[Illustration: FIRE TOWER]
Throughout Scotland and Ireland there are scattered great numbers of
_round towers_, which have puzzled all antiquarians. They have of
late obtained the general name of _Fire Towers_, and our engraving
represents the view of one of them, at Brechin, in Scotland. It consists
of sixty regular courses of hewn stone, of a brighter colour than the
adjoining church. It is 85 feet high to the cornice, whence rises a low,
spiral-pointed roof of stone, with three or four windows, and on the top
a vane, making 15 feet more, in all 100 feet from the ground, and
measuring 48 feet in external circumference.
Many of these towers in Ireland vary from 35 to 100 feet. One at Ardmore
has fasciæ at the several stories, which all the rest both in Ireland
and Scotland, seem to want, as well as stairs, having only abutments,
whereon to rest timbers and ladders. Some have windows regularly
disposed, others only at the top. Their situation with respect to the
churches also varies. Some in Ireland stand 25 to 125 feet from the west
end of the church. The tower at Brechin is included in the S.W. angle of
the ancient cathedral, to which it communicates by a door.
There have been numerous discussions respecting the purposes for which
these towers were built; they are generally adjoining to churches,
whence they seem to be of a religious nature. Mr. Vallencey considers
it as a settled point, that they were an appendage to the Druidical
religion, and were, in fact, _towers for the preservation of the
sacred fire[1] of the Druids or Magi_. To this Mr. Gough, in his
description of Brechin Tower,[2] raises an insuperable objection. But
they are certainly not belfries; and as no more probable conjecture has
been made on their original purpose, they are still known as _Fire
Towers._
For this curious relic we are indebted to Mr. Godfrey Higgins's erudite
quarto, entitled "The Celtic Druids," already alluded to at page 121 of
our present volume.
[1] Like the ancient Jews and Persians, the Druids had a sacred and
inextinguishable fire, which was preserved with the greatest
care. At Kildare it was guarded, from the most remote antiquity,
by an order of Druidesses, who were succeeded in later times by
an order of Christian Nuns. The fire was fed with peeled wood,
and never blown with the mouth, that it might not be polluted.
[2] "On the west front of the tower are two arches, one within the
other in relief. On the point of the outermost is a crucifix,
and between both, towards the middle, are figures of the Virgin
Mary and St. John, the latter holding a cup with a lamb. The
outer arch is adorned with knobs, and within both is a small
slit or loop. At the bottom of the outer arch are two beasts
couchant. If one of them _by his proboscis was not evidently an
elephant_, I should suppose them the supporters of the Scotch
arms. Parallel with the Crucifix are two plain stones, which do
not appear to have had anything upon them. Here is not the least
trace of a door in these arches, nor anywhere else, except in
the church."
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