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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



awaiting their presence. How much better is this than the Hades of 

 an Egyptian tomb! With the extension of cemetries, attention has 

 been called to the principles on which they are to be founded, and it 

 has fortunately induced Mr. Loudon to take tip the subject. Those 

 who know his accuracy, his minuteness, and his completeness, will be 

 prepared to acknowledge the merit of the present work, which, with- 

 out wandering into idle and useless details, treats the subject compre- 

 hensively, so as to afford every information which is essentially 

 requisite with regard to it. While attending to the professional use- 

 fulness of his work. Mr. Loudon, with his usual good feeling, has not 

 failed to call attention to the necessity of any improvements in the 

 mode of interment. He urges most strongly the necessity of no corpse 

 being interred with less than six feet of earth over it, and supports it 

 on every ground of propriety and necessity. He suggests also several 

 improvements as to the mode (flaying out cemetries, and remodelling 

 churchyards, and in tine, the reader will peruse his work with interest 

 and instruction. 



with Introductory Remarks. 

 Dublin : Robertson. 



r.v 



Ancitnl Irish Partmtnt Tile* 

 Thomas Oldh.am, A.B., F.G.: 



This work is of the same value with regard to Irish examples of 

 encaustic tiles, as Mr. Bowyer Nichols' is as to ihose of England, and 

 shows a laudable desire on the part of the sister country, to draw prolit 

 from her antiquarian relics. 



The Irish specimens of tile are of three distinct kinds. First, im- 

 pressed tiles; second, encaustic tiles; and third, tiles in relief. 

 Of the first class, Mr. Oldham states, that the Irish specimens are 

 principally of the ordinary red colour of the clay, the surface being 

 coated with an opaque varnish or glaze, generally of a greenish yellow 

 Colour, but occasionally of a dark purplish black, and extending equally 

 over the indented pattern. Although similar examples liave been 

 found occasionally in England, in which the hollows were rilled with a 

 different substance, removeable by washing, our author observes, that 

 he has seen no such case in Ireland, and thinks it exceedingly impro- 

 bable that such ever was the case in Irish (iles. In the encaustic 

 variety, the surface is quite smooth and tl.it, the pattern being pro- 

 duced by a differently coloured substance inlaid. The colours are ge- 

 nerally bright red and yellow, or purplish black and pearl grey, and 

 sometimes of purplish black and deep red. The third variety has the 

 pattern formed in low relief. To this latter variety Mr. Oldham 

 assigns the later date, considering it referable to the Tudor times ; 

 some of the other examples are Mowever as old as the middle of the 

 twelfth century. 



Mr. Oldham mentions some curious facts with regard to the Irish 

 tiles. He says, the identity with English specimens is uften recog- 

 nizable. Thus several of the patterns now remaining at St. Patrick's, 

 Dublin, are nearly identical with some from Malvern, in Worcester- 

 shire, and it is of additional interest to find, that about the probable 

 date of these tiles, a connection existed between the two places, for 

 in 1225, the year in which St. Patrick's was made a cathedral, the 

 prior and brethren of Malvern the Less, re-granted to it one half of 

 the tithes of Cast.eknock, which had been given them in 1221. A 



[J t'NE, 



kiln, it appears, has been discovered at Malvern, with portions of 

 tiles in the several stages of the progress, and the tiles there used 

 were manufactured on the spot ; whence Mr. Oldham conjectures, that 

 some of the Irish tiles were also derived from the same source. The 

 water communication by the Severn and Bristol with Ireland,' would 

 favour this idea. Notwithstanding occasional importations, our author 

 is however of opinion that the majority of the Irish tiles were made 

 on the spot. 



The following anecdote with regard to the early use of ornamental 

 tiles, is entertaining. The author says: — 



But if, on the other hand, our supposition that the pavement tiles at Mel- 

 hfont were laid down at the time of its erection, (1142—1157) by monks 

 from Normandy, be correct, it would then appear more probable, that the 

 first knowledge of these tiles was derived from thence; and bearing in mind 

 that Mellifont and Bectivewere both Cistertian establishments ; the followinrr 

 r.otice, obligingly communicated to us by the Rev. Richard Butler, is ext 

 tremely interesting. In Martini's Thesaurus Anecdotorum, among the " Se 

 lect statutes of a general chapter of the Cistertian order" is one— " Anno 

 1210 Let the Ahhat of Beaubec (in Normandv) who has for a long time 

 allowed his monk to construct, for persons, who do not belong to the order 

 pavements, which exhibit levity and cariosity, be in slight penance for three 

 days, the last of them on bread and water ; and let the monk be recalled 

 before the feast of All Saints, and never again be lent, excepting to persons 

 of our order, with whom , let him not presumeto construct pavements, which 

 do not extend the dignity of the order." These pavements must have been 



