The Comerford Crown or Ikerrin Crown is the name of a lost archaeological relic probably dating from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

that was in the possession of the noble Comerford Family from its discovery in 1692 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, later removal from Ireland, and possible loss by that family while living in exile in France during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First French Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public Capital punishment, executions took pl ...

(c. 1793). The crown was an encased gold cap or crown that was discovered at the

Devil's Bit The Devil's Bit or Devil's Bit Mountain (, historically anglicized as 'Barnane Ely') is a large hill in County Tipperary, Ireland, which rises to . It lies north-west of the town of Templemore. The mountain is usually climbed through the townla ...

, Co. Tipperary, in 1692.Comerford Profiles 9: Joseph Comerford (d. 1729), Marquis d’Anglure (with picture of the crown)
2009-07-15, The Comerford Family History Blog Joseph Comerford bought it and saved it from being melted down. Other similar antiquities (see:

Golden hat Golden hats (or gold hats) (german: Goldhüte, singular: ) are a very specific and rare type of archaeological artifact from Bronze Age Europe. So far, four such objects ("cone-shaped gold hats of the Schifferstadt type") are known. The objects ...

) have been discovered elsewhere in Europe and have dated from the Bronze Age. The crown weighed about five

troy ounce Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England, and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and ...

s (156 grams), and may have been melted down for its intrinsic value during the Reign of Terror. The eventual fate of the crown rescued by Comerford remains a mystery. The crown appears to have survived in safe hands for a long time after his death. In his ''Histoire d’Irlande'' (1758), the Abbé MacGeoghegan, described this gold crown as being in the shape of a bonnet, and added: “This curious part of antiquity was sold to Joseph Comerford and must be preserved in the Castle of

Anglure Anglure () is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Marne department The following is a list of the 613 communes in the French department of Marne. The communes cooperate in the f ...

, where he had bought the estate.” Supporting the theory the crown survived the Reign of Terror is a contributor to the ''

Dublin Penny Journal The ''Dublin Penny Journal'' was a weekly newspaper, and later series of published volumes, originating from Dublin, Ireland, between 1832 and 1836. Published each Saturday, by J. S. Folds, George Petrie, and Caesar Otway, the ''Penny Journal'' ...

'' who in August 1832 claimed that the crown was then still preserved in the Château d’Anglure. However, Dr Czernicki, whose father bought the Chateau d’Anglure in 1832 from Monsieur Tissandier, said: “I never heard anyone speak about the piece of antiquity that you refer to." It is therefore generally considered to have been lost and probably melted down during the French Revolution.

References

{{reflist Archaeological artifacts Bronze Age Ireland Gold objects