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VI. 



A NOTE ON FOUR ARMOEIAL PENDANTS IN THE ACADEMY'S 

 COLLECTION. 



By E. C. E. AEMSTEONG. 



Plates X, XL 



Read May 13. Published, July 20, 1912. 



The Eoyal Irish Academy collection contains four specimens of the small 

 enamelled copper or bronze shields generally known as " armorial pendants." 

 Three of these were formerly in the collection of Dr. Petrie and in the MS. 

 Catalogue of the Petrie objects now in the Academy's collection in the National 

 Museum ; one of them (No. 938) is described as " Part of the trappings of a 

 horse, containing the arms of the owner, of about the thirteenth century," and 

 there is a note : " There are several small pendant ^ornaments in the Eaussett 

 collection, of bronze, in form of kite-shaped shields with arms enamelled, 

 like those in my collection."' Two others numbered 939 and 940 are described 

 as " similar to the last." A fourth specimen in the collection has no number 

 and it has not been possible to trace its entry in the Museum Eegisters. It 

 has been in the collection for many years. 



Although unfortunately the provenance of the shields is not in any 

 case definitely stated, I think we shall find that we can regard one as being 

 undoubtedly Anglo-Irish. A number of these small pendants are known; 

 many are preserved in the British Museum, and there are specimens in several 

 of the provincial museums in England. Numerous references to them can be 

 found in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London and of other 

 kindred societies. One notice in the Archaeological Journal, vol. iii, p. 79, is 

 of interest, as it is there stated that " Mr. John G. Nichols exhibited several 

 of these scutcheons, formerly in the collection of the Dean of St. Patrick's." 

 The objects are described, and it is added that they appear to have been 

 hung on the trappings or harness of horses, as one specimen exhibited pre- 



1 See Proc. Society of Antiquaries of London, Second Series, vol. vii, page 141, where it is stated 

 that a number of these shields from the Faussett collection are figured in " Collectanea Antiqua," vi, 

 p. 278. 



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