MONDAY, Llth May 1891
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PURCHASES FOR THE MUSEUM. 417 MONDAY, llthy 1891Ma . JAMES MACDONALD, LL.D.Chaire th n i ,. A Ballot having been taken e followinth , g Gentlemen were duly elected Fellows:— JOHN RIBTON GARSTIN, D.L., M.A., Vioe-President of the Royal Irish Academy. FREDERIC . SADNDERSKA , M.D., Crail. JAMES S. TRAINEE, Clerk and Treasurer of the Royal Infirmary. e followinTh g articles acquire e Purchasth y b d e Committee th r fo e Museu d Librarman y durin Sessioe th g n 30th Novembe llty hMa o t r were exhibited:— Penannular gold armlet of circular section, with slightly expand- endsg in paia ,f ro bein foune a cair on gt n Penninghame i a dn , Wig- townshire. Five circular silver Brooches, viz. (1) 2^ inches diameter, of plain round silver wire, with four beads or knobs at regular intervals; (2) If inch diameter, convex on one side, flat on the other, and engraved IHESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDEORVM ) If(3 ; inch diameter, flabotn o t h sidesd an , engraved IHESVS NAZAVRIX, and the same inscription on the other side but still more blundered; (4) broken brooch of plain round wire, 1J inc n diameterhi ) octagona(5 ; l brooch inche2 , n diametersi e sideth , s e octagooth f n alternately bevelled; d fla an te fla th t n parto ' same sth e inscription greatly blundered—all found in a garden at Brechin, with a quantity of coins of the Edwards. Three stone Balls f sandstone,o viz) (1 . f inche2 , s diameter, with four circular projecting discs ornamented with concentric circles ) als(2 f ;o o sandstone, 2j inche diametern si , with four circular projecting discs, plain; ) als f (3 sandstoneo o , with four circular projecting disc d eighan s t smaller knobs—from Aberdeenshire. Stone Cup of grey sandstone, 2f inches in height and 3 inches diame- ter at the mouth, with a row of herring-bone ornamentation round the VOL. xxv. 2 D 418 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAY 11, 1891. outsid e a projectin e lip beveth d ,f an o l g flat handle whic s beeha h n pierced by a small hole—from. Aberdeenshire. Three stone Axes, viz. (1 bluisf )o h sandstone, 7J inche lengtn si y hb inche3 breadthn i s d l£an , inc greatesn i h t thickness e sectioth ; n ni e middls lengtth it f o ea hlon g oval, tapering toward e butte th s th , whole surface roughly cuttine pickedth d gan , edges only ground smooth; (2f browniso ) h sandstone 5 inche, n lengtsi 2y ^b h inche widthn i s , oval in section, having the surface well smoothed except on one side, which is picked; (3) broken axe of yellowish sandstone, 6 inches in lengt 2y h1b inche greatesn si t breadth, wantin cuttine th bute d gth g tan edge, the surface mostly picked over but smoothed towards the cutting edge—from Aberdeenshire. Casts of four flint Implements of large size and unusual forms from Honduras. Sample gardene rth witanotherd n i an ,e h AdaEv .d man Touting-Horn from North Berwick, and Knitting-Sheath of inlaid wood. Collectio articlef no s use hand-loon di m weaving. Modee Moa inch1 th fee2 f Urrscala 3 f o o t t o n tl f . o e,o Six collections of stone Implements from the Culbin Sands. The Hunterston Brooch, found in 1830 on the estate of Kobert Hun- ter of Hunterston, West Kilbride, Ayrshire. This magnificent Celtic brooc f silvero s hi , beautifully ornamented with filigree wor f golko d wire upon thin plates of gold let into the panels of the silver work, and with patterns chased in the solid silver and gilt, and with settings of amber. It is of the usual form of the Celtic brooch—penannular, with expanded ends, but the space between the expanded ends is here closed up instead of being left open. The front of the brooch (fig. 1) is divided into oblong panels, some of which contain settings of amber, while others are filled by thin plate f gol so whicn o dimplantee ar h d design n filigresi e work mostly of contorted and intertwisted lacertine or serpentine forms. These designn i grea e tar s part forme a borde f o f dbeadeo r r milleo d d wire enclosing a body of granulated work. Sometimes, as in the border square oth f e e lowee centrpaneth th broochf e n ri leo th par f e o tth , wire worbordee th s plaitedki n i r d roun an centrae , th d le paneth n o l PURCHASES FOR THE MUSEUM. 419 e filigreth n epi e worn figurei th heas i kf f eight o o ds . Altogether, there are thirty-one panels on the front of the brooch, filled with filigree work, and eighteen with settings of amber. The character Fig. 1. Hunterston Brooch (obverse). e design e oth filigref th maie n i sth e nworn i similas e usuai kth o lt r character of the decorative patterns on Celtic metal work of the ninth or tenth centuries e animath t bu l, forms have morserpentina f eo lesd ean s -420 PROCEEDING , SOCIETYE 189111 TH Y F .O SMA , of the lacertine character than is usual. The eye in the animal's head, wit top-knoe hth r cresto t n eitheo , e rbrooc th sid f eo h wher rine eth g joins the expanding part, is the Celtic and not the Scandinavian eye. Fig. 2. Hunterston Brooch (reverse). The form of the brooch itself is the Celtic form—the Scandinavian form of brooch being totally different. But the back of the brooch (see fig. 2) shows two inscriptions by different hands in Scandinavian runes 1 42 PURCHASE E MUSEUMTH R SFO . which give the names of two of its possessors. These inscriptions have been read by Professor Stephens * as follows :— MALBEITHA OWNS THIS BROOCH. THIS BHOOCH BELONGS TO Al/FRITI. After the first line there are a few more runes the significance of whic mors hi e doubtful t therbu ,s generai e o ltw agreemene th o t s a t statements of ownership. Of the two names Maelbritha or Maelbride is Celtia c man's name, common whicf enoug o timee have d th h w t an ,hea instances in the runic inscriptions of the Manx monumental stones. Alfriti is a female name, and Scandinavian. But at that time, and amon e Gall-gaelth g r mixeo , d populatiod an e kingdo n th f Ma o n f mo the Isles, as well as in the Outer Hebrides and along the west coast of Scotland generally, owing to the intermixture of blood, personal names belonging to the different races were often found in the same family. On the back of the brooch are four panels of ornament, each of which is distinctively Celti characten ci treatmentd an r . Thi s especialli s e yth cas panelo e tw wit f spirae so hth l ornament, which closely resemble eth pattern silluminatee founth n i d d Celtic manuscript e gospelth f o f ss o the seventh and eighth centuries. Cook's Voyages, 3 vols. 4to, and 1 vol. folio, plates. Schlieman's Ilios, Tiryns d Troja an d Dennis', an ; s Etruria vols2 , . 8vo. Alban Butler's Saintse Liveth f so , edite Husenbethy db . Albu f Savagmo e Weapons, &c., fro e Soutmth h Pacific Heapey b , . Kraus's Christian Inscriptions in Germany, Part I. Proceedings of Associated Architectural Societies, 3 parts. Skeat's Principles of English Etymology; Antiquities- of Southern Russi a; Wodrow' s Biographical Collections, Par. II t Eobertson's Scottish Abbeys; Catalogue f Lano e Fox's Collectiot na Bethnal Green ; Nadaillac's Prehistoric America. The following communications were read :— Se1 e the paper on the Hunterston Brooch, with coloured and full-size illustrations, Proceedings,e inth vol (Firs.2 viii46 t. p Series). ..