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IV. Illustration of a gold enamelled Ring, supposed to have been the Property of Alhstan, bishop of Sherburne; with some Account of the State and Condition of the Saxon Jewelry in the more early Ages. By the Rev. Mr. Pegge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2012

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Extract

The ring here represented was found by a labourer on the surface of the ground, on a common, at a place called Llys faen, in the North East corner of Carnarvonshire. It is gold, enamelled, of good workmanship, and in fine preservation. It weighs above an ounce, and must be worth between 4 and 5 pounds. It is the more estimable on account of its Saxon inscription, since, if you except the legends on the coins, epigraphs conceived in that language are extremely rare.[a].

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1777

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References

page 48 note [a] Two or three in Dr. Hickes's Thesaurus, and one in Gent. Mag. 1754, are all we have at present.

page 48 note [b] Asserius Menev. p. 43. 58. 86. Edit. Wise, and Mr. Wise's Annotations: Spelman's Life of Ælfred p. 156. 200.

page 48 note [c] Stephanius ad Saxon. Grammat. p. 14, 15. also the three plates in Dr. Hickes's Thes. II. p. 4. is easily formed from .

page 48 note [d] Wharton de Episc. Lond. p. 26. 28. 32.

page 48 note [e] The Text. Roff. and Flor. Vig. omit Migfred or Wigfred, inserted by Mr. Le Neve and Dr. Drake in his edition of archbishop Parker, and very justly; for as Migfred is supposed to have been slain by the Danes A. 833 or 834, this cannot well be, as Alhstan was consecrated A. 817, and was sitting long after the year 834.

page 48 note [f] One can scarcely imagine, supposing it to be the Runic character, that such a character should be employed in a Saxon inscription, especially in the Southern parts of our island, later than the beginning of the ninth century. They appear sometimes on the coins of the heptarchy, but seldom afterwards. And if they are seen here on any other monuments besides coins, as sometimes they are, it was not, I think, till the Danes had settled here, and had, as it were, introduced them again. This may serve as one reason why the ring ought rather to be assigned to the bishop of Sherburn than the bishops of London. And no one needs object to a Runic character in company with Saxon ones, since in the older coins of Sir Andrew Fountain's tables, and , i.e. L and S, frequently occur; the minter perhaps might have recourse to the character in question on account of there not being room sufficient for N, a conjecture not in the least inconsistent with what was advanced above concerning the antiquity of the Runic characters intermixed with the Saxon, and the argument drawn from thence for the age of the ring, because he would scarce have thought of it at a later period.

page 49 note [g] Wharton, ll. cc.

page 50 note [h] Wharton de Episc. Lond. ll. cc.

page 50 note [i] Thus it is much doubted whether Charlemagne with all his learning and knowledge could write. Eginhart. p. 118. Pere Daniel. I. p. 512.

page 51 note [k] See also M. Westm. p. 154, and Ethelwerd p. 842.

page 51 note [l] M. Westm. p. 156.

page 52 note [m] See the remark on Ethelstan in the former page.

page 52 note [n] Asser Menev. p. 8. M. Westm. p. 158. Gul. Malm. citat. infra. This affair is related at large by Mons. Rapin, p. 86.

page 52 note [o] Pere Daniel I. p. 151.

page 52 note [p] Forte legend. belli.

page 53 note [q] Gul. Malmesb. de Pontiff. Il. p. 247. See also Flor. Vig. p. 160.

page 53 note [r] And so says the Chron. of Mailros, p. 141, expressly.

page 54 note [s] Rapin, p. 83.

page 54 note [t] Asserius and Mr. Wise ad eundem, both cited above. See also Hickes's Thesaur. I. p. 142.

page 54 note [u] See above, p. 48.

page 55 note [w] Galfred. Monum. vi. c. 12.

page 55 note [x] Chron. Gul. Thorne inter x. script. col. 1762.

page 55 note [y] Messorium, quasi mensorium; see Du Fresne?, but Pere Daniel chuses deduce it from mitto: Hist. de France I. p. 66.

page 56 note [z] Somner. Gloss. ad X Script. in voce. Du Fresne v.v. Missorium, Missurium, Messorium, et Mensorium.

page 56 note [a] See Du Fresne in voce.

page 56 note [b] Calmet, Dict. v. Looking-glasses.

page 56 note [c] Bede. I. c. 29.

page 56 note [d] Johnson, Vade mecum, II. p. 33. Collection of Canons, A. 785. art. 10. Ingulph. p. 27. See what is said below of king Ina and bishop Acca.

page 57 note [e] This I suppose was a Missarium.

page 57 note [f] Beda, III. c. 6.

page 57 note [g] Eddius Stephanus, p. 87. Drake Eborac. p. 406.

page 57 note [h] Gul. Malmesb. de Pontif. p. 262.

page 57 note [i] Flor. Vigorn. p. 560. Sim. Dunelm. de Dun. Eccl. I, 12. Beda, p. 208. 690. 691. Edit. Smith. Pere Daniel I. p. 69.

page 58 note [k] Eddius Steph. p. 60. See the epitaph on Wilfrid in Godwin de Praesul. p. 654.

page 58 note [l] Beda, Hist. Abbot. Wiremuth. p. 295.

page 58 note [m] Ibid.

page 58 note [n] Ibid. p. 299.

page 59 note [o] A lustre or chandelier, a cresset.

page 60 note [p] Dugd. Hist. of St. Paul's, part ii. p 55.

page 60 note [q] Godwin de Praesul. p. 477. from Malmsb. de Pontif. p. 285. However, one of the veneranda in the first line must be wrong.—Perhaps we should read the first venerandae, referring it to crucis, and sacrata for sacratae.

page 61 note [r] Godwin de Praesul. p. 597.

page 61 note [s] An ounce of silver, at this time, must be worth, at the lowest, 1 l. 5 s.; a horse consequently was worth 3 l. 15 s.; and a cow, one quarter of that. The trumpet was therefore valued at 25 l. 4 s. and the horn at 7 l. 10 s.

page 61 note [t] Gul. Malmsb. de Antiq. Glast. Eccl. p. 304.

page 61 note [u] This seems to have been an oratory within the great church.

page 61 note [w] There was probably a table of gold; see below.

page 62 note [x] Malmsb. ibid. p 310.

page 62 note [y] Osbernus in vit. Dunstani, p. 94. 96. compared Higden, p. 270, or Brompton, col. 878.

page 62 note [z] Rapin, p. 74.

page 62 note [a] Legend, f. qui quomodo.

page 62 note [b] Eddius Stephanus, p. 62.

page 62 note [c] Rapin p. 74.

page 62 note [d] M. Paris, vit. Offae, p. 28.

page 63 note [e] M. Paris, ibid. p. 28.

page 63 note [f] Idem, ibid. p. 37.

page 63 note [g] Rapin, p. 75.

page 63 note [h] Idem, p. 62.

page 64 note [i] Eginhart c. 26, 27. 33. Pere Daniel I. p. 472. It appears from many places in the first volume of this author, that France, both now and before abounded with gold and jewels, as p. 69. 200. 293.

page 64 note [k] Eginhart. c. 13.

page 64 note [l] Idem, c. 23. The prelates in these times often wore hangers with gems, P. Daniel I. p. 522.

page 64 note [m] Ibidem, et vide P. Daniel I. p. 483.

page 64 note [n] P. Daniel I. p. 592.

page 64 note [o] See also Rapin I. p. 53, 54. 57. 68. 74.—not to mention Cadwalla, p. 61. and the Saxon merchants p. 65. nor Augustine's Journey to Arles, p. 66.

page 64 note [p] See Rapin, p. 65.

page 64 note [q] Idem, p. 58.

page 64 note [r] Idem, p. 55. 76.

page 64 note [s] Idem, p. 71.

page 64 note [t] Idem, p. 74.

page 65 note [u] Idem, ibid.

page 65 note [w] Idem, ibid.

page 65 note [x] See in particular the story of queen Edburga and the English gentleman, Rapin, p. 62.

page 65 note [y] Hickes, Thesaur. II. p. 116.

page 65 note [z] Le Blanc, p. 16. 22. 58 in the plate.

page 65 note [a] Sir Andrew Fountaine, tab. viii.

page 65 note [b] i. e. Cynehelmes. Selden, Tit. of Honours, p. 172. Ed. 1631. Lye's Dict. v. Lẏnehealm.

page 66 note [c] Dissertation annexed to Assemblage of Metropolitan Coins of Canterbury.

page 66 note [d] Sir Andrew Fountaine, tab. viii. and tab. i. N° ii. for I take this coin to be his.

page 66 note [e] Ibidem, tab. ii. N° 8.

page 66 note [f] Ingulphus, p. 8.

page 66 note [g] Idem, p. 22.

page 66 note [h] Idem, p. 9. 98. 106.

page 66 note [i] Idem, p. 27.

page 67 note [k] Rapin, p. 64.

page 67 note [l] Ingulph. p. 11. 22.

page 67 note [m] Idem, p. 11.

page 67 note [n] Idem, p. 22.

page 67 note [o] Idem, p. 27.

page 67 note [p] R. Higden, p. 253. Our Kings, prelates, and their agents, had been perpetually going to Rome long before this. Hence in the Saxon chronicle, A. 889. it is noted as a thing remarkable, that nobody went to Rome that year,, but only two couriers.

page 68 note [q] Gul. Malmesb. de Pontif. V. p. 359.