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XI.— ON A CLOGG ALMANACK IN THE SCIENCE AND AET 

 MUSEUM, DUBLIN. By BENJAMIN H. MULLEN, 

 B.A., Dub. (Plate V.) 



[Eead, December 16, 1885.] 



For many years past this Clogg has been in the Museum, and my 

 attention was first drawn to it by Mr. T. H. Longfield, who had 

 seen somewhat similarly carved sticks in the British Museum 

 exhibited as Norwegian. This account has been prepared and the 

 Clogg figured with the permission of the Director of the Science 

 and Art Museum. 



It is made of oak, and in length is 1 ft. 8 in., while its breadth 

 is 4f inches. It is in shape a rude and long oval, flat, and from 

 -f to | in. thick. The centre portion was cut away, thus leaving 

 four edges (two inside and two out) and four flat surfaces. Two 

 holes for suspension were cut, one at either end ; but these were 

 made in a gnarled part of the wood, and it would seem that at 

 some period of its existence it was broken at this weakened part, and 

 bound together again with two fastenings of iron, of which one only 

 remains. At one end there is some carved decoration. This is a 

 very simple design, being merely a line cut into the wood at a 

 distance of about a quarter of an inch from the edge, and running 

 parallel to it ; having at each side of it notches cut in a triangular 

 form; while in the middle are the initials "S. E." Beyond what 

 I mention, there is no ornamentation whatever. 



Almanacks of wood have, I gather, being used from time im- 

 memorial. 



Dr. Robert Plot, in his Natural History of Staffordshire (folio, 

 1686), speaks of "An ancient sort of almanacks they call cloggs, 

 made upon square sticks, still in use here among the meaner sort 

 of people, which I cannot but think must be some remains of the 

 Danish Government, finding the same with little difference to have 

 been used also formerly both in Sweden and Denmark, which 

 being a sort of antiquity so little known that it hath scarce been 

 yet heard of in the southern parts of England, and understood 



