Lewis Chessmen |
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| These chess pieces are a reproduction of the Isle of Lewis chessmen. In 1831 the sea carried away a substantial sandbank on the shores of the Isle of Lewis and in so doing it uncovered a mysterious building, which had been buried under the sand. A crofter working nearby found what he was sure was in fact a collection of fairies and 'The Little People'. Superstition and Celtic folklore has always played a major part in the life of Highlander's and so it was no wonder that this particular crofter viewed such a find with horror and trepidation. | |||
| He promptly ran all the way back to the safety of his croft house only to be confronted by his darling wife, who was made of stronger stuff and soon persuaded him to return to the sandbank and bring the little figurines home. |
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| In time he sold them to a local collector who realized they were in
fact chessmen of which there were 78 pieces in all belonging to eight or
more sets. 67 are now in the British Museum and the rest thankfully remain
in the national museum in Edinburgh. Experts are unanimous in regarding them as the most astonishing collection of ancient chessmen in existence'. | |||
This chess set is a wonderful gift as not only are the pieces wonderful to handle whilst playing. The story behind them and the feeling of history associated with them makes the ownership of a set mean something very special to many people
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