The Comerford Crown is striking gold artefact, whose origins probably lie in the Late Bronze Age. It was discovered in 1692 in a peat bog at Bearna Eile (The Devil’s Bit), Co. Tipperary. As the picture above shows, it was profusely decorated, in what was most likely repousse ornamentation. An extraordinary object, the crown must have created a considerable stir when found. It soon caught the eye of a Mr. Joseph Comerford, who purchased it and subsequently brought it to Châteaux de Anglure in Champagne, France, where he was then resident. Unfortunately, the crown went missing soon afterwards.
Parallels for this precious object can be found in continental Europe, where a small number of gold hats/vessels are recorded from Bronze Age contexts. In the northwest of the Iberian peninsula, for example, at least three gold hats or bowls have been recovered that are strikingly similar to the Comerford Crown. Fashioned out of carefully hammered gold, they are covered in repoussé decoration that is comparable to the Tipperary crown, especially the circular motifs and banded ornamentation.
Slightly further afield, in central Europe, a small number gold hats/vessels have also been discovered. They include eight gold ‘bowls’ from Eberswalde, Germany that date to the Late Bronze Age. These thin-walled vessels are profusely decorated and employ many of the motifs seen on the Comerford Crown.
Even more elaborate gold ‘hats’ are also known from Germany. These tall, conical shaped hats/vessels are fashioned out of sheet gold and appear to have originally adorned organic head dresses, which have since decomposed. Their unusual profile makes it unlikely that they were used as bowls, as does the shape of their openings, which are are oval rather than round, with diameters broadly equivalent to those of a human head. The are covered in decorative motifs and again circles and linear ornamentation dominate.
The Comerford Crown is not the only Bronze Age ‘hat’ recorded from Ireland and in the late 17th century a second gold crown/vessel was found nearby at the Bog of Cullen, Co. Tipperary. Known locally as the Golden Bog, due to the sheer quantity of artefacts recovered from its depths during the 17th and 18th centuries, this morass appears to have been an important ritual site during the Late Bronze Age. Unfortunately, very few of the objects found in the bog have survived to the present day and the gold ‘crown’ is no different. In 1744 it was purchased by a Limerick Jeweller, Joseph Kinshalloe, who melted down the artefact to produce 6 ounces worth of gold. Another gold ‘crown’, described rather unusually as shaped like a shell, was also discovered in Co. Limerick at Kilpeacon in 1821. Regrettably, this object was similarly melted down for bullion.
The original function of these elaborate gold objects remains uncertain. If they were indeed crowns, then they were probably worn in conjunction with an organic headdress or lining that has not survived. Most likely the possessions of high status individuals they were probably used during specific ceremonies or rituals. Another possibility is that some of the ‘hats’ adorned wooden statutes or totems that may have depicted local deities.
Conversely, it also has been argued that these precious items are not in fact crowns, but instead gold bowls/vessels. This is especially the case with some of the artefacts from the Eberswalde hoard, which appear too small to fit on a human head.
Eogan, G. 1981 ‘The gold Vessels of the Bronze Age in Ireland and Beyond’ in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature, Vol. 81C, pp. 345-382
Image Source for the Comerford Crown