Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 73 



Cromlech, or altar, which stands in the church-yard, near the sugar loaf hill, in the Barony of Gual- 

 tier. It is stated in the old life of Mocteus, (a work of the seventh century,) that when that saint 

 came to Louth, he found the place in possession of the Magi, whereupon he lighted a fire, which 

 they seeing, endeavoured to extinguish, least their own Idolatrous fire should fail, but Mocteus, 

 proving the victor, founded his monastery there. 



" That Anchorites may have shut themselves up in some of the then deserted and unoccupied 

 towers, is not now to be questioned. The tower at Inniscailtre was so seized on and used ; but it is 

 very ridiculous to suppose that this body adopted a style of building here, unlike any thing in use 

 among them in any other country. In fact the Anchorite Inclusorii were very different from those 

 towers; that in which Marianus Scotus was confined at Fulda, was a cell with an external wall. 

 The Anchorite habitations are invariably called cells by the old writers, not towers. Such cells 

 are still extant near several of the most ancient of our churches, as at Ardmore, where that of St. 

 Declan is called the Monachan, or dormitory ; and at Ardf'ert and Scattery, where there are several 

 similar structures. And yet at each of these places, there still remains, or there has been, a Round 

 tower. 



"The architectural features of the Round tower are objects of the highest importance in the 

 enquiry ; the forms of the windows and doors, in general, are of high antiquity, forms out of use 

 at the time that their alleged Christian founders could have commenced their erection. The style 

 belongs to that period, when the subterranean chambers of the Raths were of every day construc- 

 tion, and their style is Pelasgic. The windows and doors of the towers are in general of that form ; 

 broad at base, narrow at top, i. e. sloping or battering inward ; and, then, the lintel arch so pre- 

 valent in them, so entirely Pelasgic. As for the presence of the semicircular arch, we no longer 

 deem that of the comparatively late date, until recently supposed of it. The arch was known at 

 an early period in China. It has been found in the ancient baths and palaces of Mexico; in 

 Egypt, in the great pyramid, and in other tombs of a date reaching as high as 1540 years B. C. ; 

 in Etruscan works, as the gates of Pestum, Volterra, the Cloaca maxima, &c. The Chevron and 

 Bead ornaments, which occur on one or two of the door-ways of our towers, have been found on 

 some very antique cinerary urns, dug up out of old pagan cairns, and tumuli, as well as on gold 

 ornaments found in Bogs, &c. and as to the solitary crucifixion, carved on the door of Donoghmore 

 tower, it has been shewn to be quite modern. Added to all these proofs, let the general form of 

 the tower, so Asiatic, and so Un-european, be duly borne in mind, and difficulties must present 

 themselves to our opponents of no ordinary dimensions or character indeed. To pursue this subject 

 farther would carry us far beyond our proposed limits, and we must therefore give over." p. 179 

 184. 



Such then is the sum of " all the force of argument, authority, and analogy," 

 which appeared to Mr. Windele to be with General Yallancey and his followers. 

 " The advocates of the Christian origin," he says, "have, in vain, sought for a 

 prototype, in Christian lands ; whilst their opponents have found it in India, 

 Persia, and Babylonia ; and, perhaps, we may add amongst the remains of the 



VOL. xx. L 



