BRONZE ORNAMENTS FRO E BRAEMTH F GIGHTO S . 135

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NOTICE OF BRONZE ORNAMENTS AND A THIN BIFID BLADE OF BRONZE FROM THE BRAES OF GIGHT, ABERDEENSHIRE. BY GEORGE MUIRHEAD, F.S.A. SCOT.

bronze Th e ornament tanged san d blad exhibitew kine no th dy db per - mission of the Earl of Aberdeen were found by some workmen who were engage e constructioth n di privata f o n e carriage road from Haddo House to the Braes of Gight in 1866. A man who was present

Fig . 1 .Neckle bronzf o t e foun t Braea d Gighf so t (half size). e discoverth t a y inform e thae ornamentm sth t s wer t duringo ee th g removal of some huge old fragments of rock which were lying at the 136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 9, 1891.

botto lofta f mo y precipice Braee Th Gightf so . , which overloo kbeautia - ful and romantic sylvan valley, through which the river Ythan winds, are situate on the march between the parishes of Methlick and Fyvie; and here, peering above the lovely trees which adorn the northern bank of the ravine, are seen the picturesque ruins of the old Castle of Gight,

Fig. 2. Necklet of bronze found at Braes of Gight (half size). an ancient seat of the Gordons, and celebrated for all time as the ances- tral inheritance of Catherine Gordon of Gight, the mother of Lord Byron. The ornaments consist of three necklets, six armlets, and three small rings rudely attached together by short, narrow, flat bands. The necklets e somewhaar f plaio t ovae nn ar shapi l d varo an en i sizey Tw . construction and similar to each other, the smaller measuring 17 inches BRONZE ORNAMENTS FROM THE BRAES OF GIGHT. 137

in circumference s greatesit , leasd an t t diameters being respectively 5|- inches and 5 inches; and the larger (fig. 1) 20 inches in circumference, greatess it t diameter being 6-| inches leasd an inches,6 t . They have rings of about f ths of an inch in diameter attached to their

Fig . Penannula3 . r armle bronzf o t e foun t Braea d f so Gight (two-thirds size). e ring th bees f ha so n e e endslostTh On . . third necklet (fig. 2) is of very beautiful and elaborate workmanship, having, besidee th s twringd oen f so inc n diameteri h , eighteen others, about haln inc a fn diameteri h - at , tached to its outer edge. One of the latter has been lostd unfortunatelan , e neckleth y t itself is now broken into two pieces, but Fig. 4. Bronze bifid blade otherwise it is in a very perfect state of pre- with tang foun t Braea d s of Gight (two-third size). servation. The armlets (fig. 3) are of the usual penannular form, with slightly

Fig . Ring5 . bronzf so e attache thiy db n band bronzef so , foun t Braeda f so Gight (two-thirds size).

panding extremities. They also differ in size, two pairs measuring in- 138 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 9, 1891.

dividually 2| inche y Ifb s inc n diametere i thirh th dd paian , r 2£ inche inches2 y sb . three Th e rings (fig, attache5) . d togethe e smalth y lb rmeta l bands, are each If inch in diameter. The tanged bronze blade (fig. 4), which appears to have been of bifid construction, measures about 2| inches long and 2 inches broad, and the "tang" for insertion in the handle is 1£ inch long. It is believed that the ornaments now exhibited are unique in Scot- land, that they probably Bronze belone closth th f eo eo t g Aged an , certainl perioa o yt d anterio Komae th o t r n invasion. mentionee b y ma t dI that there were formerly cairne n somth so f o e heights in the vicinity, including Little Gight, Ealquhindachy, Bclnagoak, Cairn Orie, and Tuxto e lasth t n ; being very large localld an , y known e "Kinasth Denmark'f go s Cairn." Stone coffins, cinerary urns, celts d numerouan , s flint arrow-heads have also been found in the vicinity.