Some other excellent examples were yielded by the examination, by Mr. Wakeman, of a crannog in Ballydoolough[65]—a loch of about twenty-four acres in extent, a few miles from Enniskillen, not far from the old road to Tempo. The “lake dwelling” where these fragments were found, is said to be “one of the most instructive yet discovered in Ireland.” In it, “among other instructive remains, were found a very large number of fragments of pottery, along with quantities of bones of bos longifrons, cervus elephas, sus scrofa, equus asinus, and other animals, including the goat, which gave good testimony to their being portions of cooking vessels.” A restoration of one of these “crocks” is given on the accompanying engraving, Fig. [689], and its pattern is shown of a larger size on Fig. [718]. “It measures three feet two inches round the mouth, and is tastefully ornamented on the rim and sides. The decoration, which was impressed upon the soft clay before the vessel was burnt, is extremely like that which appears upon silver bracelets preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, and also found amongst the Cuerdale hoard.” Its colour is drab, or light yellowish red, and it is of close texture. The pattern is impressed or indented, and from its chevron character is undoubtedly early. Several varieties of this pattern occurred. The next examples exhibit simply a series of zigzag incisions of precisely the same character as is found on Celtic cinerary urns. Indeed the decoration of many of these domestic (?) vessels is exactly identical with that of some of the finest sepulchral urns found in that country. “It may be said further, that in the numerous designs found upon the crannog vessels there is not one that is suggestive of the work of Christian times in Ireland; on the contrary, the greater portion—chevrons and circular depressions—are expressive of pagan ideas of ornamental art. The log-house at Ballydoolough is almost precisely of the same size and of the same style of construction as the celebrated dwelling described by Captain Mudge in the ‘Archæologia,’ in which was found a stone hatchet.” These crannog vessels must not, therefore, be assigned to a later period than pagan times.
Fig. 690.
Figs. 691 to 704.
Some other examples from this crannog are of extreme interest. The “fragment, Fig. [719], bears upon its ear,” says Mr. Wakeman, “two figures somewhat like a St. Andrew’s Cross, but which here, I apprehend, need not be regarded as a Christian symbol. Such figures
have been found in Ireland, inscribed on rocks, and upon the walls of natural or partly artificial caverns, and even within the inclosure of pagan tumuli, as at Dowth, accompanied in several instances by ‘scorings’ at present unintelligible.” Many appear in the cave of Lochnacloyduff (the loch of the dark trench, or mound) and in the “lettered caves” and the cliffs of Knockmore. These vessels are “of a dingy brown colour, and their ‘scorings’ are deeply impressed in what was a paste of unusually gritty matter. It may not be out of place to state here, once for all, that between the crannog pottery and the vases found in cairns, and usually styled sepulchral, there is apparently no difference in style of manufacture. Strange to say, both classes exhibit the action of fire more strongly upon the interior than upon the external sides or base. Their colouring upon the whole is generally similar, varying from a dull red to a dark brown, nearly black; and in no instance, as far as my observation carries, has glazing been practised.” (Wakeman.)
Fig. 705.
Figs. 706 to 715.