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bably three roaches (the bearings usually-though, as I think, incorrectly-borne by the Roches, which is French-Norman Rock, while the three fishes for the English family of Roach is all in keeping with Guillim's "Jingling Heraldry"). The fourth shield bears some blazon quarterly. The fifth has only about a third of the shield remaining, neither can I form any idea of its charge. Every part of the fragment has suffered much from ill-usage,—

Mangled and wounded in its war with Time
Colleagued with Mischief."-CRABBE.

It is now additionally obscured by successive coats of whitewash. By FitzGerald's "Record" we are assured that this stone occupied the same position it now does 69 years ago, which was only 37 years subsequent to the interment of Mrs. Roche; and FitzGerald, who was about 50 years old in 1784, and must have known the tomb from a child, evidently considered the "neat coat of arms" as an original part of Maurice Roche's tomb, erected, we may suppose, in 1731.

Now, without the evidence of the three fishes, this fragment being placed over Maurice Roche's tomb would in itself be strong presumptive proof that it was known to be a family relic at a period when those living were competent judges and interested parties.

Assuming, therefore, as we are warranted to do, that this is the remnant of a tomb of a Roche of the olden time, I think that it could not have been erected to any other of that family than to Queen Elizabeth's "Esquire," so created by her gift of the collar of esses. With Queen Elizabeth the armorial bearings of EnglandQuarterly, France and England-ceased. The collar was bestowed A.D. 1571, and the Queen lived until A.D. 1602-3, say 32 years subsequent. We may therefore conclude that Maurice, "oure esquier," died before his "sovereigne ladye;" and who but he could have any plea or pretence to place the royal shield on a private tomb? He certainly had cause, for a collar of esses was probably a greater distinction in that day than a baronetcy is in this; and we may readily imagine that the proud* distinction was duly recorded, and, in conse

* We have proof of this feeling in the blazon of Maurice Roche's arms, (the subject of this paper,) being surrounded by the collar of esses at the Heralds' College, London, by the then Clarenceux King at Arms, whose autograph is attached to it.

quence, the royal cognizance, with all its due honours of size and precedence, placed at the head of the armorial embellishments on the monument; and, if so, the glory of the great mayor sheds its expiring splendour over the extinction of his house!

"Wonder not, mortal, at thy quick decay;
See! men of marble piece-meal melt away:
When whose the image we no longer read,
BUT MONUMENTS THEMSELVES MEMORIALS NEED."

CRABBE'S "Borough," Letter II. The Church.

THE KEARNEY MORTAR.

[4th August 1846.]

A seafaring-looking man, who very communicatively gave me his address, as Thomas Murphy, residing at No. 25 High-street, Kinsale, brought me for sale a brass mortar, intended no doubt to prepare medicaments for the family and tenantry of the gentleman for whom it was made, and which possibly may have also had occasional duty in the kitchen, when the cook required assistance in pounding meats, raisins, spices, or other culinary condiments. Mustard was made in English kitchens by pounding the seed, less than seventy years ago, as I have been informed by an aunt of mine. It weighs 45 lbs. and he asked 18. per pound, but eventually sold it for forty shillings, and gave me in return its not very eventful history. But first I should describe the purchase, which I made for Mr. Lindsay.

This mortar stands 8 inches high, on a base of nearly 8 inches broad, which narrows in to less than 5, and then expands, in a bell shape, to 94 inches. At the centre, on the outside, are four square loops, two pair of unequal sizes (possibly, to assist in lifting it), which divide the circumference into four compartments; one, which we will call the central, is filled with three semi-circles, each inclosing a fleur-de-lis; and below, on the lower rim, is in very large numerals the date when the mortar was founded-1620. The second compartment has the letters I. K.* divided by a cross fleurée; over the latter is the letter E, between two plain crosses (these of course were the initials of Mr. and Mrs. Kearney). The

* A.D. 1624, James Karney, Esq. served the office of sheriff in Cork, John Roche, Esq. being the mayor, and James Lombard, Esq. the other and senior sheriff.-Tuckey's Cork Remembrancer, page 307.

next division has the letters I. H. S; over the centre letter, the cross fleureé. The last has two semicircular arches, with fleurs-de-lis beneath, separated by the cross fleurée. Immediately under the upper rim is inscribed in large letters, each word being separated from its following by the arches and fleurs-de-lis:

IN GOD IS ALL MY TRUST,*

and on the lower rim, on the opposite side from the date-R. P., most probably the initials of the person who cast it.

Now for Thomas Murphy's narrative:

"I bought this mortar from Mr. James Jenkins of Dooneene, near the Old Head of Kinsale, whose mother was sister of Mr. James Kearney and Mr. Michael Kearney of Dooneene, who are all dead. The great-grandfather of Mr. Jenkins was a bye-son of a brother of an uncle of the late James Kearney, Esq. of Garrettstown; and the mortar came from Kilmore House, where these Kearneys used to live, to Dooneene House, when Kilmore was given up to John Cuthbert Kearney, Esq. When I bought it, it was so covered with verdigris that you could not see anything on it, which I burnt off with sixpennyworth of vitriol."

*The last two letters, s T, for want of space, are over R U on the upper rim.

BISHOP LION'S CHAPEL AND TOMBSTONE AT CORK.

Cork 16 March, 1849.

MY DEAR CROFTON,-Beyond the shrubbery, in front of the Bishop's palace at Saint Finn Bars, are the remains of the walls, at the north-west angle, of what was once the Palace Chapel, in which nook has just been uncovered a slab of limestone, six feet in length, two feet eleven and a half inches in height, and five inches in thickness; the bottom under-edge of the slab is bevelled inwards, the other three sides are merely, and very roughly, squared, and I should think were let into a wall; they would not form a joint. The surface of the stone has been so slightly smoothed, that cracks and inequalities remain, which occasion gaps in the inscription, and oblige some words even to be divided. I am informed that persons are living in Cork who have heard divine service* in the chapel. By the inscription annexed, you will learn that the chapel was erected by Bishop Lion A.D. 1588. It is supposed that his remains are also there, and that they and the inscription † will be removed into the cathedral. The inscription is in black-letter characters, raised from the surface of the stone.

Another inscription on a small tablet, which I am informed had fallen from the wall of this chapel, is inserted in the wall of the upper shrubbery. It is also raised but in Roman characters, and is in Latin, and in these words:

DEUS. JUDEX. EST. HUNC. HUMILIAT. HUNC. EXALTAT. 15 × 90.

The tablet is very narrow-and the inscription stands on it thus:

* Mr. Gillespie has since told me that, sixty years since, before he went apprentice, he remembered the chapel perfect for service, but was not ever in it during the performance of service. (June, 1849.)

This has been done. The two inscriptions are inserted in the wall on your left entering into the cathedral, and the bishop's remains were deposited also within the cathedral.

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