G 304

Book of Oghams (translation)

19th cent. Paper. 23 × 18.5 cms. A gathering of 12 bifolia (watermark 1803) with an outer bifolium (watermark 1810), originally bound in a fragment (parchment of a deed of Mary Marshall of St. Sepulchres dated 1721 with `Book of Ogams' on the front parchment cover. Also on that cover, but now mostly illegivle, is a declaration signed by `J. Hurst' and dated 20th May 1742 beginning `Mr Day assigned to Mr. (...) in trust for Miss Marshall ...'. Another folio containing a drawing (see below) is inserted after f. 15, the conjugate of which is a stub following f. 9. The scribe of the tract is unidentified but the items that follow on ff. 15 v, 16 v, 17 were perhaps written by Adam Burke.

Bound in brown boards with `A Book of Oghams' in ink and `10355' labelled on spine. Its number in the ADam Clark collection, `CLXIX' in gilt letters, is labelled on the parchment cover as are the numbers `514' (sale number), `128' (Baynes catalogue number) and `10355' (Phillipps). The relevant excerpt from the Baynes sale-catalogue is labelled on the recto of the outer folio with `No 169' [cancelled and `504' written above] and `Phillipps MS 10355' also on that page. Listed under `Baynes, ex Bibl. Adami Clark LLD' in Phillipps's Catalogus. Purchased by the National Library for 10s. from Sotheby (lot 247) 29 June 1936.

The tract in this manuscript headed `A Translation of the Book of Oghams' and beg. Question. What was the place where, the time when, the person by whom, and the cause for which the Ogham was invented is a translation of that text from the Book of Ballymote with additional material from `the paper manuscript of Trinity College' (ff. 3 v, 4 r). Following the tract are: (a) f. 15 v a drawing of an Ogham inscription on `a granite tomb-stone dug up in Daragh churchyard, Parish of Glenruadh, Countie of Limeric', (b) f. 16 v drawing of `An Ogham Stone near Carrick on Sure' with details of its location etc on f. 17 r; (c) f. 17 v a brief description of the ruins `at the Rock of Cashel'. Remainder of the manuscript is blank.