It is remarkable that the two silver-gilt chalices now in use at S. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, are exactly the same in design, and dated (from the hall mark) 1635. They have been recently regilt, while ours has the gilding worn almost completely away. That this gift was not the first, or a solitary act, is proved by the note in a letter of Lord Cork, dated May, 1630: “I give my chaplain 50s. to pay the ffees to the officers of Trynitie Colledge, near Dublin, for the admittance of my two sons, Lewis and Hodge, into that house, and must also present plate.”[170] It would seem, therefore, that such gifts were still merely voluntary, whereas at some very early date the practice was adopted of taxing each student at matriculation for argent. In an account of the year 1628 occurs, “From Mr. Floyd, in lieu of two pieces plate to be bestowed on the College, £4.” If this was a matriculating Fellow Commoner, we can see that the custom was just then passing, like other “Benevolences” known in history, from being purely voluntary into the class of duties.
But of all these early gifts, only the Communion Plate survives. What became of the rest appears from the following record (from the days of the great Irish Rebellion), which I quote from Dr. Stubbs:—
[In] the College [there] had accumulated a considerable amount of valuable plate, which had been presented to it from time to time by noblemen and wealthy commoners, whose sons had entered as students. In one of the early books there is an inventory of the plate, “8 Potts; 14 Goblets; 2 Beakers, 9 Bowles; 3 Standing Pieces”; and the names of the donors are preserved.
In the Bursar’s books we find the following entries:—
£.
s.
d.
1642.
Sept. 15—
Borrowed from Jacob Kirwan (for which there was deposited with him in lieu thereof, for the space of nine months, the worth thereof in plate, the names whereof are written in the College book of plate),
50
0
0
”
Nov. 24—
Borrowed from Anne Hinson, Widow (for which there is deposited with her a parcel of plate, the particulars whereof are written in the plate book—the moneys were borrowed for twelve months),
50
0
0
1642.
Nov. 24—
Received for some small pieces of plate—viz., gold spoons,
2
7
0
”
Dec. 24—
Borrowed from Abraham Butts and John Rice, Executors of John Allen, Bricklayer, for twelve months, at 8 per cent., on a mortgage of 273 oz. 14 dwts. of plate (viz. 4 Bowles, 7 Tankards, and 4 College Potts),
50
0
0
1643.
July 22—
Received for some broken pieces of plate which were coined,
19
15
0
”
Oct. 24—
Received the overplus which arose out of the coining of the plate pawned to Dr. Roak and the Widow Hinson.
1644.
” 20—
Received for some parcels of plate which were coined,
12
6
2
1645.
April 19—
The plate which had been pawned, as above, to Abraham Butts and John Price, was made over by them to Mr. Stout in 1643, who, upon non-payment of the moneys, had the plate coined, and the principal and interest being retained, handed over to the Bursar the balance,
6
8
4
”
Dec. 12—
Received for two College potts, weighing 67 oz. 3 dwts.,
16
1
8
”
” 24—
Received for one College pott,
7
14
0
16456.
Jan. 17—
Received for two parcels of plate, weighing 39 oz. 4 dwts.,
9
1
8
”
Feb. 12—
Received for three parcels of plate,
10
19
9
1646.
May 28—
Received for a Spanish cup coined,
6
8
6
”
Aug. 16—
Received for Mr. Courtenay’s flagon, which was coined,
15
16
6
”
Oct. 3—
Received for a piece of plate which was broken up and coined to supply the College with provisions against the approaching siege (it had been presented by Sir Robert Trevor of Trevillin, Co. Denbigh, Governor of Newry, a former benefactor of the College),
30
19
8
”
” 10—
Received for Sir Richard Irven’s College pott,
18
3
6
”
” 17—
A candlestick coined,
15
17
3
”
Nov. 30—
do. do.,
15
15
0
”
” 27—
Certain parcels of plate coined (viz. 94 oz. 5 dwts. toucht plate, 16 oz. 12 dwts. uncertain plate),
26
10
0
16467.
Received for Sir William Wentworth’s basin and ewer, weighing 128 oz. 4 dwts.,
30
19
8
1647.
April 17—
Received for some parcels of plate,
15
7
9
”
May 25—
do. do.,
18
14
3
”
June 12—
do. do.,
11
18
0
”
” 29—
do. do.,
1
4
3
”
July 22—
Received for some parcels of plate coined,
22
12
7
1647.
Sept. 4—
Received for a dozen of spoons coined,
3
16
0
”
Oct. 21—
do. do.,
6
1
0
”
Nov. 13—
In part from Mr. Tounge for a gilt salt and six spoons, toucht plate,
5
0
0
”
” 20—
The balance of same,
1
10
0
”
” 27—
For Adam Ussher’s double gilt salt coined,
3
13
0
1647/8.
Feb. 7—
Received for Mr. Alvey’s College pott and salt, which were pawned for ten pounds,
10
0
0
1648.
April 12—
Received in lieu of a silver bowl from Mr. Taylor,
4
0
0
”
” —
Received from the Provost on a piece of plate, for covering the House,
2
5
0
”
May 20—
From Mr. Van Syndhoven for a gilt bowl, pawned,
6
0
0
1649.
” 24—
For Mr. Alvey’s plate, from Alderman Huitcheson,
11
10
4
The whole exceeds £500, then a very large sum. Yet there must have been much more besides, for it seems impossible that in the subsequent thirty years 5,000 ounces had again accumulated. It is not likely that Winter and his associates encouraged such donations, and we may assume that they commenced again with the Restoration. There remain from the Restoration time only two relics, both of which escaped the wreck to be presently related as being consecrated to the service of the Chapel, viz., a very handsome alms-plate (15·7), in repoussé work (hall mark A.R., with a figure under them, enclosed in a heart-shaped oval), given by Nehemiah Donelan in 1666; and a far larger (31·05), perfectly plain alms-plate, of great simplicity and beauty, given by Richard Bellingham in 1669. There are four later copies (1746, 1814?) of this plate in the set now used in the Chapel.
