Visit to the Blackmore Museum. 15 
Lady Herbert had kindly given permission to the members to 
inspect Wilton House and its treasures of art, but owing to the 
severe domestic affliction which has befallen the family the visit did 
not take place. 
The Society having been invited to visit the South Wilts Museum 
and the magnificent collection of stone, bronze, and iron implements, 
which Mr. William Blackmore (of London), has brought together 
at Salisbury, it was not thought advisable to form a local Museum 
at Wilton. Mr. J. W. Singer, of Frome, however, sent a splendid 
and unique collection of Medieval jewellery, which was inspected 
with great interest. It included some good examples of Flemish, 
peculiar to Belgium, such as were worn in the 17th and 18th 
centuries; these specimens consisted of crosses, pendants, and ear- 
rings, both in gold and silver. The Belgian jewellery was interest- 
ing from its fineness, and from the circumstance that all the stones 
set in it are rose diamonds. The series from Normandy and Brittany 
was, perhaps, the finest ever shown; objects such as those exhibited 
were worn in the north and west of France during the last three 
centuries, and were peculiar to-that district. Among the specimens 
we noticed various treatments of the cross, and of the St. Esprit; 
these last are of a very beautiful form, they were a kind of 
Whit-Sunday gift, and were chiefly worn on festival occasions. Many 
necklaces of various shapes were shown; these colliers are ornaments 
which were worn for the first time by the Norman peasant on her 
_ wedding-day. There was some highly interesting jewellery, of 
beautiful workmanship, from Italy and Germany, in the collection. 
Mr. Singer’s fine series of wedding and other rings is well known to 
collectors. Among these were some betrothal rings of extremely 
small size, a Hebrew wedding ring, of the 15th century, of great 
rarity, having the motto mavul touv, “Joy be with you;” these 
words are pronounced mausselawf, and the rings themselves are 
usually called mausse/aufs among the Jews; such rings were kept 
in the synagogue for use at every wedding. Rings in gold, silver, 
and bronze were shown; these varied considerably in size, and 
ranged in date from the 14th to the 18th century. One ring pos- 
sessed great interest; it was given by Charles II. to the Penderell 
