Browse Items (44 total)

This portrait of a middle-aged man is modeled loosely on that painted by Benjamin Wilson in 1770, long after Spenser’s death, which was based on an engraving made in 1727 by George Vertue of a supposed portrait of Edmund Spenser in the collection of…

This portrait is an imaginary rendering of Elizabeth Boyle, Spenser’s second wife, and fellow occupant of Kilcolman Castle. It is a Photoshopped composite of other portraits of the period. There are no extant portraits of Boyle, although her headless…

On the table in the Tower House Parlor sits a “mether,” which is a four-sided, four-handled Irish drinking vessel carved of wood. Other examples are found in the Great Hall.

An example from the 16th century with the provenance “Kilcolman, Co.…

The Irish were and are famous for their skill on the harp. The harp is Ireland’s national symbol and became so by decree of King Henry VIII, when it was also featured on Irish coinage. The early modern harp used by the Irish would have been smaller…

On the table sit wooden plates. The household may have used pewter plates instead. Spenser would have had a good diet consisting of different kinds of meat, including deer, sheep, domestic and wildfowl, goat and (more rarely) pork; seafood; various…

Hunting was an aristocratic pursuit in Tudor England and Ireland, as well as an important source of meat and hides. Many estates in Ireland had deer parks dating back to the later middle ages (from the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 1170s-80s on…

On the floor near the fireplace sits a bellows, for encouraging the fire. Spenser would likely have had a smithy on his Kilcolman estate, which would have employed similar tools. Iron-working debris predating Spenser’s occupation and presumably from…

Many plantations and other estates had orchards for growing apples and other fruits. Examples of orchards recreated today according to early modern designs can be found at Barryscourt Castle, Co. Cork and also in the burgage plot (or backyard…

A mantle is a common type of heavy woolen cloak found in medieval and early modern Ireland. Fantastic, colorful and richly woven varieties are described in medieval Irish poetry. Elaborate and expensive mantles would have been worn by the rich and…

All homeowners need places to store their goods, including food and drink. The bottom floors of tower houses, often the dampest and coldest areas in the building, were typically used for storage. Timber was a key export from the Munster plantation,…