Adam's Country House Collections - 16th October 2018

7KH $UPDGD 7DEOH LV GHVFULEHG E\ 7KH .QLJKW RI *OLQ LQ ΖULVK )XUQLWXUH <DOH DV Ȇ one of the most important and earliest pieces of Irish furniture. ȇ +H SURFHHGV WR TXRWH IURP 'DQLHO $XJXVWXV %HDXIRUWȇV WUDYHO GLDULHV “In a long tiled gallery full of maps, & stag horns & other such things is a very curious massy table of some kind of ma- hogany, with 4 Lions for legs & in the middle Hope on one side & Charity on the other, for supporters - all rudely carved. This table was taken out of one of the Ships of the Armada wrecked on this coast 200 years ago.” 7KH .QLJKW KLPVHOI FRPPHQWV Ȋ 8SRQ FORVH H[DPLQDWLRQ WKH KHUDOGLF OLRQ VXSSRUWV DQG ȴJXUHV RI +RSH DQG &KDULW\ EHORZ grotesque masks on the frieze were probably part of the ornamental woodwork of a Spanish galleon. The frieze is inlaid with 'XWFK VW\OH PDUTXHWU\ RI ȵRZHUV RQ RQH ORQJ VLGH RQO\ ZKLOH HDFK HQG LV YHQHHUHG ZLWK UHXVHG ȴOLJUHH PDUTXHWU\ EHORZ a cleated plank top. To have rescued such a large piece of furniture sounds unlikely; it is much more likely that the table ZDV DVVHPEOHG LQ WKH V ZKHUH LW ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ SRVVLEOH WR GLVSOD\ LW LQ 0£LUHȇV QHZ PDQRU KRXVH VRPH ȴIW\ \HDUV after the Armada wreck. Doubt could be cast on the age of the table if we did not have Beaufort’s description; the re-used marquetry is probably part of further alterations in the nineteenth century when the ‘antiquarian’ vogue was at its height. The present top on the table is most probably a nineteenth century replacement but there are still signs on the table frame of the draw-leaf mechanism that he described. It is now exhibited in the solar at Bunratty.” 7KH VWRU\ RI WKH 6SDQLVK $UPDGDȇV H[SHULHQFH RQ WKH ZHVW FRDVW RI &R &ODUH LV DQ XQKDSS\ RQH ΖQ HDUO\ 6HSWHPEHU VHYHQ VKLSV RI WKH $UPDGD RI YDU\LQJ VL]H FDPH LQWR WKH PRXWK RI WKH 6KDQQRQ DQG DQFKRUHG LQ WKH VDIH KDU - ERXU DW &DUULJDKROW HDVW RI /RRS +HDG 7KH &RURQHU RI 7KRPRQG 1LFKRODV &DKDQH ZHQW RQ ERDUG WR LQWHUYLHZ WKH VWUDQJHUV EXW FRXOG JHW OLWWOH LQIRUPDWLRQ H[FHSW WKDW WKH\ ZHUH LQ VHULRXV QHHG RI GULQNLQJ ZDWHU -DPHV )URVW QRWHV WKDW WKH 6SDQLVK GLVSDWFKHG D ERDW WR QHDUE\ .LOUXVK R΍HULQJ WR H[FKDQJH ZLQH IRU IUHVK ZDWHU 7KH ORFDOV KRZHYHU ZHUH ZDU\ DV WKH 6KHUL΍ RI WKH FRXQW\ ZDV XQGHU RUGHUV WR UHIXVH VXSSOLHV RI HYHU\ NLQG DQG KH ZDV WR H[HFXWH DOO 6SDQLDUGV ZKR PLJKW FRPH RQ VKRUH DQG SUHVXPDEO\ DQ\ QDWLYHV ZKR PLJKW DVVLVW WKHP 'HVSDLULQJ WKH JDOOHRQV RQFH DJDLQ SXW WR VHD SUHSDUHG WR WDNH WKHLU FKDQFHV RQ WKH RFHDQ 7KH IROORZLQJ GD\ D YHV - VHO ZDV VHHQ DQFKRUHG LQ D ZLOG VSRW DV )URVW FDOOHG LW D PLOH ZHVW RI WKH FDVWOH RI /LVFDQQRU 3HGUR %DSWLVWD SXUVHU RI WKH Ȇ Sumiga ȇ ODQGHG RQ VKRUH LQ VHDUFK RI ZDWHU DQG ZDV GXO\ DUUHVWHG +H VWDWHG WKDW WKH FUHZ ZHUH SHULVKLQJ GXH WR D ODFN RI ZDWHU DQG WKDW WKH PDVWHU KDG DOUHDG\ GLHG RI WKLUVW 2WKHU 6SDQLVK YHVVHOV ZHUH REVHUYHG IURP WKH VKRUH DQG RQ WKH WK RI 6HSWHPEHU RQH GULIWHG LQWR D ED\ QHDU 'RRQEHJ DQG EHFDPH D WRWDO ZUHFN 7KUHH KXQGUHG RI WKH FUHZ ZHUH GURZQHG DQG DERXW VL[W\ PHQ ZKR KDG ODQGHG ZHUH VODXJKWHUHG E\ WKH ORFDOV RU H[HFXWHG E\ RU - GHU RI 6LU 7XUORXJK 2ȇ%ULHQ RI 7URPURH )XUWKHU VKLSV DOVR UDQ DJURXQG DQG ZHUH ZUHFNHG )URVW QRWHV WKDW IURP WKH VXUURXQGLQJ FRXQWU\ WKH SRSXODWLRQ FDPH GRZQ WR WKH VKRUH IRU SOXQGHU Ȇ Such of the unhappy foreigners as escaped GURZQLQJ ZHUH H[HFXWHG E\ %RHWKLXV &ODQF\ KLJK 6KHUL΍ RI WKH FRXQW\ DVVLVWHG E\ 6LU 7XUORXJK 2ȇ%ULHQ &DSWDLQ 0RUGDXQW and Mr. Morton. A massive table, preserved at Dromoland Castle, is almost the only relic, left in Clare, of the disastrous fate of the Spanish Armada.’ %RHWKLXV &ODQF\ G ZDV ERUQ LQ &R &ODUH LQWR D ZHOO HGXFDWHG IDPLO\ WKH KHUHGLWDU\ ODZ\HUV RU brehons RI 7KRPRQG ΖQ KH ZDV WKH UHSUHVHQWDWLYH RI WKH QHZO\ IRUPHG &RXQW\ &ODUH LQ WKH 3DUOLDPHQW RI ΖUHODQG DQG LQ ZDV DSSRLQWHG +LJK 6KHUL΍ RI &ODUH 7KDW VDPH \HDU WKH 6SDQLVK $UPDGD ZHUH DWWHPSWLQJ WR PDNH WKHLU ZD\ KRPH WKURXJK VHYHUH VWRUPV R΍ WKH ZHVW FRDVW RI ΖUHODQG DQG PDQ\ VKLSV ZHUH ZUHFNHG RU DEDQGRQHG &ODQF\ ZDV DXWKRUL]HG E\ WKH /RUG 'HSXW\ WR “.... take all the hulls of ships, stores, treasures etc, into your hands and to apprehend and execute all Spaniards found there of what quality so ever. ȋ $ UHSRUW VWDWHV WKDW &ODQF\ URXQGHG XS DQG LPSULVRQHG DV PDQ\ DV 6SDQLVK FUHZ ZKR ZHUH VXEVHTXHQWO\ KXQJ RQ D QHDUE\ KLOO QRW IDU IURP 'RRQDJRUH &DVWOH &QRF QD &URFDLUH +DQJPDQȇV +LOO DQG WKH ERGLHV EXULHG LQ D PDVV JUDYH QHDUE\ ΖW ZDV QRWHG WKDW &ODQF\ PDQDJHG WR VDOYDJH WLPEHU DQG GHFRUDWLRQV IURP WKH ZUHFN DQG KDG D WDEOH PDGH IURP LW WKH KHUDOGLF ȴJXUHV FRPLQJ IURP WKH VWHUQ RI D JDOOHRQ 7KLV LV WKH WDEOH WKDW ZDV VXEVHTXHQWO\ JLIWHG WR WKH 2ȇ%ULHQV RI /HPHQDJK 'HVFHQGLQJ GLUHFWO\ IURP WKH WHQWK FHQWXU\ +LJK .LQJ RI ΖUHODQG %ULDQ %RUX WKH 2ȇ%ULHQV %DURQV RI ΖQFKLTXLQ DUH V\QRQ\PRXV ZLWK 'URPRODQG RQH RI WKH PRVW IDPRXV EDURQLDO FDVWOHV LQ ΖUHODQG DQG WKH FODQȇV DQFHVWUDO KRPH IRU QLJK RQ QLQH KXQGUHG \HDUV 7KUHH FDVWOHV DUH KRZHYHU DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK WKH 2ȇ%ULHQV /HPHQDJK 'URPRODQG DQG Bunratty. 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