196 Mr. PETRIE'S Inquiry into the Origin and 



teristics of the early churches, whose styles indicate, with certainty, the antiquity 

 ascribed to them by history and tradition, I have next to treat of those of less 

 certain date, and in which ornament has been employed. This is, however, a 

 portion of my subject, which I confess myself unable to illustrate as satisfactorily 

 as I could wish, because the historical evidences are too generally wanting, 

 which would give certainty to the investigation. In the absence of such 

 evidences, I can only draw conjectural conclusions from a comparison of cha- 

 racteristic architectural ornaments, found in them, with those found in churches 

 in England and elsewhere, the ages of which have been determined ; and even 

 such conclusions must be drawn with timidity, till the question is finally settled, 

 whether the ornaments, generally supposed to be characteristics of Anglo- 

 Norman architecture, had not been used in England and other countries in 

 times anterior to the Norman conquest. One point, at least, of great importance 

 I trust I can determine with certainty, namely, that the Irish, anterior to the 

 eleventh century, not only built decorated churches, but also used some of the 

 ornaments, now generally supposed to be characteristic features of the churches 

 erected in England by the Anglo-Normans ; and, indeed, if we put faith in 

 some of our ancient documents, and I cannot conceive why we should not, 

 it would appear that, occasionally at least, they erected ornamented churches at 

 a much earlier period. Thus in the Life of St. Bridget, by Cogitosus, the fol- 

 lowing description of the church of Kildare shows that, in the time of that 

 ancient writer, it was not only decorated in its interior, but had at least one 

 ornamented entrance doorway. The original is as follows : 



" Nee de miraculo in reparatione Ecclesia; tacendum est, in qua gloriosa amborum hoc est Episcopi 

 Conlaeth & huius Virginis Sanctas Brigid corpora a dextris, & a sinistris altaris decorati in monu- 

 mentis posita ornatis, vario cultu auri & argenti, &gemmarum, &pretiosi lapidis atque coronis aureis 

 & argenteis desuper pendentibus, requiescunt. Ecclesia namque crescente numero fidelium, & 

 vtroque sexu, solo spatiosa & in altum minaci proceritate porrecta, ac decorata pictis tabulis, tria 

 intrinsecus habens oratoria ampla, & divisa parietibus tabulatis, sub vuo culmine maioris domus, in 

 qua vnus paries decoratus, & imaginibus dopictus, ac linteaminibus tectus, per latitudinem in orien- 

 tal! Ecclesiffi parte, a pariete ad alterum parietem Ecclesisc se tetendit ; qui in suis extremitatibus 

 duo habet ostia ; & per vnum ostiu in dextra parte positum intrant in Sanctuarium ad altare 

 summus Pontifex cum sua regular! schola, & his qui sacris sunt deputati ministeriis sacra & Do- 

 minica immolare sacrificia : & per alterum ostium in sinistra parte parietis supradicti & transversi 

 positum Abbatissa cum suis puellis & viduis fidelibus tantum intrant vt convivio corporis & san- 



