178 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



of a double spiral; but we are all agreed that this pin cannot be of the same 

 period as the others ; that it belongs to a much later date ; and that its 

 association with the rest of the objects submitted to the Museum is probably 

 of no earlier period than their arrival in the shop of the dealer. 



To discover the circumstances of the find, Count Plunkett first wrote for 

 particulars to the dealer. That gentleman wrote back, merely stating that 

 the circumstances were known to Canon Greeuwell, from whom all particulars 

 could no doubt be obtained. 



Count Plunkett communicated this letter to me, as I had already 

 undertaken to write a description of the hoard; and I accordingly wrote to 

 Canon Greenwell, telling him that the objects had been acquired for the 

 Museum, and that his name had been mentioned to us as one having 

 information of the circumstances of the find. In answer the Canon wrote as 

 follows : — 



Durham, March 17, 1914. 

 Deak Sir, 



I am glad to give you all the information I possess about the hoard of 

 gold articles, some of which have gone to the Kildare Street Museum. The 

 find took place somewhere (I do not know the exact locality) near to the 

 north-west of Strangford Lough, Co. Down. I am told that under a mound 

 was a cist of stones set on edge, with a cover stone. In the cist was a large 

 urn which contained burnt bones, and the gold articles in question. I may 

 say I have no belief in the story so far as the statement that they were 

 placed in the urn. If that was the case, they were associated with a burial of 

 a cremated body. Such a large number of ornaments, &c, of gold to be 

 found accompanying a burial would be quite unprecedented. It is possible, 

 however, that they may have been found in the mound, placed there to secrete 

 them. A burial-mound may have been selected with a view to their safe 

 keeping, as such a place might be regarded as unlikely, from motives then 

 current, to be disturbed. 



So far as I have been able to ascertain, the hoard consisted of three collars 

 (one in the Museum), eight or ten axes (one modelled after a stone axe, the 

 others, some plain, others with circles with a central dot, facsimiles in form 

 to a slightly flanged bronze axe), a shield, and some other things the nature 

 of which I am ignorant of; and a piece of thin wire on which the axes were 

 possibly hung. 



"Whether the six axes with a spiral pattern, now in the Museum, were 

 part of the hoard, I do not know. I believe they were not; and I was told, 

 I forget by whom, that they came from Co. Clare. If I have not made things 

 clear, I shall be pleased to answer any question. 



Yours faithfully, 



W. GBEENWELL, 



