Visit to the Black-more Museum. 



15 



Lady Herbert had kindly given permission to the members to 

 inspect Wilton House and its treasures of art, but owing to the 

 severe domestic affliction which has befallen the family the visit did 

 not take place. 



The Society having been invited to visit the South Wilts Museum 

 and the magnificent collection of stone, bronze, and iron implements, 

 which Mr. William Blackmore (of London), has brought together 

 at Salisbury, it was not thought advisable to form a local Museum 

 at Wilton. Mr. J. W. Singer, of Frome, however, sent a splendid 

 and unique collection of Medieval jewellery, which was inspected 

 with great interest. It included some good examples of Flemish, 

 peculiar to Belgium, such as were worn in the 17th and 18th 

 centuries ; these specimens consisted of crosses, pendants, and ear- 

 rings, both in gold and silver. The Belgian jewellery was interest- 

 ing from its fineness, and from the circumstance that all the stones 

 set in it are rose diamonds. The series from Normandy and Brittany 

 was, perhaps, the finest ever shown ; objects such as those exhibited 

 were worn in the north and west of France during the last three 

 centuries, and were peculiar to that district. Among the specimens 

 we noticed various treatments of the cross, and of the St. Esprit-, 

 these last are of a very beautiful form, they were a kind of 

 Whit- Sunday gift, and were chiefly worn on festival occasions. Many 

 necklaces of various shapes were shown ; these colliers are ornaments 

 which were worn for the first time by the Norman peasant on her 

 wedding-day. There was some highly interesting jewellery, of 

 beautiful workmanship, from Italy and Germany, in the collection. 

 Mr. Singer's fine series of wedding and other rings is well known to 

 collectors. Among these were some betrothal rings of extremely 

 small size, a Hebrew wedding ring, of the 15th century, of great 

 rarity, having the motto mavul tow, " Joy be with you these 

 words are pronounced mausselanf, and the rings themselves are 

 usually called mansselaufs among the J ews ; such rings were kept 

 in the synagogue for use at every wedding. Rings in g'old, silver, 

 and bronze were shown; these varied considerably in size, and 

 ranged in date from the 14th to the 18th century. One ring pos- 

 sessed great interest; it was given by Charles II. to the Pcnderell 



