452 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



of mediaeval times. In the early periods, matrices often had to be renewed, 

 sometimes because they became worn out ; sometimes because more modern 

 types were desired. The seals of high officials, civil and religious, were 

 generally broken at the death of the owners and in some cases buried with 

 them. The seal of William deToucy, Bishop of Auxerre, who died in 1182, 

 was broken with an axe and buried with him.' 



Unfortunately during the last century a number of forgeries of antiquities 

 were circulated, and, among these, false matrices of seals were common. 

 There are one or two matrices in the Academy's collection which appear 

 open to suspicion. 



The following publications have dealt with Irish ecclesiastical seals, 

 and incidentally their matrices: — 



" Sigilla Ecclesiae Hibernicae lUustrata," by Eichard Caulfield, Cork, 

 1853. This little work was brought out in parts, and is now difficult to obtain 

 complete. It will be referred to in the present paper as " Caulfield." 



" Catalogue of Seals in the Department of Manuscripts in the British 

 Museum," 1895. Volume iv. This volume gives descriptions of a number 

 of Irish seals ; it describes seven, and illustrates four impressions, of which 

 the matrices are in the Academy's collection. It wdl be referred to as 

 B. M. C. 



" Seals," by AValter De Gray Birch. (Connoisseurs' Library.) This 

 work reproduces the British Museum Catalogue's plate of Irish seals, 

 but gives no detailed descriptions of any of them. 



"Dublin Penny Journal," vols, i and ii, 1832 and 1833. Several of the 

 matrices now in the possession of the Academy were published and described 

 in this journal. These accounts are valuable, as they were written at the time 

 the matrices were found, and have preserved details as to their discovery. 

 It will be referred to as D. P. J. 



My friend Mr. M. J. McEnery, Assistant Deputy Keeper of Public 

 Kecords in Ireland, has assisted me in reading some of the inscriptions 

 on the seals. The inscriptions pass from Eoman capitals through Lombardic 

 and Black letter, back to Eoman capitals. In many cases they are composed 

 of mixed letters, Eoman and Lombardic ; and though an attempt has been 

 made to indicate the style of the inscriptions, they must not be taken as 

 exact copies of the lettering, but merely as an approximation. 



" Britisli Museum Guide to the MediaeTal Room," p. 193. See also on this subject the 

 Archaeological Journal, vol. xi, p. 277. 



