,

No. 44. Interior of window in the south wall, and close to the east gable of Agha church. This ope is triangular-headed within, but flat without.

No. 45. Exterior view of the window just alluded to, in the south wall of Agha church.

1C. I. A. PROC.-VOL. TIII. 2 Q



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No. 46. Square ope near the summit of the south wall in the west ern or more ancient portion of the old church of Agha. Its sill is formed by a series of three small steps; the regularity of the masonry is here very apparent.

No. 47. Plan of the old church called Whitechapel, near Bagenals town, county of Carlow. The most perfect portion is the east gable with the window; the remainder of the walls are merely foundations.

No. 48. Interior view of the window in the east gable of this church, the date of which is, doubtless, the twelfth century.

No. 49. Plan of the old church of Enniscorthy, county of Wexford, showing the ancient nave and modern choir. All the features of the former are gone, except a window placed eight feet from the ground in the south wall, and near what was originally the east gable.

No. 50. Interior and exterior view of the small window in the south wall of the old church of Enniscorthy. This is also twelfth cen tury work.

No. 51. Exterior view of the large fourteenth century east window of Jerpoint Abbey, county of Xilkenny, showing the remains of the small twelfth century three-ope window, which was destroyed in its construction. It is not necessary to enter on any detailed description of this interesting fact in the re-edification of the abbey, as the sketch sufficiently explains it.

No. 52. Exterior view of an early thirteenth century window in the west gable of Jerpoint Abbey, lighting the rood loft of the nave.

No. 53. Exterior view of a window from the north wall of north side aisle, Jerpoint Abbey. The drip moulding of this and the former window is of quaint design, partaking much of twelfth century art.

No. 54. Exterior view of two-ope window, with terminal four cusped opening. This is clearly thirteenth century work, and is most characteristic.

Nos. 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65. Drawings made one-hall the full size, showing the ornamentation of the capitals of the square cluster columns supporting the side aisle arches of Jerpoint Abbey, county of Kilkenny.

No. 66. Tombstone with Anglo-Norman inscription and foliated cross from the interior of St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny. The in scription is

Hie Jacet Valterus cluhy,

with a contraction over the first two letters of the surname. No. 67. Plan of the remains of Ferns Castle, county of Wexford.

The large suite of apartments which originally occupied the internal quadrangle of this building were evidently all constructed of wood.

No. 68. Enlarged plan of the chapel on the second floor of the cir cular Tower, at the south-east angle of Ferns Castle, showing also the design of the groining in the arched roof.

No. 69. Exterior view of one of the long and cross-bow loops from the winding stairs in the tower just alluded to.



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No. 70. Exterior view of a window in the north waUl of the old church of Newcastle, county of Tipperary. The design of this window is so quaint and unlike any of the known styles of architecture, that it is difficult to assign a date to it. It maybe early in the thirteenthocen tury.

No. 71. East gable of the old church of Crook, near Passage, county of Waterford. The three windows piercing this gable are of the lancet form; and the rude arches surmounting them so closely resemble that over the window from Jerpoint Abbey, No. 54 of this series, that we may suppose this church to be of the thirteenth century.

No. 72. Exterior view of the doorway of lBallyhack Castle, county of Wexford.

No. 73. Exterior views of two window loops from the north wall of Ballyhack Castle.

No. 74. Exterior view of two larger windows from Ballyhack Cas tle. Fig. 1 is near the summit of the west wall, and Fig. 2 near that of the north wall.

No. 75. Plan of the Castle of Enniscorthy. No. 76. Main doorway of Enniscorthy Castle. From the style of

this doorway and that of the loops throughout the castle, I think the date of the building caniot be earlier than the beginning of the six teenth century.

No. 77. Small cruciform loops from the circular flanking towers of Enniscorthy Castle.

No. 78. Single loops splayed externally from the same building. No. 79. View of the choir, arch, and east window of Faithlegg old

church, near Passage, county of Waterford. Both these features in this building are of remarkably small proportions; the former is more like a large semicircular headed doorway, and the latter is of the narrow lan cet form.

No. 80. Plan of the same old church, which I suppose to be of the 15th century.

No. 81. Sketch of the font of the old churoh of Faithlegg. No. 82. Sketch of the font of the old church of Ballybacon, near

Ardfinnan, county of Tipperary, 15th century. No. 83. Carving of quaint design, representing a crucifixion, spring

ing from a shield which bears the date 1594, from the old abbey of Kil mallock, county of Limerick.

No. 84. Rude representation in incised lines of an "Agnus Dei," bearing the shaft of what may have been a cross before the stone on which it was cut was defaced, from the grave-yard of the old church of IBallybrennan, near Enniscorthy.

Nos. 85, 86, and 87. Three small head stone crosses, possibly of modern date, from the same grave-yard.

No. 88. Sketch of a coffin-shaped tombstone, from the abbey of Jer point, bearing in incised lines the outline of a male figure, clothed in the costume of the 14th century; a long staff is held in the right hand, and



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over the head the stone has been cut into, to form a small square hol low, possibly to receive a brass; a very illegible inscription in the An glo-Normau letter may be traced around part of the slab, but the date, anno MCCC., 1300, is very plainly seen.

No. 89. Effigy, in high relief, of a knight on a tombstone in the grave-yard of the old 'church of Ratoath, county of Meath. The head of the figure, which rests on a large cushion, is bare, without a beard, and the general expression of the face is that of age. The body is clothed in the surcoat, but is without armour. The knight's good sword, with heavy pommel, is, however, girt about his waist by a broad belt, and hangs before him. The right arm and hand are in the attitude of sheath ing it, while the left holds the scabbard. There is great bolduess and character in the execution of this figure.

No. 90. Sketch of a small effigy from the old abbey of Gowran, county of Kilkenny. The length of this figure is only two feet nine inches, and it represents a juvenile person, possibly a chorister. The head, which rests on a cushion, is either tonsured, or the thick flowing hair is confined by a band across the forehead. The figure is clothed in a long surplice, fitting close to the neck, with tight sleeves. The arms rest on the chest, and the hands hold a large book, possibly a psalter, as indicative of the ecclesiastical rank of the deceased. Diminutive effigies such as this are of the rarest occurrence in Ireland.

No. 91. Effigy of a female of rank, with highly ornamented horned head dress, characteristic of the 15th century, from the old abbey of Gow ran.

No. 92. Fragment of a tombstone from the same abbey, which re presented a knight in the armour of the 15th century. The sword is suspended from around the neck, and rests on the chest, as if laid on the body after death.

No. 93. Another and similar effigy from the same abbey. Strange to say, the head and face of this effigy have been cut away, probably to allow of the insertion of a brass plate, on which to engrave the features and head armour. A large cushion supports the head, at either side of which, and on the cushion, is engraved a hawk with wings partly extended.

No. 94. Sketch of a flat tombstone from the abbey of Gowran, on which a filll-length male figure is carved in deeply incised lines. The hair is cut close to the head, but falls over the ears. The moustache is indicated, but no beard. The figure is clothed in a long loose robe, witb short tight sleeves. The feet are cased in shoes with ankle straps, and rest on a rude representation of a writhing serpent. The evident want of skill in this work stamps it of the 16th century, when the sculptors' and builders' art in our realms was at its lowest ebb.

No. 95. Tombstone from Rathmore Abbey, county of Meath, on which the effigy of a knight, in the armour of the 15th century, is carved in high relief. I give it as affording us an illustration of the holme or mas sive tilting helmet of the period, the large vizor of which is raised so afs to show the features of the wearer.



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I beg to present this collection of Drawings of objects of antiqua rian interest (many of which are falling into decay) to the Library of the Academy, with a view to its forming the fourth volume of donations of a similar kind made to the Academy on three former occasions. G. V. D.

A collection of miscellaneous Donations was presented, accompanied by the following explanatory letter from W. R. Wilde, Esq. (V. P.), addressed to the Secretary of the Academy, which was read in his absence by J. T. Gilbert, Esq.:

DEAR SIR,-In the names of the undermentioned noblemen and gen tlemen, I beg to present the following donations to the Library and Mu seum of the Academy:

From the Marquis of Kildare, "' The Earls of Kildare and their An cestors, with the Addenda, from 1659 to 1773 (new edition) ;" the former edition of which I had the honour of presenting in 1861.

From Lord Farnham, a handsomely bound copy of the "F Farnham Descents, from King Henry III.," a genealogical work descriptive of the Maxwell family, printed at Cavan, in 1862, for private circulation. The donation is enhanced by the autograph revisions of the author.

On the part of George Porter, M.D., a bound collection of twenty four government broad-sheets, descriptive of the Irish Rebellion, between the 24th of May, and the 28th September, 1798; and consisting of public notices and letters from Generals Lake, Asgill, Dundas, Duff, Johnston, Gosford, Needham, and many other persons, to Lord Castlereagh; and containing accounts of the various engagements with the rebel forces in the counties of Anltrim, Mayo, Longford, Carlow, Kildare, Wicklow,

Wexford, and Dublin. I also beg to present a very ancient Icelandic medical manuscript,

written on thick vellum, and consisting of seventy-three smal quarto folios, which I was given by the late lamented Professor Siegfried; as I consider our Library the most suitable place for it, and I am anxious to associate, even in this small matter, the name of so distinguished a scho lar with that of the Royal Irish Academy. It contains some MS. philo logical notes by the late Professor.

From W. Wakeman, Esq., a specimen of French and Co.'s Tuam bank-note, issued in 1812.

A photograph of Cahill's medalion of the late John Mitchell Kem ble, which has been recently placed on the tomb of that distinguished antiquary, historian, and philologer, in Mount Jerome Cemetery.

From Lord Farnham, a highly finished conical bone piercer, five inches long, found fifteen feet deep in a sand pit in the townland of Clon nygonnell, parish of Kilmore, county of Cavan. The circumstance of any remains of man's handiwork being found either in drift or gravel, having of late years formed the subject of scientific investigation, invests this article with peculiar interest.



catalogue of 95 antiquarian drawings presented to the academy

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