Kells Crozier [SEP] collection
Kells Crozier
The Kells Crozier or "British Museum Crozier" is a mediaeval Irish bishop's staff that has been part of the British Museum's collection since 1859. This rare object, one of only four extant complete examples known from Ireland, mysteriously appeared in London in 1850, before being acquired by the museum.
Description.
The Kells Crozier was made by various craftsmen over at least two different periods between the late 9th and 11th century AD. While the core of the crozier is wooden, the crook is
and the old Irish language: "ordo conduilis ocius do mel finnen", which, roughly translated, asks supplicants to pray for Cúduilig and Maelfinnén who were involved in its refurbishment. Scholars have identified these names with individuals who were connected with the important Irish monastic settlement at Kells, County Meath. However, recent research has cast doubts about this connection. The crozier was found without explanation in the cupboard of a London solicitor's office in the middle of the nineteenth century. It subsequently belonged to several owners (including Cardinal