cow 95 



Brehon law, though originally it meant a female slave, then the 

 value of one in cows. In the Chronicoii Scotorum of Duald Firbis, 

 the satisfaction for a certain " Patrick's " honour was, inter alia, 

 thirty times seven cumhals or six hundred and thirty cows, this 

 was in the year 893. This cumal or cumhal was called rf«Z»/i, hence 

 dahhach, a farm or portion of land that kept sixty cows (see Cattle). 

 Certain pledges given by chief to his tenant, when they came to 

 stand in that relationship to each other, the latter being called 

 fuidhir or fo f hear, were called as follows : First pledge, twenty 

 cows or Flath ceud gialna ; second pledge, ten cows or Foirgialna ; 

 third pledge, five cows or Cuitrigh. A measure of land is still 

 called a quoy or cow. In Chronicle of Picis and Scots, it is recorded 

 that seven cumhals or twenty-one cow^s, or their value, was exacted, 

 inter alia, by the Abbot of Armagh from Maelseachlann, the King 

 of Ireland, for sacrilege, he having carried off, for a time, the shrine 

 of St Patrick. The word cumhal means also " subjection," slavery 

 (see Campbell's West Highland Tales, Vol III., page 332). A 

 dabhach or dabhoch of land, was said to pasture three hundred and 

 twenty cows or head of cattle. In the Senchus mor we find five 

 seds equal to two cows, while a pinguin is one-third of a screpal or 

 sgrebeal, i.e., a tribute. 



Cows were used as a ransom as follows : A villain or commoner, 

 sixteen cows ; an earl's son or thane, one hundred ; an earl, one 

 hundred and forty ; a king (of old), one thousand. In Ireland, 

 three thousand six hundred cows were exacted for the slaughter of 

 the King of Munster in the year 1168. For a detailed account of, 

 inter alia, the number of cows, etc., for fines paid in compensation 

 for slaughter, cro or fuilrath, fold or blood-profit, etc., of indivi- 

 duals, from a king downwards, see Skene's Celtic Scotland, Vol. III. 

 A fine called geall-chcann or chinn (head-pledge) was exacted for 

 manslaughter ; and a payment was also exacted by a chief, or 

 rather given voluntarily, called colpach, from colpa, a cow. Another 

 fine was ten cows for neglecting to provide for the maintenance of 

 every mad woman, while five sufficed for a fool-man, but only if 

 the latter is a minstrel, and has land ; otherwise, a cumhal of eight 

 cows was imposed as fine for neglecting to maintain a man after 

 attaining eighty-eight years, if he has land, if not, then ten seds. 

 " Cumal," originally also meaning " eric," a fine or ransom. Cows 

 were used also to liquidate superiors' marriage rights from heirs, 

 which, however, were small, as an earl's son, we learn, was only 

 twelve cows, and a thane's one, or their value, this in the days of 

 old, as may be concluded, was less than now, especially if valued 

 in Scottish coinage. In Ireland there was also a law fixing a 

 bride's tocher in cows, this was called slabhruidh fuithir fosadh 

 (phosadh ?), but this applies, it is thought, more to an allotment of 

 land, as fuithir means here Jo thir, good land. Another term w^here 

 cows formed an important part in the bride's portion or tocher 

 was tinnscra, portion, dower, or bride-price. In notes to genea- 



