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CATALOGUE
OF TUB
MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY.
A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE
or
THE ANTIQUITIES
OP
STONE, EARTHEN, AND VEGETABLE MATERIALS,
t IN THE
IQ^useum ot tfje Hopal ftwri^ 2lcaiiem||. ^-^^
BY
W. R. WILDE, M. R. L A.,
SECRETARY OP FOREIGN CORRESPOIfDBirCE TO THE ACADEMY.
|Uit0trHteb bait\i mmttrmts VAaob Cngrsiringi.
DUBLIN: PRINTED BY M. H. GILL,
FRIHTKR TO THE ACADKBfT.
1857.
PREFACE.
At the Stated Meeting of the Royal Irish Academy on the 16th of March last, the following Resolution, proposed on the recommendation of the CouncU, was adopted : —
^^Rbsolvbd — That the Council be authorized to expend a sum not exceeding £250, in the arrangement and cataloguing of the Museum."
The work of classifymg and arranging the Museum, and also the preparation of the Catalogue, of which the first Part is now published, was gratuitously under- taken by Mr. Wilde, who has devoted his time and labour to the task with an energy and zeal which en- title him to the warmest thanks of the Academy.
It is only fair to him to state that the difficulty of the undertaking was greatly increased by the circum- stance that, almost during the whole period of his labours, the Museum was in the occupation of the workmen employed by the Board of Works in put- ting up glass-cases, &c., as well as in the painting an^ decoration of the Room.
%.»r.
Vl PREFACE.
Owing to this circumstance, together with the shortness of the time, it was not possible to do all that might be wished, especially as it was necessary to have the whole, as far as possible, completed before the Meeting of the British Association on the 26th of this month.
The remainder of the Catalogue is in progress, but it is hoped that the Part now.published will be a suffi- cient evidence to the Academy of the zeal and inde- fatigable diligence of the compiler. It contains a description of the articles composed of Stone, Earthen, and Vegetable Materials — a classification which, on the whole, was deemed most convenient. It has also been illustrated by 159 engravings on wood, drawn by Mr. Du Noyer and Mr. Wakeman, and cut by Mr. Hanlon and Mr. Oldham ; and it is hoped that these illustra- tions will add not only to the interest, but also to the permanent value and authority of the work.
JAMES H. TODD,
President. August 17) 1857.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGB.
ExplftiMtion of the arraDgement, 1
StossMatkuau, 5
Flint-flakes, 8
WeapoDB and Tools, 9
Knives, 14
Slincf-stones, . 17
Arrows, 19
Spear-hcads, 26
Stone Weapons, 38
Tools, 86
Celts, 87
Sling-stoncs, 74
— Hammeiv, 78
Punches, 84
Whetstones, 87
Toadistones, 89
Monlds, 91
Sink-stones, 94
Habitations, 99
Kaths and Duns, 101
Food Implements: — Plough?, 108
■ Grain-rubbers, 104
■ Quenis, 106
■ Drinking Cups, 113
DisUffWhorIa, 115
Inkstands, 118
StaigueFort, . . • * . 120
Persona] Decorations, 121
Amnsements, 126
Medicme, 126
Religion, 128
• • •
Vlll TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Droidic Temples, 129
Altar Stones, 131
ChaUces, 132
Stone Unu, 134
. Ogham Stones and Writing, 185
Grotesque Figures, 140
Sculptured Stones, 141
ScandinaTian Flint and Stone Antiquities, 151
Eabthiw Matebialb : — Tools, 155
Greybeard Jars, 156
Botaes, 157
Pitchers and Bowls, 158
Smoking Pipes, 159
Pavement Tiles, 160
Glass and Enamel, 162
Stained Glass, 169
Sepulchral Urns, 169
Cromlechs, 181
Chinese Seals, 195
Yboetabls Matkrials : — Beg Timber, 197
Boats and Paddles, 203
Spades and Forks, 205
Mill Thnber, 207
Dishes, Bowls, &c., 208
Barrels, 212
Milk-pails and Butter-prints, 213
MethetB, &&, 214
Crannoges, 220
Historic Notices of, ... • 229
Log Houses, 235
Wooden Houses, 237
Amber and Jet, 240
Horse- trappings, 243
Musical Instruments, 244
CATALOGUE
or
THE MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES
Of TRB
BOTAL IRISH ACADEMY.
EXPLANATION OP THE ARRANGEMENT.
LL attempts at an arrangement of ob- jects of Antique Art must, to a certain extent, be arbitrary and artificial; and as, in the present state of antiquarian knowledge, a chronological classification could not be fully carried out, the sim- plest and most obvious mode which sug- gests itself is that according to Material. Such has, therefore, been adopted as the basis or primary division of the present arrangement of the Museum of Anti- quities belonging to the Boyal Irish Academy — ^with the ex- ception of the Ecclesiastical objects, which, for obvious reasons, will be grouped within a separate section, irrespective of ma- terial ; the *^ Finds," or groups of Antiquities found toge- ther in particular localities, such as Crannoges, &c. ; as also the Coins, Tokens, and Medals, and the Human Bemains. The secondary division is that according to Use. The classi- fication and arrangement usually employed in Natural History according to Class, Order, Species, and Variety, has, for the sake of convenience, been adopted. The following classifica- tion on this principle is capable of including every object to be found in the Collection of the Academy,
CATALOGUE OF THB MUSEUM.
PEIMARY DIVISION, ACCOEDIHG TO MATEEIAL.
CLASS. OBDEB, OB SUBDIVISIOK.
I. Stone Matebialb, . . 1. Flint 2. Stone. 3. Crystal. II. Eaethsn Matebuls, . 1. Clay and Pottery. 2. Glass
and Enamel. III. Vegetable Mateblllb, • 1. Wood. 2. Amber. 3. Jet
rV. Animal Matebllls, • . L Bone, Horn, Ivory, Skin, Lea- ther, and Shell, — used in the Arts. 2. Textile Fabrics. 3. Animal Bemains. V. Metaluc Matbbials, • 1. Bronze, Copper, or Brass. 2.
Lead. 3. Iron. 4. Silver* 5. Gold.
Excepted Classes, VL Finds.
VII. Coins and Medals, VIII. Human Bemains. IX. Ecclesiastical Antiquities (noi stone)^
SECONDARY DIVISION, ACCOEDING TO USE.
SPBOIB&
1. Weapons,— offensive and defensive, used in War, the Chase,
Fishing, &c : — Arrow, spear, and javelin heads ; sling stones ; war-dubs, battle-axes, axe-hammers; skeins, daggers, swords, pikes; shields, armour, helmets; fire-arms, shot, &c.
2. Tools, and Weapon-Tools : — ^Flint-flakes, knives, scrapers, picks,
chisels, wedges, adaes, cutters, celts (stone and metal), hatchets, gouges, paalstabSf saws, hammers, punches, whetstones and sharpening-stones, crucibles, touchstones and burnishers, moulds and designs.
3. Food Implements, — or articles employed in Raising, Procuring,
Preparing, and Using Food: — ^Boats, paddles, ropes; fishing spears and tridents, hooks, gaffs, sink-stones, and net- weights; spades, forks, ploughs, sickles, and scythes; all agricultural implements ; grain-rubbers, querns, millstones, mortars ; knead- ing troughs, lossets, pots, bowls, barrels, buckets, butter*
ARRANGBMBNT AND CLASSIFICATION. 3
prints, pans, dishes, griddles; knives and forks and spoons; pitohers, bottles, jars; drinking-horns, caps, methers, noggins, salt^cellers, stills, &c Under this head may be plaoed Food itself, such as bog-butter, cheese, &c.
4. Household Economy :— Furniture, articles of domestic use, and
the toilet; piercers, needles, bodkins, shears, thimbles, and distaff discs; smoking pipes, snuffers, candlesticks; combs, razors, tweezer<s; tiles, weights, boxes, fire-irons, nails, nuts and bolts, chains and manacles, wheels, locks and keys, grissets, inkstands. Also models of forts and habitations, &c.
5. Dress and Psbsonal Dbooration: — Beads, necklaces, bracelets
and armlets, torques, gorgets, anklets, head ornaments, tiaras, frontlets, pins, brooches, fibula, clasps, buckles, buttons, finger- rings, boots and sandals, wig-pins; leather and woven garments. Horse trappings: — Shoes, bits, straddles, and two-horse yokes, stirrups, spurs, harness studs, goads, &a, come into this section as belonging to Dress and Decoration.
6. AmjBBMENTs: — Objects used in games, as chess, draughts, &c.
7. Music: — Horns, trumpets, harps; all musical instruments.
8. Monbt:— '(^oins and other means of barter. In this section are
included seals and commemoratiye medals, &&
9. Mbdicine: — Crystals, amulets, bullss, medicine stamps, surgical
instruments.
10. Belioion: — ^Chalices, patens, bells, crosses and crucifixes, cro-
ziers, shrines, reliquaries, stoups, censers, candlesticks, and church furniture; ecclesiastical rings; bronze, iyory and stone figures and carvings, altar stones.
11. Sepulturb: — ^Ums, vases, and the objects found therein; in-
cinerated and other bones of men or the lower animals; Ogham stones, crosses, effigies, tombstones.
12. Miscellanbous:— All objects, arranged according to their
material, but the precise uses of which have not yet been deter- mined with sufficient certainty to warrant their being grouped with any of the previous specieB.
VABIETY.
The varieties are such as occur in each set of articles of the spe- cies, serving the same purpose but differing in shape, design, orna-
4 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
mentation, or mode of application :— -for instance, the various forms of arrows, spears, and swords; the different kinds of celts, of hammers, or of querns, and the different shapes of pins, brooches, and armillae.
The Collection commences in the Northern Gallery, at the top of the left-hand ataircase, where all the Stone articles are arranged, with the exception of some of the large Ogham monuments, the sculptured, and other stones too heavy to be placed in this compartment, most of which will be found on the ground-floor. The Ghdlery contains the first four classes, viz., — ^those of Stone, Earthen, Vegetable, and Animal ma- terials ; abo the Human Bemains ; and a portion of the Bronze. In part of the small Bail-case surrounding the Gallery have been arranged the Coins, Medals, and Seals. In this case will also be found several minute specimens belonging to the dif* ferent compartments opposite thereto.
In the lower compartments, and in the cases on the ground-floor, will be found the remainder of the Bronze arti- cles, together with the Iron, Silver, and Gold specimens; and also, examples of ^ Finds ;' consisting of typical articles from collections discovered in Crannoges, &c. In the cases on the ground-floor will likewise be found the Ecclesiastical Antiquities and the Scandinavian Collection, &c. In the crypt will be placed the boats and similar large articles.
Nearly all the small articles have been attached by wire, or cement, to moveable trays. The large, heavy articles have been placed on the lower shelves ; and each shelf in the different compartments is numbered. Each tray or case is lettered ac- cording to its class or section, the letters being doubled where required. Every article is numbered ; the numbers extend- ing throughout the different species; — a new numbering com- mences with each species, and in some instances each variety of the entire series. Each illustration has been drawn accord- ing to scale, and directly on the wood.
( 5 )
CLASS I.— STONE MATERIALS.
NORTHEBN GaLLEHT. — COHPASTICENTS I., IL, AND III.
All primitiye nations throughout the world, so far as we know — especiallythose located without the tropics and towards the northern regions, — whose maintenance chiefly depended on their courage, energy, and ingenuity, must, in the absence of a knowledge of the harder metals, such as copper, bronze, or iron, have employed weapons and tools of flint and stone for procuring food and clothing, constructing habitations, forming boats and rafts, and in defending themselves from their ene- mies. They also used stone ornaments, such as necklaces, rings, and pendants. As they acquired a knowledge of cereal food, and became acquainted with agriculture, they employed Btone implements to till the ground, to bruise and triturate com, and to bake bread. Finally, they interred their dead in stone chambers, or collected their ashes in stone urns, and erected over them tumuli of the same material. Upon some of the stones composing these sepulchral monuments we find traces of a peculiar ornamentation, characteristic of the time, and quite unknown during later periods.
Where the fruits of the earth do not spring sponta- neously from the ground, with the natural luxuriance of tro- pical climates, and thus present, without culture, a sufficient supply of food all the year round, man must of necessity remaiQ a nomad, — depending mainly for his subsisteuce on fishing or the chase, — until he has learned to domesticate his prey, and reduce the wild animals around him to his rule. Then he becomes a shepherd ; or, as he renders the earth fer- tile by his labour, an agriculturist. In either case he ceases to be a wandering hunter, and remains more or less stationary, allowing time for the cultivation of those arts which, prompted by necessity and improved by taste, gradually elevate him in the scale of civilization.
B
•
-/.
6 CATALOOUB OF THE MU8BUM.
In this primitive state the timber of the forest supplied him with materials for his rude dwelling, and with fuel for warmth and cookery. The skins of animals, which he killed for food, furnished him with clothing ; these he fashicmed with a sharp flint-flake, or hard stone edged-tool, and bound together with thongs, — using as a piercer, point, or needle, the bone of some fish, bird, or small mammal. At the same time the sinews of animals or thongs of skin, with perhaps some glutinous material resembling cement, — possibly pitch or resin, — enabled him to fix in wooden shafts or handles the knives, spears, and arrow-heads with which he slew and skinned the beasts on which he preyed.
To project the latter weapon, either in battle or the chase, the flexible branch, shaped by the sharp flint edged-tool, formed a bow, which was bent by a leather thong, or the twisted intestine of an animal. The wooden material — of oak, ash, and yew, fir, hazel, and birch, found in our bogs, and still existing as indigenous trees, — which formed the bow, the shaft of the arrow, and the handle of the lance or javelin, has perished centuries ago ; but the durable materials of flint and stone remain, and of such implements the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy boasts the most extensive collection which has yet been made of the primitive weapons and tools of the early inhabitants of the British Isles* The elegantly shaped and highly finished spear or arrow-head would not be of any service to the warrior or the hunter if he did not possess the means of adapting to it a proper shaft, and attaching it thereto with the nepessary ligaments. We may, therefore, fairly commence the description of the flint articles with that of the knife, cutter, or scraper.
Flint proper, or chalk flint, as distinguished from oolitic chert, is only found in a very few localities in Ireland, chiefly in the counties of Antrim, Down, and Derry ; hence we learn without surprise that the great bulk of the specimens of that material have been procured from the province of Ulster.
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CLASS U — STONB MATERIALS : FLINT-FLAKB8. 7
The rarity of flint must have rendered these weapons very valuable in other districts.
If an ordinary oblong flint nodule be broken across in the mi<idle, the fracture is conchoidal or shell-shaped, and if one of the portions of that flint were set on end, the artist could chip off with a hammer, or with a chisel and mallet, a number of fine flakes, running the length of the sides of the mass; more or less thin and long, or broad and thick, according to the natural purity of the flint, and perhaps the dexterity of the worker. Each scale or flake, no matter what its outer shape or out- line, will always present the conchoidal fracture. The out- side flakes, bearing the usual rough cortical silicate of lime investiture (examples of which may be seen in Nos. 355, 407, and 482), were generally valueless, and consequently cast aside. In striking off these flakes the tool used must have been a stone or flint ; but of what precise nature we have as yet no definite information (see Tray BC, for a col- lection of flint tools). In chipping or scaling a mass of flint, the artist appears to have struck it on the end, and as he passed round the block, striking in the centre of the angle made by the junction of any two chips, the scale must always have presented more or less of an obtusely triangular figure in its section ; and, owing to the tapering nature of the flint mass, a leaf-like outline ; while, from the peculiar fracture or cleavage of all flint, it was curved in the longitudinal direction, and also slightly convex from side to side upon the imder surface. This under surface is invariably smooth, and to a certain de- gree polished; but, from the deficiency %f lines upon it, and its invariable curvature, it can easily be distinguished from the smoothing and polishing produced by art. The edges of nearly all these flakes are sharp, and generally meet at a point at the extremity, while the butt, or portion to which the tool was applied, is usually chipped and broken, as if it required repeated blows to get it off. Each surface on the convex aspect is smooth, though occasionally presenting the wave-
B 2
8 CATALOGVB or TBB MUBEUM.
like appearance of broken glass. This tab the first attempt at a weapon or tool of etone. The artist, it would appear, chipped off as many scales or flakes as the mass would afford, and then threw aude the core or spud when it ceased to be any longer useful. There are a few such cores in the Museum ; — one of these, represented by the accompanying illustra- tion, which is of the na- tural size, will be found on Tray A, No. 2 ; while such a scale or flake as that described above, and which partakes of the knife-form, is shown by Fig. 1, No. 1, on the same Tray. These flint- flakes generally vary in size from ^ an inch to
4i inches in length, and "^i- ""■»■ ««■»■ »'<'■»•
from fths of an inch to 3 inches across at the broadest part.
In the year 1816, and agiuain 1848, his Majesty the King of Denmark, at the instance of the Royal Sodety of Northern Antiquaries of Copenhagen, present«d to the Academy a col- lection of Scandinavian antiquities, prindpally composed of flint and stone weapons and tools, or models thereof. As these far surpass in size, although some of them do not equal in deugn or perfection of workmanship, many of the small flint articles belonging t% the Academy, we would direct attention to the case containing them upon the ground-floor of the Mu- seum. Therein will be found two models of those flint cores much larger than any in the Academy's Collection. (See Pro- ceedings, vol. iv. p. 250.)*
* Id the Rail-caM A, ttxiag the second comp&rtmoDti of thii G&lleiy, mty be seen > collection of obsidian cores luid llakea, ipean and utows. from the coast of Mexico, ghowing the proc«M of ecnling in modem times, well mnihy of attention. Soe p. 30.
CLASS I STONB MATERIALS : FLINT-FLAKES. 9
In forming collections, as well as arranging specimens of ancient Art, much should be made subservient to ethnological science, by exhibiting the gradual development of process and design; and this is specially manifested upon reviewing the ob- jects in the Stone department, particularly those of flint.' Many persons might at first sight mistake these chips for acci- dentally formed fragments, but a closer inspection, as well as an examination of the gradual process of this art, will con* vince the inquirer that they were designed by the hand of man. The greater niunber of the flint articles belonging to the Academy were obtuned by Mr. Oldham, now Director of the Geological Survey of India, while engaged upon the Ordnance Survey under Colonel Portlock, in the North of Ireland, about fifteen years ago ; — ^they were collected for the most part in the counties of Antrim, Deny, and Down ; and were procured by the Academy unaccompanied by any description or reference either as to the immediate loca- lity, or the peculiar circumstances under which they were discovered. This Collection has been also enriched by con- tributions firom Lord Famham ; and several of the more per- fectly formed specimens were purchased as part of the Col- lection of the late Dean Dawson.
CLASS L— ORDER L— FLINT. SPECIES L — WEAPONS, AND WEAPON-TOOLS.
First Compartment. — Shelf I., Tray A, contains one hun- dred and seventy specimens, — one handred>>and sixty-seven flint- flakes, and three cores from which flakes have been chipped.
No. 1. — ^The knife-shaped flint-flake, figured on the opposite page. There are several similar fine, knife-shaped, curved, semi- translucent chips upon this Tray, especially Nos. 33, 36, 50» 69> and 94. Nos. 2, 3, and 23.— Large and small flint cores, the last nearly worked out; No. 2 is that figured on the opposite page.
Nos. 40 to 56. — A line of flint-flakes, placed upon the convex side, so as to show the under, smooth, curved surface. All these
10 CATALOGUE OF THB MU8BUM.
knife-shaped flints were selected from the Oldham Collection^ some of them have a thick blunt back, but the greater number are double- edged. The larger ones might have been held in the hand, and would haye proyed seryiceable tools in cutting, skinning, or scraping. We haye no eyidence, so far at least as researches made in this country eyince, that these knife-shaped flints were eyer fitted in handles ; but then it must be recollected that the horn, bone, or wooden handles or holders of such implements could not haye endured (unless preseryed in bog) during the many centuries that haye elapsed since these flint weapons were used. In other Museums of north-western Europe, particularly those of Den- mark and Sweden, we find implements of bone and wood, on each side of which were set, in a successiye row, a number of these sharp flint- scales, like the sharks* teeth attached to the war-spears of some of the tribes of South Sea Islanders and New Zealanders of the present day. In other collections, particularly in Switzerland, flint-flakes haye been found inserted in small wooden handles, pre- cisely similar to the cabinet-maker's scraper used in modem art* From their slender shape and small size, many of these specimens could not haye been used in the unassisted hand. See also the col- lection of flints in the Bail- case A, facing the second compartment.
Nos. 150 to 170. — Twenty opaque flint-flakes of the largest size, some honey-yellow, and all more irregular in outline than the ge- nerality of such objects. Of these, Nos. 160 to 165 were '* found six feet under the present bed of the riyer Bann, lying, with seyeral others, in one mass, on the old, or former grayel-bed of the riyer, not far from Toome Castle, and on the county of Antrim side.*' Nos. 166 to 168 " were found, with seyeral others, deep in the bed of the riyer at Portglenone;" and Nos. 169 and 170 ^^ were excayated atPortna Shoal, from one to three feet under the surface, on the Antrim side." All these twenty flint-flakes were collected by Charles S. Ottley, Esq., District Engineer to the Drainage of Lough Neagh and the riyer Bann, and were — Presented by the Board of Works.
Shelf I., 2Va^ B, contains one hundred and six flint-flakes (from Nos. 171 to 276), which here assume somewhat of a spear or knife shape, haying a sharp point, generally straight and double-edged, with a broad base, but still retaining the triangular character in section. Most of these show but little eyidence of tooling or han-
CLASS I. — BTONB MATERIALS : YLINT WBAPONS. 1 1
dicraft beyond the drcumstonce of the adroitness with which they were cleft from the original core or flint mass; but Nos. 176, 179« 182, 188, 198, 208, 209, and 216, particularly, show the process of chipping at the edge, and a certun amount of tooling. The flints on this Tray vary in length from If to 4| inches, and in breadth from f ths of an inch to 1-^ inches ; some of them may have been attached to handles, and used as weapons. They formed a part of the Oldham Collection mentioned at page 9» snd were nearly all discovered in the county of Down. Most of them are opaque, some apparently of an inferior quality of flint; about a dozen are of a dark orange or honey colour.
No. 207 is an arrow-shaped flake of Lydian stone, or what is termed black chert — an impure flint found in the central portions of the Carboniferous Limestone of Ireland, and at the base of the Kil- kenny Coal formation. It is of a dull dark colour, approaching to black, is more opaque, brittle* and stone-like than flint, never pos- sesses the same translucency, and does not so readily chip intocon- choidal fragments. But, next to flint, it is one of the hardest of the siliceous rocks* and hence was used occasionally for forming tools and weapons by the inhabitants of those districts where flint was rare. There are a few beautiful specimens of this material to be found amongst the Flint Collection of the Academy's Museum. See, in particular. No. 286. Lapis LydkUy or, as it was denomi- nated by the old Dutch writer, De Boot, so long ago as 1647, Lapis \ Hibemicu8y is the true Touchstone of the ancients, and its power / of gold- testing can be exhibited in these specimens of arrow and spear-heads; yet it is remarkable that, although there are several other stone implements preserved in the Collection equally capable of testing the purity of g^ld, and apparently serving no other pur- pose than that of Touchstones, we do not find among them a single specimen of Lydian stone.
Shblf L, Tray O, contains sixty-six articles, numbered from 277 to 342. They are of the broad-bladed, leaf, or trowel-shaped knife pattern, but in some specimens approaching that of the triangular arrow-head. They are generally sharp for about three-fourths of the edge on both sides, and vary in size from 2^ inches long, and l^ broad, to 4:^ inches long, and 2^ broad. Although the great bulk of these were evidently thrown off the original cores in shapes very nearly
12
CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
approaching their preseDt, yet very many exhibit the process of the secondary manufacture, particularly those on the second row ; so that, although several articles on this Tray appear to be crude flint-flakes, the Art had evidently commenced, but had not attained perfection in any of them. In the great majority of these speci- mens the upper side shows a ridge running from the base to the point; but in all those of the second row, from Nos. 285 to 292, the back shows three faces, owing to a scale having been taken off the middle ridge, but whether previous or subsequent to its removal from the mother mass, can- not be determined with accuracy. Some of these, — as No. 277, here figured two- thirds the full size, — are in the natural state all round the edge, but chipped or hammered into a tang or handle-shape at the bottom. This stalk-like projection exhibits one of the first signs of manufacturing skill in this department ; by it these implements might, as tools, have been fitted into hafts of wood, horn, or bone; or have been at- tached to long handles, and used as spears or javelins. Na 285, and all others in that row, were chipped round the edges, thus forming another step in advance to- wards the perfect arrow or spear-head; but, like the specimens on Trays A and B, all these flints show, upon their under surface, the natural conchoidal fracture; and from Nos. 326 to 334 are so attached to the Tray as to exhibit that peculiarity. No. 286 is of Lydian stone.
We now approach a more advanced stage in handicraft and design. Three forms of manufacture are apparent in the fore- going and in the following flint articles. First, SpliUing^ which was done by a simple stroke, not always effective, per- haps, and occasionally producing irregular, ill-shapen por- tions, but sometimes forming very perfect tools and weapons, of which abundant samples have been afforded in the three fore-
Fig. & Na277.
CLASS I. — STONE MATERIALS: FLINT MANUFACTURE. 13
going Trays. These implements were formed at once, either by a stone used as a hammer, or were cut off by a stone chisel or celt, and given their definite shape and required sharp edge by a single blow, — ^the latter necessarily accidental, but much more requisite than the former. The examples on the fore- going Trays show this form. Second, Chipping y which was performed as a secondary operation upon some of these flint- flakes, and apparently by a succession of slight taps, or gentle but well-directed blows with some sharp-pointed tool, proba- bly a flint-spike. At first but one side (the ordinary convex one) was chipped, and then, in the more perfect implement, both sides were thus manufactured. None but the best semi- transparent, hom-KM>loured flint appears to have been suscep- tible of this amount of work, and therefore such only displays the perfection of the chipping process, in which, by repeated blows, bit after bit was flaked off, until the piece assumed the defined shape of the knife, spear, or arrow-head. The third stage was that of Polishing ^ by rubbing the flint, previously chipped into form, on a smooth, flat surface of hard stone. See Nos. 490, 935, 936, 937, and 953.
Such was the perfection attained, and the amount of artistic skill arrived at, that one is induced to believe that flint-chip- ping was a special trade. The gun-flint maker's art, while it gives some clue to the ancient manufacture, yet falls far short of what could, in ancient times, be achieved in this trade ; and our wonder in examining some of these highly manufactured flints, particularly among the arrow-heads, is still more in- creased when we consider that they were nearly all formed by another stone ; although some may, in later times, have been trimmed by a metal tool. The only implements in the Collection which could, so &r as we now know, have scaled off, by delicate touches, these fine chips, are the long-pointed flint picks and punches shown on Tray as.
Shelf L, Tray D, exhibits a collection of seventy-seven flint ar- ticles, from Nos. 343 to 41 8, showing, in all its stages, the secondary
14 CATALOODB OF THB HDSBttH.
proceMof muraiiutare, or thst of chipping, of which No. 343, figured below, one-bftlf the lutaral size, ia & good example. The gmt miyority of these spetnmens are of the dagger or knife-ahape, and some of them hare been tooled all round, and upon every Burfaoe, bo as to present a triangular section: of this cIbm, see specimens Nob. 347, 351, and 355. All those in the three top rows are highly tooled. No. 349 hsB the chipped edge most delicately serrated. Four specimens on this Tray are of a dark orange colour. Na 362 is of a bottle green, aodNa 363 of a peculiar lake-red colour. No. 357 is one of the nearest approaches to a flint dagger of any object in the CoUection ; showing a rude attempt at a shoulder and an indented handle. Placed longitudinally in the centre of this Tray will be found eight spe- cimens of knife-shaped implements, the most perfectly formed and the most elaborately ' wrought of any we have yet examined, and of which the accompanying illustration, Fig. 5, gives a very faithful idea; in fact, the second No.MS. process, or that of repeated chipping, was _^, brought to perfection in them. Tliis illus- Na na. tration, two-thirds the natural size, drawn from No. 378, is the most perfect of the carved flint knives, or scrapers, in tbe Museum, and resembles in shape, although it is much inferior in size, some of the flints in the Scandinavian Collection. The figure drawn from
No. 385, and of the natural size, is the most perfectly -shaped knife of its kind which has yet been fonnd in Ireland, or, as far as we know, in other countries ; both it and the former. Fig. 5, still exhibit, on the under surface, some remains of the conchoidal
CLABS I. STOHB UATBRIALS: FLINT KNIVES. 15
cleavage; bat No. 343, Fig. 4, which resembles ume of the leaf- shaped arrows, is chipped all over oq both faces.
On the uzth row are arranged oine knife-bladed articles, from Nos. 386 to 394,— right and lefV-handed, five for the right, and fonr for the left ; the majority of these are of reddish-coloured flint; they have been chipped on both sides, although the natural face has been, to a certain extent, preserved on the coucave aspect. The greater number of tbem are 1 jths of an inch long. Fig. 7, No. 390, is the natural size. Had there been bat one or two of these objects found, it might be supposed they were accideu- tal, or defective arrows; bnt an examination of the nine specimens of the same variety will convince the inquirer to the contrary.
The seventh and eighth rows, from Ho. 395 to No. 414, are manufactured specimens ap- proaching the arrow and spear-shape, and have Fig. t. no. s»a been elaborately chipped. The last row contains foor large flint- flakes of an oval shape, averaging 3 inches long.
Flint knives, owing to their natorat curvatures, could not have been effectively employed aa projectiles, and must, there- fore, have been principally used as tools ; although fitted into handles of wood, bone, or horn, they may have served aa daggers. Among primitive nations the transition from the tool to the weapon is but slight ; in &ct, the same article must have served the common purpose, the hammer b^ng □Bed as a war-mace, the hatchet as a battle-axe, and the long knife, or skeine, as a dagger ; as in the present day the toma- hawk of the Indtao is oeedfor the triple purpose of tool, weapon, and pipe. Flint and stone tools and weapons, although indica- tive of the most primitive art, and originally belonging to the earliest state of society through which tnan has passed, have, in some instances, been found in connexion with metal articles, and under such circumstances as leave no doubt of thar having
16 CATALOGUE OF THB MUSEUM.
descended to much later times than those to which it is usual to assign to them. The transition between the Stone and the Metal period must have been so gradual that it would be impos- sible to fix the definite limits of either, and therefore unsafe to attempt a chronological classification based thereon. In se- veral of the earliest sepulchres we find small flint knives and stone chips among the incinerated bones deposited in sun- baked clay urns. An example of this kind may be seen in the collection of articles found in the cromlech discovered in the Phoenix Park (see Class II.)
How many of the flint implements, tools, or weapons in the foregoing series, as well as those on the following Tray, may be considered as fully formed, or were only in process of being chipped into some more definite shape, such as the spear or arrow-head of the next series, must be matter of con- jecture ; but it is quite manifest that upon many of them the manufacture has not been completed ; thus, between the sim- plest flaked knives and the most elaborately manufactured spear or arrow-heads, we find a large collection of rude flint objects only partially formed, and which either indicate a very primitive state of art, were discovered, on working, to be de- fective, or were thrown aside accidentally.
Shelf L, Tray X, contains seventy-five flint specimens, num- bered from 419 to 493. Of these, thirty on the three first rows are comparatively rude flakes of the medium size, and measure from 1 1 by Jths of an inch to 4 inches by 1 J. They are mostly of the knife-shape. Upon the fourth row there are eight articles of a very unusual shape, and numbered from 449 to 456, pre- senting the appearance of a circular disc, with a prolonged handle, not unlike a short spoon. See, especially, Nos. 453 to 456. Their use Fig. s. No. 4M. has not been determined ; neither is it known whether this shape was designed by the artist to be finally retained, or whether it was
CLASS I. — STONE MATERIALS: FLINT SLING-STONB8. 17
on ]y a formatiTe process towards a more perfect development. Simi- lar objects have been found in Denmark. See Afbildninger Jra Det Konigdige Museum for Nordiake Oldaager i Kjobenhavn afj, J. A. Worsaaey s. 15, fig. 60.
Upon the remaining rows of this Tray are thirty-seven circular discs of fiint, varying in diameter from 1 to 3 inches. Each is about ^ an inch thick, with the exceptions of Nos. 460 and 469, which are pro- bably cores, or worked-out spuds, similar to those with which the series of flint articles was commenced* (See Tray A, and also p. 8 of this Catalogue). They are all, with one exception, roughly chipped upon the upper side, and some on both sides, but' the majority present upon the under surface the usual conchoidal fracture. of the cross of the flint mass. These, it has been conjectured, were in- tended for sling-stones, although such an hypothesis is not borne out by any recorded fact.
Sling-stonbs. — That eling-stones were generally em- ployed by early nations long after they had become acquainted with the use of metal, and had attained to great perfection both in arts and literature, we have the evidence afforded by the his- tory of the combat between David and Goliath ; and that such weapons were used by the early Irish, we learn from some ind- dental references to them in our ancient histories. Thus, Keth- lenn, the wife of the Dagda, killed Balor of the one eye, with a stone thrown from a sling, at the battle of Moy Tuiredh, fought before the Christian era; and Keating, quoting from the Bardic Records, relates the story of an Ulster prince named Fur- buidhe, who was so expert that he could, at a great distance, strike an apple off a stake with a stone cast from a sling: and eventually slew Meave, Queen of Connaught, by a stone slung at her across the Shannon, when she was bathing near Innis- Clothran. The Dinnseanchus records the fact of the poetess Dubh having been slain by a stone cast from a sling, when she fell into the Linn, or dark pool of the Liffey, and hence the place was said to have been called from her Dubhlinn (see also Gilbert's " History of Dublin.") The ancient Irish warrior car- ried a stone in his girdle — the Lia MUedh — to cast at his adver-
18 CATALOGUE OF THB MCSBUM.
sary : bat how this was done, whether it was a sling-stone or a celt, we as yet know not. Finally, we read that when the celebrated chief, Cuchulann, went in his chariot from Tara to the Boyne to fish, he brought with him a number of stones to fling at birds. — Harleian MS. 6280, British Museum.
While the smooth water-worn oval pebble, picked from the brook or the beach, was always ready to the hand (although it would scarcely be preserved, or be subsequently recognised), yet stones may have been spedally formed and shaped for the purpose of slinging, in order to insure a more certain and deadly aim, — ^like the ball of the Minie rifle. Antiquaries have as- signed the name of sling-stones to a great variety of stone arti- cles, but, as is proved in many instances, without sufficient foundation. It is evident that much time was spent in shaping those flint discs upon Tray X, two of which, Nos. 466 and 467, have natural or accidental holes. Similar circular or oval stones are to be found in most Celtic collections. Whatever was their use, it must have reached perfection in that, here figured one-third the natural size, No. 490. It was originally highly polished all over, and evidently formed with the greatest care both as respects its shape and finish, but se- veral bits have been chipped off it, apparently ^' *• ^®* **• from accident or use. It measures three inches in diameter, and is three-quarters of an inch thick in the centre. Other stones of a peculiar oval shape (see those in the Miscellaneous Collection, Bidl-case B), are also believed to have been used as sling-stones ; and among the brass objects virill be found a mould for casting pellets, apparently for the same purpose.
Arrows. — Whether the perfect spear, dart, or javelin of flint fastened into a long handle, and thrust, or thrown by the hand, or the true arrow-head of any shape projected by the bow, was the primitive weapon, is matter of conjecture. The latter is the more complicated weapon, and in its formation roani-
CLASS I. — STONB MATBRIAL8 : FLINT ARROW-HBADS. 19
fests an equal degree of art, and greater delicacy of handicraft ; while the former shows, in addition to the chipping into figure, that polishing of its sides which has already been re- ferred to as the third, or final process in the perfection of flint manufiusture. Such objects have, therefore, been assigned a more adyaneed position in this collection. There can, how- ever, be little doubt that the arrow and the javelin existed contemporaneously. (See the flints in Rail-case A of this Grallery). Again, some of the largest of the arrow-shaped flints fiir exceed in size the javelin points, and nvere probably used as hand-weapons. In those parts of the country where arrow-heads are usually found, they are almost invariably de- nominated <* elf-darts."*
Arrow-heads of flint may be classed under five varieties, as shown on Trays F, O, B, and I. They have been chipped with great care ; but none of them are polished. The arrow, it may be remarked, shows the perfection of chipping ; the
spear, of polishing. In arrang- ing each variety, the rudest form has been placed first. These varieties, as shown by the accompanying illustrations, all figured the natural size, consist of: — First, the Tri- angular, arranged on Tray F, Hfria Na5ir figures of two of which are here given, the natural size. After passing through a series of develop- ments, this arrow first becomes slightly curved at the sides
Fig.iL Nana.
* To then arrow-heads, called, particularly by the Northern peasantry, "elf- darta," or "elf-stones," are attribated certain superstitious powers. Thus, when cattle are sick, and that the cattle doctor or fury doctor is sent for, be says the beast has been " elf-shot," or stricken by Cairy or elfin darts (just as in Gonnanght and Monster they say it has been ** overlooked") ; and forthwith he proceeds to fsel the animal all over, and by some legerdemain contrives to find in its skin one or more poisonous wea- pons, which, with some coins, are then pUoed in the water which it is given to drink, and a core is said to be effected. This is a rery old and wide-spread piece of folk-lore.
20 CATALOCDK OF THK MOBBOM.
for holding the string which attached H to the ahaA, Fig. 1 1, B variety common in the present day among the American Indians. It was then hollowed out at the base, to such an extent that in process of time it asHumed the indented or Second variety of this series (f^gs. 12, 13, and 14, all of dark honey-coloured flints), the perfection of chipping in some of the small specimens of which is truly marvellous. Upon reviewing the flint-flakes and rudely formed wear- IKins and tools, we see that many arrow-shaped portions have been thrown ofi* by the natural fracture; but all these have the usual curved cleavage on the nnder side ; while those we now deal with are not only chip- ped at the edge into a more definite shape than the former, but ' moat of them have
IfOth &ceB by repeated and well-directed blows of some sharp- pointed tool.
The Third is the Stemmed Arrow, having a tang or pro- jection for unking into the shaft, and the wings on either side of which gradually bend into the "broad arrow" shape. Spetumens of this class are arranged, for the most part, on Tray O, of which the accompanying representation, Fig. L5, serves as the type. Ofthis class, we possess in the Collection a remarkable example serrated upon the sides and edge, and here figured the natural size. Fig. 16. Flint implements of the '''*'°' ^° "^ jagged or saw character, although common in collections of Scandinavinn Antiquities, are very rare in Ireland.
CLASS I BTOMI HATBRIALS : FLINT ARROW- HEADS. 21
As we glance over the series of srrow-beads of this variety, we perceive spedmeDs, Nos. 657 and 658, wbicK approach the size usually attributed to the spear or javelin, and which, from their w^ht and magnitude, would, when affixed to a properly balanced shaft, appear too large and too heavy to have been projected by a bow, even when strung by t}ie
Fig. 17. Ko. US. F1(. ItL No. Kt.
lusty arm of a hardy Celt. The accompanying illustrations, drawn of the natural size, afford a good idea of these wea- pons. The broad one. Fig. 17, is a flint, and bears some slight traces of polishing; the narrow. Fig. 16, iaofverydarkLydian stone, but showing a sufficiency of concboidal fracture on its surface to eetablieh its flinty character.*
* Tba engnrings, Figa. IS, 16, 17, and 19, are from atenotypes of the wood- cnta attached to Ur. Dn Nay sHs paper in the " Arctueologicil Joornal," vol. vii. p. !S! ; thej' are, therefore, oat n Sue hi the printing u the other illustnUiona of tbu cUae.
CATALOGCB OF THB HUSBDM.
By prolonging the winga until they extended m low ae the central stem, the Fourth variety was attuned, or what may be denominated the true Barbed Arrow, nmny beautiful speci- mens of which are presented on Tray B. The wings or barbs of this variety became, it would appear, in time, bo much pro- longed and indented, as to present the shapes of these elegant specimens shown in the three accompanying figures, drawn the
full size, the last of which, with a prolonged point, b the only example of the kind in the Collection,
The Fifth variety is the Leaf^shaped, Fig. 22, generally very thin, and chipped all over with great caro. (See Tray L)
Tig. ». Ho. TTL
NaBig. Fig, Mi VaB37.
It is much more simple in shape than any of the foregoing ; but we have thus placed it at the end of the series, be- cause it leads to the final and most perfect flint manufiicture of
CLASS I. — STONB MATERIALS : FLINT ARROW-HBADS. 23
the weapon class — that of the Spear. The difference between the leaf-shaped arrow and the spear consists, not merely in the size, but in the outlines of the latter being almost straight. As, however, we pass down the series, we find some speci- mens of this variety of arrow-heads, especially Nos. 837, 848, and 851, which, although small, approach the spearnshape, as may be seen in the foregoing illustrations, figured the natural size, on the opposite page. See Figs. 23, 24, and 25.
Shelf L, Tray F, contains ninety-seyen specimens of the first va- riety of arrow-heads, numbered from 494 to 690; commencing with the simple blocked-out form or type on the two first rows, which gra* dually assumes the perfect shape, as shown in No. 516. The first row instances the primitive attempts at the formation of the trian- gular flint arrow-head. Na 495 was discovered at Whitechurch, and No. 506 at Stradbrooke, county of Dublin, and were-.-Pre- serUed hy Sir William Betham,
No. 511 represents the rude flint mass of the Triangular Arrow, a perfect example of which is seen in No. 534. Each of these is 2f inches long; and the latter object so exactly resembles the large 6hark*8 teeth occasionally found in a fossil state, that one would think it had been moulded from such, or, at least, that the idea of this form was suggested thereby. Nos. 514 and 523 are those en- graved, as figures 10 and 11, on p. 19* The latter is indented on the sides, and is of exceeding rarity. No. 534 shows the commence- ment of the process of chipping, as well as the deep indentation given to the base. Nos. 513 and 572 are of very transparent flint, a variety which is occasionally found upon the Antrim coast. Some other specimens on this Tray appear to be of the same material, but of inferior quality. Nos. 552, 584, and 585, are represented on p. 20.
Shelf I., Tray G*, contains eighty-one specimens of the Stemmed Arrow, the type of which is represented as the third variety on p. 20. The numbers run from 591 to 672. All those on the first row, except Nos. 595 and 596, are either very rudely chipped, or have been left imperfect. Nos. 599 and 604 present a very peculiar shape, not seen in any other examples of the arrow class ; and No. 605 is of a perfect heart-shape, thick in the centre, and resembling a
c2
24 CATALOGUE OV THE MOSECM.
modem ornament. The four dftrk-coloored specimens, Nos. 620, 63 1 , 650, and 657, are of Lydian stone. The first articles on this Tray show the early process in the manufacture of this thin variety of arrow, which reaches perfection as we pass down the series of very beautiful specimens to the end. No. 606 is the largest specimen in the Collection, being 4;^ inches long, and was evidently in process of formation either as a spear or arrow-head — probably the former.
No. 655, together with several others arranged in the bottom row, have been very minutely and beautifully serrated on their edges. No. 658 was — Presented by Lord Famham; and No. 660, with some others of a similar form, were — Presented by the Repreaeii' tativee of Leslie Ogilby^ Esq,
Shelf L, Tray B, extending from Nos. 673 to 755, contains eighty- three specimens of arrow-heads of the fourth variety, in which the wings or barbs were prolonged as low as, and sometimes lower than, the central stem; the typical illustrations of which, figured on p. 22, are here numbered 716, 724, and 255. The size of the specimens on this Tray vary in length from 3 inches to |ths of an inch. No. 688 is the serrated specimen figured on p. 20.
Shelf I., Tray Z, contains one hundred and ten specimens of arrow-heads, or small dart or javelin-points, numbering from 756 to 857) of which Nos. 771 and 851, figured on p. 22, are the types of this variety. No. 761 is a piece of transparent fiint of a lozenge- shape, showing, on its surface, a somewhat different fracture from the usual oonchoidal cleavage of flint; and No. 807 is a muti- lated specimen of the same character.
While the form of the myrtle-leaf is that observed in the outline of the great majority of these specimens, we find it vary as we pass down the series, until, in some instances, it assumes that of a lozenge, and in others has a keel-shaped extremity, as shown by the examples given in Nos. 837 and 848, upon the two last rows in this Tray. See illustrations figured on p. 22.
Second Cohpabthent. — Shelf I., Tray K, contains fifty-sevai specimens, from Nos. 858 to 914. On the first row we find five flint articles, No& 858 to 862, which have attained the definite form of a weapon, somewhat between that of a spear and an arrow-head. Each is rounded at the base so as to form a truncated spear. Four of these are about \\ inches in the longest direction ; but one of them,
CLASS 1 STOHK MATBftlALS : FLIRT SPBAR-HBADS. 29
No. 860, here figured the Datiml size, is 3^ ioches in its longest duuueter, and at its thickest part measores about half an inch. It has been chipped all over with great care, snd haa a sharp edge sU round. This peculiar style of tool, or weapon, reached perfeo* tion in this Bpecimen, which, whether used as a knife, arrow, speai,
or axe, was an implement of singular beaatj of design, and exhibits great skill in the manufacture; The other articles on this Traj are chiefiy of the lozenge-shape, and approach the form of the spear- head, with which the next series commences. They vary in size from No. 885, which is 4^ inches long, and I^ broad, to No. 903, which is 1 jths of an inch long, and Iths broad.
Spbar-hbads. — As alrefuly stated, it is difficult to draw tlie line of distinction between the large arrow-shaped flint weapon and the medium-«zed javelin, or spear-head. Such weapons may have served the common purposes of both; but the spear, so far, at least, as we have the means of judging, was always flat, generally smooth and polished upon both faces, and in shape representing two unequal isosceles triangles placed on opposite sides of the same base. Upon Tray Xi we hare a few fine specimens of this weapon, either perfect or in a
26 CATALOCUI OP TBR MCBICH.
mutilated state; they differ from tbe vrow-beads in tbdr flBt*
aem, thimieaB, poUsbed ndes, greater length, and straightneas
of ontEne. The accompaoying illos-
tration, here figured two-thirdB the na-
toral size, represents one of the finest
spe<umens of tlue clam of weapwi yet
discovered, — it is 6J inches long, and
nearly 2 broad at the widest portion.
It was apparently first chipped into
the pr<^>er form, and then smoothed
down on the fiat by rubbiag upon a
level surface. This description of
weapon, with the exception of the disc.
No. 490, on Tray K, exhibits the first
attempt at smoothing and polishing
flint artjclee.
The Nos. from 9€0 to 964 are also of the same type, although not so per- fect, and some of them not so large. See likewise No. 1269, in the speci- mens from the county of Donegal tu- mulus in Bail-case A.
Shblf I., Trat/ I^ contuos fifty spe- cimeoa of spear-heads, in all stages of de- velopment, numbered from 915 to 964. Tbe three first rows, containing the ob-* Fig.n. KihWi.
jecta from 915 to 934, show the first attempts in the process of apear maaufacture. No. 915 is a rude ftint-flake, found, along with other objects of a like nature (see No. 1262, in Rail-case A), in a Urge tamulus at Don^hanie, county of Donegal, and — Pre- tented by Arthur R. NugetU, Esq. It ia 4^ inches long by 2} broad. No. 916 was found in the parish of Tarn tag ht-o-Crilly, county of Derry. No. 918 ia the most perfect example of tbe spear-head, in the rough aute, of any in the Collection ; it meaaures 6 inches long by 2J broad, and has been chipped all over. The flint mass was, however, defective, and this circumstance may have caused its rejec-
CLASS. [ — 8TONB MATERIALS : FLINT TOOLS. 27
tion. Aa we adTuice towud the end of the third row, the form u- ■nmea the definite figure, u shown in No. 934 ; but the emoothing process, characteriEtic of this description of weapon, is first exhibited on Nos. 936, 937, and 938. No. 954 is that engrared on the oppo- site page. It was found in the county of Down, and was — Pra- KiUed to Dtan Daweon by Mr. A. C. W^ch, of Dromore.
SPECIES IL — FLINT TOOLS.
PiCKS.^ — HaviDg thus disposed of the vanous flint weapons and weapoD-tools, from the simplest to the most complex and elaborately wrought implements ; and having endeavoured, by arrangement, description, and illustration, to explain the process and art employed in their formation, — we now come to the consideration of those specimens that assume a more decided tool-shape, in the form of Picks, punches points, chisels, or celts. Flint alone could, from it« hardness, have been formed into a sharp-pointed tool, such as that here represented. Tig. 28, one-third the natural size ; and all the specimens of which are arranged on Tray M. It is, together with the other arti- cles of a like variety, of n dark-gray, close- gnuned material, carefully chipped into its present state ; and as no specimen had been discovered in a more finished condition, it is, perhaps, the perfect instrument of its kind — the accuracy of the sharp terminal point being the object endeavoured to be attained. Held in the hand, it was proba- bly used like the modem steel millstone pick, and employed in the execution of those finer kinds of workmanship displayed on the spears and arrow-heads. AU though tapering at both ends, we invariably find one extremity with a finer point than the other. These may have been altei^ nately pointed as they became blunted by use. A few tool» of this class have narrow chisel-points.
Next comes the Flist Chisel, approaching in form, but not altogether taking the shape of the stone celt, and bdng in-
28 CATALOGCB OF THB MUSBUlf •
variably poliBhed for a short distance round the cutting edge, which is usually a s^ment of a circle, — ^the remainder of the tool being left in the rough state, as it would cost much time^ and great labour, to smooth so hard a material all oyer. These implements are invariably of the hardest flint, mostly yellow or orange-colour. No. 27, of the chisel variety, is a unique specimen (so far, at least, as regards this Collection) of semi-transparent horn-coloured flint, mottled with dark den- dritic spots, caused by oxide of manganese, and resembling the so-called moss marks in agate. The accompanying illus- tration. Fig. 29, represents one of these celt- shaped tools which may have been used as cut- ters and carvers of wood, bone, or leather. This instrument, which is 3;^ inches long, by. 2^ broad, could only have been employed effec- tively when fitted into a handle; but several '' others, upon Tray N, might have been jised by the unas- sisted hand. Similarly shaped cutters will be found among the stone celts. See Nos. 130, 131, and 133, Tray 7.
Shelf I., Tray X, contains nineteen articles, numbered from I to 19i of the sharp pick or punch class, described in the foregoing. The largest, No. 1, measures 10;^ inches long, and 2^ inches broad: although approaching the form of a spike, it is blunt at each end. Na 2 is sharp at both ends; it is 7^ inches long, and l<^inch broad. The next is about the same length, but somewhat thicker; and No. 4 is that figured on p. 27* It is three-sided, is 6 inches long, and l|th8 of an inch wide at the broadest portion. The upper extre- mity is blunt, but the lower comes to an exceedingly sharp triangu- lar point. Upon the second row there are four chisel-pointed and wedged-shaped tools of the same character. No. 8 is a dark honey- colour. The third row contains five implements, the first of which is a rude, wedged-shaped tool, 3^ inches long. No. 10 is a rude point, formed of the outer scale of a fiint mass. The three next numbers are similar to those in the first row, but of smaller dimen- sions. No. 12, of dark cream-coloured flint, is a very perfect, ellip- tically-shaped tool, pointed at both ends, and 4^ inches long. On
CLA8S I. 8TONB MATBR1AL8: FLINT TOOLS. 29
ihe Ittt row are the smallest of this variety of tool; and No. 17i which is only ^ inches long, is very perfect in shape, and resembles that figured as the type of this class. Ka 18 was found near Bal- linderry, King's County, and — Presented hy W. F. Barton^ Esq.
Shelf I., Tray W, contains nineteen specimens of flint tools, of the celt species, extending from No. 20 to No. 38. The two first are small, celt-shaped flints, the first rough, and the second polished at the edge. Nos. 22 and 23 are of the same character, but of a larger size. No. 24 is that engraved on p. 28. No. 27 is 4} inches loDg, and formed out of that beautiful specimen of greenish, semi-transpa- rent flint described on page 28. The largest of these tools, Na 38, is 7f inches long, by 2} broad ; while No. 20 is but Ifths of an inch long. Some of these, as No. 23, are flat at one end, and may have been broken off either in the making or by use.
The flint celts, or chisel-celts, commence here with the smallest of this variety of tool, and extend to Na 37, which is of the true celt shape. It is smooth over the entire surface, but is only highly polished at the cutting edge. Nos. 25 and 36 are of Lydian stone;
«
the former is evidently unfinished, and does not present any cutting- edge; the latter was found in the county of Meath. Nos. 24, 34, and 37, were procured from the county of Derry. Nos. 29 and 32 were — Presented hy Lord Famham,
In the Rail-casb A, opposite the second compartment, will be found (with the exception of the hammer-head. No. 7, on Tray H, and the bead Na 2, on Tray PP), the remaining specimens of flint in this Collection, consisting of 248 flint-flakes, or partially formed weapons and tools, purchased with Professor Oldham^s Collection, but which it was not thought necessary to distribute through any of the Trays. Some of these exhibit the manufacturing process, and may be considered as knives, arrows, &c., in the secondary stage of formation. A continuation of the numbering on Tray Zi (964), added to the 38 articles on Trays M and K, and these 248 flakes, increase the aggregate enumeration of flints up to this point to 1252. Nos. 1253 to 1258 are six crude flint masses recently procured from the county of Antrim, through the kindness of B. Patterson, Esq., of Belfast. They present specimens of the dif- ferent kinds of flint of which the ancient weapons of that material in the Collection were formed. No. 1259 is a flint mass, found in a crannoge in Loughlea, county of Roscommon. No. 1260 is a
30 CATALOGUB OF TUB MUSBUM.
large, natural flint, resembling a knife in shape. No. 1261, a very beautiful flat flint celt, 8^ inches long, and — Presented along wUh the Library of the late W. E. Hudson, Eaq. Nos. 1262 to 1269, eight flint articles, discovered in a tumulus in the county of Donegal, with other stone implements, and — Presented by Arthur B. Nugent, Esq,; of these, Ko. 1262 is a large curved flint knife, imperfect, but originally about 5 inches long, and 2| broad; it is chipped all over on the convex side, is of a similar character to, although much larger than, Nos.415 to 418, on Tray D. No. 1263 is a good specimen of the third variety of arrow-head (see Tray G-). Nos. 1264, 1265, and 1266, specimens of the fifth variety of arrows. No. 1267, a specimen of the first variety of arrow. No. 1268 is a large, flat spear-head, in process of chipping: the most per- fect of its kind in the Collection, having been, in all probability, just prepared for the polbhing process. No. 1269 is one of the most beautiful specimens of flint spear-heads in the Collection, being even more elegant in its outline, and more truncated in the base, than 954, Tray Zi, figured at p. 26 ; it is slightly imperfect at the top, but is still 5 inches in length. With these was a small, perforated, four-sided sharpening stone, 2^ inches long (see Mr. Wilde's communication in Proceedings, vol. iii p. 260). Nos. 1270 and 1271 are two arrow-heads of the second and fifth varieties, found in the excavations at Portglenone, in 1851 (see page 10). No. 1272, a very beautiful specimen of spear, or arrow-head of chert Nos. 1273 and 1274, two arrow-heads, of the second and third varieties, from Ballyreagh, county of Antrim; the latter appears to have been acted on by fire. No. 1275, a piece of charred flint, one of eight articles, consisting of a bone bodkin, a thin scale of copper, and small pieces of stone, found mixed with fragments of human bones, in a large cinerary urn, discovered in a tumulus at the Hill of Rath, near Drogheda. — Presented by Mr. W. Kelly (See Proceedings, vol. ii., p. 261.)*
* In the Rail-caae containing these flint articles will be found a number of spe- cimens of obsidian, illustrating the process of weapon-making from flint as practised in this country in former times. They consist of six cores, twelve flakes, two spear and seven arrow-heads, all of obsidian ; together with a small black celt, or chisel* probably used for flaking. These were procured from the island of Sacrifi- cios, on the coast of Mexico, and were — Ptetented by Edward Oroves, M,D, (See the Rev. Dr. Todd*s communication. Proceedings, voL iv., p. 871.)
CLASS 1. — STONB MATERIALS I FLINT TOOLS. 31
This concludes the enumeration and description of the flint objects in the Collection, which now amount to 1275. As no allusion, of even the most remote and traditional character, to flint weapons, tools, or stone implements of any description, has yet been discovered in the searched Irish records, we must refer these objects to the very earliest period of the inhabita« tion of this island ; but we are unable to connect them with any historic era or any particular people. They all belong to the pre-metallic period.
Among the uses to which flint and other sharp stone kniyes have always been attributed by writers, is that of Sacrifice ; but so far as any documentary or traditional evi- dence relating to this country is concerned, we are not war- ranted in supposing that propitiatory sacrifices were offered during Pagan times, or, if* they were, that flint or stone im- plements were employed in such usages. Funereal sacrifices appear to have been performed. That stone knives were used for sacrificial purposes in very early times, and in all coun- tries, history leaves no doubt ; but I am inclined to believe that as the forms of sacrifice, next to the rites of sepulture, were the latest retained by any people, and amongst those tra- ditional usages in which all the details were longest preserved, the stone knives originally used, when there was no know- ledge of metal, continued to be employed in later times, even when metal had become general; not so much on account of any supposed virtue in the stone, but because the usage was oldf and the odour of sanctity attached to it ; even as in the present day the operation of circumcision is performed by the Jews in many countries with a stone instrument ; — and a reverence for the authority of the past influences the cere- monial, if not the spirit, of all religions.
Seviewing the flint weapons and tools already described, together with those of stone, of a somewhat similar character, now about to be enumerated, it is impossible to resist the con- clusion that they all belonged to a people with industrial pur-
32 CATALOGUE OF THB MU8BUM.
Buite, arts, and habits of life identical with those tribes who, at one time, occupied the whole of north-western Europe and the other British Isles, as well as Erin. If they possessed a lite- rature, the archaeologist has failed to discover it ; tfnd so far as dim tradition lends its feeble light to aid us in the investiga- tion, they appear to have been civilized from without* These propositions, if true, do not militate against the popular idea, first gleaned from the Bardic records and traditions, that Ireland was colonized by an oriental people ; they only tend to prove the inhabitation of the island before the arrival of any such civilized colony.
These flint and stone relics, together with the sepulchral remains of the early races of this island, are to the antiquary what the footprints and fossil marks in geological strata prior to the present, are to the palasontologist, out of which he peo- ples, with plants and animals, a locality, long antecedent to its primeval inhabitation by man. They are the traces of the first wave of population — the pre-historic data which aid and confirm Bardic traditions. Certain it is, that oriental adven*
I turers fi^m some of the countries surrounding the upper bor- der of the Mediterranean — the original seats of art and learning — passing in ships through the Pillars of Hercules, and coast- ing along the Atlantic-washed shores of Europe, never could
] have been a people trusting alone for support in time of peace, or for defence in war, to those rude flint and stone weapons and tools which accident has brought to light, and the la- bours of the antiquary have grouped together in this por- tion of the Collection. The men who trusted to the flake- knife, chisel, or arrow of flint, and the stone celt, although they might have crossed in their tree- stem canoes, or skiti- covered corraghs, from the Continent of Europe to the nearest part of Britain, and from the nearest point of England or Scotland to Ireland, never could have constructed the craft, nor shaped the course of the vessel that launched upon that voyage of discovery referred to by the Irish Bardic historians.
CLASS I. — STONI MATBBIALS: WEAPONS.
CLASS I.-OSDEB n.— STONE. arSClKS L — WXAFOBS.
From the hard, sharp-fracturing flints used either as wea- pons, cutters, or weapoo-makiiig tools, we pass to the soAer and more easily worked rocks, but such as still possess suffi- cient hardness, toughness, dendty, and sosceptibilitj of polish, to ibrm eerriceable wood-workers, and, in case of necessity, effective weapons, although not susceptible of as sharp an edge, or point, as a flint, or any siliceous rock.
Abbows and Daqobbs. — Stone weapons (not silex), with the exception of celts and axes, and such pro- , jectiles as sling-stones and can-
non-shot, must, firom the nature of the material, be rare. Stone arrow-heads, of sufficiently small size and sharpness, would be too brittle to be ^ther effective or durable. To obviate this diffi- culty, however, an ingenious contrivance was resorted to in the only instance in which we 1 find a stone arrow, or javelin- head, in the Collection, — Fig.30, No. 13, on Tray O, and here re- Fig.M Ko.li. presented the natuml fdze, and which is grooved on the sides for the retwn- ^^^ ing slips of the shafl to which it was affixed. It ^^^^^^ is of smoothed, dark shale, |th of an inch in thick- f^ ^ ho. & ness.* There are in the Collection a few stone knives, or dagger blades, attached, together with a miscellaneous assem-
* Tbia ninUntfoo ii printed fhnn ■ >tBreot]rpe Uock oT th«t given in tb* "Aichmlogkal Jonnwl,'' vol. »«. p. 888, reftercd to «t p. SI.
34 CATALOOUB OF THB MUSEUM.
blage of stone objects, chiefly of the weapon class, to Tray O, in the second Compartment, of which No. 8, figured on the last page, two-thirds the actual size, might be fixed into a handle, and used either as a knife or dirk. It is composed of red sandstone, was originally polished, but, fi*om the action either of air or water, it has now become roughened upon the surface.
Of the sword, knife, or dagger-shape, but larger, and much sharper at the point, are those objects from Nos. 1 to 8, on the same Tray, the first of which is a remarkable, slightly curved, sword-shaped slate, 23 inches long, and nearly 2 broad, *^ found about eight feet under the surface, in gravel, under peat,'' in excavating a minor drain from Lough Aclau- reen to the river Clare, county of Galway.
Of the sword-shaped stones, the specimen here figured, one-
Fig. ss. No. 10.
half the natural size, is a good example. It is imperfect, but enough remains to show that it partook of the agave-leaved form of the bronze swords of the metal class. Most of these stone weapons came either from Connaught, or those portions
of the Shannon bordering on that province. Two stone objects, re- sembling cleavers, will be found at the bottom of Tray O, of which
this, here represented one-fourth Fig 88. Naso. i\^q j.^ gi^^ jg ^\^q jjjQgj; remarka-
ble specimen. It is of shale, and was found in the Shannon. Most of the other stone articles which either approach in shape that of the weapon, or to which some such supposed use attaches, will be found among the Miscellaneous Species at the end of this section.
CLASS I. — 8TONB M ATBftlALS : CHISELS. 35
Shblf I., Tray O, contains twenty articles of the ston^ weapon, or weapon-tool species, and resembling swords, daggers, knives, and deayers. No. 1, a sword-shaped piece of soft day-slate, 23 inches long, and 1^ broad, found, as described above, in cutting a drain from Longh Aclaureen, in the drainage district of Monivea, and which, together with No. 6, of slaty Lydian stone, an imperfect specimen of the dagger, or spear variety, also found in the same district, was — Presented hy the Board of Works, Na 2, of slate, sharp at both ends, 12^ inches by IJ. Na 3, a light-coloured slate of the knife- shape, broad at top, and narrow at bottom, 1 0^ inches by If. No. 4, a very perfect spotted dagger of clay- slate, 10 inches long, by 1^ broad, and ^ an inch thick. Na 5, a rude, broad knife-like imple- ment, 8| inches, by 2^ at the bottom ; of fine yellow sandstone, found in the shoal at Menlo, in the Corrib River, near Galway. Na 7« a double-edged knife, or dagger of slate, 4 inches by fths; sharp at the point, like the following, No. 8, the most perfect specimen of the dagger variety of red sandstone, weather-worn, 5f inches by If, and figured as the illustration of this species at p. 33. — Presented by Lord Famham, No. 9t s celt-shaped knife, figured on p. 43 ; it is of fine red sanostone, 6^ inches by If ; sharp at the point, fiat at the right- hand edge like many celts, and having a ridge running up the centre. It was found in the county of Down. No. 1 0, a very perfect specimen of the sharp, two-edged sword, or spear, of soft clay-slate, 7 inches long by 1-| broad at bottom ; perfect at top, but broken off at bottom ; figured at p. 34. Na 1 1, a thin spear-shaped piece of blue clay-slate, slightly imperfect at both ends, 7f inches long, 1^ at widest part, and ^ of an inch thick. It and No. 10 might have been used as mo- dels for casting metal weapons. It was found in the county of West- meath, and was — Presented by Dr. Clarke, No. 1 2, the top of a spear- head, or broad sword of coarse gritty slate, 3^ inches long, found in the county of Wicklow. No. 13, the arrow-head, Fig. 30, p. 33, of shale. On the third row we find four articles, varying in shape from that of a razor to that of a short cleaver. No. 14, of dark soft slate about the size and shape of a modem razor- blade, is 4^ inches long, and If broad ; the end formed into a sort of handle. Nos. 15 and 16, larger specimens of the same variety, are of shale ; the latter 5^ inches by If. No. 17, a thicker specimen of this variety, 6^ inches long, by 2^ broad, of porphyritic greenstone, mottled with pink felspar. No. 18, a knife- shaped piece of metamorphic slate, 7^ inches long
36 CATALOGUB OF THB 1CU8BDM.
by If broad. Nos. 19 and 20, at the bottom of this Traj, are cnrions Bpedmeiu! resembling cleavera, haying handles and sharp edges. The former, of fine crystallized greenstone, 6^ inches by 2-^, was found in the county of Down; No. 20, of dark shale, 5f inches long, and 2} broad in the blade; sharp at the end and also at the lower edge, figured on page 34. Of the foregoing implements, Nos. 3, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 20, were found in the excavations made in deepening the bed of the river Shannon, and were — Prt' senUdhy ike Shannon Commissioners.
Stomb Shot. — In the bottom shelf of the Cross-case, between the second and third Compartments, are placed a number of round stones, some of them natural sandstone and ironstone nodules, but others, especially Nos. 1 to 12, are artificially formed stone shot, such as were used in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. They vary in size firom 1^ to 5 inches in diameter. Some are only partially formed.
SPECIES II. — TOOLS, AMD WEAPOM-TOOLS,
Chisels. — As we concluded the description of the flint tools and weapons, so (with the exception of the foregoing) we commence that of the stones, with the chisels, — ^the link appearing to be unbroken, although the form has been modified by the material. The Stone Chisel, typical illustra- tions of three varieties of which are given below, differs from that of flint in having, in general, angular side-edges, a square
top, which, in some spe- cimens, bears evidence of having been hammered; and in having the end, or cutting edge, instead of
Fig. 34. No. 6. Fig.86rNo.2L Fig. 36. No. 2. being rouudcd 0% shapcd on both sides like a turner's furmer. Of the chisel variety may be specified those objects upon Tray P, some of which approach in appearance to metal. But while we style these implements chisels, there is no doubt that they could have been inserted into handles, and used as war-axes. Fig. 35 is a unique specimen of its class; fixed across a handle, with each
.i-*,:-' '.
CLASS I. — STONE MATBRIALS : CHISELS AND CELTS. 37
extremity projecticg, it would also prove a formidable wea- poD, being 5 inches in length.
Shelf L, Tray P, contains twenty- four specimens of diiselsy and chisel-shaped yarieties of celts, numbered from 1 to 24, eighteen of which were discovered when deepening the fords of the river Shannon ; chiefly those of Meelick, Keelogue, and Athlone, and were — Pre- aented by the Shannon Commissioners, No. 2, of shale, Fig. 36, on p. 36, is 3 inches long by I^ wide. No. 5, Fig. 34, one-eighth the natural size, differs from the generality of such tools in being rounded in the handle, and chamfered off below by rubbing or grinding. It and No. 4 are of a hard, fine-grained siliceous basalt, approaching in appearance to metal ; the precise locality from whence derived is un* known, but it was probably the coast of Ulster. The greater portion of the tools on this Tray have straight cuttiog edges, but a few of them are curvilinear, others are celt- shaped both on the sides and edgea
With the foregoing and following exceptions, all these imple- ments are formed of shale, or clay-slate, such as may be found in the coal-measures, and in abundance on the sea border of the county of Clare. Nos. 14 and 18 approach clay ironstone. No. 16, of dark shale, approaching to Lydian stone, is 6 inches long, and 1^ wide, and has nearly parallel straight side edges. Na 19 is a celt-shaped chisel, flat at top, and oval in the middle section, or grasp; it is formed out of fine-grained honestone or whet- stone, is 7^ inches long, and 2| broad. No. 21, of siliceous clay slate, is that represented by Fig. 35. No. 22 of siliceous basalt, passing into amygdaloid, is marked by a red lichen. No. 23 is a pe- culiarly formed, celt^shaped chisel, curved, and having a pointed extremity somewhat like the large celt, No. 38; it is 7^ inches long, and 2. broad, and is formed out of a shale nodule, the strata of which may still be observed upon its surface. No. 24 is the ovoid chisel celt of dark shale figured on page 43, Fig. 46.
Stone Celts — so called from the Latin word celtis^ a chisel, in all probability their original use — are the most widely distributed stone implements in the world. They have been found in great abundance in Ireland, and in every locality and position, but chiefly in clay or gravel. The Academy's Col-
D
, f •>
36 CATALOGUB OF THB MC8BUM.
lection containB upwards of five hundred examples of this form of tool-weapon, about one-half of which were recovered fiom the mud, day, or gravel laid bare in deepening the shoals and fords of the river Shannon, or its tributaries, during the years 1843 to 1848, and were presented to the Academy, with a great quantity of other valuable antiquities, by the Shannon Commissioners. (See Proceedings, vol. ii. pp. 312 and 594 ; vol. iii. pp. 65, 263 ; and vol. iv. pp. 35 and 394.)
The shape of the most common variety of stone celt is similar to that of the muscle shell, which would almost ap- pear to have suggested the idea originally : many other objects in nature seeming to have given origin to the early forms of Art. The lower, or cutting end, is always hatchet or chisel- shaped, slightly convex, and rubbed down to as smooth and sharp an edge as it is possible for the material to attain. The middle usually swells into an oval form, and then tapers to a more or less rounded point ; but while the general contour is preserved, the shape is somewhat modified by the descrip- tion of stone of which the implement is composed.
In material the stone celts afford examples of nearly every description of rock found in Ireland suited for the purpose, by its hardness, toughness, absence of brittleness, and sus- ceptibility of polish ; from the hard sharp silex, the metallic basalt, the highly polished porphyry, the splintery felstone, the rare syenite, and the compact greenstone, to the smooth clay- slate or shale, the brittle sandstone grit, the soft whetstone, or even the micaceous schist, — with all their different varieties and combinations, &o. And as these objects have been found in such abundance, and in so many localities, the celt-maker must have been dependent on the suitable stone of his par- ticular district for the materials of his trade. As yet, all the specimens which have turned up are formed of native, and mostly of rocks common in Ireland. The antiquary seldom possesses a sufficiently accurate knowledge (even if such were required) of all these stones, to be able to arrange them either
CLASS I. — 8TONK MATBRIALS : CHISELS AND CBLTS. 89
lithologically or topographically. The physical characters of polished rocks are not always sufficiently marked to permit of the former ; and as great numbers have come into the Collec* ti(Hi without any memoranda, the latter could not have been effected ; they have, therefore, been arranged chiefly according to their size and shape, as most subservient to the secondary division of this classification ; viz. that by Use.*
Much art has been displayed in the formation of these celts, which, when perfected, were polished with the greatest precision all over, exhibiting great varieties in shape, and great diversity of manufacture, — either owing to the cha- racter of the stone, or to the ingenuity or handicrafl of the people who formed them. So far as I have observed in exa- mining and arranging this Collection, all the celts remarkable for their beauty, size, or polish, were made out of the best materials, such as flint, porphyry, greenstone, syenite, or felstone ; whereas those of ill-shape and rude manufacture have been formed of portions of slate or shale, simply ground down to a cutting or hacking edge, and many of which exhibit on their surface the natural or accidental formation. Possibly the former variety belonged to tribes more advanced in art, or were the property of the officers and chieftains, while the latter may have been used by the soldiery or common peo- ple. When it is stated that they vary in length from 22 inches to very little more than 1 inch in length, some idea may be formed of the range through which this series of implements extends. Some are of the most elegant form, and highly polished; others are rude slate stones, having the general characters of a triangular shape, with a rounded point and a sharp cutting chisel edge. In most the edge is rounded, but in some it is also bevilled or cut off obliquely ; in others, again,
* In order to render this Catalogue as generally useful as possiblei the Rev. Samuel Hanghton, Fellow of Trinity College, and Professor of Geology in the UoiTenity of Dublin, has kindly lent asaistance, and carefully examined and named each Btaoe in the Collection, — thus attaching a double interest to this heretofore ne- glected department of ethnological scienc&
d2
40 CATALOaUB OF THB MU8BUM.
it is nearly square. Some are round, or almost round, in the body or handle ; others oval ; and many, particularly those of slate, are quite flat* In a few, the form resembles that of a human canine tooth, and in others it partakes of the broad- bladed axe, while several were apparently constructed to act as wedges. From the extreme regularity of outline, and diver- sity of shape, as well as the high degree of polish which several of these articles exhibit, great time and care must have been expended on their manufacture ; but then it must be borne in mind, that at the period when they were in use, human time and labour, compared with such in the present day, were of little value. Moreover, they were to the ancients what metal tools are to the modems.
Among the most remarkable peculiarities observable in examining these objects is the symmetry and precision with which they were given the requisite form, and the perfection of their polish when the stone was susceptible of such. When we reflect on the circumstances under which they were made, and consider that each of the finer kinds must have been broken from the selected rock, then hewn into the rough outlined form of the celt, afterwards ^ven its peculiar cutting edge and pointy and finally polished with infinite care, — ^the whole process being efiected without the use of metal, but simply by the application of another stone, — our wonder and admiration are increased.
The hammers and axes, both of stone and metal, or the swords and daggers of more modem times, do not present greater diversity of size and shape than those stone implements denominated Celts, which are so numerous, that it would not be possible to illustrate all their forms by as many as twenty illustrations.
In size, the stone celt, with a few exceptions, varies from 6 to 8 inches in length, and in breadth from 2 to 3^ ; the scale between which may be traced throughout the exten- sive collection in the Stone series. Its general figure and make is such as to give the heavy cutting blow of an axe, or
CLASS I. — STONK MATKRIALS: CHI8BLS AND CBLTS. 41
pick, and the smoothing or polishing effect of an adze or chisel. As the general type of the stone celt, of the best shape, the medium taxe, and bearing the highest degree of polish, the iUuetratioQ here placed across the page, &om No. 481, in
Btul-caae A, may be taken as an example. It is formed of fel- stone, is d| inches long, and 2 broad above the cutting-edge. The accompanying illustration presents ns with six celts, which represent the typical forms of this class of imple- ments; they have been all dmwn to scale, one-eighth the nit- tural size, and are thus placed in juxtapoution to show their relative sizes, and to exhibit their respective forms and pro-
ng.»Na»7 Fl»» Ntt» r\f.1f>.So.H. Hg.4LNo.W. Fl»«.No.«l S^U.l!la.K.
portions. Fig. 38, which will be found on Tray T, No. 37, is an excellent example of the general character of the long, oval celt; it is 1 2 inches in length, and 3f wide at the thickest part ; has a sharp, semicircular, but slightly oblique, cutting-
42 cataloodk of tbk hcskdm.
edge, and tapen to a rounded point at die upper end. This is one of the Isi^est of the perfectly formed celts in the CoUeo- tion ; IB composed of greenstone porphyry, and u highly polished on the surface. To this and each of the other figures a drawing in section has been appended. Fig. 39} which is 1 1^ inches in length, by 2| broad, and also placed on Tray T, represents the long, narrow, rounded variety of celt, most of which have a chisel edge ; it is of fine-gruned sandstone. Fig. 40 is a good example of the purse-shaped celt (see Tray s, No. 34) } it is composed of crystalline greenstone, highly po- lished ; and is 7i inches long, and 3{ broad. It and the fol- lowing (Fig. 41) materially differ from the preceding, in hav- ing the widest part below at the cutting edge ; whereas in the two previous examples it is about midway upon the length of the implement. Fig. 41 represents the triangular or heart- shaped celt, 6^ inches long, by 2 thick, fad 3^ broad (see Tray vr. No. 92). It is formed of crystalline greenstone, and may be considered rather a rare variety. Fig. 42 is one of the most elegantly formed and highly polished celts in the Collection (see No. 482 in B^-case A). It is com- I)osed of compact greenstone ; is 6^ inches long, and 2J broad at the widest portion, and was foimd in the county of Armagh. The sixth variety, Fig. 43, of flint, 6j inches long, will be found on Tray IT, No. 30 (see p. 29). But, beside all these typical forme under which Uie great bulk of the celts in the Collectioa may be classed, there are others which form exceptions thereto; and of these, by far the most remarkable are three very large, but imperfect stone implements, ol which the accompanying illustration. Fig, 44, drawn from No. 136, on Tray T, and one-eighth the na- L tural size, affords Us a very tolerable idea (see p. 68). ' In material it is a highly siliceous porphyritic fel- Fi«.«.No.i«. stone, with minute particles of hornblende, weather- ing white, or drab colour. This is 1 0^ inches long, and 4^ wide at the broadest portion ; but there can be little doubt that two
CLASS I. — STORB HATKHIALS: CH18BLS AND CELTS. 43
of these three large celts are now imperfect They vere ibuiiil under the root of a lai^e tree of bog-deal in the bog of Cao- rower, near Oughterard, county of Galway.
The lai^est celt yet discovered in Ireland is that attached to Tray ft (see No. 323), and formed of coarse clay-elate. It is
abont 22 inches long, and 3} broad at the widest portion ; but it is only t inch thick ; the arras has been removed on the edge, as shown by the digram of ite section. It mi^t have been intended as the coulter of a plough for soft ground, but bears no evidence of ever having been so employed. This beau- tiful specimen was found in deepening the bed of the river Blackwftter, two miles below Charlemont, county of Armagh. As the celt was the principal tool and weapon, serving the purpose of the chisel, pick, punch, wedge, plane, hatchet, and battle-axe, among the early Celtic inhabitants of this
Fig. «. tlo. M. Fig. 41. Na tt. Ftg. «. No. OT. Fig. «. Ho. K Fig. M No. Ui.
island, so it was modified to meet a variety of purposes, and has been shaped even to resemble that of the knife or dagger ; in illustration of which the above five figures are given. In Fig. 46, we find a remarkable and rare form of chisel-shaped celt (see Tray P), here drawn one-fourth the natural size. It
44 CATALOOUE OF THE MUSEUM.
is 4| inches long, and If wide at the broadest portion, and is formed out of dark shale. The second cut, Fig. 47, Tray ir. No. 48, one-eighth the natural size, is a curved shale celt, fths of an inch thick, and formed out of a natural nodule; it is 8^ inches long, and 2^ broad. Fig. 48, on Tray ac, No. 97, is the most perfect and beautiful example of the ovoid celt in the Museum, being in every point of view singularly symmetrical : it is highly polished, composed of dark, compact greenstone ; is 4^ inches long, by 2f broad, and If thick, and here repre- sented one«fourth the natural size. It resembles more the war celt than the tool. It was found in the Keelogue ford, and forms a striking contrast in shape and material to the rude shale celts obtained from that and the other passes of the Shannon, and described at page 48. The fourth cut. Fig. 49, placed on Tray O, No. 9, among the stone weapons, may be denominated the dagger celt, being shaped like that weapon at one end, and presenting the usual celt edge at the other, but it is rather
thinner than most celts. It is 6^ inches long, and 1 1 broad, and formed of hard, siliceous sandstone. Fig. 50, one-fourth the natural size, represents the tooth-shaped variety of celt, of homstone, and is 6 inches long. There are but eight of them in the Collection ; six of which will be found on Tray T-
In a few rare instances, small spear-shaped
or chisel celts have been found perforated, as
if for attaching to a string. There are three
such to be seen in Bail-case A. That here
No. 488. represented in outline, one-half the original
size, is a good example of this variety, and also exhibits some
decoration on its edge and sides.* This is the only specimen
• Perforated chueU or celts are veiy rare in Ireland, but some have been found in Denmark and Sweden. See Nilsson's Skandinariska Nordem Vr-Inv^nare, ett fitrt'ok i Komparativa Ethnografien, Lund. 1888-1843, PI. I. Fig. 17. See also Worsaae's niustrations of the Copenhagen Museum, p. 11, Figs. 13 and 14.
CLASa I. — STONK HATKR1AL8 : CH18BL8 AND CBLTS. 45
of a decorated celt in the Maseam ; bat in the same case will be found a middle-nzed celt of green felstone, fine-grained, weathering white, stuned a blmsh-c<doar, and marked witli lines and Bcratohes resembling, at first sight. Ogham characters. TheBflv. Dr. Graves, who has paid great attention to that form of writing, considers tliat they do not constitnte any real in- scription; moreover, they are decidedly of recent formation, being cut in through the blue colour with which the sur&ce of the celt has been stidned, and which appears to be indigo. It is wdl known that weavers, in the north of Ireland, used a smooth celt, whenever they conld find one, for rubbing on the cloth, bit by bit, as they worked it, to close the threads, and give a gloBS to the sur&ce. This indigo stain was, in all pro- bability, thus obtained in working what is called linsey- woolsey, and the marks must have been put on subsequently.
In concluding the description of the forms and sizes of celts, the accompanying illustration, figured the natural size, presents as with the smallest celt belonging to the Collection, and which is probably one of the least which has yet been discovered in this country (see No. 196, Tray aa).
From their great diversity in shape and size, one is led to regard these stone celts more in the light of tools than weapons, al- though the larger ones may, no doubt, have served the double purpose ; and therefore they may be regarded as fVeapon~tools. War mast, however, be a secondary object to man, and all the appliances thereof subsi- ««■ » "a iw. diary to bis physical wants and comforts, even in the rudest states of society. That the stone celt was originally a band tool, chiefly used with the hatchet or chisel-edge downwards, seems to be the accepted opinion. Subsequently the large celt appears to have been fixed in a clcfl stick, or enclosed within the folds of a tough, slender branch. But, besides the
46 CATAL06UB OF THK UU6BUH.
iDgemous conjeotureB of antiquaries aa to how they were actually used, we are here asdated by the double evidence of analogy and taet, for the stone celt, so handled, is still in use in several other portions of the world, particularly New Zealand, some of the South Sea islands, and along the borders of Kootka Sound. Some years ago an implement of this kind was discovered in the county of Mo- naghan, with the wooden handle, apparently of ' pine, 13^ inches long, attached,^-aa shown by the annexed engraving, copied from the iull-eized drawing in the Academy's Museum,* It is stud that when the Breton peasant finds a celt, called in most countries on the Continent a *' thunder- stone," be places it in the ctefl of a growing branch or sapling, and leaves it there until the wood has formed and hardened round tt ; but this must have taken a great length of time. We do "'' "■ not, however, find the sUghtest trace or mark of such a handle on a single celt in this Collection.
As in the flints, so with the celts, a careful examination of the different imperfect or uncompleted spedmens enables us to form a very good idea as to the mode and process of their manufacture. The stone having been determined upon, it was roughly hewn into a shape approaching the required form, as may be seen by examining the specimens on Tray Q. The next stage appears to have been that of ^ving it the sharp cutting-edge, so as to test the suitability of the ma- terial, its toughness, hardness, susceptibilty of polish, and sharpness, before further time was expended upon it, or, perhaps, to render it immediately avtulable. In some in- stances, however, it would appear that the final grinding or setting of the edge was not effected until aflxr the instru- ment was polished, of which there is a notable example in
• Sos Mt. Du Noyer's description of Colonel Stewart's cell in the " AnhBo- logical Jonmal," vol. iv. p. 3.
CLASS I. — STONB MATERIALS : CHISELS AND CELTS. 47
No. 34, Tray T, and also in No. 13. The third step in the iiianiifiu3ture consisted in smoothing it longitudinally, by rubbing it upon a flat, curved stone. The effect of this part of the process was to give it the appearance of being planed into a number of faces, or surfaces meeting at ob- tuse angles. The ac- companying illustra- tion, from No. 13, Tray Q, shows this
Fig. M. No. 18.
process m great per- fection. In the Scandinavian Collection will be found the model of a large block of stone apparently used for sharpening stone weapons and tools. The fourth stage of the process appears to have consisted in rubbing the celt obliquely with another stone, so as to take off the angles or anuses formed by the foregoing, and giving it the appearance of having been rasped; traces of this part of the process may be seen on Nos. 32, 39, and many others. The fifth, and final stage, consisted in polishing the entire surface. Whether sand and water were used in any of the previous stages, and also as to how the final polish was ^ven, are but matters of conjecture. This latter effect, however, fully equals, in a few specimens, anything which can be achieved in stone-polishing at the pre- sent day. Not the least worthy of admiration in several of these implements is the extreme precision and perfect sym- metry of their outlines and proportions.
The foregoing observations refer to the better varieties of stone celts, which are indicative of considerable ingenuity in their makers ; but there are a vast number chiefly formed of dark shale, which are comparatively rude, and do not exhi- bit anjrthing like the same amount of workmanship as the for- mer ; the great majority of such were found in the fords of the Shannon, and have been placed in the Cross-case be- tween Compartments 1 and 2. Whether they indicate a more primitive condition, or an inferior state of art existing
48 CATALOGUE OF THB MUSEUM.
amoDg a ruder people contemporaneously with tribes who pos- sessed the means and ability of forming the more perfect de- scriptions of celt, are questions worthy of attention. In many instances the slate celt appears to have been manufactured out of the accidentally formed mass, as may be seen by specimens on Tray u, where No. 43 is typical of the ordinary variety of flat slate celts ; it is 8 inches long, and 3^ wide at the broadest portion. No. 45 is a unique specimen of its kind, nearly rectan- gular, 8 inches long by 3| broad, and l^ thick. No. 46 shows the double cutting edges similar to some of those on Tray & It is 8| inches long, and 4 wide at the broadest portion.
The Academy is indebted to a Commission appointed for deepening and improving the navigation of the river Shannon, for the acquisition of more than one-half of the stone celts in the Collection. The discovery of these celts is thus described by Mr. Griffith, Chief Commissioner, in the second volume of the Proceedings of the Academy, p. 312: —
*''• The fords of Keelogue and Meelick, on the river Shannon, are the first points of the river passable except by boat, above the falb at Killaloe, and consequently the main pass between the counties of Clare and Galway with Tipperary and the King's County. For the improvement of the navigation it was necessary to deepen the river at Keelogue ford, by excavating its bed to the depth of six feet below the bottom. The contractors dammed off a portion of the river, 100 feet in width, and 700 in length. The material to be excavated con- sisted, at the top, of two feet of gravel, loose stone, and sand ; and at the bottom, of four feet of a mass composed of indurated clay and rolled limestone, which in some parts was found to be so solid and compact that it became necessary to blast it with gunpowder. This is a part of one of the Eskers which cross Ireland, and intersect the river at this point In excavating in the loose material of which the upper two feet was composed, a considerable number of ancient arms, consist- ing of bronze swords, spears, &c, were found. Towards the lower part of the upper two feet were discovered a great number of stone hatchets (celts), similar in many respects to those which have been frequently met with in different parts of this country. The greater
CLASS I. — STONB MATERIALS : CHISELS AND CELTS. 49
number of them, which are black, are composed of the siliceous rock called Ljdian stone, which is abundant in the neighbourhood of Eeelogue and Banagher; but the others are composed of a sub- crystalline and apparently igneous porphyritic rock, none of which occurs in the neighbourhood, or, possibly, in the south of Ireland. Hence it is probable that the latter, which are much more per- fectly executed than the black, were brought from a distance. These antiquities are evidently the relics of very different and pro- bably distant periods. Owing to the rapidity of the current at Keelogue Ford, the annual increase of deposit must have been in- considerable; ^' hence, though not more than one foot of silty mat- ter may be found between the stone weapons of a very remote age, and the swords and spears of another period, still remote from us, yet centuries may have intervened between the periods of mortal strife which must have taken place in the river, probably between the Leinster-men and Connaught-men of old, disputing the passage of the river, at two distinct and, no doubt, very distant periods.''*
The fact of finding so large a collection of these in a river ford &your8 the idea of their having been used as weapons as well as tools. With such a tool, assisted by the application of fire, uncivilized tribes of the present day can fell the largest tree by alternately charring and hewing ; and by the same process they can shape it externally, and excavate it internally^ into a boat or canoe, — a step in art which, in a country like Ireland, abounding in wood and water, must soon have sug- gested itself to the ingenuity and energy of its early Celtic people. The celt could be employed as a wedge ; but even the largest of them might with facility be used with the hand as chisels or adzes, upon soil, newly-felled timber, and both ends might be used by the same worker, one for roughly pick- ing, the other for clearing out. The celt would also prove a
* In the top shelf of the Cross-caae, between the first and second Compartments, will be found two Trays, HH and I^ containing, in addition to those already speci- fied or distributed throughout the CoUectioni specimens of both kinds of celts dis- covered in the bed of the Shannon.
50 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
serviceable tool in mining operations, and renuuns of snch have been found in ancient mineSi especially in the neigh- bourhood of Killamey.
Compartment L — Shelf II., Tray Q, contains thirteen rude, unfinished celts, in the first stage of manufacture, consisting chiefly of trap rock. Nos. 1 to 5, averaging 4 inches in length, have the cutting edges smoothed and formed, but the rest of the implement only rudely chipped, except No. 4, which is more perfect. Nos. 6 and 7 are merely chipped into shape, but show no smoothing what- ever. No. 8 has only the edge finished; the remainder is rough. Nos. 9 and 10 are small celts, nearly perfect. No. 11 is 8^ inches long; perfect at the cutting end, but unfinished above. Na 12 is a fragment. No. 13, of felstone, figured at p. 47, is one of the most remarkable objects of its class in the Collection, being 13^ inches long by d| broad, and showing the process of smoothing from end to end, probably by rubbing on a curved stone. It was procured from the parish of Desertmartin, county of Derry.
Nos. 1 and 9 are mottled greenstone schist; No. 2, dark syenite; No. 3 is shale. It and 9 were procured from the county of Antrim. Nos. 4, 8, and 12, are varieties of greenstone, and were — Pretenied iy Lord Farnham. Na 5 is trappean ash. Nos. 6 and 7, mottled greenstone. Na 10, fine crystalline dark greenstone. No. 11, of green whetstone, was — Presented by Arthur R. Nugent^ Esq.
Shelf II., Tray R, contains sixteen well-formed celts, numbered from 14 to 29, of the usual type, and varying in length, from No. 21, which is 7 J- inches, to No. 29, which is 4| inches. Nos. 19 and 20 exhibit red marks of lichen, which show that they were exposed to the action of fresh water, and that they were not totally imbedded in mud or gravel. These specimens present great variety on the cutting-edge, some being nearly circular (as 22 and 26), others oblique (as 17, 19; 27, and 28), while Nos. 14, 20, and 25, form segments of two circles meeting in the centre. No. 18, of fine crystalline syenitic greenstone, was — Presented by Lord Famham. The remainder, except No. 27, were — The gift of the Shannon Commissioners.
Nos. 14, 17, 22, and 27, are composed of siliceous whetstone. No. 15 is pale green grit, weathering white. No. 16, mottled com-
CLASS I. STONE MATERIALS: CHISELS AND CELTS. 51
pact ght. Na 19, porpliTritic greenstone. Nos. 20 and 26 are mottled greenstone schist. No. 21, dark crTstalline greenstone. Nos. 23 and 28, shale. No. 24, green flinty slate. No. 26, horn- blendic sjenitic greenstone. Na 29, finely crystalline greenstone.
Shelf IL, Tray 8, numbered from 30 to 36, contains seven celts of the massive, broad-headed character, three of them being — together with Nos. 13, 320, and 323 — the largest in the Collection. No. 30 is 10^ inches long, and 4f broad, of silioeous felstone, sharp at the edge, and most accurately smoothed. No. 31 is 11^ inches long, and 5 broad, of the same character, colour, and stone as the former. No. 32 approaches the round-middled variety in shape, and is more elegant in contour than any of the previous long specimens: it is 11 inches in length, 4 broad, and 2f thick ; it is also of felstone, and shows the peculiar oblique rubbing, as if it had been filed upon the upper two-thirds, perhaps to take off the planing appearance shown on No. 13; but the lower third is perfectly smooth, and the edge as sharp as a metal axe. No. 33, of siliceous basalt, is only 5j inches long, and 3 broad, but is of the same type as 30 and 31. No. 34 (Fig. 40, p. 41) is a very remarkable specimen, in having a much more circular end than any of those hitherto examined and from the peculiarity of its not being brought to a sharp edge, but ground off flat or square; this latter, added to the fact of its exhibiting some of the original flaws in the stone towards the upper portion, shows that it was only in process of manufacture; it, toge* ther with the two following, is of crystalline greenstone. No. 35 is 7 inches long, and tapers more than any of the foregoing, being 3 inches wide at the cutting-edge, and but 1} at the round top. Na 36 is 6 inches long, and 3^ broad ; it shows the same flattened edge as No. 34, and has a longitudinal ridge on the side, similar to No. 13. Nos. 30 and 31 were found at Baysrath, county of Kil- kenny, and were procured with the Dawson Collection. No. 32 was found in Monmunny bog, parish of Ahavea, county of Fermanagh, and was — Presented by the Rev. Q, Sidney Smithy D. D,
Shelf IL, Tray T, holds six celts of the long and round character, from Nos. 37 to 42. No. 37 is the most perfect and beautifully formed of its variety; it is 12 inches long, swelling in the round centre to 3| inches in width, and tapering to either end, being but 3 inches broad where the cutting- edge joins the shaft, and 1 inch broad within
52 CATALOG0R OF THB MUftBUM.
half «n inch of the round top. It is composed of greenstone por- phyry, and is engraved as Fig. 38, on page 4l . It was found fotir feet under the surface, in the new cut of the Bfosna drainage, near Clara, King's County, and was — Presented by the Board of Works. No. 48, of fine-grained sandstone, is a curved celt, similar in shape to No. 23 of the chisels. Tray O ; it is 11 inches long, and 2^ broad in the mid- dle, but tapers to 2\ immediately above the cutting-edge; it is the second figure in the typical illustrations at p. 43. No. 39« of coarse felstone, is 9^ inches long, and partakes more of the usual conical celt- shape than either of the former, being 3 inches broad above the cutting-edge ; it also swells slightly in the middle. It has been worked quite rough, as if picked or rasped all over, except at the cutting-edge, which is smoothed with great care and precision. No. 40 is of the same variety and material, 9| inches long, and 3| broad; it is rough all over, and, if ever polished, the air or water has acted upon it, and given it the present surface. No. 41, of honestone, is 9^ inches long, and 2| broad at the widest part No. 42 is of ba- salt, weathered, 8^ inches long, and 2| broad at the widest part; it is nearly circular in the shaft, very rough on the surface, and has no cutting edge. Nos. 38 and 42 are from the parish of Tamlaght-o- Crilly, county of Derry. No. 40 was found in the Bog of Allen, and — Presented by Bury^ Esq, No. 41 was found in the exca- vations in the gravel bed of Portna shoal, river Bann, on the An- trim side, and — Presented by the Board of Works,
Shelf II., Tray 17, contains thirteen celts, from 43 to S^^ of the flat and irregular-shaped varieties, and all formed of dark shale, passing occasionally into clay ironstone; in size they vary, from No. 46, which is 8| inches long, and 4 wide at the broadest part, to No. 61, which is but 5^ inches long, and 2^ broad. Nos. 45 and 46 may be taken as the types of the class of irregular celts ; being the exceptions to the rule of the general form. They were, probably, stones previously so formed by nature, and taken advantage of by the celt-maker (see p. 48). All these celts were found in the Shan- non fords, and are every way inferior both in shape and material to those of a better class of material. Nos. 43 to 46, and 54, were found in 1843, in the site of the works on the river Shannon, at Athlone, and were, with all others on this Tray — Presenkd by the Shannon Commissioners.
CLASS I. — STONB M ATSRIALS : CELTS. 53
•
Shelf I., Tray ▼, contains twelve well-formed celts, numbered from 56 to 67 ; the upper row, of short hand celts, the lower con- taining the long yarietj. No. 56 is greenstone, round-edged, blunt- topped, slightly imperfect, 4^ inches long, by 2| broad. No. 57, of coarse greenstone, pockmarked from weather action, rather round in handle, slightly broken at top, is 5| inches long, by 2^ broad No. 58, a perfect specimen in all respects, composed of crystalline greenstone, oral in section, widest in the middle, is 3^ inches long, and 2^ broad ; procured from the county of Down. No. 59, of greenstone porphyry with pink felspar, perfect, except at edge, 5f inches long, and 2^ broad. No. 60, a massive, broad celt, perfect of its kind, of greenstone, but much weather-worn, slightly oblique at cutting-edge, broadest below the middle, tapers to both extremities, with very round top; is 5^ inches long by 3^ broad. No. 61, also of greenstone, much weather-worn ; an ordinary- shaped small celt, 4f inches long, and 2-^ wide. No. 62, a long, round celt of green- stone porphyry with pink felspar, slightly imperfect at the top and cutting-edge, thickest in the middle, and tapering to both extremi- ties, is '8| inches long by 2| broad. No. 63, a very perfect specimen, but much weathered upon one side, top rounded; dimensions, 8 inches by 2§ ; composed of syenitic greenstone ; is said to have been found near the Giant's Grave, in the townland of Eilhoyle, parish of Balteagh, and county of Derry. No. 64 resembles in form No. 62, and is, like it, composed of greenstone porphyry, but differs slightly from the former in the colour of the felspar, which is white instead of pink ; it is thickest in the middle, where it is 2| inches wide; tapers to the top, and also to the cutting-edge, which is^^ths of an inch less than the centre. This beautiful celt, which is 8^ inches long, affords proof that the celt-maker em- ployed similar materials to produce similar forms; it was found in deepening the fords of the Shannon, and forms a striking contrast, both in material and shape, to those rude, flat, short specimens that form the great bulk of the stone implements brought to light by those excavations. It was — Presented by the Shannon Commia- swners. No.'65 is slightly imperfect at the top and surfaces; side- edges squared; cutting-end oblique; composed of felstone schist, with hornblendic streaks, a rock common in the south-west of Ire- land. It is highly polished, although not quite perfected in out-
K
54 CATALOGUB OF THB MOSBUM.
line, and appears as if it had been long in use, and mach handled. No. 66 is a very pretty specimen of crystalline greenstone, 7^ inches long by 2| wide; angular in shape, with cutting-edge oblique, but slightly imperfect, as if not quite finished. This celt was found in the county of Derry. No. 67, a yery perfect specimen of the massive kind, and very similar in character to No. 58, is 7f inches long by 3^ wide in the middle; it is composed of fine-grained green- stone porphyry, and was received from the townland of Lismoyle, parish of Desertoghill, and county of Derry.*
Shblf I., Tray W, contains twenty-nine celts, from No. 68 to 96, of two varieties, but all more or less triangular, and consisting of two rows of small ones, and a row of long massive specimens at the bottom. Nos. 68 to 71, 76, 82 to 85, 88, and Na 92, may be specified as good examples of the triangular celt. The latter is given as the type of this variety. Fig. 41, p. 41. No. 68 is a small celt of shale, from the coal-measures, 3^ inches long, by If wide. No. 69* of crystalline greenstone schist, Scinches long, by 2^ broad, is from the county of Derry. No. 70 is of shale, approaching clay-ironstone; square-edged, 3^ inches by IJ; from Castledawson, county of Derry. No. 71 is of crystalline greenstone, similar in size. No. 72, of greenstone, a small, long, and narrow celt, imperfect at the edges, 4 inches by If, is from the county of Tyrone. No. 73, of shale, bevel-edged, is 3| inches by If. No. 74 is crystal- line greenstone schist, 3 J inches long by 1| broad ; and No. 75 is fine- grained crystalline greenstone, triangular in shape, and 3f inches long by 1| wide. This and No. 87 are from the parish of Basharkin, county Antrim, from which locality many specimens of fiint and stone tools and weapons were procured by the Academy, chiefly along with the Dawson Collection. No. 76, a small celt, approaching the tooth-shape (Fig. 50, on p. 43), flat on one side, round on the other, is 4^ inches long by 1| broad ; edge slightly oblique; composed
* In the Donation Book, and also in the Proceedings for 25th Jannaiy, 1841, we find an entry of — " A large collection of roisceUaneons antiquities, conaisting of stone, flint, bronze, and iron instraments, ooinS| &c. ; presented by Captiun (now Co> lonel) Fortlock, M. R. LA/* There is reason to suppose that many objects in the flint and stone collection are those alluded to in that presentation ; but when the arrange- ment and cataloguing of the Museum were commenced, the writer was unable to iden* tify any of these specimens.
CLASS I. — 8T0NB MATBRIAL8 : CBLT8. 05
of eiTstalline greeoitone; mottled with pink felspAr. No. 77, mot- tled crystalline greenstone, 4^ inches by If. Na 78, broad and flat, 4^ inches by 1|, of light^colonred crystalline greenstone. No. 79, s very small, flat, triangular celt of siliceous day-slate, 3^ inches by If. No. 80, a peculiarly-shaped triangular celt, of mottled schist, slightly imperfect, quite flat on the under side, 3§ inches long by 1^ broad. No. 81, a small tool-celt of shale, 3| inches long, by If broad in the middle. No. 82, of the same material, but a little larger. No. 83, of siliceous clay-slate, im- perfect at top, 4f inches by 2f . No. 84, a perfect celt, of felstone, 4^ inches by 2^, round-edged, sharp at top. No. 85, a good ex- ample of the small triangular celt, similar in form to No. 92, is 4-^ inches long by 2^ broad, and composed of crystalline green- stone, but much pockmarked by weathering. No. 86, of shale, an ordinary short celt, 4f inches by 2^. No. 87, shale, 5 inches long by 2^ broad, is square on right-hand edge, and shows the rasping process on its flat surface. No. 88, a very perfect small celt, polished on the flat, but rough on the side-edges, 4f inches long by 2f wide in the middle; of mottled crystalline greenstone, weathering white. No. 89, a well-smoothed celt, approaching the tooth-shape, round at top, 5 inches long by 2-^ broad; of fine green- stone. No. 90, a massive celt, of very crystalline greenstone, 7^ inches long by 3| broad, and If thick, rounded at the top, blunt at the edge. Na91, also of crystalline greenstone; a punch-shaped celt, very round at the bottom, and blunted at the top, as if by hammering; is 6f inches long, 3^ broad, and 2f thick ; much pitted on the sur- face. No. 92, the triangular celt, figured at p. 41 as the type of its class, is 6^ inches long, 3| wide, and 2 thick. This very beautiful specimen, like the two foregoing, is of crystalline greenstone, and was found in the castle of Confey, near Killeshandra, county of Cavan. No. 93, an imperfect specimen, 6 inches long, and 3f broad, is formed out of fine-grained hornblende rock, being the first specimen of that stone met with among these objects. No. 94, triangular, of shale, 5 inches by 3^. No. 95, a triangular celt of pale shale, 5 inches by 3^. No. 96 is 6 inches long, by 2^ broad, a chisel-shaped celt, flat, angular at side-edges, and formed out of a nodule of shale.
Nos 73, 74, 76 to 80, 82, 86, 89, and 93, were found in the fords of the Shannon, and -were— Presented by the Shannon Commissioners.
b2
56 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
Thibd Compartment. — Shelf II., Tray X, contains twenty- four small celts of either the round or the long character, from No. 97 to 120; the two upper rows are small specimens, illustrative of the former ; and the bottom row affords eight objects characteristic of the latter description. Nos. 97 and 106 are of a peculiar ovoid form, and may be considered as types of the small round celt, while Nos. 116 and 117 illustrate the long variety. No. 97? one of the most perfect and beautiful specimens in the Collection, — of dark, fine-grained, compact greenstone, 4^ inches long, by 2f broad, and \^ thick, is figured on p. 43, Fig. 48. No. 98 is of the same variety, but smaller, and not so perfect; — of highly crystalline greenstone, 3^ inches by 2^. No. 99, of syenite, square at edge, round at top, but more truncated than 97, is 3| inches by 2^. No. 100, of fine-grained syenite or crystalline greenstone, 4 inches long, by 2^ above the cutting- edge, partakes of the triangular form. No. 101, of the same material, A^ inches long, by 2^, semicircular in edge; procured from the county of Down. No. 102, of syenite, triangular, but more massive than the foregoing, is 4^ inches by 2^; top round, but not pointed. No. 103, of dark hornblendic greenstone, 5 inches by 3^; edge slightly oblique. No. 104, of gray grit, 2| inches by If ; ob- lique-edged ; not likely to have been inserted in a stick, and used as a weapon, but may have been fastened into a horn or bone handle. No. 105, of siliceous whetstone, 3| inches by 1|; its top is sharp-? edged, as No. 107, its sides fiat. No. 106, of similar material; a very beautiful specimen of the ovoid class, but slightly imper- fect at top ; its length is 3| inches by 1| ; edge remarkably sharp, and more circular for its size than any in the Collection, extending over one inch of the entire length. No. 107, of pale whetstone; found in the King's County ; 5^ inches by 2 J, cutting-edge very oblique, top quite sharp, and suited for cutting, like the usual lower edge; side- edges fiat, as No. 105. These two, Nos. 105 and 107, show that the same varieties of celts were made out of similar stones. No. 108, of green grit, 3 J inches by 1|; has the edge oblique, and the top quite round and polished, like No. 97* No. 109) felstone, light drab-coloured; length 3| inches by \\, No. 110, of fine-grained, mottled, siliceous slate, is 3| inches long, by 2^ broad, but im- perfect. No. Ill, of very fine-grained crystalline greenstone, and partaking of the slate-celt character, 3| inches by 2. No. 112,
CLASS U — 8TONB MATERIALS : CELTS. 57
of ligbt-coloured honestone, 3^ incbes by If, is triangular in shape.
The lower row consists of eight long celts. No. 113, of horn- blendic greenstone, 6^ inches by 2}, from the county of Derry, shows the effects of great exposure. No. 114, of coarse sandstone, 5} inches by 2| ; a yery remarkable specimen, resembling, in some re- spects, the tooth-shaped, but apparently, from one of two circum- stances : it was either originally a larger celt, and was broken off ob- liquely, or, a flaw haying been discoyered in the stone by the maker, he endeayoured to work it out by rubbing, and so rendered it slightly concaye on that side ; the imperfection may be seen aboye the lower wire. It is altogether a rude specimen, as might be expected from the materiaL No. 115, of syenite, 6§ inches by 3^, has the cutting- edge yery round. No. 116, of fel stone, from Knock topher, county of Kilkenny, 5 inches by 1|, haying a sharp chisel -edge, is a good specimen of the long celt, like No. 37, but of smaller yariety. No. 117, of coarse gray sandstone, 6^ inches by 2, same yariety as former, but more circular at edge, from which it tapers to a yery small point. It was found near the tumulus on Killiney Hill, county of Dublin, and was — Presented by the Rev, W. Wildbore. No. 118, of sandstone, is 4| inches by 2. No. 119, crystalline felstone schist, 4| inches by 2; of the round character, with semicircular cutting- edge; from Baysrath, barony of Knock topher, county of Kilkenny. No. 120, of crystalline greenstone, with green hornblende and pink felspar, 4^ inches by 2-^; triangular, with oblique edge.
No. 97 was found in the bed of the Shannon, at Keelogue, and was, witlj Nos. 104 and \10— Presented by the Shannon Commis- sioners. Nos. 99, 100, 106, 108, and 111, were — Presented by Lord Farnham ; and No. 120, by the Representatives of Leslie Offtlby, Esq.
Shelf I., TrayY, contains sixteen celts and celt-shaped objects^ from No. 121 to 136. The two top rows consist of eight tooth- shaped celts, the type of which yariety is No. 124, Fig. 50, at p. 43« No. 121, of metamorphic schist, is 6 inches long, by 2^ wide, and presents the rounded back. No. 122, of a like character and ma- terial, and similarly placed, is 4^ inches by 1|; it was found in Portna Shoal. No. 123, of shale, 5 inches by 1|; was found near Oughterard, county of Galway ; it and the following are placed on the rounded backs, so as to show the under flat surface. No. 124, of
58 CATALOOUB OF THB MUSEUM.
horD8tone, figured at page 48 as the type of this variety, is 6 inches by 2^. No. 125, of common slate, is a small, perfect specimen, 4 inches long by If broad, from the coanty of Down. No. 126, of pale hornblendic schist; a small, bat perfect specimen, is S^ inches long, by ]| wide. No. 127, of siliceous basalt from the county of Antrim, highly polished, and placed with the fiat surface exposed ; measures 4<j^ by 2 inches. No. 128, of whetstone, placed on the fiat surface; is 4f inches long, by 1-^ wide. Na 129* the handle of a celt-shaped implement, of fine-grained doleritic trap, hornblende predominating, 7^ inches long by 2f wide; otsI in section, and imperfect at both extremities. No. 130, the dimensions of which are 1} inches long by 2| wide, is an imperfect and very fiat and thin celt-shaped piece of slate, apparently about a third of the ori- ginal. No. 131 is a remarkable short, thin celt, of shale, eyidently intended as a tool; fiat at the upper straight edge, 2§ inches deep, and 3 across the widest part. No. 132, the fragment of a celt, 3^ inches long, by 2^ wide, composed of mottled felstone. No. 133, the fragment of a fiat, fish-tailed celt, 3 inches long, by 2Jths wide, somewhat similar in shape to No. 130, and showing a beautiful greenish- white crystalline surface. The following is the mineralo- gical result of Professor Haugh ton's analysis of this rare specimen : — '* It is composed of albite, or soda felspar, 86*43, and lime augite, 13*57 parts, and also contains lime and iron garnet as an accidental mineral. This rock is not known to me as Irish, and is not a com- mon rock anywhere; but I have seen specimens of it in Switzerland^ and I should not be surprised to hear that it exists tin situ in the county of Donegal"
At the bottom of this Tray are placed three yery peculiar celts (see p. 42), and differing altogether in shape from any implements of this variety in the Collection. They are fiatter aod broader than any other specimens which haye yet been discovered, in which respect they resemble the bronze or iron hatchet. They are formed out of highly siliceous greenish-gray felstone, the two latter por** phyritic, weathered on the surface to a drab colour, and highly polished. No. 134 is 8 inches long by 4 broad in the blade, and measures If inches in thickness at the upper end, which is oyal. At first sight they appear fractured or unfinished at the upper end or handle; but although two of them are evidently broken off
CLA8S I STONB MATERIALS : CSLTS. 59
obliquely, this one has been smoothed down, and has a cross notched upon it This end, however, compared with the perfection, shape, and high finish of the rest of the implement, does not appear to have been the original termination, but was smoothed down and notched after it had been injured. The ends of each have been weathered, or acted on bj the wet peat in which they must have remained for many centuries. Ko. 135 is similar in character to foregoing, but somewhat larger, and proportionally broader in the blade; it is 9| inches long, by 6| across the cutting-edge, and If thick* No. 136, given as Fig. 40, on p. 42, is lOf inches long, by 4| broad at the widest part, and 1^ thick in the handle. These three matchless specimens were *' found in the shallow bog of the townland of Canrower, near Oughterard, county of Gal way, immediately under the root of a large bog-deal tree, or 'corker,' as it is called there, by a man named Naughton. Having dug round the root, he put his hand under it to raise it, and brought out these stone hatchets. Al- though several portions of the root have been cut away for firewood, the central mass still remains ; the place abounds in bog timber." (Communication received from G. F. O'Ffiahertie, Esq., of Lemon- field, upon whose property they were found.) These are the nearest approach to stone axes for felling timber of any in the Collec- tion.
Nos. 124, 126, 129, and 132 were — Presented by the Shannon Cammiasianers. No. 130 was found in the river Bann, on Toome Bar, Antrim side, near Toome Castle, about three feet under the surface, and was — Presented by the Board of Works,
Shelf L, Tray Z, contains eighteen different-shaped celts, from Nos. 137 to 154, chiefly of the long character, and most of which are slightly imperfect, apparently from natural deficiency in the stone, but which the maker endeavoured to rectify by rubbing down and polishing the surfaces, so as to take out the flaws. They have all been — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners, No. 137 is 8f inches in length, by 2| broad ; it is shaped somewhat like No. 13, on Tray Q, showing several faces worked upon it. The cutting- edge is round and blunt, and the left side- edge flat. It and the three following are composed of felstone. No. 1 38 is 8^ inches in length, by 3 broad. No. 139 is broad, imperfect at top, and exhi- bits several flaws; it is 6^ inches long, by 3^ broad. No. 140 is 6| inches long, by 2j broad, and shows several flaws not worked
60 CATALOOUB OF THE MUSEUM.
out No. 141, of red sandstone, 5^ inches long, by 2 broad, is very irregular in outline, and rounded at top; this and the three foregoing were found at Keelogue. No. 142, composed of crystal- line greenstone, with white felspar, is 5^ inches long, by 2^ broad, is broken at top, but has a very sharp and perfect cutting-edge. No. 1 43, long and triangular, defective on left side, ^ inches long, by 2^ broad, tapering to |ths of an inch; this and the following are of the same material as the foregoing. No. 144. is 7^ inches long, by 2 J broad, and remarkable for its crookedness and irregularity of surface on both side^, caused apparently by working out the flaws; edge slightly oblique. The lower row contains ten specimens. No. 145 is of the ovoid shape, like No. 97, on Tray Z; it is 3f inches long, by 2^ broad, is slightly imperfect at top, rounded at the cut- ting-edge, and composed of crystalline greenstone, with yellowish felspar. No. 146 approaches the chisel-shape, having straight side- edges, and a somewhat square cutting extremity ; its dimensions are 4^ inches long, by 2 broad, and its composition, felstone. No. 147 is a very short, broad celt of shale, 4^ inches long, by 3 inches broad, squared and rubbed flat at the top (probably a broken speci- men), with an oblique edge. No. 148, of crystalline greenstone, with white felspar, indented at sides to take out the natural flaws; its dimensions are 4^ inches long, by 2 broad. No. 149, composed of coarse crystalline greenstone, 5^ inches long, by 2| broad; side- edges flat, much flawed, apparently by the original hammering. No. 160, of mottled syenitic greenstone, 4| inches long, by 2^ broad, much flawed, but, being of valuable material, an effort was apparently made to give it form. No. 151, flat, of shale, 4f inches lung, by 2^ broad. The three following specimens are more perfect of their kind than the foregoing, and present good examples of the better class of celts procured from the Shannon. No. 152, of fine-grained greenstone, long and narrow, 4| inches long, by 2 broad, with a very oblique edge, sharp- topped ; has flat side-edges, nearly straight, prolonged into the cutting extremity, which they meet at a well-defined angle. No. 153 is broader than the foregoing, 4^ inches by 2|; sharp chisel-edged in the centre, but rounded off at the corners; composed of felstone, mottled with greenish-yellow felspar. No. 154, of the same material, with a narrow cutting- edge, slightly oblique, but unusually prolonged at the sides; its dimensions are 4^ inches long, by 1} broad.
CLA88 I. — STONB MATERIALS : CELTS. 61
Shelf I., Tray AA, contaiDs fifty-six small celts, numbered from 165 to 210, iaclndiDg the smallest form of weapons or weapon- tools in the Collection; but a careful examination of them will, we think, convince the inquirer that they were used as tools only. The two first rows are of the broad, flat character ; several are imper- fect, but yargr in size from 3 to 2-^ inches in length, and in breadth from 2^ to 1^ inches. The third row contains nine celts of the long character, varying from No. 167, which is 4 inches long, by 1^ broad, to No, 173, which is 2| inches long, by 1^ broad; some of these are chisel-edged. The fourth row contains ten examples of the same form, but narrower; the dimensions of which vary from No. 183, — which is 4 inches long, by 1 inch broad, and presents a peculiar form of cutting- edge, somewhat between that of the chisel and the celt, — to Na 181, which is flat and oval, 2| inches long, by 1^ broad. The fifth row consists of seven very small squarish celts, resembling those in the top row, but partaking more of the chisel than the celt character ; — see especially Nos. 168, 188, and 189* No. 190, procured in the county of Down, is of whitish honestone. The sixth row contains ten of the smallest celts in the Collection. They are of the flat, round, and triangular shape; some are apparently chisels, and others minute celts. In length they vary, from No. 198, — which is of the long chisel charac- ter, nearly round in the shaft, and resembling those in the fourth row, 2| inches long, by f ths of an inch in thickness, — to that numbered 197, the least in this row, and which partakes more of the chisel than the celt form; it is Ifths of an inch long, and fths thick. No. 196 is that figured on page 46; it is a specimen of the smallest true celt in the Collection, not quite 2 inches long, and only fths of an inch in thickness at the broadest part. No. 193, on this row, is a perfectly triangular celt, but only 2^ inches long, by If broad. The last row contains eight celts, all, with the exception of Nos. 206 and 206, of the very flat, thin character. They vary in size from No. 203, which is 2 inches long, by If broad, to No. 210, which is little more than 3 inches long, by If across.
As named by Rev. Professor Haughton, these specimens of celts and chisels may be arranged under the following heads. The type of the class is felspathic trap, variously streaked, and mottled with hornblende, as Nos. 157, 165, 167, 168-170 to 176, 178, 181, 185
62 CATALOOUB OF THB MUSKUM.
to 189, 191, 192, 194, 195, 197, 198, 202, and 203. Borne of these Kre finer-grained yflrieties than the others, as 158, 159, 161, 162, 164, 205, and 206. But the two first specimens on this Tray, 155 and 156, are composed of fine-grained siliceous basalt Nos. 166, 200, 201, and 204, are also of siliceous basalt; No. 200 being of the fine- grained and pitted character. No. 160 is siliceous tr%p, approach- ing jasper. Nos. 163, 169, 177, and 196, are of amygdaloidal fel- spathic porphyry. No. 199 ia of the same material, with red felspar. Nos. 179 and 210 are of shale, passing into Lydian stone. Nos. 182, 207, 208, and 209, are dark shale. Nos. 183 and 193 are felstonea, the former gray. No. 184 is clay ironstone.
Nos. 160, 169, 171, 174, 177, 184, 195, 202, and 208, were pro- cured from the county of Derry; Nos. 179, 190, and 210, from the county of Down; No. 183 from that of Armagh; Na 186 from An- trim; No. 187 from Donegal; and No. 188 from Tyrone. Nos. 155, 167, 180, 196, and 209, were — PreaerUed by the Shannon Cammis- ^sioners ; and Nos. 168 and 199 by Lard Famham.
Shelf IL, Tray B39, contains thirty medium-sized and small celts, of either the long or oval character, extending from No. 211 to No. 240, and presenting a very interesting lithological collec- tion. They vary in size, from No. 230, of felstone, 5-j^ inches long, by 1| broad, to No. 237, a small celt, 3| inches long, by 1| broad, composed of felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende. The two first rows partake of the long and narrow character; the third, of the broad or triangular. Many of these celts, particularly Nos. 212 to 215, and also 225, 228, 230, 231, and 239, are irregular on the surface, from the original flaws of the primary manu^EUSture not having been worked out. Some of the specimens on this Tray exhibit remarkable peculiarities, not noticed in the foregoing; for example, Nos. 218 and 224 are cut off obliquely at the top, where the surface is equally polished with the rest of the implement. Whe- ther this was the original fashion of the celt, or is an evidence of re- pair, is a question incapable of solution at the present day. No. 220 is also a unique specimen, presenting nearly the same curvature at both extremities. No. 226 has a cutting-edge at both extremities. The remaining celts on this Tray resemble those already described and measured on the foregoing. Nos. 211, 220, 235, and 239, are of siliceous basalt; Nos. 219 and 236 are of the same material, mottled
CLAB8 I. — STONV MATSRIALS : CBLTS. 63
with spots of reddish felspar. No. 232 is of very fine-grained basalt Nos. 212, 218, and 223, are of light-coloured, fine-grained, syenitio greenstone. No. 221 is a dark variety of the same Nob. 213, 214, 224 to 227, 287, and 238, are composed of felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende. Nos. 215, 222, and 234, are of mottled felstone. Na 216 is of greenish-yellow honestone. Na 217 is formed of horn- blendic crystalline greenstone. Nos. 228, 230, 231, and 240, are of felstone. No. 229 is of dark shale, the only specimen of it on this Tray. No. 233 is of mottled greenstone porphyry.
No. 212 is from the county of Tyrone. No. 216 was found at Grangemore, near Killacan, county of Meath, on gravel, six feet below the surface of bog. Nos. 222, 224, and 236, came from the county of Derry ; and Na 230, from the county of Antrim* Nos. 238, 239, and 240, wer&^Pregented by Lard Famham,
Shelf IL, Tray OO, contains thirty-three celts of different pat- terns, numbered from 241 to 273. The two first rows are small; the last consists of specimens of the long character; each row con- taining eleven celts. In the first they vary in size, from No. 245, which, like the type of the majority of those on the preceding Tray, is composed of felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende, but of a dark variety, and is 3^ inches long, and 1} broad,^to No. 241, of shale, which is 4^ inches long, and 2 broad, and has a sharp cutting- edge at both extremities. In this row, most of the specimens are of the flat character, and many have an oblique cutting-edge.
The second row contains eleven celts, averaging a larger size, and in dimensions extending from Na 257, which is 3^ inches long, by 2|- broad, up to No. 253, of shale, which approaches clay-iron- stone, and is 4^ inches long, by 1^ in breadth. No. 252 is flat on the under surface, and resembles an ordinary celt split in two. Na 255 is very perfect of its class, and is composed of dolerite, a rock less common in Ireland than basalt, and only occasionally met with in the Collection. No. 256, of basalt, resembles the ovoid celt figured at page 43, Fig. 48. No. 262, of shale, with a drab-coloured surface, resembles the blade of a modem axe.
The last row contains eleven long celts, varying in size, from No. 266, which is 5^ inches long, by 2|> in breadth, up to No. 270, of hornbl^ndic greenstone, 7*1^ inches long, by 2^ broad ; it is slightly curved, and, together with several other specimens on this Tray, is
64 CATALOGUE OF THB MU8BDM.
imperfect on the surface. No. 269) of ironstone shale, — a bad ma- terial for making celts, and decomposing in some places, — it is, how- ever, of interest to the antiquary, from ezhibiting,the remains of the manufacturing process, both in the longitudinal smoothing, and the diagonal rasping or filing. No. 272 is a curved specimen of fel- stone porphyry, in shape somewhat between Nos. 38 and 48, already figured at pages 41 and 43.
Of the foregoing specimens, not already described, the following lithological specification has been made. Nos. 242 and 258 are of dark shale, approaching Lydian stone. Nos. 243 and 261 are dark shale. No. 244, felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende; of the same stone are Nos. 247 to 252, 257» 259, 266, some of which are of a darker character than others ; and No. 25 1 is a porphyritic variety. Nos. 246 and 254 areof felstone; 260, crystalline greenstone; 262, of shale; 263, of greenstone, coarsely porphyritic; 264 and 265, felstone porphyry; 267, hornblendic greenstone; 268, greenstone; 271, felstone, passing into porphyry; 272, felstone porphyry; and 273, greenstone porphyry, with reddish felspar.
Nos. 242, 243, 247, 248, 250, 253, 255, 257, 258, 260, 261, 269* snd 270, were — Presented by the Shannon Cammimoners ; Nos. 244 and 249^-6y Lord Famham ; and Na 256 — by the repre- aeniatives of Leslie OgUby^ Esq, No. 251 was procured from the county of Antrim; No. 252, from the county of Armagh; and No. 268, from the county of Derry.
Shblf XL, Tray IXD^ contains twenty-two celts of an inferior description both as to manufacture and material; most of the good and characteristic varieties having been disposed of in the foregoing enumeration. The numbers on this Tray run from 274 to 295 ; and in size the specimens vary from No. 275, which is only 3| inches long, by If broad, to No. 295, which is 8^ inches in length and 3| broad. Many of these celts are imperfect both on the sides and upper ends. Among those formed of shale, No. 290 is a good spe- cimen. No. 291 has a hole partially drilled through its upper end, and apparently by a metal tool. No. 293 is one of the rudest spe- cimens of the long round celt in the Collection; it is 7f inohes in length, but slightly imperfect at top, and 2^ inches in breadth across the middle. Although so rude in the shaft, it has one of the sharpest cutting-edges of any celt in the Collection. No. 294 is an
CLASS I.*— 8TONB MATERIALS : CBLTS. 65
ezoellent example of the type of stone which appears to have been carefully sought out for making these articles, viz., felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende (see p. 61); and which, although not very rare, is by no means a common rock. It is called FetrosiUx by German geologists; usually, felstone or felspathic trap by us.
Nos. 274, 280, 283, 284, and 288, are of siliceous basalt. Nos. 275, 276, 282, 285, 286, 289, and 294, are Taneties of fel- spathic trap. No. 277 is of felstone. Nos. 278, 281, 290, 291, 292, and 295, are varieties of shale. No. 292 shows planes of stra- tification. No. 279 is gritty slate. No. 287 is hornblendic schist. No. 293 is clay-slate.
Nos. 278, 280, 288, and 289, are from the county of Antrim ; No. 277, 279, and 362, from the county of Derry ; No. 293 is from the county of Cavan ; and No. 295 from the county of Armagh.
Sh£LF L, Tray SX, in tlie top corner of the third compartment, holds a collection of nineteen peculiarly shaped celts, from No. 296 to 314. Na 296 is a very well-shaped tool, of massive shape, 7^ inches long, by 3 broad, and 2 thick ; being more than usually bulky in the middle. It is without a single flaw, and has one of the most perfect sharp tops of any in the Collection, for, in general, such portions are broken off; it also shows the planing on one side, simi- lar to No. 36. This specimen was found 3^ feet under the bed of the river Blackwater, in the barony of Garrycastle, King's County, during the drainage of the Derryholmes district (see Pro- ceedings, vol. v., App, p. 58), and was — Presented by the Board of Works. No. 297 is a massive, round-topped celt, SJ inches long, and 3^ broad, of green grit; its edge has been broken off, as if by hammering. This and the five following were procured from Lough Gur,- county of Limerick. No. 298 is 8| inches long, and 3|> broad, fiat, oblique- edged, very sharp, and accurately formed. No 299, a most perfect specimen, 6 inches long, by 2§ broad, has a semicircular cutting-edge sharp as a modern axe, and a per- fect round top, similar to No. 297. No. 300 is a small, chisel- topped celt, 4^ inches long, by 2| broad. No. 301, a fiattish, but perfect celt, is ^ inches long, by 2\ broad. No. 302 is a remarkable- shaped celt, like No. 24 on Tray P, containing the chisels, but is much larger, being oval in figure, and wanting the shoulder to the
66 CATALOdUB OV THB MDWUM.
edge; it is 5| inches in length, and 2f broad at the widest part, which is nearly in the middle. No. 303 is 7^ inches long, and 3 broad, triangular in form, with a bevilled edge, like the tooth-shaped variety, and resembles Ko. 4D, on Tray T, being broadest at the shoulder, where the edge and sides meet It was found, with the four following specimens, in the bed of the river Corrib, in exca- vating the ancient ford at Menlo, near Galway. Na 304 is a rude, natural piece of shale, sharpened and rounded at the edge and the top, 6^ inches long, by 2f broad. Nos. 305, 306, and 307, are of the same character and material, showing on their surfaces the na- tural cleavage, but shaped by art on the cutting-edge. These five celts were — Freaented by W, T, MiUvany, Esq., in 1852, on the part of the Board of Works (see Proceedings, vol. v., App., p. 59). They resemble the common kind found in the Shannon. No. 308 is 6^ inches long, by 2^ broad; it is imperfect at top, but has one of the most beautifully-shaped sharp cutting ends of any in the Collection ; it is composed of felstone porphyry. The six remaining celts, at the end of this Tray, are of a small character, and inferior make and shape.
No. 296 is composed of greenish-gray translucent felstone; No. 297 is of green grit, weathering white; No. 298, of red felspathio slate; Nos. 299 and 308, of greenstone and felstone porphyries; Nos. 300 and 301, of felstone; Nos. 302, 303, 3 14, 320, 321, and 324, are of either fine-grained crystalline or hornblendic greenstones, or of greenstone schists; Nos. 304 to 307, and 315 to 318, are of dark shale; Nos. 309j 310, and 313, are of felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende; Nos. 311 and 312, of siliceous basalt; No. 319, of coarse micaceous hornblende slate; No. 322, of coarse gritty slate; and No. 323, of coarse micaceous clay-slate.
Nos. 308, 309) and 310 were found at Loughan Island, on the river Bann, county of Derry, and were, with No. 3 14, from Fortna— Presented by the Board of Works.
Shelf III., Tray 7F, contains ten celts of the largest description, and, with one exception, all of the broad, flat character, numbered from 315 to 324. No. 315 is a very thin, flat shale celt from the Shannon find« showing the natural surface on the sides, and marked by red lichen on the edges; but an examination of the cutting- edge where it turns into the shaft shows that the rubbing down of
CLA88 I. — STONB MATBRIAL8 : CBLT8. 67
this sarfftce occurred after the staining had taken place, subsequent, however, to the chipping process which gave it shape, as if it had been loet, and had lain in the water until the red lichen formed upon it> and was then recoTcred and re-sharpened. It is 7^ inches long by 3f broad, and f ths of an inch thick. Nos. 316 and 317 are of the same character, the latter having, however, a better cutting-edge. No. 3 18, from Oughterard, county of Gal way, is a large, flat, elliptical celt, above 10 inches in length, and 2f broad in the middle, and sharp- ened at both extremities. Passed through a wooden handle, it would make a formidable battle-axe. Na dl9f of coarse micaceous horn- blende slate, a rude, rough celt, much acted on by air or water. Na 320, from the county of Armagh, is a very remarkable celt of the long flat character, 13f inches long, 4^ broad, and 1^ thick. Na 321 is of the long rude type, with a sharp edge and round- pointed top; it is 7i inches long by 2^ broad. No. 322, a rude celt, 7} inches long by 3^ broad. No. 323, the largest celt in the Collection, figured on p. 43; is 21 1 inches long, 3f broad, and 1 thick. Na 324, a rude celt of schist, but polished at the cutting- edge, is 9f inches long by 3f broad. It and Nos. 316 and 317 were found in the Shannon.
Nos. 315 to 318 are of dark shale, the latter having lines of stratification visible; No. 320 is of greenstone; No. 321, of hom- blendic greenstone; No. 322, of coarse, gritty slate; No. 323, of coarse, micaceous, clay slate; and No. 324, of homblendic greenstone schist.
In the Cross- Case between the first and second Compartments will be found, with a few exceptions, the remainder of the celts; nearly all of which were found in the bed of the Shannon, and were presented by the Commissioners for Improving the Navigation of that river. Trays Q€k and HH are occupied with celts from the great Shannon find, and present examples of the two materials found in that locality, — the former affording samples of the shale, and the latter of the trap-rocks and felstones. In shape, the specimens on these two Trays differ materially — those of shale being all flat, but almost invariably perfect at the cutting-edge, while those of the harder rocks on Tray BB are mostly of the loDg and round cha- racter, and have been much injured. Nos. 325, 326, 327, and 328, are dark shale; Nos. 329 to 335 are dark shale, approaching Lydian
68 CATALOOUB OF THB MU6BDM.
Stone; Nos. 329 to 353 are all dark shale with planes of stratifica* tion, except No. 344, which is calcareous shale.
Shelf L, Tray CKf*, contains twenty-nine celts, numbered from 325 to 353. In size they varj from No. 343, which is 7| inches in length, by 3 in diameter, to No. 337, which is 4^ inches long, by 1^ in breadth. Except in a few instances, the precise localities from whence these were obtained have not been ascertained ; however, Nos. 332 and 344 are stated to have been found in the bed of the ford at Keelogue, but they do not present anything remarkable.
Shelf L, IVay HB, contains thirty-seven celts, numbered from 354 to 390. Those on the top row, twelve in number, are generally short and broad, and vary in size from No. 360, which is 3| inches long, to No. 365, which is 4f inches in length. Those of the second row are mostly of the smaller varieties, varying from No. 366, which is 3 inches long, to No. 377, which is \\, In the bottom row the specimens are generally of the long thin variety, and vary in size from No. 378, which is 7 inches long, to No. 385, which is 4^. No. 378 is marked with red paint, which it appears to have been used to stir. No. 379 and 380 are slightly curved, and much water- worn ; the latter, as well as No. 382, is stained with a deep red colour by the lichen already alluded to. No. 381, felspathic slate streaked with hornblende, bears the marks of the secondary, or rubbing pro- cess, similar to No. 13. No. 383 is the most perfect specimen of the lot, although composed of yellow sandstone; it is 5| inches long, and ^\ broad, where the cutting-edge joins the body. No. 354 is hornblendic greenstone ; Nos. 355 and 387 are siliceous slate; Nos. 356 and 378 are gritty slate; Nos. 357 and 358, shale; No. 359, pale green felstone; Nos. 360 to 364, and 371 to 376, are felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende, Nos. 361 and 364 being dark varieties, and No. 362 a light variety. Nos. 365 and 384 are dark shale; Nos. 366, 368, and 379, are dark shale, ap- proaching Lydian stone; No. 367, fine-grained greenstone; Nos. 369, syenitic greenstone ; No. 377, porphyritic greenstone ; No. 380, crystalline greenstone; No. 381, porphyry; Nos. 382 and 390, clay- slate; No. 383, yellow sandstone; No. 385, fine siliceous slate; No. 386, mottled felstone porphyry; No. 388, felstone schist; and No. 389, dolerite. This concludes the classified celts attached to Trays. Of the remaining, amounting to one hundred and twenty-
CLASS I. 6TONB MATERIALS : CBLTS. 69
one, 87 were found in the Shannon excayations, making the entire amount of chisels and celts discoYered in that locality one hundred and fifty-seven, haye been placed on the second and third shelves in the cross-case, between the first and second Compartments; thej are nearly all of shale, of the flat character, and of medium size. Several are marked with ihe red lichen, already alluded to, which proves that these specimens were not imbedded in mud or gravel, but had, at least, one side exposed to the action of running water.
The FiSBT Cboss-casb, Shelves II. and III., contains ninety celts, eighty-one of which (numbered from 391 to 471) were found in the Shannon, and which, together with six others in the Bailcase, were — PrtsmiUd by the Shannon Commissumera*
Of the other nine celts on the third Shelf, numbered from 472 to 480, — Na 473 is a small specimen, 3^ inches long, formed out of a shale nodule, and found 15 feet under bog in the town- land of Lisachrin, parish of Desertoghill, and county of Derry. No. 474, of dark shale, and 475, of felstone slate, mottled with hornblende, wer« procured from the parish of Basharkin, county of Antrim, a locality that has afforded many other specimens of stone implements, as already stated. Na 476 is a chisel-shaped in- strument, formed out of a piece of clay-slate, very rude and un- finished in the body, but most accurately shaped, polished, and sharpened to a semicircular cutting-edge. This evidently was a tool in which the edge alone was serviceable: had it answered the purpose of a weapon-axe, more time and labour would, in all pro- bability, have been expended upon its external figure.
Bail-cases A and B. — The remaining thirty celts will be found in the end of Bail-case A, and the commencement of Bail- case B, and are numbered from 481 to 511. From Nos. 481, 482, and 483, have been drawn the illustrations. Figs. 37, 42, and 51, at pp. 41 and 44.
No. 484, measuring 3^ inches long, by 1-^ broad, is a small, de- corated, chisel-shaped celt, of shale, resembling, in most respects, the foregoing number. It has four small perforations, not thorough, but surrounded by engraved circles. This came to hand after the decorated celt. Fig. 51, p. 44, was described. No. 485, of siliceous slate, 3^ inches long, by l^ broad, is perforated at the smaller extre- mity, somewhat chisel-shaped, and flat on the side-edges. No. 486 is
F
70 CATALOGUB OF THE MUSEUM.
2^ ioches long, by 1§ broad, of pale homblendic schist; it was found two feet under the surface, in gravel, oyer moorj, alluvial soil, in the townland of Gardenfield, parish of Tuam, and county of Gal way, dur- ing the drainage of that district in 1851, and was — Presented by the Board of Works, No. 487) already described at p. 45, and covered with marks like Ogham characters, is Tf inches long, by 3 broad, and was procured from M. J. Anketell, Esq., of the county of Mo- naghan. No. 488, of shale, 6|- inches long, by 2 broad, is a thin, narrow celt, in shape like No. 481. No. 489* of pale green felstone, is 5 inches long, by 1^ broad. No. 490 is flat on one side, but on the other ovoid, not unlike Fig. 47, p. 43 ; its dimensions are 3} inches long, by 2^ broad, and it is composed of a remarkably light clay- slate, of the rotten-stone type, similar to No. 461 of the Shannon celts; it was procured from the county of Down. The three next specimens resemble in shape the muscle shell. No. 491$ composed of felspathic trap, mottled with hornblende, is 6^ inches long, by 2 broad. No. 492, of shale, 3^ inches long, by 1^ broad, is similar in shape to the foregoing ; its broad end being rubbed into a celt-shaped cutter, and on the other retaining the natural spike. No. 493 is another muscle-shell- shaped celt, of gray sandstone, 3| inches long, by 1^ broad. The four following numbers, from 494 to 497, are long, chisel-shaped instruments, with celt edges. The first is round- handled, 3^ inches in length, by 1^ broad; it is composed of gritty slate, and was found in the drainage works of Pettylough, on the Farnham estate, county of Cavan. No. 495, a long, round-bodied chisel-celt, of fine-grained, compact grit, is 4f inches long, by 1|> broad. No. 496, a long, narrow, chisel-shaped tool, of gray felstone, 3| inches long, by 1| broad; procured from the parish of Tamlaght O'Crilly, county of Derry. No. 497, a dark variety of felstone, mottled with hornblende, is 3| inches long, by 1^ broad. No. 498, of same material as the last, but of a light variety, is the lower portion of a very beautiful shaped celt, found in Portna Shoal ; it was — Presentedhy the Board ofWorhs. No. 499 is small and chisel-shaped, of gritty shale, 3f inches long, by If broad. Nos. 500 and 501 are of felstone, mottled with hornblende; the former is 3 inches long, by 1§ broad; the latter 3 inches in length, by 1^ broad. No. 502, of dark dolerite, with spangles of mica, is 3{ inches long, by 1^ broad.
CLASS I. — STONB MATKBIALS : CBLTS. 71
Na 503, of hornblende date: a small celt, from the county of Down, much weathered, but perfect in outline; its length is 3^ inches, by l-j^ broad. No. 504, a hand chisel, of pale slate, 2} inches long, by 2 broad, is remarkable for being found in an urn near the ruins of Trummery church, county of Antrim. No. 505, of shale, 3| inches long, by 2^ broad, was — Presented by Captain Walsh* Nos.506 and 507 are of felstone, mottled with hornblende ; the former is a well-polished, medium-sized celt, 4f inches long, by 2f broad, remarkable for the extreme sharpness and perfection of its edge, which presents a wa^y line rarely seen in celts, but which may be observed in Nos. 482 and 498 in this compartment; the cutting* edge is prolonged on one side, and not on the other; it was found in the excavations above the new bridge at Killeshandra, county of Cavan. Na 507, similar in shape to No. 481, is 5^ inches long, by 2 broad ; it was found in Drumrane reach, in the bed of the old river near Ballinamore, county of Leitrim. No. 508, of homblendic sye- nite; round-handled, and very perfect, is 5 j- inches long, by 2 broad, and 1^ thick ; it was found near Killeshandra during the drainage operations there, and was, with the two previous specimens — Presented hy the Board of Works. No. 509« of coarse, decomposing greenstone, and 510, of basalt, are bulky celts, resembling punches, with which they might not improperly be classed. No. 5 1 1 is a dark shale celt, 6f inches long, and 3 broad ; it was found in gravel, 4^ feet beneath the surface of the river Suir, above Knocknageera Bridge, barony of Eliogarty, and county of Tipperary, and 'WBa-^Presented by the Board of Works. No. 512, the last in the Collection, of shale, 3^ inches long, was found near Bathbarn, county of Sligo.
Nos. 485, 488, 491, 492, 495, and 497 yrere^PresenUd by the Shannon Commissioners; and Nos. 494 and 502 — by Lord Farnham.
The total number of stone celts in the Academy's Collection at present amounts to five hundred and twelve.
Upon the composition and lithological characters of these stone celts, Professor Haughton, having carefully examined every specimen in the Collection, has furnished much valuable information, of a kind which has not heretofore been associated with antiquarian researches. Upon reviewing this grand col-
f2
72 CATALOGUB OF THE MUSEUM.
lection of celts, we cannot but be impressed with the fact already alluded to, that all the good specimens, evidently de- signed for special purposes, and given certain definite shapes, were formed out of rocks characterized by the possession of all the requisite qualities for such articles ; while the rude, ill- formed, and apparently inexpensive implements of this class were made of shale, slate, schist, grit, or any other stone which offered within the reach of those who required them.
Of the better qualities of rock suited for celt-making, — ^the type of the felspathic extreme of the series of trap rocks is the pure felstone, or petrosilex, alluded to at page 65, of a pale bluish or grayish green, except where the surface has been acted upon, and the average composition of which is 25 parts quartz and 75 felspar. Its physical characters are absence of toughness, and the existence of a splintery con- choidal fracture almost as sharp as that of flint. It was this which caused it to be preferred for the manufacture of all sharp cutting celts. This rock is closely allied to obsidian and some varieties of trachyte, and exists at Bellrock, Ballymurtagh, county of Wicklow; Carrickburn, county of Wexford; Knock- mahon, county of Waterford ; and Benaunmore, Killamey, county of Kerry.*
At the homblendic extreme of the trap rocks we find the basalt, of which also celts were made ; tough and heavy, the siliceous varieties having a splintery fracture, but never affording so cutting an edge as the former. It ia composed of augite, zeolites, and mf^etic iron, and is confined to Antrim alone.
* In Rail-caM B has been placed, for the sake of comparison, a celt found in the cntting of a railway between Kingstown and Spantshtown, in the island of Jamaica, and — Pretented by G. M. Miller ^ Esq., C, R It is 8^ inches long, and 4^ broad at the widest portion, pointed at one end, and very sharp at the round cutting-edge. It is shaped like a muscle shell, is highly polished, and does not possess a single flaw ; it may be taken as one of the most beautiful specimens of a celt, and one of the most perfect samples of the material most precious in the formation of such instruments, being a greenish felstone.
CLASS I. — STONE MATERIALS: CELTS; USES. 73
Intermediate in character between these two rocks, we find all the varieties of felstone, slate, and porphyry streaked with hornblende, from which the great majority of the fore- going implements have been made.
There can be little doubt that these rocks were specially sought afler for the manufacture of the required implements ; it is also apparent that the knowledge of these stones and the formation of these tools and weapons was a special art, and that there was a trade in them from one part of the country to another.
In the absence of direct proof, the inquirer must form his own opinion respecting the precise use of the typical Stone Celt, — as to whether it was a tool or a weapon, or served the office of both. Whether the celt was the Lta miledh, or war- rioi^s stone alluded to at p. 1 7, is also a question worthy of in- vestigation. The following most interesting references to documentary evidence, bearing upon this questifon, have been oommimicated by Mr. Curry : —
In the ancient Irish tract descriptive of the career of Con- gal Claringnech, prince of Ulster, preserved in the Library of the Academy, we read that Fergus <* put his hand into the hoUow of his shield, and took out of it a Leacdn laechmhu leadh [the semi-flat stone of a soldier-champion], and threw a manly cast, and struck the hag [a druidess] on the front of her head, which it passed through, and carried out its own size of the brains at her poll.'*
In the Book of Ballymote it is said that Eochaidh, son of Enna Ceinnselach, threw a cast of a Liagh ehuradh (a cham- pion's flat stone), which he held in his girdle, which struck Laidcainn, the poet, in the forehead, where it remaned, and he was killed by it.
In the record of the battle of the Ford of Comar, near Fore, in the county of Westmeath, and which is supposed to have oc- curred in the century before the Christian era,— it is said that ^* there came not a man of Lohar's people without a broad, green spear, nor without a dazzling shield, nor without SLLiaffh-lamha--
74 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
laick [a champion's hand-stone], stowed away in the hollow
cavity of his shield And Lohar carried his stone
like each of his men ; and seeing the moniurch, his father, standing in the ford with Ceat, son of Magach, at one side, and Connall Ceamach at the other, to guard him, he grasped his battle-stone quickly and dexterously, and threw it with all his strengtli, and with unerring aim, at the king, his fitther ; and the massive stone passed with a swifl rotatory motion to- wards the king ; and despite the efforts of his two brave guar- dians, it struck him on the breast, and laid him prostrate in the ford. The king, however, recovered from the shock, arose, imd, placing his foot upon the formidable stone, pressed it into the earth, where it remtuns to this day, with a third part of it over ground, and the print of the king's foot visible on it."
The account of the battle fought near Limerick by CaUachan Cashel agwist the Danes, about A. D. 920, and preserved in the Book of Lismore, describing the warfare of the period states, that ** their youths and their champions, and their proud, haughty veterans, came to the front of the battle to cast their stones, and their small arrows, and their smooth spears on all sides." So that even so late as the tenth century stones were used in battle in Ireland.
From these it is manifest that the stone used was sharp at one end, and unconnected with a handle, or it could not (making every allowance for the mode of expression of the period) have passed through and through the head. It ap- pears to have been a naked celt thrown with the hand.
Sling^stonbs. — At page 17 we gave a description of the flint sling-stone, and this seems the proper place to describe similar implements of stone. In Bail-case B vdll be found a number of flat, oval stones, of small size, numbered firom 1 to 9, and which apparently belong to this species of weapon. No. 1, here figured one-third the natural size, is formed out of a piece of hard gritty sandstone, of a reddish colour, and is 3yV inches in the long, and 2^ in the short diameter, and is 1 ^ thick. It is geometrically perfect in all its proportions.
CLASS I. — 8TOHB MATERIALS: 8LING-STONBS. 75
fuu] exhibits great skill and labour in its formation. Whether used as a fingeivstone, or projected with a sling, a more pei^ feet missile of its kind could not possibly have been formed ; and it is only to be eqoalled by the flint weapon of the same
FlRiU. KaL Hg-M Ho. & Slg.il. Na.S.
variety already figured at page 18, and to be found on Tray X, No. 490. That such stones, as well as the sharp, polished celt, were risked in the cast, is true ; but their value as de- structive endues can only be measured by the importance attached to the death of a celebrated leader or champion at the time they were in use ; and the perfection which was, in all probability, atttuned in early times in projectiDg such im- plements as celts, finger-stones, or sUng-stones, may be esti- mated by the predsion with which stones were flung at &ction-fights in modem times. No. 2 is a perfect specimen of the foregoing, but somewhat flatter and longer, and not so very regular in its proportions; the edge is also rather sharper ; it is made of limestone pebble, and ie 3^ inches long, by 2^ broad, and 1 J thick. In the centre of each flat surface may be observed a slight indentation, such as might be effected by rubbing with a metal tool. This curious mark is generally cut into the stone firom about a line, or the mghth of an inch, obliquely to the perpendicular line of the implement, and has been observed on many ramilorly formed, and also on shuttle- shaped stones in this country and in Northern Europe. Models of some of these will be found in the Scandinavian GoUection. While the foregoing were evidently formed with the greatest care, and according to some definite rule, and fur a precise object, natural stones, approaching them in shape.
76 CATALOGUE OF THB MU8BUM.
appear to have been employed for like purposeSy of which we poBsees Bome examples in this Collection. Nos. 3 and 4, the former represented one-third the natural size by Fig. 56, are natural quartz rock pebbles, flat, and nearly circular, with round edges, apparently water- worn, and resembling, as far as possible in a state of nature, artifidally formed sling-stones, and appear to have been used for a like purpose ; they both bear the indented line on each side. This mark is sometimes polished like the rest of the surface, but more frequently bears the mark of a tool, as if worked in by sharpening the point of a knife or dagger, for which use they may have been occasion- ally employed. They were, in all probability, carried in either the satchel, the girdle, or the hollow of the shield. If taken in the hand, a more perfect finger-stone cannot well be imagined. No. 3, which is 2| inches in the largest dia- meter, was — Presented by Lord Farnham. No. 5, Fig. 57, formed out of quartz rock, was either another variety of sling-stone, or is in the formative process towards No. 1, from which it differs in having a more pointed extremity, and flat side-edges. It is 2| inches long, 2^ broad, and 1^ thick in the middle, from which it inclines on all sides to the flat side-edge, which is |th8 of an inch in breadth in the mid- dle, and about \ an inch at each extremity. This, with Nos. I and 2 (being the three altogether artificially formed stones of this class in the Collection) were found during the Shannon excavations, but the p^recise localities, or the peculiar circumstances under which they were discovered, have not been recorded. They were — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. No. 6 is a sling-stone of quartz rock, similar to No. 1. It is nearly 3f inches long, is 2| broad, and 1^ in thickness. This remarkable specimen, which is the longest of the variety, and was found in the Dunshaughlin Crannoge,* is a natural flatted oval stone, which has been rubbed or ground on the edge so as to take off any irregularity which may have presented on
* For the description of a Cranaoge, or stockaded island, see Section III., Wooden Siaterials.
CLa8S I. — STOMK MATERIALS : SLING-STONBS. 77
the natural surface ; it also shows the commencement of the oblique indentation on the sides as if a metal tool had been sharpened upon it. No. 7 is an oblong or kidney- shaped na- tural stone, 5 inches in length, and rounded at the extremities; the side indentation is not artificial: it also was procured from Dunshaughlin. No. 8 is like the foregoing, of quartz rock, but is a smaller specimen, being only 3^ inches in length. No. 9, an oval, naturally-formed stone, of gray grit, 3| inches long, 3 broad, and If thick, smooth on the surface, but has been artificially rubbed all round the edge ; in &ct, the pro- cess of forming it into a perfect sling-stone had been just commenced.
In the ancient metrical story of the Tain-bO'Cuailgne^ or great cattle niid of Louth, several descriptions are given of the dress and arms of the early Irish soldiery, extracts form which have been kindly furnished by D. H. Kelly, Esq.* Thus, in Cuchullin's conflict with Leathan, the champion made a sign to his slingers to remain under cover of the Bards, and to sling round stones over their heads at Meabh, Queen of Connaught. Again, in his combat with Cuir Mac Dalot — the warrior, '^ on his antagonist fixing firm his eyes, flung his eight balls high up into the air ; and whilst on them his attention was fixed, slung one so dextrously that it struck Mac Dalot's shield, and right through it reached his face. And so great was the force of the ball by CuchuUin flung, that through his head it passed, driving his brains out at the hind part of his fractured skull." And in the description of his chariot and armour, after enumerating his swords, spears, arrows, and shields, &c., it says, he bore *^ in his hands his slaughter-deal- ing sling."
This concludes the weapons and weapon-tools of stone ; and, according to our classification, the tools proper follow next in succession.
* Th6 Rev. Dr. Graves has recently placed at our service a valuable translation of this MS., made by Mr. Cuny.
78 CATALOGUE OF THE MCSBUM.
8FBCIB8 IL — TOOLS.
Hammers. — Next to the stone-liatchet or celt, used as a tool or wei^n, and either held directly in the hand, or fitted into a wooden handle, we may take up the stone hammer^ into which the handle was inserted. Thb necessitated the formation of an apertore, which was a decided advance ia art; yet the typical form of the celt was retained in the earliest of these tools. The hole was probably produced by rotatory friction, as in rubbing or drilling with another hard, round stone, and the use of sand and water. Yet, as the stone hammer descended to much more modem times than wea- pons of the same material, metal may have been employed in making the aperture. Indeed, in some of the most perfect specimens in the Collection, a careful examination of the edge, and also the inner surface of the hole, leaves no doubt that the piece was cut out with a metal drill (see in particular Nos. 7> 9, 10, 12, and 21, on Trays II and KK). Where metal was used, the sides of the apertures are cylindrical, and in some cases the circular lines lefl by the tool may be seen, as in No. 7 ; where, on the contrary, a stone was used, the edge of the aper- ture is deeply splayed on each idde, and the septum broken through, as shown in several of the hammers on Tray II, especially No. 5. From an examination of the specimens it would appear, that in the earliest and rudest, the site deter- mined upon for the hole was first chipped, or punched into a hollow, or indentation, and then the rotatory or grinding ac- tion of a hard, round, stone chisel, or punch, — such, perhaps, as some of those on Tray BC, — was employed. By the same process the opposite side of the hammer was worked upon until the apertures met in the centre. The commencement of this process may be seen in the ovoid-shaped stones on Tray NK, where we find a series of objects illustrating the process of the formation of the aperture (see p. 94).
CLASS 1. — 8TUNB HATBBI&La: IIAMHKHS. 79
The Btone bammera in the Collection nu; be divided into five varietiefl. First, the celt-ahaped, of which the aocomps- nying iUnstrations are good examples ; the lifge, rude epeci- men, fig. 58, one-fiM the natural size, la said to have been recently in use before it came into the possession of the A.cademy ; and is provided with a modem wooden han- dle. It is composed of coarse homblendic greenstone, is 10} inches in length, rounded at one extremity, and pointed at the other. Such an implement would be very efiective in driving states, propelling wedges, chipping and ebai^ ing stonee, or hammering punches, chisels, or cutters, in mining openUJooB, or in slaughtering cattle. In this, and all the other rarietiee of celt-shaped hammers, the aper- tme ia placed behind the centre. In the small specumen, No. 5, f^. S9j we find the type preserved, although it is somewhat pointed at the end, behind the handle ; it is 4 j inches long, and shows, in a remarkable
manner, the deep splay for the hole. Of the same descrip- tion is No. 4, also on Tray IX.
The second variety, Fig. 60, is narrower than the former, and resembles the modem atonemaeoa's hammer, of which Nob. 14, Id, 16, and .17, on Tray SK, are good examples. In these, the particulars of which are ^ven in the descrip- ti<Mi of that Tmy, the aperture is in the centre, or very nearly
80 CATALOGUE OF THB MUSEUM.
BO. Fig. 61, No. 7, of flint, ehowathe track of the metal tool npoD its aperture. It is, like all the others, except No. 9, one- fifth the natural size.
The third variety, Fig. 62, is e^-ehaped, three specimens of wliich, Noa. 8, 9, and 10, are shown on Tray kk, and of which the accompanying illustration, drawn one- fourth the actual size, aSbrda a good
(example. The aperture is small and cylindrical. It is of greenish micaceous ' aandstone. The fourth variety ia the mallet, or maul, Hg. 63, of which we /' '\
find two fine specimena, composed of \ J
>Tg.8». No,s. gneiss, highly polished, with email, ac- Fi«.«rK^.u curately cut apertures, and having rounded faces at each end. Such implements were, in all probability, used in metal- working, especially in the manufacture of gold and silver. They are oval in section, as ehown in the cut.
The fiflh variety is characterized by its broad hatchet-edge, indented at top and bottom, and maasive extremity behind
the handle, like a modem pole- axe. These three illustrations are all of the same variety, although presenting great diversity in size. Fig. 64 ia of red sandstone, and only 5J inches long ; while Fig. 65, which ia of serpentine, and may be styled a maaaive sledge-hatchet^ b 8^ inches long, and 4^ wide, the aperture bring !| in diameter; it weighs 6 lbs. 6 oz. The third specimen of this variety.
. Nu-n.
CLASS I. — STONE MATERIALS : HAMMERS AND AXES. 81
Fig. 66, is, with its fellow, No. 20, one of the most beaatiiul specimens, both in design and execution, of the stone battle- axe which has been found in the British Isles. It is com- posed of fine-gnuned homblendic syenite, and is highly polished all oyer, including even the sides of the aperture. It is 5f inches in length, and 3^ broad at the widest portion. The edge is as sharp as that of most celts, while the hammer end is smoothed and polished ; thus it might have been used as a maul in the workshop of the goldbeater ; or as a war-mace, or battle-axe, have been wielded by the hand of the chieftain. Stone hammers, and not unireqnently stone anvils, have been employed by country smiths and tinkers in some of the remote country districts until a comparatively recent period. The Irish name for a hammer is ordy a sledge, — a generic term ; hence lamh-ordy the hand-sledge ; cas-ord, the short, winding hammer ; and maoelin, the little bald, or clawless hammer, &c.
Compartment III Shelf III., Tray IZ, coDtains seven ham- mers of the flat celt shape, and having the aperture for the handle behind the centre. No. 1, Fig. 58, on p. 79t is one of the largest size, measuring 10| inches in length, 6^ in breadth, and 2| thick; it is round at one end, and somewhat pointed at the other, and is composed of coarse hornblendic greenstone. No. 2 is of the same character, but much broader at the point, is 10 inches long, 5^ broad, and 2f thick : the hole is placed behind the centre, and in both it and No. 1, the top, or upper surface, is more convex than the bot- tom. No. 3, a portion of a large hammer, of dolerite, 5 inches long, 4 J broad, and 3-^ thick, is more pointed at the end than either of the foregoing, but has the hole for the handle apparently more in the centre. The fracture through the middle of the fragment enables us to see that the hole was made from both sides, meeting in the centre. It was found at Brown's Bay, Island Magee, county of Antrim, in 1846, and was — Presented by J, Evhand Smithy Esq, No. 4 is the largest specimen in the collection, being nearly 12 inches in length, by 6} broad at the widest portion, and 2-^ thick. It is also of the celt shape, but slightly indented, so as to pre-
82 CATALOGUE OF THK MUSEUM.
sent curves in the outline between the handle-hole and the point, which latter is 7f inches from the centre of the hole; both enda are round; the upper surface, presented by its present position, is convex. This specimen, together with Nos. 2 and 5, are formed of white coal sandstone. No. 5 is a miniature example of the for- mer, but the outlines are much more elegant ; it is 4| inches long, 2f broad, and 1^ thick. The hole is behind the centre, bat the anterior portion is comparatively more prolonged than that of the preceding. The aperture is remarkable, showing the pro- cess of cutting out the piece, the splay being so great that it ia 1| inches wide at the surface, while it is but f ths of an inch in the clear of the bore. Nos. 6 and 7 have the handle-hole nearer the centre than any of the forgoing. No. 6 is of close-grained grit, 4| inches long, by 2^ broad, and 2^ thick ; it is slightly imperfect. No. 7» represented by Fig. 61, on page 79) is of a somewhat different shape from any of the former; it is 5| inches long, 2f wide, and If thick, presenting nearly a flat face at each end. It is of smoothly polished flint. From the circular cutting within the aperture, one is led to the belief that it was formed with a metal drill, and not made with another stone.
Shelf III., Tray KK, contains fourteen hammers and hammer- shaped axes, from Nos. 8 to 21. Nos. 8, 9» and 10, are oval-shaped hammers, similar in form to those egg-shaped stones, with inden- tations in the sides, which may be seen at the top of Tray NK. No 8 is 4]^ inches long, by 2f broad, and If thick. The ends are rounded; it is slightly flattened in the middle; the aperture is in the centre, and is less beviUed than in the specimens on the fore- going Tray. It, together with Nos. 15, 16, and 17, upon this Tray, were found in the excavations at Portna Shoal, river Bann, and were — Presented by the Board of Works, (See also page 10.) No. 9 is egg-shaped, 4f inches long, 2f broad, and 2| thick, rounded at the extremities, and remarkable for being an example of a hammer in which the bore of the aperture presents parallel sides, it having been apparently drilled out by some metal tool. This and No. 8 are of greenish micaceous sandstone, smoothed, but not polished. It was procured from the bed of the Shannon, about 50 yards above the bridge of Athlone, and was — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners, No. 10, Fig. 62, composed of crystalline
CLASS I. — STONE MATERIALS : HAMMERS AND AXES. 83
syenite, pitted on the surface, is of the same pattern, but broader; it is 4^ inches in length, 3 broad, and 2§ thick. An examination of the aperture, the sides of which are nearly parallel, will show the central ridge, where the septum between the borings was broken through.
Nos. 11 and 12 are manls or drcolar mallets, of gneiss, sniooihed all oyer with great care. In both the aperture is com- paratively small for the size of the tool, and is cut out with great precision, the sides being parallel and the surface perfectly smooth ; so far as we are now capable of forming an opinion, nothing but a metal drill could have taken out the circular piece which origin- ally filled this aperture. These mauls are slightly larger at one ex- tremity than the other. No. 1 1 is 3^ inches long and 2^ broad. Na 12, Fig. 63, on page 80, is 3^ long, and 2| broad: it shows the ridge where the boring from either side met. It was — Presented by Lord Faniham.
Na 13 is a small tool, like a stone-breaker's hammer, only 3^ inches long, and composed of gneiss. It was found at Higginsbrook, near Trim, and was — Presented by F. Higgins^ Eeq»
Nos. 14, 15, 16, and 17, resemble modern stone-masons' dress- ing hammers; have large oval apertures nearly central, and sharp pick or wedge-shaped points, which taper to both extremities, one of which has a round striking-face, and the other a wedge or hatchet edge.
No. 14 is 6^ inches long, and differs from the others of its class in having a hatchet-edge 2f inches in length, while the rounded extremity at the other end is but 1^ inches broad. The hole is ▼ery large for the size of the hammer, being 1^ inches in diameter, and slightly bevilled ; owing to the thinness of its sides, it has been fractured at this point ; it is of gray sandstone, weathering brown.
Na 15, of fine homblendic greenstone, represented as Fig. 60, at p. 799 ^ the most perfect specimen of its kind, and resembles the modem stone-mason's iron hammer. It is 6 inches long; 2^ inches wide at the broadest portion, and 1^ thick. The hole, which is nearly in the centre of the tool, is oval, being 1^ inches in length, and 1 inch in the transverse diameter; it is slightly dished or hol- lowed. The QUtting-edge is hatchet-shaped, and nearly square; the
84 CATALOGUE OF THB MU8BUM.
hammer-end slightly tounded. No. 16 is of coarse gray sandstone, 4f inches long, and much acted on by the atmosphere ; it differs from the former in the broadest portion being behind the centre, where it is 1} inches broad; the hole is more oval than even the former, being Ifths by ^ths of an inch in diameter. No. 17 — This very perfect specimen, composed of fine-grained white sandstone,, pre- sents nearly the same form on either side of the aperture, which is very large, and has slightly sloping sides. It measures 4f inches long, by if in breadth, is round at one end, and hatchet- shaped at the other; the hole is 1 inch in diameter.
No. 18, a large sledge-axe, of serpentine, such as that found in Gonnemara, measuring 8^ inches long, 4| broad at the cutting-edge, and also at the back, is indented to the width of 2| inches in the centre at top and bottom. The aperture is very large, has nearly parallel polished sides, and is If inches in the clear. This massive implement is 3^ inches thick ; and is represented by Fig. 65, at p. 80. It was found at Eillilea, county of Down, and was — Pre- sented by the Rev, Dr. Hincks. No. 19, represented as Fig. 64, p. 80, shows the intermediate form of indentation between No. 18, on the one hand, and No. 21, on the other. It is composed of red sandstone, is 5^ inches long, by 2f broad, behind the aperture, and 2| thick. The hole is comparatively very small, and has parallel sides. — Presented hy Lard Famham. Nos. 20 and 21 are two beau- tifully formed battle-axe hammers, the first of sandstone, the second of fine-grained hornblendic syenite. No. 20 is 4f inches long, and 3^ broad at the hatchet-edge ; it is more curved in its indented sides, but it does not present the same amount of ornamenta- tion as No. 21 ; the hole is smooth and round. It was found in the county of Galway, and — Presented by A. B, Cane, Esq, No. 21, figured as 66, on p. 80, is the most beautiful specimen of battle-axe hammer discovered in this country. It was found in the river at Athlone, is 6^ inches long, 3^ broad at the hatchet- edge, and was — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners.
Punches, cutters, punch-hammers, and pounders, the original type, and the perfect form of which are expressed by the accompanying illustrations, naturally occupy the next place to the hammers. With three exceptions, the sixteen
CLASS I. STONB MATERIALS : PUNCHES AND CUTTER^. 85
tools of this class in the Collection have been attached to Tray Z&, which is placed in the lowest space of the third Com- partment. They are all more or less conical, or wedge-shaped^ and vary in section from a round, No. 22, Fig. 67, to an oval or elliptical form, No. 35, Fig. 68. The head or upper portion generally bears the marks of hammering, while the lower
part is usually smooth, and either round or formed into a chisel-edge. Several of these punches have a groove on the side, more or less indented, round which was twisted a gad or flexible rod, which held it like a blacksmith's punch or Fjg.«7, N4.KL ^i^^gi jn ^g ;^ modern ^^-"^ ^^^^ ^
times. In some of the rude forms this indentation is very slight; but in other specimens, — as No. 35, figured above, which is 5j^ inches long, by 4^ broad, and composed of hard greenish grit, smoothed all over, and polished at the edge, — it is cut in very deeply. In the absence of any authority whereby to determine the date of such an implement as this, we are led to associate it with the use of metals, and to con- sider it as coeval with the finer description of hammers figured in the foregoing section.
In the thirteen specimens given on Tray iJi, we find punches of the rudest and most massive form, as set forth in the following description. Most of them have been procured from the south of Ireland, several from the neighbourhood of Killar- ney ; and as many of them have been found in ancient mines, they are usually associated with mining operations, and have been denominated " miners* hammers."* The three most highly finished specimens, Nos. 35,36, and37, are placed in Bail-case B.
* In the Ber. W. Hamilton's '* Letten concerning the northern coast of the Connty of Antrim," we read an account of the diacoyery, hi 1797, of a number of tools in an ancient mine at Ballycastle. See p. 84.
G
86 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
Shelf IIL, Tray UL, contains thirteen punches and miners' hammers, so called, numbered from 22 to 34, which, with the three more definitely-shaped examples of this description of tool in the Bail-case, amount together to sixteen specimens. No. 22, Fig. 67» is a massiye punch, of gray quartz, 6^ inches high, by 5| broad at top. It has an indentation chipped into it all round, for adapting to it the gad or holder. It was found at Ross Island, near Killamey, and was — Presented hy Mr, B. Hitchcock. No. 23, a smaller speci- men than the foregoing, composed of white sandstone, weather- ing brown, is 6^ inches long, and 4^ wide at the top ; it was procured from Innisfallen, Killarney, and was the gift of the late Robert Ball, Esq., to Dean Dawson, with whose collection it was purchased. No. 24 is an oval-shaped, rude hammer-punch, of fine gray sand- stone, flattened at the ends, and grooved at the sides, 5| inches long, and 4 wide. Nos. 25, 26, and 27 are three rude implements, fractured by use; found beneath six feet of peat in an old copper mine, in the townland of Boulysallagh, parish of Kielmore, near Skibbereen, county of Cork, and which were — Presented hy Oaptcdn H, Thomas (see Proceedings, vol. ii p. 64). They are composed of gray, micaceous, gritty sandstone. No. 25, greenish. Nos. 26 and 27 appear to be natural-shaped stones, slightly modified for use; the latter is 6^ inches long. No. 28 is a heavy celt-shaped pounder, of metamorphic slate, with a cutting-edge, very perfect in all respects, 5| inches in length, by 3 broad. No. 29 is oblong, square-edged, of the massive chisel character, and composed of dark shale; it is 6§ inches long, by 2^ broad at one end, and If at the other, and is 1^ thick ; it is blunt at both extremities. No. 30, a rude pounder, 6 inches long, by 3 J broad, of coarse yellow grit. No. 31, a natural- shaped stone, showing scarcely any traces of manufacture, but exhibiting marks of having been used as a punch or pounder; it is 5^ inches long, by 3f broad, and resembles No. 25. No. 32 is a celt-shaped punch, 9 inches long, by 3} broad, tapering to a point at top. No. 33, a pounder, or heavy celt, 5| inches long, by 2} broad; its thick end is much broken by use. No. 34, an egg- shaped or oval stone, flattened on the sides, 6J inches long, by 4| broad.
No. 35, in Rail-case B, is a true punch or cutter, with a sharp, wavy edge ; it is polished for about an inch up the body of the tool.
CLilSS I. — STONB MATERIALS : WUfiTSTONBS. 87
bat all the rest of the stone is pitted, except the under Bide» which is nibbed flat (see Fig. 68); it is 6| inches long, by 3f broad, and, together with No. 36, is composed of hard greenish grit No. 36, is an OTal, flattish stone, indented at both sides towards the top; it is 6^ inches long, by 3 broad. No. 37 is of the same character as the foregoing, bat sharp at the edge, and 8f inches long, by 1} broad; it is formed out of a piece of micaceous green grit
Whbtstonbs— large and smally round and quadrangu- lar— ^vary in size from No. 48, figured below, which is 7J inches long, to No. 68, which, with the foregoing, is placed on Tray lOft, and is only 2| inches long, but perforated at both extremities. Articles of this nature were used for polishing other stones, or for sharpen- ing and polishing metallic "*' ®* ^^' ^ implements of the tool tod weapon class. Being always a necessary appliance of art, they have come down without much alteration to the present time, of which examples are afibrded in the cutler's oil-hone, and the water rag-stone of the carpenter, or the rough dry-stone for sharpening the sc^he or hay-knife. The antiitjue specimens, which are almost invariably composed of sandstone, are usually found in con- nexion with metal objects, and particularly in crannoges.
Shelf L, IVo^lOI, contains thirty whetstones, numbered from 88 to 68, and composed, for the most part, of sandstone; several are natural formations, rubbed into their present shape by use. They may be divided into the oblong, flat, round, four-sided, and conical; several of the smaller ones are perforated. In size these tools vary, from No. 48 figured above, which may be taken as the type of the large oblong variety, to No. 68, the last on the Tray, which is only 2f inches long, by ^ an inch broad. Of the five in the top row, the first is an example of the long four-sided sharpening-stone, and is 7^ inches in length, by 1^ broad. The four next are examples of the flat variety, and average 6 inches in length, by 2 in breadth ; they have
62
88 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
evidentlj been much nsed, and are all composed of sandstone. The second row also consists of five specimens ; No. 43, of a soft variety of whet-slate, is 5^ inches long, If broad, and 1 inch deep; it is a medium between the flat and the long. No. 44, partially natural, of gritty sandstone, has been rubbed round on one side, and flat on the other; it is 6 inches long, by 2f broad. No. 45, a piece of fine-grained gritty sandstone, nearly natural in shape, but bearing evident marks of having been used in sharpening, may be taken as the type of the round variety. No. 46, in composition similar to the last, is the most perfect specimen of the round variety, being as accurately shaped as if it had been turned in a lathe; it is 6^ inches long, by If broad. No. 47, of coarse white sandstone, 5f inches long, by 2^ across near the base, and 1^ at the top, is rounded at both extremities, and resembles a stone pestle. No. 48 (Fig. 69), placed across the Tray, and composed of medium-grained white sandstone, is 7^ inches long, by 1^ broad. It is indented at one extremity, — showing the commencement of a hole.
The third row contains five specimens of the flat variety. No. 49, a whet-slate, 5| inches long, by If broad, and 1 thick, is chisel-edged at the lower end, and round at top. No. 50, of fine sandstone, is a small variety of the former. No. 51, a hard descrip- tion of whet-slate, is 5 inches in length, flat, square-edged, but broken at the extremity. No. 52, of soft whet-slate, of the same class, but flatter than the foregoing, and imperfect at the end, is 5^ inches in length; it is both perforated and decorated at the top. No. 53, of whet- slate, is an irregular specimen of the long variety, 4f inches in length. Nos. 54 and 55 are of gritty sandstone.
The fourth row contains six small specimens, the largest of which. No. 56j of sandstone, resembles No. 48, the type specimen, but is only 4} inches in length, and little more than 1 inch in breadth. No. 57, of sandstone, is perforated at top.
The last row contains nine small specimens, which, with one ex- ception, are all of sandstone, perforated, and averaging 3^ inches in length. The excepted specimen, No. 66, of blue slate, is indented on the surface, possibly by rubbing, and might have been used as a mould for casting metal. No. 68, of sandstone, and much worn, has two apertures.
CLASS I. — STONB MATERIALS .* BURNISHERS, TOUCHSTONES. 89
Nob. 38, 39, 42, 52, and 53, were found in the Ballinderry cran- noge, near Moate, county of Westmeath ; Nos. 44, 48, and 52, came from that at Dunshaughlin, county of Meath ; Nos. 50 and 63 are from the county of Wicklow ; Nos. 58 and 59 were found in the Strokestown crannoges, county of Bosoommon ; and No. 66 came from the county of Tipperary.
In addition to the foregoing, several other whetstones may be seen in the Museum, as part of the typical articles retained to- gether under the head of '* Finds.''
BuBNiSHERS. — Under this head may be classed Nos. 69 and 70, in Rail-case B, two small specimens of soft honestone, of a light drab colour ; the former of which, here figured two- thirds the natu- ral size, is 4 inches long, 1 } broad,
and iV^lis thick,
thinning towards
the edge. The
second specimen, fi«. 70. no. 69.
No. 70, of the same make as the former, is slightly imperfect, and
only fths of an inch in breadth ; it is, however, beautifully smooth,
and polished on the upper surface. These implements, both of
which are perforated, might have been used as burnishers. '* They
were found in a bog at Corren, three miles from Armagh, in the
year 1833, in a box bound with a gold band, together with some
gold circular plates, and several jet beads of various shapes.'* They
were purchased for the Museum along with the Dawson Collection,
and bear the foregoing inscription.
Of the class of burnishers, — tools which must have been in use during the metal age, — may be specified a few natural stones also in Bail-case B, and numbered 71, 72, and 73.
Touchstones. — In all countries where the use of gold was known, touchstones for testing the purity of that metal were employed by the workers thereof; and hence we find several specimens of such in the Royal Irish Academy's Col- lection. They appear from their make to have been worn on the person, several being provided with a hole for the at-
90 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
tachment of a string. They have been placed along with the small objects of personal decoration, such as beads and rings of necklaces (to which latter they were probably pendants), on Tray PP, at the end of the top shelf of the third Com- partment, and amount to nine specimens, numbered from 74 to 83. They are of two kinds, flat and four-sided, with and without perforations. The accompanying illustration, the na- tural size, and composed of quartz, is a good ex- ample of the latter va- riety. As already stated, the black Lydian stone "^'"^ "^^"^
is a good material for gold-testing, but most of those im- plements to which attention is now directed are of a reddish-brown colour, and composed of jasper ; a few aze quartz rock. Both colours are, however, in accordance with De Boot's description of the true touchstone, which he thus defined : — *^ Atrum et ferreum habet hie lapis colorem interdum rufum^ ad polituram aptus/' See p. 11 of this Catalogue.
Trai/ PP contains, on the bottom row, nine touchstones. No. 74 is the largest of the set, 4 inches long, 1^ broad, and com- posed of jasper slate. No. 75 is an oval, perforated touchstone, also composed of jasper-slate. No. 76, — a four-sided piece of quartz rock, of a reddish colour, and very similar to the type-stone figured above, — is 2^ inches long, by j^ an inch broad in the middle. No. 77, of jasper, long and perforated, 1| inches in length. No. 78, — fiat, rounded at the edge^ and perforated, 2-^ inches long, by If broad, — is a piece of very fine grit, of a yellowish drab colour, and very hard upon the surface. No. 79* composed of jasper, is 1| inches long, and highly polished. No. 80, represented by Fig. 71, is, like No. 76, of the sharpening-stone shape, and composed of quartz rock. No. 81, a fiat, perforated piece of jasper, 3^ inches long, was — Pre- sented by Lord Famham, No. 82, of jasper-slate, is 3j^ inches long, by 1 broad, and f ths of an inch thick.
CLASS I. — STONB UATBRIAL8 : MOULDS. 91
Moulds. — On the fourth Shelf of the Cross-case, between the first and seoond Compartments, are ammged sixteen stone moulds, some of great antiquity, and others apparently very modem. Of the former may be spedfied those which were evidently employed in casting bronze celts and arrows, as Nos. 63 and 8ff, here figured one-fourth the natural
«ze. The first is a triangular piece of coarse white sand- stone, indented on both sides for castings ; — upon that here presented, we find the mouldings for a simple celt, 3 inches long; and another for one 4 inches long, with a cross stop, and a ring for attachment to the shaft. This stone is 7^ inches long, 6i wide, and 2^ thick, and was found in the Lough Scut crannoge, county of Leitrim. Lead castings now taken from this mould present us with weapons of which there are many ^milar in bronze in the Academy. Nos. 84 and 84a are the upper and lower stones of a celt-mould, com- posed of white sandstone, which came into the Museum with the Dawson Collection, but their antiquity is questionable ; if genuine and old, they were never sufficiently finished to have been in use; and if employed now, they would not, in technical language, " deliver." No. 86, Fig. 73, however, is the halfofa celt-mould of undoubted antiquity, — of mica slate, much worn on the surface by age and exposure; it is 6|
92 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM.
inchefl long, and 4 wide, and presents upon the sui&ce — as shown in the cut — the apertures by which it was adjusted by pins to the other half. No. 90, Fig. 74, is a piece of sand- stone, about 3 inches in length, having moulds on three of its sideis, so as to economize the material ; on that represented on page 9I9 we find the mould for an arrow which had rings for attaching it to the shafl. No. 92, described below, is for a similar purpose.*
The Moulds, amounting to sixteen, are arranged on the Foubth Shelf of the First Cross-case, and numbered in continuation of the Stone Tools, following the Touchstones, from 83 to 97a. No. 83, of coarse white sandstone, a celt mould, of a triangular form (see Fig. 72), shows the side on which two moulds are cut, one for a small, simple celt, apparently of the earliest variety ; and the other for a grooved celt, with a stop and string ring. Upon the under side we find the mould of a celt similar to the first, but about 5 inches long. It was — Presented by Mrs. Lambert Nos. 84 and 84a, both sides of a sandstone mould, 6^ inches long, — ^for a stopped celt, 5| inches long: it was procured from the county of Carlo w, but its antiquity, as already stated, is very questionable. No. 85, of mica slate, much weathered, is a ribbed celt, or paalstab mould, 6f inches long, and 4 broad (see Fig. 73). On each side may be seen apertures, which, in all probability, fixed it to the upper half-mould in casting. Na 86, a clay-slate mould, apparently unfinished, 4 inches long, by 2 broad. No. 87, a crucifix mould, of red clay-slate, 3^ inches long, by 1 J broad. No. 88, a piece of quartz rock, 5 inches long, indented with several circular apertures on both sides; these may have been used in button-casting, or were formed by the end of a drill, or ** bit and brace," working in them for a long time. It was found at Kil- laderry, near Derryart, and was — Presented by Lord O, A. HiU (see Proceedings, vol. iii. p. 24). No. 89, a quadrangular piece of mica- ceous sandstone, 2| inches each way, — and presenting on the flat side a circular mould, probably for a harness stud, I^ inches broad. No, 90, a very curious sandstone weapon-mould, see Fig. 74, about
* See Mr. Da Noyer's valuable Paper upon Celt Moulds in the ^^ArcbsBological Joaraal,*' vol. iv. p. b27.
CLASS I. — STONB MATERIALS : TOOLS. 93
3 mches long, and 1^ broad ; it has a monld on three of its faces ; that represented in the engraving is for a broad arrow with side rings; upon the obverse of this side we find one for a small spear, or leaf-shaped arrow ; and on the right side another arrow mould ; while the left bears the marks of a worked-out arrow mould. The material being, perhaps, scarce, the block was preserved, and a new mould cut upon it as often as required. It was found at the edge of Lough Kamer, count j of Cavan. No. 91 is a piece of sandstone, 4^ inches long, indented with two sharp, well-cut moulds, apparently for harness studs and buckles ; — from the countj of Antrim. No. 92, a small piece of agalmatolite or potstone— abundant in the countj of Donegal, and locally called ^' Cam-stone*' — 2 inches in the longest, and 1^ in the shortest diameter ; it has on each side a circular mould, either for a button or a harness stud. This was found in the Ballin- derry crannoge. No. 93, a piece of clay-slate, 4^ inches square, having three partially finished moulds on the upper surface for cast- ing metal ornaments, probably for horse- trappings; it was found at TuUylaggan, Desertcreat, county of Tyrone, and was — Fre- sented b^ T. Oreer, Esq. No. 94, a flat piece of green grit, 3 inches long, by 2 wide, with an ornament mould on each side. No. 95, a piece of rotten stone slate, about 2 inches square, having several cir- cular moulds, probably for casting shot, and bearing the date 1631. No. 96, a piece of soft chloride slate, 2^ inches long, and formed into an arrow-mould ; it was found at Dundalk, and — Presented by P. Bra- phy^ Esq. No. 97, a fragment of sandstone mould, found in the Dun- shaughlin crannoge, is 3^ inches in the longest diameter. No. 97a, a small slab of brown slaty sandstone, 5 inches across, bearing some circular marks like moulds, and two incised crosses, possibly not of any great age. It was found at Kilmury church, Minard, near Dingle, and — Presented by O. V. Du Noyer^ Esq,
Oval Tool-stones. — In most collections of Celtic anti- quities may be seen oval or egg-shaped stones, from 4 to 5 inches in the long diameter, and more or less indented on one or both surfaces ; their use is at present problematical. The examination of an isolated specimen will afford us little assis- tance in solving the question of the purpose to which