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Jewels at the National Museum of Ireland

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Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
When I visited the Emerald Isle for the first time this June, much of my time was spent frolicking about the country’s gorgeous landscapes — including the famous Cliffs of Moher, pictured above. (Yes, the sky really was that blue the entire time I was there!) But, being me, I also had to take a bit of time to scout out some of the centuries-old jewelry on the island. First stop was today’s featured location: the Decorative Arts and History branch of the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.
(Please note that all of the photographs in this post were taken by me and may not be used without my permission. Thanks!)
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
The museum is housed in Collins Barracks, which was previously a garrison housing first British and then Irish troops. Because the museum covers both decorative arts and history, there’s a wide range of content inside, from exhibits on the Easter Rising to rooms full of silver and retrospectives on Irish fashion. Tucked away in a room on one of the upper floors you’ll also find several cases full of antique jewelry. Here are some of my favorite pieces on display, including some with royal connections!

Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Shell Cameo of the Duke of York
This shell cameo brooch was carved in Rome in 1827 by Paolo Neri. The cameo is believed to depict Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Frederick was the second son of George III and, from 1820 until his death in 1827, heir presumptive to the British throne. If the cameo does depict Frederick, it may have been carved as a memento after his death.
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Victorian Claddagh Rings
The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish piece of jewelry that is packed with symbolism. The heart represents love, the crown represents loyalty, and the hands represent friendship. The rings were apparently originally produced in the 17th century in Claddagh, a town in Galway. This pair of golden Claddagh rings was made in Waterford by Thomas Dillon in 1846. Sometimes the rings are used as wedding rings (as these likely were), but they’re also often passed down from mother to daughter. Fittingly, my mom bought me a silver Claddagh ring at a market outside Dublin as a souvenir of the trip — I think pieces of jewelry are the best way to remember a trip! The way you wear the Claddagh ring is also symbolic; since I’m in a relationship but not married, I wear mine on my right hand with the point of the heart facing toward my wrist.
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amethyst Hair Comb
This early nineteenth-century hair comb was one of my favorite pieces in the entire collection — it definitely looks fit for a princess, and it would sparkle like mad in a candlelit ballroom! The comb features purple amethysts combined with paste stones. The metal features a finish called ormolu, which was achieved by applying an amalgam of gold and mercury to a bronze base and heating it in a kiln. You’ll sometimes see the final product called “gilt bronze.”
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amethyst Demi-Parure
The necklace, brooch, and earrings from this amethyst and gold demi-parure weren’t displayed alongside the hair comb, but I’d definitely wear them as a married parure! This set was produced sometime between 1820 and 1830, and the amethysts are set in two kinds of gold work: filagree and cannetille.
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Queen’s Brooch
In August 1849, Queen Victoria made her very first visit to Ireland, even amid the lingering trauma of the Famine. (Pretty questionable political timing, if you ask me, but ultimately the visit apparently went well.) To mark her visit, the administration at Trinity College commissioned a copy of the Cavan brooch, made around 800 AD and rediscovered in the nineteenth century in Lough Ramor in County Cavan. The piece is an example of a pennanular brooch, worn by both men and women to secure the fabric of their garments; here’s an image that shows how they’re worn with fabric. Victoria’s brooch was made by Edmond Johnson for West and Son in Dublin, using Wicklow gold and a pearl sourced from Lough Eske in Donegal. After Victoria’s death in 1901, the brooch was given to the museum by her son, the Duke of Connaught.
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Bog Oak Bracelet
Wood buried for centuries or even millenia in peat bogs is known as “bog wood” or “bog oak,” and in the ninteenth century, it was a fashionable material for jewelry. This carved bog oak bracelet features two important Irish symbols: the shamrock and the Celtic harp.
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Irish Diamond Necklace
Dating to around 1860, this necklace of shamrocks with a central Celtic harp is made of “Irish diamonds” — another name for pyrite (which is also sometimes called “fool’s gold”). The “diamonds” here may not be genuine, but you would not believe the way they sparkled under the display lights! I’d wear Irish diamonds any day of the week.
Image © The Court Jeweller. Do not reproduce without permission.
Irish Diamond Bracelet
And even better, there’s a matching bracelet! Irish diamonds for everybody!
Have you been to the museum at Collins Barracks? What were your favorite pieces?

Jewel History: Dublin Crown Jewel Case (1912)

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“Dublin Crown Jewel Case”
(originally appeared in the New York Times on 24 Nov 1912)

London, Nov. 7 — The Scotland Yard authorities, acting in conjunction with the police abroad, have caused the arrest of Francis Richard Shackleton, the brother of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous antarctic explorer. The warrant was issued some time ago at the instigation of Sir Charles Mathews, the public prosecutor, and, although it concerns the bankruptcy proceedings in the case of Lord Ronald Sutherland Gower, and Mr. Shackleton’s management of the latter’s estate, it is said at Scotland Yard that his examination is likely to shed light on the mysterious disappearance of the Dublin Castle crown jewels [1], which created so much excitement five years ago. Ever since the spring of 1908, Mr. Shackleton has been on the continent under surveillance of Scotland Yard.

It will be recalled that in October 1907, when preparations were being made to invest Lord Castletown  as a Knight of St. Patrick [2], it was discovered that the regalia of the order was missing. The jewels have an intrinsic value of $250,000, but their sentimental value was incalculable.

Sir Arthur Vicars (source)

They were kept in the safe at the castle, in the office of Sir Arthur Vicars [3] as Master at Arms. This safe was at the right of the entrance to his private quarters, and the room was usually occupied in the daytime by two clerks and carefully locked at night. For no particular reason, except possibly due to the fact that it contained an antiquated safe locked with a complicated and large key, the apartment was known as the “strong room.”

The jewels in question had been kept in this place for more than 200 years [4]. The discovery of the theft, which was kept secret for several months at the request of the police, caused a postponement of the ceremony, and the Chief Secretary for Ireland called for the resignation of Sir Arthur as Master at Arms on the grounds that he had not taken proper precautions for the safety of the valuables.

Police illustration of the stolen insignia (source)

Sir Arthur refused to resign, demanded a court of inquiry, and selected Timothy Healy, a Member of Parliament of the Nationalist Party, as his counsel, and has ever since been appealing for vindication. At the time, Francis Richard Shackleton was connected with Sir Arthur in certain business transactions, for the latter, besides being a collector of Irish curios, is the editor of “Lodge’s Peerage,” a work relating exclusively to the Irish nobility. Mr. Shackleton also did much research work at the Castle among the documents kept in the South Tower [5].

In re-examination during the hearing of this remarkable case, Mr. Shackleton declared that he was in no way connected with the disappearance of the Dublin crown jewels, and the Vice Regal Commission appointed to inquire into the matter reported that there was no evidence whatever before them that he was the person who stole the jewels.

Mr. Shackleton was examined at great length before the commission, which inquired in 1908 into the sensational disappearance of the crown jewels. He declared that he never had a key of the strong room in which the jewels were kept, but frequently went to the strong room, though never having access to the safe. During the period of his official connection with Dublin Castle, he had indulged in various financial transactions.

In the course of his evidence, he told a remarkable story about a clairvoyance seance he took part in at the Irish Exchange with Sir Arthur, when an attempt was made by a lady seer to “sense” the whereabouts of the lost jewels. Over and over again, Mr. Shackleton declared that he had not the slightest idea as to the theft of the jewels, though suspicion had been thrown upon him.

“Did you or did you not take the jewels?” asked the Solicitor General.

“I did not take them. I know nothing of the disappearance. I have no suspicion of anybody!” was the reply.

“Were you concerned directly or indirectly with their taking?”

“No, I know that I am suspected, because I traveled from Paris to Italy about the end of the year. I had gone out there on business.” [6]

NOTES
1. The “Irish crown jewels” were the badge and star of the sovereign’s regalia of the Order of St. Patrick. The badge and the star were made in 1831, during the reign of William IV, and were set with diamonds that had belonged to George III and Queen Charlotte. The pieces were also set with emeralds and rubies.
2. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were headed to Ireland to invest Bernard FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Castletown, as a knight of the order. (More about the Order of St. Patrick here.) Four days before the royal visit, it was discovered that the diamond badge and star of the sovereign’s regalia were missing from the safe. The king was furious, and the investiture ceremony had to be postponed.
3. Vicars was a genealogist and an expert in heraldry. He had been appointed to the position of Ulster King of Arms, Herald of All Ireland in 1893 and was knighted in 1896. As the keeper of the keys to the safe where the stolen regalia had been stored, he was naturally a primary suspect in their disappearance.
4. The BBC suggests that this is untrue; the jewels had been stored in a bank vault until 1903, when they were moved to a safe in Dublin Castle.
5. Shackleton was the Dublin Herald at the time of the disappearance, one of two deputies of the Ulster King of Arms. The other, the Cork Herald, was Pierce Gun Mahony; he was also Vicars’s nephew.
6. The jewels have never been recovered. Vicars was forced to resign, having been found negligent in his responsibilities. He directly implicated Shackleton in the theft, but Shackleton was ultimately exonerated by the commission. Historians have posited numerous theories about their disappearance. Some have suggested that Vicars and Shackleton were both a part of a circle of prominent gay men who used the office at the castle for parties, leaving the jewels vulnerable. But this period of Irish history is also one of complicated and dangerous politics, and it’s also been suggested that the theft may have been a part of a political conspiracy. All three of the most prominent men running the Office of Arms at the time of the theft met tragic fates. Vicars was killed by the IRA in 1921. Shackleton was arrested for fraud
in a different case in 1913, and he was so humiliated by his conviction
that he changed his surname after he was released from prison. Mahony drowned in 1914.

The Order of St. Patrick

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The badge of the Order of St. Patrick [1]
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! To mark the feast day, please go outside and cast all the snakes out of your backyard, and then come back here, where we’ll take a look at the order of chivalry dedicated to the Irish saint — an order that was once used by the British to reward political loyalty and is today all but non-existent. (I’ll wait here.)

Are you back yet? Okay, let’s get to it!

King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
wearing the mantle, collar, badge,
and star of the Order of St. Patrick.
He was made a member of the order
in 1821 [2]

In 1783, King George III founded the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick. It was the highest order of chivalry in Ireland, and one of the triumvirate of national chivalric orders in the UK — the English equivalent is the Order of the Garter, and the Scottish the Order of the Thistle. (And, as usual, none for poor Wales.)  In precedence, it ranked below the Garter and the Thistle. The order was instituted as a means of encouraging loyalty to the crown in Ireland.

Members of the order had to be men, and more specifically, men who were “knights and gentleman.” (Women were never made members of the order. Only two women — Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II — were ever included, and that’s because they were both sovereigns.) Those who received it were recognized for their contributions to the Irish parliament. The only members ever appointed to the order already held noble or royal titles, generally Anglo-Irish peers and members of the royal family. Originally, the order was limited to the sovereign (the British monarch) and fifteen knights; George IV upped the number to twenty-one knights, and William IV formally capped the order at twenty-two. The order was conferred “at the monarch’s pleasure” — there were no “automatic” members. And unlike the Order of the Garter, royal princes counted toward the total number of members.

The first member of the order was, however, a royal prince. The fifteen original knights of St. Patrick were the Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria), the Duke of Leinster, the Earl of Clanricarde, the Earl of Westmeath, the Earl of Inchiquin, the Earl of Drogheda, the Earl of Tyrone, the Earl of Shannon, the Earl of Clanbrassil, the Earl of Mornington, the Earl of Arran, the Earl of Courtown, the Earl of Charlemont, the Earl of Bective, and the Earl of Ely [3]. All knights of the order were entitled to append the letters “KP” after their names and titles. They were also entitled to be called “Sir,” but as every member had a higher title, no one ever used that honorific.

Members of the order wore mantles of sky-blue satin. The insignia of the order consisted of an eight-pointed star [4], a broad riband (also in sky-blue), and a badge depicting a shamrock bearing crowns on each of its three leaves, encircled by the order’s motto, “Quis separabit?” [5] (Latin for “Who shall separate us?”) and “1783” in Roman numerals. The badge was usually worn suspended from the riband, but on certain occasions [6], it was worn suspended from a bejeweled collar. The collar consisted of Irish harps and Tudor roses interspersed with knots.

An image of a star of the Order of St. Patrick [7]

For royal jewel lovers like us, one specific version of the insignia of the Order of St. Patrick is of special interest. In 1830, William IV had a new set of insignia made for the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who was also the Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick. The star was made of 394 diamonds taken from the jewelry that had belonged to the king’s late mother, Queen Charlotte, and from one of the badges of the Order of the Bath that had belonged to his late father, King George III. The insignia pieces also included rubies and emeralds, and they were significant enough that they were sometimes called the “Irish crown jewels.”

To give you an idea of how significant diamonds from Charlotte’s collection really are, allmost no jewelry exists in the British collection today that dates back to Queen Charlotte. This is, in part, because of a suit filed by the Hanoverian royal family in the 1830s; in 1857, they were granted a number of pieces of Charlotte’s jewelry, including her small nuptial crown. (One of the only pieces of jewelry in the current Windsor collection that includes diamonds that once belonged to Queen Charlotte is Queen Adelaide’s fringe necklace/tiara, sometimes called the “Hanoverian Fringe.” Hugh Roberts speculates that the Hanoverians simply overlooked it.) Unfortunately, the St. Patrick insignia that included some of her diamonds has been MIA for more than a century. The insignia was stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907, just before Edward VII was to make a visit to Ireland, and it has never been recovered. What happened to the jewels remains a mystery to this day.

As you might have expected, the Order of St. Patrick has been dormant since roughly 1922, at the time when Ireland was partitioned and the Free State was granted independence. But there actually were knights of the order created after that date. Three British princes, all sons of George V, were made members in the ensuing years: the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) in 1927, the Duke of Gloucester in 1934, and the Duke of York (later George VI) in 1936. Bertie, the last knight to be created, was invested on St. Patrick’s Day in 1936. He was the only person added to the order by his elder brother during his brief reign, and the last person ever added to the roster by any monarch, period.

The last living member of the order was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, who died in 1974. (Well, that’s the last person invested as a member — as the order has never actually been abolished, it still has one member today: its sovereign, Elizabeth II). Every now and then, the idea of reviving the order is bandied about by members of the Irish government, although the obstacles to restarting a British order of chivalry in Ireland today is fraught with some obvious concerns. With the weight of a tragic and complicated colonial past hanging over it, I think it’s likely that this is one of so many chivalric orders that is a permanent part of history.

NOTES, PHOTO CREDITS, AND LINKS
1. Cropped version of an image available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.
2. Cropped version of an image available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.
3. For much more on the original creation of the order, see this book on the order’s statutes, ca. 1852.
4. Here’s an example of a St. Patrick star that was sold recently at Christie’s; it was originally owned by the 1st Marquess of Clanricarde and ended up in the collection of the 6th Earl Harewood, husband of Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. It sold for more than $14,000.
5. “Quis separabit?” is also the motto of numerous military regiments, including the Irish Guards (who are being visited today by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). And, trivia fact for the Americans among you, it’s also the motto on the seal of the state of South Carolina (which seems sort of ironic, no?).
6. These occasions were the order’s “collar days.” Some of them were regular (Anglican) religious festivals: four days in the Easter Season, Pentecost, New Year’s Day, Epiphany, Candlemas, the Feast of the Annunciation, All Saints’ Day, and Christmas Day. And then there were a number of saints’ feast days: St. Patrick, of course, plus St. Matthias, St. David, St. George, St. Mark, Sts. Philip and James, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Luke, Sts. Simon and Jude, St. Andrew, and St. Thomas. And, finally, there were days related to UK and royal holidays: the birthdays of the King and Queen, the monarch’s accession day, the day of the monarchy’s restoration in 1660, and — intriguingly — Guy Fawkes Day.
7. Cropped version of an image available via Wikimedia Commons; source here.