THE OLD - Old Wirral.com

THE OLD CHURCHES OF WIRRAL
or it would have been practically worthless
for that important purpose.
Whether or no the Chinese made lenses
of glass may be somewhat uncertain, but
we know for a fact that the Egyptians
made glass beads and jewels no less than
5,000 years ago. These jewels were of
many colours, which were incorporated
into the material itself, that is to say,
actually stained glass. Later, we find that
the Greeks made glass in imitation of
onyx, agate, and some of the rarer kinds of
marble ; whilst the Romans also discovered
a way of making a dark coloured glass from
which they cut cameos. Then came glass
for various patterns, shapes, colours, and
uses, and also very beautiful glass mosaic
for wall decoration. They did not, however,
glaze their windows, though the
Romans were at an early date in the habit
of setting small panes of glass in bronze,
copper, and even leaden frames, possibly
for the purpose of mirrors.
St. Jerome and others of the early
Fathers allude to painted glass, but probably
these references are to medallions of
glass with figures painted upon them
which have been found in Greek excavations.
The first coloured glass windows of
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