Page:Archaeologia volume 38 part 1.djvu/179

Rh shows the best confirmatory evidence, is that popularly known by the name of, in the valley of Glendalough. The name is easily accounted for by its present appearance; but it is, in fact, a house of a very early period converted into a chapel in the twelfth century. It is recorded that a monastic establishment was planted in the valley by St. Kevin in the early part of the sixth century; and Irish antiquaries usually assign this house to that period. It may reasonably be doubted whether the Irish people were acquainted with the art of building with cut stone and mortar at that time, since Bede expressly tells us that, when the Romans left Britain, they advised the people to build a wall across the northern portion of the island, which was done, but they were obliged to make it of earth and sods only, because they had no artists capable of building it of stone; he also frequently mentions the manner of building of the Scots, as of wood, thatch, and wattles, or wicker-work only. There is no reason to suppose that the Irish were in advance of the Britons, and they were included under the general name of Scots. They may have piled up the rough stones which they found on the surface in various forms; but the arts of cutting stone, of burning it into lime, and of making mortar, imply a considerable progress in civilization. We may, however, conclude that the house called St. Kevin's Kitchen is one of the earliest buildings in Ireland, and belongs to a period anterior to the twelfth century, because it was altered into a chapel at that time. The original structure was a small oblong room of Cyclopean masonry, on which are a lofty and massive stone roof and vault; at the springing of this is a ledge, which seems to indicate the position of a wooden floor, so that, there was an upper room under the vault, as in the towers of later date; and there is a small window in the east gable, to give light and air to this upper chamber. The head of the window of the lower room still remains; it is cut out of a single stone, and widely splayed within; the lower part of it was removed, when a round-headed chancel-arch was cut through the wall; and it seems pretty clear that this must have been done in the twelfth century, when a chancel, since destroyed, was added, and a vestry, which still remains, clumsily joined to the south-east corner of the original building: this vestry has a window of the usual character of the