Journal Co "Kildare Society - Forgotten Books
509
-
Upload
khangminh22 -
Category
Documents
-
view
0 -
download
0
Transcript of Journal Co "Kildare Society - Forgotten Books
J O U R N A L
CO}
"
KILD’
ARE SOCIETY
S URROUNDING DI STRICTS .
THE COUNCIL o f the COUNTY KILDARE ARCH ZEOLOGICAL
S OCIETY do not‘ hokl themselves answerable
forward this JOURNAL the responsibility rests
writers of papers
statements
J O U R N A L
CO. KILDAREARCHZEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
SURROUND ING D I STR ICTS .
1896 -1899 .
DUBLIN :
EDWARD PON SONBY,116 GRAFTON S TREET .
1899.
CONTENTS .
VOLUME II . 1896-1899 (JANUARY NUMBER) .
PAGE .
PROCEEDINGS,AND REPORTS OF COUNCIL, 68 219 331
L IST OF H ONORARY OFFICERS AND MEMBERS, AND RULES ,EXCURSION MEETINGS
1895 . Great Connell and Ki ldare ,1896. Celbr idge , Leixl ip , and Castletown ,
1897 . K i lleen Corm ac , Tim ol in , Moone, and Grange Con ,
THE HON . TREASURER ’S ACCOUNT :Up to 3l st Decem ber, 1895 ,
1896,
1897 ,
REV IEW OF BOOK SPagan Ireland,
”by 001. W . G. Wood-Mart in
,
The H i gh Crosses Of Ireland ,
” by Mi ss S tokes,
OBITUARYTh e
’
Most Rev . Michael Comerford, D .D . , Coadjutor Bishop of
Ki ldare’
and Leighlin; V ice-President ,
The Rev . Den i s Murphy; S . J . , V ice-President.
REPORT OF THE COMM ITTEE APPOINTED TO CONSIDER THE FUTURE PRINTINGQF THE JOURNAL,
PAPERSK i lkea Castle . By Lord Walter Fi tzGerald ,
Notes on the Fam ily of S herlOck. By th e Rev. J. F . M . ffrench,
The Pale . By th e Rev . Denis Murphy , S .J
N otes on the S ou th ern Boundary of th e,
Ancient K ingdom of
Meath , where i t passed th rough North Kildare . By the Rev .
E . O’Leary , P .P.
,
Carburf,r and the Berm ingham s’ Country . By the Rev. M .Dev i tt, S .
Rathmore . By th e Ea rl of Mayo,
Incidents in th e Li fe Of Garrett More, 8th Earl of Kildare . ByLord Walter Fi tzGerald,
CO N TEN T S .
l’ APERS—rmzt imm l p m ;
John Lye o f Clonaugh (Part By the Rev . E . O’
Leary , P .P
(Part
Ir i sh Place N ames and Local Folk-lore . By M . Darby , M . D . .
S t . Lau rence O’Toole . By th e Rev . Den i s Mu rphy , S . J
Cast le Rh eban . By Lord Wa lter Fi tzGerald ,
Early Land-h olders in K i ll , CO . K i ldare . By the Rev . Canon
S h erlockTh e Moat of Ardscu ll . By Om ureth i ,
Celbri dge : som e N otes on i ts past H istory By th e Rev Ch arles I .
Graham ,B .D .
S t . Br igid and the Cathedral Church of Kildare. By th e Dean of
K i ldare ,Th e H igh S h eri ff s Of th e CO . K ildare. By J. R . Garst in,
Donacomper Church . By W . T . Ki rkpatrick .
S t . Wolstan’s Abbey . By W . T . Ki rkpa tI ick ,
Kildare : i ts H istory and Ant i qu i t ies . By th e Rev . Den i sMu rphy , s .J
Great Connell Abbey . By Lord Wa lter Fi tzGerald ,
Ancient N aas Ou tposts and Longstones . By T . J De BUIgh ,
An Account of th e Arrest of Lord Edward Fi tzGerald ,
Ca stletown and i ts Ownei s . By Lord Walter Fi tzGerald ,
Leixlip Castle. By Lord Walter Fi tzGerald ,
Th e O’GonnoI Henchy Fam i ly . By V . H u ssey Wa lsh ,
T imol in . By LordWalter Fi tzGerald ,
Notes on a Book O f Hours of the Blessed V i rgin Mary . By the
Hon . Mrs . Swinton ,
Old K ilcu llen . By Miss Margaret Stokes ,
MIS CELLANEA AND NOTES
The Baltinglass T i tle,S t. Dermott of Cast ledermot ,
Th e H ills Eire and A lba,Lord Edward Fi tzGerald
’s Bag
-pipes ,
The Churchyard of Donoiaghmore (Grange Will iam) ,Th e Knigh t ’
s Efii gy in th e Abbey Of Clane ,Monecronock near S herldckstown ,
Pagan ,S epu lch ral Monuments
,Moats ,
Killelan Church and Inch Castle,Pipers ’
S tones ,
S unday’s Wells,
The Lost Ogham S tone at Killeen Cormac,
Trades Tokens of the County Kildare ,Cawlcannon ,
Th e Ancient Bridges at Kilcu llen and S t. Wolstan’s,
Calverstown ,
The Tipper Monum enta l Cross ,Pictures of the S alm onleap and Leixl i p Castle ,
CO N TEN TS ix
MISCELLANEA AND NOTES—con tinued PM ,
The Fi tzGeralds and MacK enz ieS,
S ir Thomas Eustace, 1st V i scount Baltinglass ,The Celt ic Brooch of Castledermot,
Iron Imp lem ents dug up at Athy,
Th e Lattin A lm s-hou se S tones at Naas ,
The Deer-park of M aynooth Castle ,Tea-lane , Celbridge ,Arch aeological Jott ings ,S t . M O-ch ua of Celbridge,Knockpatrick , near Castledermot ,
The two Cloncurrys in the County Kildare ,Gi lltown ,
K ilshanroe ,
The Bu rial Urn and Bronze Sk i llet at K i lkea CastleNotes on an Arch iep i scopa l Cross , and on a Rel iquary ,A S heelah -na-gig ,The Skeleton Tomb In th e Franci scan A bbey at CastledeImot ,
Portra i ts O f Lord and Lady Edward Fi tzGerald ,
Th e Race of th e Black Pig, a Curragh road ,
The Hovenden Coat of Arm s S tone in th e Rosetown Churchyard ,
Taylor’s Map of th e County Ki ldare , 1783,
The Bu i lding of JIggi nstown th e Wells of T ipper, and the Bells ofBless ington ,
Notes On a HornbookPou l gyleen ,
A thgoe Castle Mural Tab let,
The Conflict between the English and Irish Peers as to supreme
jurisd ictionThe O
’
Kelly S lab in th e Cadam stown Churchyard ,
On a S tained-glass W indow in Fu rness Hou se ,
Carnalway and i ts Objects of ant i quar i an in terest,
QUERIES AND ANSWERS TO QUER IES
As to th e m ean ing of Roch falyagh t ,”
Fealyghe,”
H erb ida s ,
and Mei rgeach ,
”65
S unday’s Well and Piper ’
s S tones,
158
Th e Race of th e B lack Pig on the Cu rragh , 158, 383
Cawlca'
nnon“
,214 , 272
The Leap of A llen , 216, 273
O ’Connor
’
s Map of Ireland,
218
Jou rnal of the Mem or ia ls of th e Dead, Ireland; and Ch urch Plate 218
Tee lane or Tea lane 272
S t . Boyana of Gi lltown, 325
K i lshanch oe‘
,or Ki lshanroe
‘
? 325
CORRIGENDA AND INDEx,
LIST OF'
ILLUSTRATIONS .
POI tra i t
o
of th e Earl Of Mayo , President (from a block lent by the Edi tOIOf The I ? i sh Tou ri s t ) J Foonti sp i ece) .
lPortI a i t of th e Most Rev . M ichael Com erford , D.D , Coadju tor BishopOf Kildare and Leighlin , VicePresident,
Ki lkea Cas tle, i I om an oi l painting by Ash ford, 1784,Drawing by Au stin Cooper , 1782 ,
Coat-oi—Arm s S tones in th e ch imney-piece at ,
Drawings of , before and after th e Restoration in 1849,From an unfin i sh ed water-colour drawing, circa 1830,Th e Evi l Eye S tone at ,Th e Main Entrance of ,
S ketch of the Monkey carved on th e ch imney of th e
Haunted W ing,From th e Bawn ,
Ground p lan of ,
Dem esne , Map of ,
But lerstown Castle, CO . Wexford ,S curlogstown Castle, Co . M eath ,
S herlock Coats oi Arm s ,
POI t ion of the Pale between Clane and Clongowes WoOd Col lege ,Map of th e ancien t south ern boundary Of th e County Meath In K ildarePortrait of th e Rev . Den is Murphy , S . J . ,
Vice-President ,Tr in ity Well, th e source of the Boyne ,
Castle Carbu ry (th I ee p lates ) ,The Boyne as i t em erges from T rin i ty Well,Castle CaI bury and the Mortuary Chapel of the Colley Fam i ly ,Th e Moat at Rathm ore , drawn by the Hon . Gerald Ponsonby,The 8th Earl
‘
of Kildare ’s Coat O i Arm s on h i s tomb—form erly at Chri st
Church Cath edral ,
PAGE .
LI S T OF I LLUS TRAT IO N S .
A Wayside Cross at th e vi llage of Johnstown-br idge ,
Th e Earl of K ildare’s Coat-Oi -Arm s on a S tone from Clonaugh Castle,
at Johnstown bridge,JohnLye’
s Tomb S lab at Kildare Cath edral,S i r Henry S idney
’S Coat Oi Arm s on a S tone from Clonaugh Castle, at
JOhnstown br idge ,
A Tracing of S i r Henry S idney’s Coat-oi -Arm s,
Castle Rheban ,inter ior view of
,
exterior view of ,
from an Old Engraving ,
An i ron fack dug up at,
Inscript ion on a 16th -century S lab in th e ch urch ruins of Church town(Rheban) ,
S ketch of th e ru ined castle at Ough terard ,Th e Moa t of Ardscu l l from an old engraving,
Plan of th e interior of ,
Map of th e surrounding country at,
Ogham Inscr i ption at Ki lleen Corm ac,
T rade Tokens of the County Kildare ,
Th e Tipper Churchyard Cross ,
S t . Br igid’s Cath edra l at K i ldare, from a water colour by O ’
Nei ll,
from a drawing by Petrie ,from the north -east (after i tsrestora
tion) ,from the north west (after i ts reStora
tion ) , r
from an old water~colour drawing, a
Th e Fire-hou se at , from a drawm g by
Au stin Cooper ,Th e anci en t granite Cross at ,Befo
'
re the restoration ,
A Cel t ic Bronze Brooch found near Castledermot,
Iron Implem ents dug up near Athy,
Donagh comper Church ,inter i or of, drawn by Miss Margaret S tokes,plan _
of,
Sketch es of S t . Wolstan’s Abbey in 1782 , by Aust in Cooper ,
V iew of the N ew Bridge at S t . Wolstan’s
Th e Ru ins of th e Carm elite Friary at Ki ldare in 1790, from a drawingby Austin Cooper ,
Th e Ru ins of th e Franciscan Abbey a t Ki ldare in 1784 , from a drawing
by Au stin Cooper ,B i shop Wellesley ’
s Effigy at Great ConnellAbbey ,Th e Ru ins of Great Connell Abbey In 1781, from a drawing by Au stin
Cooper,
Por tion of a Bi shop’s Efli gy in th e Reliceen Churchyard near Grea t
Connell AbbeyA cross-in scribed S lab in the Reliceen Chu rchyard ,
x i
I, I\GPA 0
Th e. unfinished date on Bishop Wellesley’
s Tomb , Great Connell Abbey ,A S tone bearing Bi shop Wellesley
’s Coat-oi -Arm s,
Map showing,
th e Long S tones , Bath s , and Castles in the Naas Di strict ,Th e S epu lch ral Urn and ancient Bronze Ski llet at K i lkea Castle,An Arch iep i scopal Cross and an ancient Reliquary , from drawings by
Col. V i gors
Lord Edward Fi tzGerald’
s Portrait, f i om a water colou r by Hone,
S igna ture ,Lady EdwardFi tzGerald
’s S i gnatu re ,
Castletown Hou se ,Th e Conolly Monum ent In the Tea lane Churchya1d, Celbridge ,A Portrait of th e Righ t Hon . Th om as Conol ly , P C ,
from a crayon by
Ham ilton ,
Th e Wonderfu l Barn near Castletown ,
The Obelisk near CaI ton,
The S keleton Tomb In the Franciscan Abbey at Castledermot,
A.
S cu lptured S tone bearing the B ovenden Coat oi A rm s,
Leixl ip Castle and,
Ch urch ,from Fi sher
’s V i ews of Ireland,
from the front,
from th e I Iver ,
Inscription on th e Whyte Monument inLeixlip Church ,Th e S almonleap ,
The Whyte and Moore Arm s on th eWhyte M onum ent In Leixl ip Church,The K i ghow (or Kehoe) Slab In th e Tim olin Churchyard ,Th e Archbold Mural Tablet In the village of Tim olin ,
Old Kilcullen Church arid Round Tower , from Grose’
S“ Antiqu ities of
Ireland,”
The S cu lptured and Unsculptu red ,§3ross-shafts at Old K i lcullen ,
The S culptu red Cross-Shaft at Old Ki lcu llen , from a drawing by Petrie,Rubbings of s ix of th e panels on the Old K ilcullen Cross-shaft ,The first th ree l ines of inscription on th e O
’Kelly S lab , in the Cadam s
town Churchyard ,
Th e 0’Kelly Coat O i Arm s on a S labIn th e Cadam stown Churchyard ,
A . S tained glass W indow In Furness Hou se, from a drawing by th e Hon .
Gerald Ponsonby,
MOST REV . M ICH AEL COMERFORD , D .D
J O U R N A L
OF THE
fi rclgaq girnIS urirtg S f tigr. d unntgK ilhm
AND
S nrmnnhing D‘
iatrirta.
O BITU A RY .
N the l9th of Augu st ou r S ociety lost i ts V ice-President
by the death o f the Coadju tor-B ishop of Kildare and
Leighlin , the M ost Rev . Dr . COMERFORD . Beside thehigher qu a l ities which fitted him for h is eccles iastical d ign ity ,and Of which this is not the p lace to speak, he was a m an O f
refined tastes and m ost am iable and charitable d isposition .
While st i ll a young curate he Showed hi s devotion to l i teratu reby translating from the Latin The Three Tabernacles —a
devou t treatise attr ibu ted to Thom as a Kempi s—Rnd several
o ther works of devo tion . Bu t the most im portan t work, andthe
‘
one which has the best r ight to be named here, was hi s
Col lection-S relating to the D ioceses of Kildareand Leighlin .
”
These three large vo lumes, the last Of
'
which was published ten
years ago by Jam es Du ffy Co . ,con ta in the r esu lts of m ost
labor iou s researches carr ied on through m any years, and i n them idst o f great difficu lt ies and d istract ions, chiefly du ring the
YOL . IL , PT . I . B
2 OB ITUAR Y OF THE LATE M O S T R EV . DR . COMERFORD .
t ime that he was Par ish Priest of Monasterevan,where on e o f
hi s curates w as the Rev . Joseph Farrell , the gi fted au thor o f
The Lectu res of a Cer ta in Professor .
”
The M embers o f the County Kildare A rchaeolog ica l S ociety
can bear w itness to the great interest which he took in i ts work .
H e w as one o f i ts founders ; he contr ibu ted severa l valu able
Papers to ou r JOURNAL, and he attended at our Meetings and
Excu rs ions whenever the du ties of hi s office a l lowed h im,
show ing on every occasion the greatest read iness to im part
to others the benefit o f hi s extens ive and accurate know ledge
of the an tiqu ities of ou r county .
DR . COMERFORD a lso has been taken from u s at a com
paratively early age , before the venerable Prelate whom he
had been appointed to rel ieve o f som e o f the bu rden of the
episcopacy . H i s somewhat sudden and unexpected death took
p lace at Braganza H ou se, Carlow .
(From a S ke tch d rawn by A u s t in C o op er in
K ILK E A CA S TLE .
’
BY LORD WALTER FI TZ GERALD .
[Read at the S eptember Meeting of 1894 , by the REV . C .-GAN LY
,Rector
Of Castledermot] .
H IS castle i s situ ated at the foot o f the rath-capped H ill ofM ullachreelan
,
’
on the bank ‘
o f the r iv er Greese,and five
m i les from A thy in the Castledermot d irection ; i ts'
s ituat ion i s
pecu l iar as i t Was bu i l t j u st between a pagan tum u lu s (or bu ria lm eat ) and the Chr istian bur ia l-grou nd, the f ormer beinga fewperches away to the no i th west , and the latter som ewha t closeron the sou th east s ide of the ca st le .
The ancient d istrict In which the castle stands was,in the 12th
centu ry , known as Om ureth i,and belonged to the O
’
Toole sept ,to which the fam ous S t . Law rence O
"‘
OOle belonged ,this te i r i
tory has already been desci ibed on p . 16 1, vOl. i . , O f this JOURN A I
1 In 1869 the fourth Duke of Leinster had privately pr inted a sm a l l workby him called “ Residences and Cast les of th e Duke of Leinster ”
; one sect ionof this book i s devoted to the h i stOry of K ilkea Cast le, and has been re
produ ced h ere In a mu ch f uller form .
H i s death took placeon the 14th Of N0 \ ember , 1180, at the menas eryof Eu , In N orm andy .
4 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
Kilkea Castle IS S O cal led from the chu rchyard lying besidei t , and from i t the barony takes i ts nam e . I II old histor ies and
docum ents the spel ling o f the name var ies great ly ,the following
being the mos t u sua l f orm s -Kilea,K ylka , and K ilkak
a,&c. ,
all o f which a re a corru ption of the Ir ish name Cil l Caoide ,”
m ean ing S t . Cao ide’
s (or Kay ’s ) Chu rch .
This sa in t i s venerated on the 12 th o f Decem ber ; he hbeen ident ified by the late Fa ther S hearm an
,
1 fo rm erly par ish
pr iest O f Moone , w ith a S t . Moka toc,or Ka t
‘
an,who i s sa id to
have been bu r ied at the fam ou s Ugham ed bu r ia l-ground of
Killeen-Cormac,‘
near Colbinstow n,in this coun ty . Though
the nam es K ay and Mokatoc or Katan appea r a t first sigh t tohave no connect ion w i th one ano ther , yet the trans formation i seasily expla ined . In the early Chr istian t im es it was a common
pract ice byway o f endearm en t to u se
i
certa in prefixes and affixesto a sa in t ’
s nam e , su ch as -awn or -an a c. l it tle ; -oge or -00,
you ng ;M ofile. my . Thus “ K ay became
“ Katan ”or
Katee , and so to Mokatoc. Another instance of this k indof transform ation in a sain t ’s name i s that Of S t . Mogue ,a lso known as S t . A idan , the pa tron sa int o f CO . Wexford ;h i s or igina l name w as A edh (pronounced Ay ) , th is became
“endea red
”to “ A i-dan ,
”and “ MO-ay
-b ge”
or M ogu e . S t .
K ay was the son of Matan , son of Bracean, son O f Caelbu i dh
,
w ho w as for fifteen years king o f U ls ter , and for one year,
A .D . 857 , king o f Ire land . H e was one o f the seven d isciplesw hom S t . Pa tr ick lef t w i th S t . Fiach at S lea ty , which i s s ituatedon the Barrow , in the Qu een
’
s Coun ty , abou t seven m iles to thesou th o f Kilkea . The chie f S cene o f S t . Kay ’
s m iss ion w as at
In ishbeg i n the VVextord H aven , bu t he wa s in all pro babili tyt he fou nder as wel l as patron Of the or igina l chu rch of Donadea ,i n the barony o f Ikea thy ,
in the nor th o f the coun ty Kildare ,
t he old form o f the nam e of Which was “ Domhnach Caoi de,
”
a lso m ean ing S t . Kay ’
s Church ; his dea th took place soon a fterthe close o f the 5 th cent ury .
A fter the A ng lo-N orman invasion Of Ireland in 1169,this
sou thern end O f the Co . Kildare was granted by S trongbowto Wa lter de Riddlesford , Baron of Bray
,CO . W icklow , as i s
m ent ioned in a con temporary French poem on the Conqu est ofIreland , wherein i t i s stated that
Twenty fiefs in Omu rethy ,The noble ear l S trongbow ) in the same wayGave t o the war riorWalter de Riddlesford .
2
1 Vide Loea Patr iciana, p . 223
,and the Martyrology of Donegal .
2 Vu lc Orpen’
s translat ion of an old French poem among the Carew M ss .
li nj i EA CA S TLE . 5
De Riddlesford and h is fo l lowers now evicted the owners o f
the soil , the sept O’
Toole , who retired into the m ountain s o fIV icklow , and in cou rse o f t ime d ispossessed the O
’
Te ige sept o f
the ir terr ito ry in and round the Glen o f Ima i le,which they
appropr ia ted to themselves .
For the above-m entioned Waltende R iddles ford a castle wa sbu ilt at Kilkea . in 1180. by H ugh (le Lacy
,then chie f go verno r
o f Ireland . De Riddlesford d ied abou t l24 4, leaving two
daughters, Emelina and Ela . The fo rm er m ar ried fo r he r
second hu sband S te phen de LongeS pée , and had an onlydaughter also named Em elina ,
heiress thro ugh her m other o f
t he Omu rethi d is trict ; her hu sband was M au r ice Fitz Gera ld ,
third Baron of O ffa ly , and thu s the m anors o f Kilkea an d
Castlede rmot cam e into , and sti l l remain,the possession o f the
Gera ld ines . Eme l ina,Baroness o f O ffaly , d ied in l29 l.
Em el ina had a nie ce , Chr istiana de Mar isco,l ike herself a
grand-dau ghter of W al ter de R iddles i
'
ord , who had marriedEbu lo de Geneve by the King
’
s command . This Lady Chr istianahad inher ited lands in Kerry , ca l led S u rrys ,
”which she sold
to Mau rice Fitz Gera ld , Emel ina’
s h usband . for 1000 m arks
i n exchange for the m oiety o f Tr i steldermot, Garnenagh , and
K ilkea , to hold to her for l i fe , w ith reversion in fee to S i r
Mau r ice , Em elina his w i fe , and thei r he irs . These mo iet ies,together w ith her possessions in the va le o f D ublin
,in the Co .
\Vexford , and in Connaught, Lady Chr istiana granted in feeto King Edward I . and A lienor , the Qu een Con sor t , in con
s idera t ion of an annu ity to be granted to her ou t o f the King’
s
lands i n England , in the year 1280. In the fo l low ing year theJu st iciary o f Ireland , Rober t de Ufford , rece ived the King
’
s
o rder to take an inqu isi t ion rela tive to these lands , when, asregards the m oi e t ies o f the manors o f Kilkea , Garnenagh, andTr isteldermot , the j urors sa id that 1
There are in demesne and pas tu re , worth £18 a-y ear ; valu e of
each acre 12d . Moor,W or th 17s . a-year . The herbage and pas t ure in
t he wood there i s worth 3s . a-year . There are thereof rent s of assize£ 7 9s . 8d . of Tr i steldermod
,and 26s . i n a moiety o f bu rgage o f
K ilkea 7s . a-year . Pleas and profit s of cou r t s and of the hund red i n
t he said m oiet y are w or th 203 . a-year . £36 5 3 . 5 71.
The above lands are held of the hei rs of the Ear l Mar shall , namely S i rRoger de Mort imer , by the service O f fou r knight s
’
fees when the king’
s
s er vice i s proclaimed ,which o tten happens in Ire land and owe two su its at
t he Cou nt v Cour t o f K ildare ex tended at 4 mark s a-year .
in Lambeth Palace , which he has s tyled the S ong o f Dermot and the Ear l .Oxfo rd , 1892 .
1 Vide pp . 369 and 379 Of Sweetman’s Ca lendar of Documents
,Irelan d
( 1252—1284 )
K ILK EA CA S TLE . 7
Three y ea i s later anotheI inqu isi tion was taken to asceI ta in
the King’
s ren ts and tenements which belonged to Lady ChI ist iana ; the entry , as far as this d istrict i s concei ned , i s as fol
lows l
T ri steldermot,Kylka ,
and Gavenanc (Garnenagh From the bu rgages
O f Tr i steldermot, £4 123 . 4d . s ta llage there 1 m a .i k
.
The bu rgh of Kylka
27s . 9 1d . and 2 geese ; au tumna l ser vice there . 78 .,2 fishing
D
33 .
foreign service o f the ba t ony , £7 8d . Ther;
e a re there in dem esne
360 acres of arab le land let to divers tenant s , to w i t , each acre for l6d .
'
1 0 ta ,l £24
Pannage of the park , 39 . he age and pas tu re of the park ,40s . , by
exten t ; 16 acres of mom and past ure 20 acres o f m eadows , 409.
From W il liam of S pain for the tenem ent held by Wil l iam de Su l ly In
Kylka , namely 52 acres o f arab le land and acres of moor , 10d,
which wa s not entered in the extent . Mem . a moor l ) i ii g betwee i i
W y teston and the Grange of the Hospita l o f S t . John o f Tr i stelderm ot ,
w li i t h Ph i lip Co llan took ,rendering yea i ly 409. tI om Michaelmas .
— Total ,£46 7 2 d .
In the year 1291 the King commanded W i l liam de V esey ,Ju st iciary o f Ireland
, to cau se to be del ivered to Lady Chr istianathe manor o f K i lka and a m oiety o f the v il l of Tri stelderm ot
leased by her for l i fe to A l ienor , form erly Queen Consort , and
s ince decea sed .
A few years later Kilkea appears to have changed handsaga in ,
as in 13 l7 i t wa s in the possess ion of the Wogan fam i ly .
This w e learn from a Pa ten t Rol l dated the 11th year o f EdwardII . s
’
s 1e ign , whe I e in it i s sta ted tha t :—Rex concess it Johann iW ogan omnes Te1ras in K yIka , T I i stelderm ot
,Ber ton ,
M eon,
Car '
n ,A lwyne (A llen . )
9yCombre and Ockethy (Ikeathy ) ,
habend um sibi e t hered ibu s u na cum feod is m i li tum ,advoca
c ion ibus eccles iar um , ete .
, per servicia an tiqua , e tc . Apud
W estm inster , 4°
N ovembr is .
3
The next entry , from the sam e sou rce,u nder the date the
24 th o f A u gu st , 1390, records a perm ission from the King , for
a fine,to S i r David Wogan to enfeoff the above-named m anors
to Walter Tonler , V icar o f Balyrothery , Richard Bonevyll,v icar o f S lane , John Tanner , vicar of Kylka , W il liam Ta i llour ,v icar of Peres town-Lau ndey , and Dav id W alshe
, pr iest , for
him self and h i s heirs for ever .
4 S ir David W ogan d ied some
where abou t the year 1417,as i h that year hi s w idow A nastacia
w as assigned her dowry ; tha t portion connected w ith Kilkea
1 Va'
de p. 561 of S weetman’s Calendar Of Documents
,
” Ireland (1252
I ii /
£21” p . 407 .
Vida p . 24,Rotu lor um Cancellar iae Hibernise Calendari um .
4 I bid ., p. 143.
8 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
i s here translated from the Latin as g iven on p . 222 o f the
Rot . Cane . H ib . Calendar ium i t deals first w ith Ra thcotfyand i ts neighbou rhood , and then refers to Kilkea Castle as
fol lows
A lso in the Manor-hou se of K y lka one room called the Knigh t’s
Chamber,the larder (le botery ) , w ith two sma ll rooms in the IVh i te Tower
a third par t of the cellar there on the w e st s ide ; the new Orchard there a
third par t of the sla ted barn on the north side there the kitchen ( eoqu inaf
,
chapel, prison , the kiln (kyll ) , the b akery (bakbou s ) w ith a bak ery (pi str ina )there ; and the gates (zatys) ot
'
Kylka in common there ; also the Priest ’
s
room there ; the Cow-hou se w ith a smal l room near the long stable there ;t he th ird part o f one empty m es su age lately cal led the long stab le on t he
sou th side of that messuage there,”etc.
The last ent ry that w i l l be re ferred to from the sam e sou rce
a s the above , i s on p . 256,w he re i t i s stated tha t for a fine o f
339 . 4d . the King pa rdons Thom as Pow er,v icar o f K i lkea ,
R ichard A vell , pr ies t , and Jo lm A she, pr iest , for ha ving ,
w i thou t the roya l l icence , acqu ired for them selves and the irheirs two parts of the m anors of K i lka , Tri steldermot , Berton ,
Moon,etc. , from S ir Thom as
,son and hei r o f S i r Dav id
W ogan , kn t . ,
l the above m anors be ing held from the King inCapi te ; this was in the year 1434 . A t what per iod theyevacuated Kilkea I am una ble to say .
I II J u ly , 1356, S ir Thom as de Rokeby , Lord J ustice o f
Ireland , d ied in this castle ;2 of him H ol in shed w r ites that hew as
“a Kn ight sincere and upr ight o f conscience , who being
controlled for su ffer ing lIim sell'
e to be served in treene (he .
wooden ) cups, answ ered : ‘ Those hom elie cups and d ishes paietrulie for that they eonteine
,I had ra ther drinke o u t o f trocu e
cups pa ie go ld si lver , than dr inke ou t o f gold m ake
woodden paiment .
In 14 14 the O Mores and O’
Dempseys m ade an inroad intothe Pale , deva stating the country w i th fire and sw ord . untilThomas Cranly , A rchbishop of Dublin
,w ho had la tely been
elected to the office o f Lord Dep u ty , assumed in person the
command of the tr00ps and m arched against them . Beingi nformed
,how ever , that the Ir ish w ere a t Kilkea , the prelate
rema ined at Cast lederm o t , while h i s troops ad vanced aga ins tthe enemy . H olinshed
’s account of the conflict i s as follows
The Englishm en fought w ith the Ir ish neere to K ilka , s l uean hundred of the enem ies , whilest
“
the A rchbishop , being Lo rd
1 S ee an accoun t of the W ogan fam ily by Rev . Denis Mu rphy , S .J .,in the
Jou rna l of the for 1891 .
2 ' Vz'
de p . 211 of Gi lbert ' s Viceroys , and Cox ’s
“ Hibernia Anglicana ,pub lished 1689.
l o K ILK EA CA S TLE .
fo sterbrother nam ed Cahir M ‘E IIecrosse M ac M urrough ,close
to the ga tes of Cast ledermot . Cahir then rod e to the Ea r l andconsu lted w i th him
, a fter which “the Baron w as conveyed
fur ther into the hear t o f the cou nty o f Kildare to a cast leca lled Beerdy s Castle , and irons w ere b rought ou t of the
Ear l ’s own m anor of K y lkaa to m ake fa st the B a ron,where he
w as kept a long season , no tw i thstand ing sundry requests and
inj unct ions o f the Depu ty to the sa id Ear l ; and fina lly the
Baron lost h i s horse , h is‘
m oney , and h i s apparel w i thou t rest itution
,which i s a good encou rag ing to m a le factors to comm i t
spoi ls , having the advantage thereo f w ithou t pun ishmen t .
” 1
I II a Query on p . 148 o f the JO URN A L, information was
asked as to the whereabou ts o f Beerd h i s Cast le ,”m ent ioned
above . I have s ince iden tified i t w ith Ber t,which l ies on the left
bank of the Barrow,three m i les above A thy , for the fol low ing
reasons
d(1) It does li e f ur ther into the heart of the county K ildare from Cast le
ermot .
(2 ) A cast le former ly stood at Bert, wh ich was captu red in 1642 by a
detachment of S i r Char les Ocote’s force , and eight rebels found in i t were
hanged . Valle Cox ’
s H i bern ia'
Anglicana .
(3) Beafforte , a lia s Beardth , a lia s Bear te, i s ment ioned in the countyKildare Chancery Inqu isit ion s as passing du r ing the six teenth cent u ry in to
the hands of Humphrey Maewor th,who w as s lain in Ireland abou t 1582 , and
w ho had purchased i t from Thomas Wol fe these lands being held f rom theEar l of K ildare .
I II 1535,dur ing the Rebe ll ion of the S ilken Thomas
,
tenth Ear l o f Kildare,the Ear l o f Ossory invaded Kildare, b ut
then Me Morrowe,O
’
M oore , O’
Connor , and O’
Byrne in
S eptember.
w i th the greatest parte of the gen ti lmen of the
Count ie of Kildare were reteyned and set a t Ca therlaghe ,Castellderm ot
,A thye , K ilkaa ,
and thereabou ts , w ith v icta i lles
dur ing three w ikkes , to res ist the Er le of Ossor i e f rom envadingthe cou nty of Kildare . S oo that du r ing that sam e tym e the
tra i tor (l. e. the S i lken Thomas) beseidged Dublin .
”The Ear l o f
Ossory however for “ three days contynu ally b urnyd , spoy led ,d estroyed tha t cu ntrey ,
so that thereby the t ra icturs were pu t
from a bode in that M arches , lacking both hou sing and v ictai lle
there Whereuppon the Capy taynes and I , the sa id Er le ,d irecti d sundry letters to the Depu ti e to m ete u s in the coun tie
o f Kildare at K ylkaa , br inging w i th him ordynance accordingly ,w here the Depu ti e (S ir W i l liam S keflington ) appoyn ted w ithou t fa ill to mete
,br ing ing w ith him the arm ie at which day and
p lace the sa id E rle w i th t he arm i e lately ar rived at W ater forde
1 Vz'
cle th e “ S ta te Paper s of Henry VI II .
”
( Ire land) , vol. i i ., p. 157 .
K ILK EA CA S TLE . I !
fa i lednot to be , and there d id abide a three days contynu ally forthe depu tie ; where he nor any of the armye cam e not , nor anyle tter nor worde w as had from him bu t oon ly that S i r Jam es
Fitz Geralde 1 told that he herd say he was seke .
On the 2 lst of March , 1536, S i r Franci s E arhar t wrote fromDublin ,
to the Chief S ecretary , Thomas Cromw ell
My Lord Depu t tey haythe spoken th i s last wyke w ith O’More w ith
M ‘Mor ro , at a hou se of the Kynges , mamyt Kylka , and I w as one that was
w ith hi s Lordsep (Lord Leonard Grey) ther , and I cou ld not par sew by themb u t tha t they be dessyrou s to have pes . Also ther came and met my Lord ,a t the same hou se , my Lord Tressu rer (Lord Bu t ler ) and m y Lord h i s fath er ,
(1 they teylt my Lord Depu t tey and the Counsaylle that O’
Bren entendist o move wa re agaynce my Lord of Osre and hi s contre .
”3
Lord Leonard Grey then w ent to Kilkenny , and, on h i s
return towards Dublin, sou j ou rned a t Leghlyn (li e. Le ighlin
in the coun ty Carlow ) from where he sente S tephen ap H arry toK ilkaa , to p repare h i s footem en
,ordenaunce, and v i ctuall, and
w ith all celeri t ie to repa ir to the Castell o f Fernes .
” 4
On the lst of May , 1536, the A ct o f A tta inder aga inst thetenth Ear l of Kildare wa s passed , which declared all h i s esta tes
forfei ted to the Crown and i t was not un t i l the year 1552 , thatthe Castle and estate were restored by Edward the V I . to Gerald ,S ilken Thomas
’
s hal f-brother , who became the eleventh Ear l ofKildare .
In 1537, Lord (James) Bu tler , eldest son of the Ear l of
Ossory , w rote as follows to th e Lord Pr ivy sea l —“A nd w hereasu pon the exile of the trad itore Thom as Fitz Geralde , I tookethe charge o f defence and gard ing o f Cetharlaghe (Car low) andK ilkaa
,stand ing on the Marches next to the Me M orroes ,
Moores,and others of the Ir i shr ie, wherein I had som e charges as
the K inges Counsa i l knowe th” 5— asking for some compensation .
On the 4 th o f October he was a llowed h i s expenses in gu ard ingthe Castles
,and was appoin ted Constable of the Ca st les of Car low
and Kilkea . A t this same time the Depu ty , Lord LeonardGrey ,
w rote a lso to Cromw ell,the Lord Privy S ea l , w arn ing
him that though Lord Ossory and hi s son had done good
ser vice to the King , yet an eye shou ld be kept on them so as to
preven t their becom ing too pow er fu l ; the l ike whereof inother noble m en here , in tym es past, had so
‘
elevated theirmyndes that they had forgo tten their du t ies of alleg iaunce,
”
and he suggested that“ they shall delyver to the K inges O ffi cers
H i s Grace’s Manors of Carlagh , K ylca , and Casteldermont , for
1 An uncle of the S ilken Thom as .
2 “ S tate Papers of Henry V III V O] . i i . , 9 25 1°
3 I b., p . 307 .
4p . 346 .
5 I b., p . 476.
I 2 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
i f they have those possessions they w i l l have the ru le and obed ience o f those quarters , and not the King .
”
A bou t this t im e mention i s m ade in the documents of the
period of a W a lter Peppard of K ylea , who appears to ha vebeen granted the place prev iou s to 1545 . H e i s descr ibed as
one o f the gen tlem en u shers of the King’
s cham ber ; hi s w i few a s E lizabeth S tukely ,
by whom he had several chil dren , the
e ldest son being An thony . H i s possessions , which he held on
lease , were S t . Mary’s A bbey
'bes ide Dublin , th e two Dallards
t ow nes and the rectory of Ty IIIolingbegge in the cou nt ie o f
Kildare,
”the farm s of S l ieve Margy , Bal lyroan ,
and K ilmokide
(Ballyadam s) in the Queen’
s Cou nty,and the Pr iory of Glass
carrick,in the Coun ty Wex ford . D uring Queen Mary ’
s reign
Wa lter Peppard leased from the crown the o re and lead m inesa t Clonm ines
, Ross, and other p its”in the coun ty W ex f
'
ord .
In 1562 John Eustace and Pa tr ick S arsfield went secur ity forhim that he wou ld offer to her Maj esty the pre-emption o f the
gold a t two shill ings per ounce,and of the s i lver a t fou rpence
per ounce , lower than the marke t pr ices . The lease of thesem ines, which w as for 21 years , appears to have expired abou t1563 . In 1565
,
‘Walter Peppard d ied .
1
On the 26th o f February , 1545 , the Lord Depu ty , S i rA n thony S t . Leger , w rote to the Lord Chancel lor of England
(Wrothesley ) tha t the Ear l o f Ossory had o ffered to g ive u p to
the King hi s Castles on the borders of the Ka vanagh’
s coun tryin exchange for land in England , bu t
“ hi s Lordship i s now
f ulli reso lved that he w illno t depart w i th the pr incipalles o f them ,
u nless he m ay have landes here yea and su ch landes as i t were
not m ete for the K inge’
s Ma j est ic to depar t w i th in no case ; for
he desireth a lordsh ipp cal lid K i lkey ,which i s the properest
hou se and the good l iest lordsh ipp t he King hath in a ll thisrealm e . And when he m oved the same in the Counsa i ll here ,i t seem ed by their speech that they wou ld have been g lad thathe shou ld have had - i t
,ti ll 1 sa id openly tha t I wou ld assone
condiscende my hande be cu t t of,
as to give cou nsaill H is
M ajestic shou ld depart w ith that Lo rdsh ipp .
” 2
S ha un O ’
N e ill,chie f of h i s nation ,
shortly before h i s deathin 1567
,v is i ted the Ear l of Kilda re secretly at Kilkea . A t this
time the Ear l w a s su spected o f being implica ted w i th him and
t he Ea rl o f Desmond in a conspiracy aga in st Qu een E lizabe th .
I II the m on th o f Ju ne , 1572 , the Ear ls o f Kildare and
O rm ond ,w i th the ir respecti ve forces , w ere acting aga inst Ro ry
1 For the above , r ide Mor rin’
s Calendar of Pa tent and Close Roll s ,Ire land . and Ham il ton ’
s“ Ca lendar of S ta te Paper s ,
”Ireland .
2 “ S tate Paper s of Henry Ireland,xol. i i i . , p . 308.
K ILK EA CA S TLE . I 3
Oge O’More , chie f o f Leix , then p roving troublesome sh ortly
af terwards they were ordered to trea t w ith h im ,and to do so ,
we sent our protection for h im , bu t he refu sed to com e over
the Berrowe ; t il l my Lord of Kildare w ent to m eet him there ,w ith whom he came to K ylea ,
when be su bm itted him sel f .
S ca le of In c/w :
THE CARVED S TON ES IN THE CH IMN EY-PIECE OF TH E PUCK AW N RO OM .
A bou t the year 1573 the eleven th Earl repa ired the castle,
and placed in the din ing-hall a l imestone chimney-piece of whichthree sculptu red stones rema in . This chimney-piece was re
m oved i n 1797 by the then tenan t o f the castle, Thomas
Reynolds, who replaced it by a handsome I tal ian one in white
P4 K ILK EA CA S T LE .
and yellow marble ; at the same tim e on either side of i t heinser ted into the wall the two s ide-stones of the ancient chimney
p iece , while the m iddle stone w as bu i lt into one o f the p iers o f
the gate now stand ing a t the Maganey entrance lodge . The
I talian chimney-piece had , in the m idd le of it,a large goat
’s
h ead , from which the d in ing-room becam e known as the Puc
kawn room .
”I t was eventual ly removed in the year 1850
,and
sen t to Carton ,where i t now stands at the far end o f the d in ing
room . From a sketch of the ancient chimney-p iece , w hichi s g iven in vol. i i i . o f the A n thologia H ibern i ca Magaz ine ,p ublished in 1794, the fou rth D uke o f Leinster
'
got a clu e
a s to the posi t ion of the three scu lptured stones , and had themreset in a Cork m arble chimney-
piece in their orig inal site.
The scu lptu r ings on the stones are
The Fam i ly Crest —A monkey , s tatant , proper , en vironed abou t the
m iddle w ith a plain col lar , and chained , or . Below the monkey, in threel ines , i s incised SI DIV PL ICT
,CROM ABO
,1573 .
(2 ) The second stone bears a sh ield with the f am ily coat of armsA rgent , a saltere gu les .
And on th e th ird stone i s the crest of h i s w ife’s f am i ly—Upon a
ragged sta ff, or , a Cornish chough , w ings expanded , proper . The sculptur
a re all car ved in relief .
The Ear l ’s w ife was Mabel , second daughter of S ir An thonyBrown
,K .G . , and Master of the H orse to Edward V I , by
A l ice,daughter of S i r John Gage , K .G . , and sister to V iscount
Mon tacute . This Ear l w as known as the W izard Earl,”in
connection w ith whom there i s a legend , which w i l l be referred
to at the end o f this Paper .
A t this period H ol inshed m entions Kilkea am ong the chie ftowns of Le inster , the others being Kilcu llen ,
Cast le M ar ten,
Thr isteldermot,A thie
,&c.
In 1575 , during the m onth of May ,the Ear l o f Kildare
w as apprehended by the Lord Depu ty on su spIci on of be ingimpl icated in treasonable acts ; one o f the ev idences was JohnWa lsh
,chamber-servant and m essenger to the Ea rl , who s tated
that in May of the prev iou s year Myler H ussey,steward to the
Ear l,hav ing had con ference in a l it t le park or close , a t Kilkea ,
w ith two rebels named Donough and M elaghlin O’
K elly ,sent
deponen t to fetch them into the castle ,“and to m ake them
su pp , which he d id in the seller .
”A fter su pp
'
er he lef t themw ith H u ssey ,
who took them to the Ear l , w ith whom they hada long conference . A lso that Edmu nd Boy (210 . the yel low )S eix
,who in the prev iou s July had sto len from Garrett S u t ton
24 garrans (horses) , was kept for two day s and two n ights hid
K ILK E'
A CA S TLE . I 5
i n “ My ler H ussey s chamber and in the wardrobe at K ilkayb y the sa id Myler , and that he (deponent) u sed to c ar ry meat
from the Ear l ’ s table to the sa id Edmund as long as he wa s
there concea led .
I II a M s . book in the l ibrary o f the castle relating to therem in iscences o f Garrett Byrne o f Fallybeg (near Ballyadam s , in
the Queen’
s County ) , who died i n the 64 th year of hi s age , i nJu ne , 1780, i s g iven a trad i tion (though fa lse) o f the m u rder o f
Fergu s O’
K elly , of Luggacurren , by the Ear l of K i ldare’
s
orders at Kilkea . The accou nt comm ences w i th the fo l low ingstatemen t A trad it iona l though certa in account of passages
tha t happened in or abou t Logacu rren and the rest o f O’
K elly’
s
grou nd in that neighbou rhood , which took p lace abou t the yearo f our Lord 1580, and the 22nd o f Queen El izabeth ’
s reign ;w hich were assu red by boddered (Le. dea f ) Ca tharine M
‘James,
who ser ved seven years ’
appren ticesh ip in O’
K elly’
s house toold Edmund Cowen ,
and by h im to m’
e ; m ore of them by
people who remembered i t them selves,and I rem ember mysel f
what happened from the year 1720 to this year,1780. (S igned)
Garrett Byrne .
The accou n t which follow s i s a long one , bu t the p ith of i t
i s to this effect —“ A bou t the year 1580, Fergu s O’
K elly o f
Luggacu rren m arr ied a daughter of O’
Byrne o f Glenmalure,
in the Co . W icklow , bu t she refused to go home w ith h im t i llhe had a stone-wa l led hou se for her to l ive in ; so he at once
set h i s tenantry to work to bu i ld one at K nockaconna,w hich
w as fin ished in seven days , and was known as‘the Week
hou se,’bu t now goes by the nam e of S hanelogh , or the Old
tone -hou se . A t the fo llow ing M ichaelmas-day O’
K elly’
s
steward , M‘Glode
,a fter be ing ou t all day , was annoyed to find
that no goose had been kept for hi s d inner, and on making a
compla in t to hi s m aster got st i ll less sa t is fact ion from him ,so
he swore to be revenged for this sl ight . A t the v igi l o f
Christm as,M ‘Glode proceeded to the Earl of Kildare a t Kilkea
,
saying that h is m aster had sent him w i th an in vita t ion to spend
Chr istmas w ith him . The Ear l accepted i t , and proceeded w ithh is retinu e to the Week-house
,
’
where he rema ined t illCand lemas
,being m ost hospitably enterta ined all the time .
T he Ear l was to have le ft on Twelfth Day , bu t O’
K elly ,who
had d iscovered M ‘Glode’
s treachery,sa id that as he had accepted
h i s steward’
s invi ta tion he m u st now rema in on hi s own .
Before leaving , the Ear l insisted on O’
K elly’
s prom ising to beh i s gu est a t Kilkea ; and
,when he a rr ived shor tly a fter
, he was
taken to the highest tur ret of the ca st le to be shown the extentof the V iew from the bat tlements ; b u t he never descended
al ive , as h i s head was then and there removed from his
10 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
shou lders and sent as a present to Queen El izabeth ,who in re
t urn granted the Earl allO’
K e lly’
s lands a s a reward for the deed .
”
S u ch i s the trad i t ion , bu t i t i s en t irely fa lse as fa r a s Kilkeaand the Earl o f Kildare are concerned ; fo r the real m urderer
o f O’
K elly was Gera ld Fi tz Gera ld o f Moret t Castle , in the
Queen’
s Cou n ty , who was s lain and h is cast le burned by the
O’
Mores in re venge for O’
K elly’
s m u rder . This Gera ld was
an i lleg it imate son o f Gera ld , the eleven th Ear l of Kildare , andw as ancestor of the Fitz Geralds of Moret t and T imoge ; to h im
the Ear l dem ised the lands of Tim oge, Bally teskin , Moret t ,S hanganaghmore, and others in the Queen
’
s County , for a term
of 101 years , comm encing 20th of Febru ary , 1584 . These landswere granted to the Ear l by Queen Elizabeth '
previou s to the
year 1565 , as i s proved by a Qu een ’s Cou nty Chancery Inqu i
s itiou ; and as“ there i s no sm oke w i thou t a fire , so the
trad ition g i ven above (though inaccu ra te as to persons and
p lace) conta ins a fa ir amo u nt o f tru th .
In 1609 the Lord Chance l lor of Ireland wrote from D ubl into King James the First, com pla in ing of Chr istopher S t .
Lawrence , the 22nd Baron of H owth’s , u ngovern
‘
ab le temperand ou trageous conduct towards h im . H e apolog ises , to com
m ence w i th , for his style of Lat in composit ion , which he hadd isu sed for a space o f nearly forty years . One instance he
g ives of the Baron’
s trea tment o f h im i s as follows z—One\Va lter Weldon , o f the M anor o f
“
Woodstock, near A thy , a
tenan t o f S ir Rober t Digby’
s, presented h im w ith a pet it iona t Ta l lagh t , com plain ing that two o f the Ear l of K ildare
’
s
reta iners, Wogan Caddell and one Farre l l, had in a forciblem anner taken away som e part o f hi s corn a t Woodstock, and.
tha t Cadde ll had assau lted h i s w ife as she was helping her
hu sband to rescue his corn . Whereu pon the Chancellor ad
dressed to the Earl , at h i s m anor of K ilkay ,” by a messenger
o f su ffi ciently honou rable cond i t ion , a letter requ ir ing him to
restra in and correct h is servants . W hen the m essenger pre
sen ted him self at Kilkea , w here the Baron of How th was at the
t ime,access was denied to him ; and when he
,ha ving in t ima~
t ion o f the Earl’s com ing for th , awaited h im u pon the way and
respectfu lly tendered the, letter , Lord Howth rode vio len tly u p ,
seized and m ade away w ith the letter wr itten in the King’
s
name,while the m essenger was warned by the lead er o f the
Baron’
s m en to take him self away before worse befell him .
The w ife o f Gera ld , the 14 th Ear l o f Kildare , was E lizabethN ugent, daughter of Christopher , 9th Lord De lvin , whom he
m arr ied by d ispensat ion of the Pope , as she was a Rom an
Cathol ic . On hi s dea th,in 1612 , she
, having no jo inture,petitioned theKing to grant her assistance, and she was assigned
K ILK EA CA S TLE . l 7
dur ing the m ino rity of George , the 16th Ea rl,known as
“ the
F airy Ear l ”
(h is cou sin Gerald,the 15 th Ea rl , son o f the
Countess, having d ied when n ine y ears o f age i n the
m anors o f Kilkea and Graney . This Cou ntess i s the one re fe rredto in the fo llow ing extract taken f rom a M s . Latin history o f the
Jesu its , now in the l ibrary o f Clongowes Col lege —“ In the reignof Char les I .
,1634 , the good and ever to be honoured Countess
o f K i ldare gave the Cast le o f Kilkea and all i ts fu rn i ture toFa ther Robert N ugent , S uper ior o f the Jesu i ts o f Kilkea .
Father N ugent was a near rela t ive o f the Earl o f Inchiq u in o f
the noble hou se of Thomond . In the yea r 1646 Father N ugen t
entertained for twen ty day s , sumptuo u sly and m agni fi cen t ly ,
the celebrated R inuecini , t he Pope’
s N uncio , and se vera l com
panics o f soldiers on the ir Way to besiege Dublin . T he N unciowanting pecun iary means
,Fa ther N ugent lent h im four thousand
pieces of gold ,which the N uncio never repa id , and consequently
the Jesu it m ission was m uch neg lected as they had not su fficientmeans to suppo rt it . Father N ugen t l ived to the age o f 70 ;he wrote the history o f hi s own order and t imes ; bu t throughfear of the Puri tans , he bur ied the M S S .
”
The Jesu its re ta ined possess ion of the Castle till 1646. The
Countess was concerned in the Rebel lion o f 164 1,and was
,the
y ear a ft er,ou tlawed for high treason . H er dea th took p lace
in 1664 . A rchbishop Pau l Cullen wrote i n 1859 that he hadm et w ith an old M S . i n Rome , i n wh ich it i s stated tha t on the16 th o f December , 166 4, two strings o f pearls—one conta in ing106 and the o ther [ 10 pear ls—were presented to the church o f
Loretto by Elizabeth N ugen t , Cou n tess o f Kildare . They werebrought to Italy by R icha rd A rchdekin , the a uthor of a famous
t reat ise on theo logy ,and sent by him to Lore t to
,where they
w ere presented by Rober t B uckley , the Eng lish Penitentiary inthat town .
The civi l war broke ou t in 164 1, between the Ir ish and the
Cathol ic A nglo-N orman fam i lies on one S ide , and the Puritanson the other ; later on i t became a three-S ided contest betweenthe nat ive I rish , the Ca thol ic Roya lists , and the Pu ritans .
Though this cast le i tself does not seem to ha ve taken m uch part
i n the strugg le , yet the neighbou rhood all round i t was the
scene of conflicts and su ffered greatly from the m iseries attendant on civi l war .
_In a let ter da ted the l6th June , 1643, occurs the fol lowing
passage
Last S atu rday ,S i r Michael Ernely retu rned to Dublin with that army
wh ich was sent foo rth under h i s command . S'
ome f ewe cast les they tooke ,b u t go t lit t le pillage or com e ; the
' bes t was a t Ba l le-Brit tas, the Lord of
Clanmalerye’s hou se (Lewis O
’
Dempsy ) in the Demps ies Country, Ballesanon
Vo L . I l .,PT . I . C
1 8 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
(Le . B al lyshannon , near Ca lvers town) , Ca s t ledermo t , and‘
K ilkcy, the oldCou nt i sse o f K i lda i 'e
’
s Cas t le , being the three places tha t mos t annoyed ou r
convoys and gar risons of A thy , & c ., they w ere not to engage the a rmy u pon
t i ll they were bet ter s tored w ith powder , and Balli sanon by specia l w ordesthey were inhibited to m edd le with . Bu t when they were u pon their wavhomeward ,
hav ing not two days bread le f t , the sou ldie rs su rba ted (foo tso re)and t y red ou t wi t h.
long lye i ng ou t u pon the g ro und in the open a i re , thent hey had a newe ctimm i ss ion sent them to goe w here the y pleas ed . Tha tComm ission w as signed on Thu rsday , bu t ma t ters we re soe o rde red that i tcame not to S ir Michael’ s hands t ill he was wi thin a day
’s march o f Dublin ,
on hi s re tu rne .
l
I II 1646 “.My Lord N uncio , S carampo , and S upream e
Co u nccll came to K i lka in the cou nt ie of Kildare,who next
ino r ninge adj orned to A thy to sa l u te h i s proper Generall
(Owen Roe O’
N e ill) , who wa s very b usy I II b u i ld inge oven s
Ind fo rnaces the re,and con ferred on cer ta ine a ff a ires condu cibleto t he com on good .
” 2
I n October of this yea r , the M arqu is o f O rm ond,the Lord
Lieu tenant , cor responded w ith t he two genera ls o f the Ca tho l ici rmy ,
O wen Roe O’
N e ill and Thomas Pres to n,brother o f the
fifth V iscount Gormanston ,who were then w ith the N uncio a t
K ilka .
I II 1649,S ir Robert Ta lbo t and S ir John Dungan are
m en t ioned as cu s to dians “o f K ilkae , a m anor hou se o f the
Earl o f Kilda re , in the Same co un t ie , an invincib le place wh i chwas soone a f ter yelded to the cnem ic they were so appo intedby the Marqu is of Ormond 4
ln a d ia ry kept by an officer o f the Par l iam en tary forces in1650
,he sa y s
Sat urday , Ju ly 20th , I le ft 1) Iblin w ith a convoy of hor se and foote,and
qu ar te red neare K i ll,abou t two miles f rom the N aa s .
u nday , J u ly 2 1s t , we came to Ki lka , side long o f Ca stledermot t : we
w ere waylayd b y S ir Wa l ter Du ngan ,S cu rlock
, and other s,w ho were nears
Ii olton Hi l l , d rawne u p In 5 divis ions of horse . Bu t i t plea sed God to giveu s the be t ter o f the engagement ; we kil led one Cap tain S ha rta ll, and others ,t ll tl tooke some p risone rs , pu rsu ing the rest some mi les .
Monday , 22nd ,we came to the army be fore Ca therlagh (Car low ) , where
S i r Ha rdres se Wa l le r, Maj or-Generall o f the Fcote, commanded , &c.
5
The castle s of Kilkea , Ca stlederm ot , and A thy, in 1650
,
w ere retaken f rom the Ca tho lics u nderLo rd Di llon , by Co lo ne lI'Iewson . The Ear l o f Kilda re , George the Fa iry Ear l ”
n ow r es ided a t Kilkea and in Dublin ti llhi s death in 1655 . H i s
1 Vi lle p . 6 1 o f the Preface to Gilber t ’
s H i story o t’
the Confede ra t ion .
I’
z
'
de p . 130, V ol. i . , o f Gilbert’s History of A ffairs in Ire land .
”
3 Vi rle Cox ’s H ib . vol. p . 1 4 1.
4 Gi lber t ’
s“ History of A ffairs i n Ireland , 1641 ii . 65 .
5 I b .,i i i .
,2 18 .
K ILK EA CA S TLE. I Q
son \Ven tworth (so ch ri stened a fter the E ar l o f S tra fford ) , the17th Earl
,also m ade th is castle h i s pr incipa l res idence, not
be ing able, in consequence o f losses s u ffered d ur ing the laterebe llion , to restore 'Maynooth Castle , which had been se izedand p il laged by
'
the Ca tholics in 1642 , and final ly d ismantledby Genera l Preston i n 1646. On the death o f the 17th Ear l
in 1664,hi s widow ,
E lizabeth , 2nd daughter o f John H ol les,
2nd Ear l o f Clare , resided in the castle t i ll he r death i n 1666 .
From this per iod the cast le does not seem to have been l ived inby any m em bers o f the fam ily for close on 200 y ears .
I II 1668, the cast le w ith 1200 acres w as let for ten years toW i lliam Lord Brabazon , son of the 2 nd Earl o f Meath , at a
rent o f £ 160 for the fi rst two years , £ 180 for the next fou r
y ea rs , and £200 for the last fou r years . The or ig ina l lease i snow preserved in the vol ume o f M S S . a t Ca rton .
A bo u t the year 1680, John Browne , Esq .
,e ldest son o f
Robert Browne (who wen t over to I re land in the Par liam entaryarmy at tached to Co lone l lIen ry Pr itt ie
’
s regimen t dur ing thec ivil war in 1650,
and sett led soon a fter at Car low ) , marr iedM ary
,daugh ter o f Rober t Jen nings ,
I Esq , o f Kilkea Cast le ,1 In the ch u rchyard of Cas t led e rmot, leaning agains t t he enclos ing wa l l
on the north side,i s a massive l imes tone slab w hich was some years ago
removed f rom the interior o f the bu i lding ; j u dging by the inscript ion on i t,
w hich wa s light ly incised and i s now a lmost il legible , i t was erected to t hememory of t his Robert Jennings the w ord ing on i t i s as fo l lows
HERE LIET II THE
BODY or ROBERT I IcN
I NGS WH O DECEA S ED
T H I S LIFE IA N 17
AN N O DOM 1679
He , too , may be the one referred to in th is ext ract from a volume ca l ledA List of the Claim s a s they are Entered w ith the Tru stees at Chiches ter
Hou se ,”pub lished in 1701, Dub lin :
By lease dated the
28th of Ma rch ,1671, to S i r llngh
M iddleton,Bart . ,
wh o,by deed da ted
25 th N ovem ia r,
1672 , ass igned to
Rohe i t Jenni ngs ,th c clannan t
’
s nu s
hand a nd test ator .
2 0 K lLK EA CA S TLE .
o f the fam ily o f Jenn ings of S e lden , in Yorksh ire . ”0 w a s
ancestor of the Browne -Clay ton fam i ly , of Browne’
s H i ll,nea r
Carlow .
l
I II 1683 , a lease o f the castle , town , m il l , and 900 acres was
granted to W i lliam , George, and John Brown for their l ives , ata rent of £135 .
I II 1706, Rober t Dixon , who then held the ca stle, su r
'
rendered h i s lease, and H enry D ixon took i t at £60
rent for three years .
I II 1741,a -lease of the castle and 350 acres o f land w as
g ranted to H enry Di xon , Esq , who d ied in 1747 . H is son
H enry then became tenant of the castle,and af te r lead ing a
w i ld and d issipa ted l ife , he d ied u nm arr ied in 1797 . The
D ixon fam ily , accord ing to the Castledermot par ish register ,now. kept in the Record O ffice , Fou r Cou rts , Dublin
,were all
bu r ied in the K i lkea chu rchyard , though on ly a s ing le headstone , ly ing fla t , in the east end of the chancel
,da ted 17 12 ,
marks the grave of one m ember of this fam ily .
“In 1797 , the notor iou s ’98 in form er , as in af ter years he
p roved to be , Thoma s Reynolds , obtained a lease o f the ca stleand lands through the in teres t o f Lord Edw ard Fi tzGerald ,
w hen the castle appears to have been partia l ly repa ired and
f urn ished . Reyno lds having j o ined the Un ited Ir ishm en in
the beginn ing o f’
98 was e lected delegate to the cou nty m eet
ing and treasurer for the barony of Kilkea and Moone ; soon
a fterwards , on the res ignation of Lord Edward , he was appointedcolonel o f the reg imen t of that barony in the rebe l army . H e
then cu t down severa l young trees at Kilkea and employedcarpenters to make p ike-hand les ou t o f them ,
and sm iths toform p ike
a heads , in order to indu ce the peasants to believe inh is s incerity , whi le he organ ized m eetings a t n ight for dr i l lingthe people in secluded fie lds close by .
A l ife of Reynolds was published by hi s son Thomas , in
1838, i n which he attem pts to v ind icate his father ’
s character ;the f ollow ing incidents in connection w ith the castle are extractedfrom i t
H i s father Thomas Reynolds, he says,was born on the
12th of March , 1771, in Dubl in ;he was descended from Connor
Reynolds, o f Rhynn Castle in the Co . Roscommon his m otherwas a daughter of Thomas FitzGerald of K ilmeed , near Fonts
town ; h is w ife was a M iss H arriet W ither ington , w hom he
1 Vide Bu rke’
s Landed Gentry .
2 2 K ILK EA CA S T LE .
the most shamefu l abu ses . Mart ial Law was proclaimed ,the th umb screw ,
t he pitch-cap, flogging , pick e t ing . and a h undred other tor tu res W e re resor ted
t o , bu t w ithou t bene fi cia l res u l t s . On the l6th o f Apri l , m y fa the r
was occu pied in wa l ling u p a closet , wh ich was m ade i n the thicknes s o f thewa ll o f h i s common sit ting-room , and wh ich h ad ev ident ly been originall yintended as a secu re place for deposi ting valu a b les . The en tire room w a s
new ly papered , i n order the b et ter to concea l the closet , i n which he haddeposited hi s fam ily plate to the valu e o f abou t £1000,
toge ther w ith 3500gu ineas in gold , and other va lu ables . In th is occupat ion he w as aided by h i scou sin Thomas Dunne of Leinster . Lodge, who a lone was privy to the concealm ent .
Towards the end of Apri l i t was reported that Lord Edward was con
cealed at K ilkea , that my fa ther was a ch ie f leader among the Uni tedIrishmen ,
and that the cast le was being made a depot for arm s and ammu
n i t ion,that the for tificat ions were being repaired , and that i t was to be the
head-qu ar ters of the Rebels in K ildare when the expected insu rrection shou ldtake place ; a clock , too,
w hich he had placed i n one of the tower s w as
magnified into an enormou s bel l, on which the a larm was to be sounded to
ca l l the country to arms . Under these im pressions Colonel Cam pbel l . whocommanded the A thy dist rict under S i r Ralph Abercrombie , w hose head
qu arter s were at K ildare , sen t a troop of the 9th Dragoons and a company o f
the Cork Militia , the whole amou nt ing to 200 men and 80 horses , excl u siveof servant s and f ol lowers , to live at K ilkea at free qu arters .
On the 20th of Apr il , my father , being abou t to depart for Dub l in ,
invi ted hi s relat ives and fr iends to a f arew ell dinner , when a bou t 11 o’
clockCaptain Er skine of the 9th Dragoons , accompanied by Corne t W i ther ingtonof the same regiment , and Captain Neal, of the Cork Militia ,
as wel l as threedragoons , w ith pis tol s and drawn swords
,entered the great ha l l , Where my
f ather m et them and demanded their b u siness . Erskine said he had come
to take possession o f the castle and to place h im under arrest . My f ath er
asked to see h i s au thor it y . He pointed to the officer s who accompanied h im ,
and said i f that w as not su fficient , he m ight look on the road at t he res t of
hi s t roop , then advancing fo l lowed by a strong body of infant ry . The
rem ainder of hi s forces soon a f ter a rr ived at Kilkea ,completely su rrounding
the cast le ; and hav ing placed two dragoons to gu ard my f ather , CaptainEr skine w ith the other officers and eight or ten men proceeded to the vau l t swh ich were of great ex tent
,as was f requ ent ly the case in these ancien t
f eu da l castles , containing not only cellar s of all k inds , bu t stab ling for fortyhor ses , many of wh ich were constru cted in the grea t kitchen and i t s appu r
t enances . The soldiers ne ver condescended to a sk for the key of any doo r ,allwere f orced Open ; t hey rem a ined in th ese vaults t il l past three o
’
clock ,astonished that t hey cou ld not find any th ing improper . They preser ved the
w ine and mai t liqu or ,/ bu t th ey beat in the heads of som e cask s of spir it s , andlet th e l i qu or ru n abou t the floor , wh ich they said was done to preven t them en f rom gett ing drunk du ring their stay . The cook had fled , b u t they
pu rsu ed -and b rou gh t her back , forcing her to con tinu e prepar ing the dinner
which my fa ther had ordered for h i s friends and of wh ich they tookpo ssession . Captain Ersk ine placed h im self at the head of the t ab le , andinsolent ly offered my f ather a seat at the side , as i f he was a mere gu est .
M y f ather then ret ired to h i s bed-room,wh ich wa s first minu tely exam ined ,
and a sentinel placed ou t side the door . A f ter dinner a genera l search b eganallthrough
‘
the cast le to discover Lord Edward , and the su pposed g reat depot
bf arm s and ammunition . My father assu red Er skine on h i s honou r tha t
Lord Edward was not in the ca st le,that he di d not know where he was , nor
ere there any arms except h i s fowling pi ece, one case of du el ling and one
K I LK EA CA S TLE . 2 3
case of large pocket pistols which he u sed as hols ter pistols in h is capacityo f '
yeoman,and abo u t two pounds o f powder , the who le o f w hich were i n the
b reakfast par lou r . N otw iths tanding these ass u rances , they tore u p the
flooring f rom three comple te s tor ie s o f the cas t le,the who le o f which had
r ecent ly been laid down a t grea t expense . They to re down the old oak
wainsco tting, not a ves t ige of w hich was le ft s tanding .
They next broke the wa l ls in variou s plaees, and tore off the paper and
canvas of su ch as w ere not wainsco t ted . They b roke u p t he s tairs, and in
a f ew hou rs they rendered the interior o f the ca st le a mere r u in, preservingonly my f ather
’
s bed-room , which, how ever , u nderwent a very severe
investiga tion ,hav ing the wal ls , cu pboards , ceiling, and floor p i erced in many
places . They a lso preserved their own s it ting-room ,which they fou nd
neces sar y for the ir persona l com fort ; ye t i n tha t room was the on ly con
cealment tha t had been made i n the cast le,being the close t which my
f a ther had wa l led u p, and wh ich i f f ou nd d id not con ta in any thing bu tmoney , some papers , and the old fam ily p la te . A f ter the Rebe l lion, myf a ther
’s cou sin ,
Thom as Dunne,who had aided h im in clo s ing i t , opened i t
and transm i t ted the v a lua bles i t con tained t o him in Du b lin . CaptainErskine
,w i thou t ceremony, took pos session of every thing in and abou t the
ca s t le . There were twe lve beds for v is itors,exclu sive o f tho se u sed by the
f am i ly ,some of wh om were now absent these the officers and non-comm is
s ioned o fficers occu pied , while s traw was laid down for the men . Fortyho r ses were placed i n the vau lts , t he othe rs were s tabled in the o u t-hou ses .
The content s o f the haggard, granary, and . barn, as we ll as the sheep, pigs ,ca t t le
,and pou lt ry , we re all seized for t he u se of these ma ra uders ; even the
m ilch cows and labou ring oxen were killed for their food , which was d i s
t r ibu ted in the most prof use and wastef u l manner .
Michael Byrne , my fa ther’
s s teward, proved hi s delivery of ca tt le , sheep ,
and thre shed corn,to the va lu e o f £630 st r . ,
independent of corn i n t he
s t raw ; and a lso independent of hay, pigs , pou lt ry , flou r , d ried and sa l tedp rov isions , liquors , groceries , and wine, none of which ar t icle s were a t all
included in the receipt s taken by Byrne . The w ine was every morning and
e vening brought in buckets to t he lawn in front of th e cas t le,and a pint“as there mea su red ou t to every s oldier , a t tendant , and fo llower o f t h i s
par ty . Beer was drunk ad lz’
bi tam . The f amilies , f riends , and acqu aintance s of the officers and m en came da ily from A thy to see t he cast le as a
party o f pleasu re , when everyone wa s feas ted a t my father’
s expense . If
t hey d i d not fi nd all they w ished for a t the cas t le , they sent ou t foragingpart ies t hrough all the neighbou rhood , seizing all they pleased . A s there
w a s not a su ffi ciency o f ca t s f or their hor ses,they mixed i t w ith whea t ,
w hich w as t hreshed,and when no more threshed grain remained , the y
placed the wheat i n the shea f before their hor ses , by whi ch means fu l l a s
m uch grain was los t i n the lit ter as was ea ten . T hey dug u p all the frames
in the garden , they hacked and carved da t es and names on the mahoganyd ining-tab les , broke u p all t he f u rn i t u re
,and f rom mere wantonness ,
smashed every pier of glass i n the cas t le ; they cu t ou t t he strings , spli tt he sounding-boards o f the piano for tes ; a pedal harp, wlu ch w a s then a rare
ins tru men t , and wh ich cos t one hu ndred g uineas , was a pa rt icu lar object o ft heir wra th , as t he ha rp w as the symbo l of Ireland , and the har p w ithou tt he crown w as the impre ssion on N apper Tandy
’s United Vo lun teer b u t tons ;
this as wel l a s some o ther m u s ical ins t rument s tota l ly disappe ared . Theycu t t he o i l pa intings out o f their f rames and u sed them as t a rge t s to fi re a t
,
o r cu t them to pieces with the i r sabres ; some o f these pa intings were o f
g rea t v a lue , having been a present f rom S i r Jo shua Reyno ld s t o my grandf a ther
,who
, proud of this g i f t , had been at some expense i n procu r i ng a
2 4 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
f ew others by good masters , to mak e u p a lit tle collection,the whol e of which
was de1 1
st 1o1 ed .
They b roke down the slu ices of th e lt i1ver Greese,which ran th rou gh
the place , and so let the water inunda te abou t 70 acres of 111eado111 la11d ,
r u in i ng i t f o 1 tha t season,and b y thu s let t ing off the 11 atu thev em pt ied
t he g 1ea t pond w h ich supplied the Manor Mil l , to the g1eat d is t iess o f all
the neigl .1bourhood The pretence for this act was to lo11 e1 the bed o f the
11 11ve1 and empty th e m i l l pond that they m igh t see i f pikes or other weapon s
were concea led t here .
'
1he S tew1
,ard Michae l B1 rne, was flogged and t or
tu red to m ake h im po int ou t the su pposed depot o f a 1 111s . Lieu tenan t 1m e,
who had relieved ( 3 1
o t net_W i the1 ington ,
of the 9th D1agoons , son of the
Qu arter-Mastel o f the sam e regiment , being a tal l man,
tb
t ied h i s silk sash
r ound Byrne’
s ne ck and hung h im over h i sb
shoulder s,while anothe r ofli cer
flogge d him unti l he becam e insens ible ; si 111ila l act s acqu ired for Love thename o f “ the W a lking Ga llows The t roops qu it ted Kilkea on the 29th
,
bu t i t was short l y a f terwards again occupied by troops , and conver ted intoa regu lar gar rison . It was at tacked by the Insu rgent s du r ing the Rebel lion ,
bu t they cou ld not make any impression on i t .
‘
The soldiers ’
w ives,a few of
t he neighbou ring petty gentr y , and f armers’f am ilies
,claimed protection ,
and were allowed to remove in to the cas t le w ith their fam ilies,and reside
there d u ring the t rou b les .
1 The cast le w as occupied by abou t 400 persons
du ring two months .
“ A f ter the'
tronbles had ent irely ceased,an agent was sent f rom Dub lin to
collect whatever remained on the lands and i n the cas t le , and to sel l the w holeby auction . The Ear l o f Aldborou gh was then a t hi s sea t a t Belan
, whichadj oined Kilkea he a t tended t he sale i n the hope o f pu rchasing some of the
paintings , bu t none t eni ained as a mag is trate he ce1 t i fi ed the ffact of the
sale,&c. , and a fter all the expe n ses w el e pa id m 1 f ath e r received f or the
1esi du e of the ent i1c p1ope1 t 1 the sum of £27 , 1ris li cu rrency ; though i n a
1ot u 1n o f hi s losses sent in t o the S ecr 1
eta 1 1 of S ta te , under an
b
act f or
indemni fy ing su tfe1 ing Loyali sts , the sum amoun ted to £ 12 ,760,which
even then wou ld not have beeri su ffi cient to replace all tlni t had been
destroyed .
’
Thomas Reynolds’
s death tobk place 111 Par i s , in A ugu st ,1836 ;he was bu r ied in the vau lts of W i lton Chu rch , in York
shir ;e the only good word that can be sa id o f Reynolds i s tha the had no hand ln the bet i ayalof Lord Edward . Chapter xx.
o f I‘
1tzPatri ck s“ S ecret S er vice under Pitt
,
”conclu s ively
proves that Thom as Reyno lds r ichly deserved the detestabler epu ta tion o f an “ In form er .
Capta in Erskine o f the 9th Dragoon s , m en t ioned above,was
later on ki l led at the batt le of Old K i lcu l len ,near the C tu ragh .
A s he lay ha l f stunned 0 11 the gr ,ou nd an old w om an who was
searching the dead cam e aci oss h im , and l ecogn i s ing h im ,in
1e venge for some fe i m er act of cl u elty , pu t an end to him bypteated thru sts o f h i s own swm d .
1 The late V ery Rev . A 1chdeacon Lawrence Dunne,who su cceeded 11 a ther
Lennon as Par ish P1 i est of Castledermot,11 as born in t he cast le a t t his
pe riod ; he di (1 on the 15 th o f November , 1883, after having been i ts ParishP1 iest for 54 years J
He was bu ried in the Catho lic chu rch a t Cast ledei mo t .
i ”
K ILK EA CA S TLE . 2 5
During the Rebel lion the castle w as attacked , b u t w ithou tcess , by the Insurgen ts . W hen tranqu i ll ity was res tored i t
rem a ined for some t im e u n inhabi ted , u n t i l Rey nolds su r
rendered the ca stle and land s to the Duke o f Leinster , f romw hom M r . Dan ie l Cau lfield obtained a lease o f them i n 1799 .
The cast le was a fterwards inhabi ted by h i s son ,M r . Peter
Cau lfi-eld .
In 1817,Mary S hackleton , the au
’
thoress of the “ Lead
beater Papers , in vol. i . , p . 355,of tha t work, thu s descr ibes
the condi tion o f the ca stle as i t then w as1
Abou t s ix m iles f rom Ballitore stand s the Cast le of K ilkea , belongingto the 11 117Ge1ald fam ily . I t i s a nob le pile and i n good prese1vat i on . I f
the w indows and chimneypiece 1 i n the p1inci pal 1oom we i e not so modern ,
and the massy balu strades2 of the great stairs had been lef t in the origina lcolou r of oak , and not disgu ised w ith white paint , i t 11ou ld have an effect
more appropi i a te to the dignity of the bu ilding . The1e are a g1eat n um ber
o f m oms i n the large one before men tioned are two tab lets , one bears the
figu re of an eag le , another a baboon, with this inscription ,
S i Di v plet ,Crom-a-bo, 1573 . The ancient kitchen ,
w ith i ts seven ovens , i s in the
lower par t of the bu ilding , from which t he ascent to the ch ief rooms i s bys tairs of sol id oak . The entrance to t his part i s by a great doo1 , s tudded
w ith huge 111
on nail s , and here are dark and dreary apar tments, the wholerecal ling the idea of t he feuda l t imes .
”
In 1849 the Duke obtained possession of the castle f romM 1
1
. Peter Canltield , and comm enced i ts r 1
est01ation ; bu t abou ttwen ty y ea1 s be t0 1e (1.c. ,
abou t improvem en ts had been
g rad ua lly carr ied ou t,the pu blic r oads were altered , the Manor
M i l l— known as the B lack -M il l— was taken down , and oak
w ood s w ere planted in wha t becam e the dem esne . The cast lewas at this t im e in a half ru inou s sta te
,there was no trace o f
i ts form er bawn , except the gateway into i t , which st i l l stands ,nor of the circum vent ing fosse ; and the ou t-hou ses w ere
thatched and had m ud wa lls . The ba t tlem ents 0 11 the cast lew ere all thrown down except one row 011 the low por t ion at the
sou th ea st s ide ; Mr . Cau l field i s sa id to ha ve i nci eased the
1 11i 11ou s s ta te of the castle by pu lling down portions in seal cho t hidden t11eas111e . A s a m at tei o f fact , du 1
1 1i 11g the r1
est0 1ationo f the Cast le no thing o f in terest was d isco vered hidden a way
,
cept a dozen an t iqu e-shape d glass bottles con ta ining a treaclelike l iqu id , which w ere found i n a bu i l t-up recess in the 11.11 t i
t ion wa ll between “the Pu ckawn room
’
and the present
d r 1
awi 11g-1oom ( then the ha l l) the bot t les had long necks and
large round bod ie s ; the wo rkm en at first w ere shy abou t tast ing
of the Puckawn Room,which i s now a t Ca rton .
A l so a t Car ton .
2 6 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
the l iquor , bu t a fter one had taken a sup w ith no ill effectsthere w as soon great compet i t ion for the rem ainder .
A m odern fl ight o f s teps on the sou th -east side of thecastle , which led ex ternally u p to the d raw ing-room w indow
,
then a doorway in to the then hal l,w ere a t once rem oved as
ou to f keep ing w ith an old castle ; they w er e probably erectedby the D ixon fam i ly ,
a s they appear in Gro se’
s engrav ing o fthe castle , m 1792
,and not in a small hand sketch on Rog ue
’
s
m ap o f Ki lkea , drawn in 1760. The tal l lance t-shaped w indowsw ere probably the work of Reynolds
,as they do not appear in
gpge
’
s engraving o f 1792,though shown in the sketches of
l H li EV IL EYE S I O N E .
(Be s ide the Ga tew ay in to the Bawn o f the C a s tle . )
Though externally very li ttle al tera tion was m ade in the
appearance of the castle d u r ing i ts restorat ion,beyond add ing
a story to i ts height all round, yet , in ternal ly i t underwent a
g rea t change ; w indow s w ere added or en larged , the room s in
each story w ere all brou ght to the on e level , and the g round
floor which had been u sed as s tables for ho rses and cows wa s
m ade inhabi table .
Three featu res o f especia l interest to be noted are :
1 . TH E EV IL EYE S TON E, which i s bu i lt 17 feet above the
2 8 K ILK EA CA S TLE .
into the wa l ls of ancient chu rches ; a l i st of many of them i sto be found a t pages 78 to 81 of the 1894 vo lum e of the
Journa l o f the Roya l S ociety o f A ntiquar i es o f Ir eland .
2 . T HE H ALL-DOOR,which w as the m a i n entrance in to the
castle . Th i s entrance consists o f a h igh ou ter arch,
’
au d an
inner po inted arched doorway . Former ly a portcu ll is h ung inthe out-er arch ; the grooves 1t sl id down i n can s ti l l be seen
,
as w el l as two squ are holesou tside of them aga in that conf a ined beam s of tim ber which ,as an extra precau t ion for
safety , cou ld be drawn ou t
across the entrance and in ser ted
in l ike ho les on the oppos iteside
,now
,un for tu na tely , bu i lt
up ; an appliance ins ide the
cast le preven ted their beingshoved back from the ou tside .
A t the tim e o f the restora t ionold oak beam s were in theselong ho les , b u t were m ade awayw ith . The por tcu l lis w as a lso
THE CARV ED BRACKET TO THE CH IM N EY OF T HE
HA UN TED W IN G .
hanging ,b u t i t too , through negl igence , was taken aw ay and
sold for old iron . From a d escript ion o f i t g iven by old M ichae lO
’
S haughnessy ,who was employed as one o f the m asons d uring
the restora t ion , and who saw i t in posi t ion ,i t was a frame
w ork o f iron to which were fastened s tou t oaken planks , and
the whole was worked on p u l leys from a sm al l high archedchamber above the door . \Vhether this v as an ancient port
K ILK EA CA S TLE.zg
cu ll is , or on e p u t together ow ing to the trou bles of’98, i s
now impos sible to say . The stone vau l ted ce i ling of the ha l lw as rem oved a t the restoration
,in order to add to i ts height .
3 . TH E H AUN TED ROOM,which i s s i tuated in the upper por
tion o f the wing proj ecting from the ro und flag sta ff tower . I t
i s now m u ch a ltered from what i t u sed to b e . Form er ly i tconsisted of a chamber
,to which wa s a ttached a circu lar turret
room this la tter now form s a pa r t o f the circu lar stone sta ircase r unn ing from the grou nd floor u p to the leve l of theroof of the haun ted w ing in the flagstaff tow er . The hau n tedchamber opened in to a narrow
,rough stone , w ind ing s ta ircase ,
bu i lt in the thickness of the wal l , which led from the old roo t
leve l and continued u p to the roo f of the haun ted w ing . The
l itt le fireplace to this room has a pro j ec t ing chimney in the
sou th-wes t wall ; one of the stone brackets i t r ises from on the
ou tside con sists of a m onkey cl inging to the stone,hav ing a
co l lar round the neck to which i s a ttached a cha in runn ingdown i ts back.
H ere i t i s sa id Gera ld , the 11th Ear l o f Kildare , practisedthe “ B lack A r t , which earned for him the nam e o f “ the
W izard Ear l . H i s por tra it , in armour , hangs in the draw ingroom at Car ton ,
and over hi s head i s w r it ten i n Ir ish charactersCrum-a-b uadh
”
(Crom-a-boo ) , the fam i ly war cry . H i s dea thtook p lace in the year 1585 . In connect ion w ith h im i s rela tedthe fo l low ing legend , which has been pu t in to verse , in the
o ld ba llad s tyle , by one o f ou r S ociety’
s m embers, Mr .
Thomas Greene o f M illbrOOk :
THE WIZ ARD EARL,
A LEGEN D or K ILK EA CA S TLE .
If gent le lif e and h igh degree Bu t he the next contended hard,And beau ty cou ld avail W ith fie rce resolve a nd stem
,
To shield from ill,i t w e re not m ine To w rest f rom Powers below their
TO tell so sad a tale . pow er
And all their w isdom learn.
If knightly valou r , nob le b i : th , Till so for w ays of w itchery ,
sfor tune cou ld repel , And a rts of darkness fam ed
O r w isdom save , i t w ere no t m ine In all th e land,that he a t last
S o sad a tale to tell. The Wizard Earl w as named .
Ten m ighty Earls from s ire to son And of t and of t was he besough t
( lf Gerald ’s nob le name By h is lady good and tr ue,
Mainta ined their own , or fought for To show her all h i s pow er, and bemore , Transformed w ith i n her V iew .
Or merely fough t f or fame .
30 K ILK EA
Bu t ever he fo rewarned her'
I hat i f h er gen t le hear tGa vec a ny sign
tD
ef fea r he m u st
From her0
f or ever par ,t
'
l ill overpressed by lo ving wo1dsHe set h er t rials th ree ,
Tha t i f sh e gave no s ign of fear
He w ou ld t ransf o rmed be .
A t first the ri ver Greese , tha t near
Where K i lkea Cast le stood
Ran gently by , no w qu ickly rose
In w i ld and sweep ing flood ,
And whirled arou nd th e Castle w allAnd thro ugh the do
o rway flow ed
Bu t seen aga i n i t fell aw ay ,Fo r she no ten or showed .
And then , when out the waters w ent ,
A fish like creature w ou nd
I ts b o dy. through ,i n se rpent form ,
And W1 iggled on the grou
And’111'm ed abo 1t the lady
’s feet ,
Bu t soon to di sappear’v I t sl
'
u nk away, fO1 bravely stil l. S he showed ’
not any fear .
Bu t th ird and last , a shadow y form
Oved si lent th i ough the ro om,
1
The fo rm of one long years ago
Low laid w ithin t he tomb
11d now i t fl itted f urther .
“
And now i t fl i t ted near,
111 still the lady, ggaz ing , gm 9
N ot any sign of f ear .
Then he who never bent to man, “
0 1 f ai led in deadly s tri fe
By sof t en t reaty w as 0’ercome
And yielded to h i s w ife .
hough great i n'
a rms, and great ly"skilled
In each int rica te art ,'
I he Earl was lost , not know ing well'
l o t ry a 11 oman’s heart ;
For , changed into a small‘
black b ird
And on h er sho u lder li t ,The lady scarce had rai sed 'her hand
To s troke and cherish i t’
117111111 , c1Ou cl1ing f rom beneath a chestUpsprang a cru el eat
,
I he e 1 1l one , w ith i ll design'
I ( ) seize i t where i t sat .D
CA S TLE .
Then she who Fe ared not for he 1sclf ,O u ts t ret t 'hed her lif ted arm
In terror les t her w ell-belovedS hou ld su ffe r any ha rrrr.
Bu t Powers Dark 110 pi ty know ,
Fa r 1, when her s 11 0 on 11 as 0’
er,
'
I he Ear l and allhi s knigh ts 11 ere gone,She saw them me 1 e1 r .r1o re
Enchanted now,
’t i s said they sleep ,
Until t he spell rs pa st ,It ri ll-111 1110 111ed by thei r steeds , 11 irb inThe Bath Of Mu llaghmast ,
And ever y -seven years , to where'
lhe Cu rr agh’s plain lies w ide,
They start , upon their chargers all,And round i ts be i ders 1 ide,
A nd then to K i lkea Castle,
Unto the hau nted l oom ,
And back aga in to M11llaghn1ast ,It 01 so i t i s their doom
Bu t , though at dead o f night they 1 ide,'
I he Earl you well m ay know ,
W hen sounds of horse and armou r pass-uBy hi s charger whi te as snow
'That cha rger , too, i s si lver shod ,And 11 hen t hose shoes are worn,
The spell ou t-spent , t he Earl aga inIV i ll gloriou sly retu rn
And whenhe ! cares , Oh , then'
le t'
all'
Truemen and Women pray,That h i s good w if e may
’
mee t h im a t
“There i s'
an'
aneient prophecyflh at 11 hen this Earl sha l l come,icto riou sly, as I have
“
saidUnto hi s cast le home,
He there w il
Are seven
And yet w i ll do a greaterThan e
’
er he did before
years
Even the ant i ent enemiesOf Erin to w ith stand,
And north and sou th ,ah d east and west ,
TO drive t herrr i m t he land .
Then HeaVen send those silver shoesMay w ear away f ull fast ,
If so t hereby 0 111 na tive la ridMay rest i n peace a t las t .
[Tof ace p age 30.
K ILKEA CA STLE FR OM THE N ORTH .
S how ing the H a u n ted W ing .
14 11 10 1 11 CA S TLE: 3 1
S uch i s this old-a'
world trad it ion ,the l ike o f which shou ld
be reco rded wherever they exist , a s the s im ple bel ief in themby the r is ing generat ion i s n ow r id icu led ,
and every y ear w i l lrrrake i t harder and harder to get them told over .
In fo rm er t i rrres the pr ivate chapel of the castle i s sa id tohave been 0 11 the north side . In 1839
,Mr . Jam es Cau lfield ,
b ro ther to Mr . Pe ter Cau l field,then living in the castle ,
w rote to the D uke o f Lein ster from N ew town ,n ear Castle
dermot , and re ferring to this chapel , said —4 “ Perhaps you are
not aw are that there i s a room in the castle that w as a pr ivatechapel, and that i t has a beau ti fu l car ved oak roof , which som e
ta steless per son has covered in w ith a m odern cei l ing .
”
GRO UN D -PLAN O F K ILKEA CAS TLE .
(Pre v io u s t o the res to ra t io n . )
The 4th Duke o f Leinster fin ishes hi s n otes on
Ca s tle w i th the fol low ing accou n t o f a disco very by an Old
1111111 n am ed W a lsh , form erly l iv ing at the castle , and whichhe rela ted in 1865 :
“ M any year s ago ,”h e sa id ,
“ I w a s
d r iv i ng a na i l in to the w a ll of the cast le , and as i t sounded
ho l low I m ade a ho le there , and looking in I saw an old
gen tleman s itt ing 0 11 a cha ir , w i th a table and glass before
h im . H e appea red to have been bu i lt into the wa ll . A s soon
3z KILK EA CA S TLE .
a s the ai r was admi tted he fell to d u st . VVhereabou ts th i soccu r red has u n fortuna te ly not been recorded .
There are the u su al t rad it ions o f u nderground passages ,common to m ost castles, a ttached to this one ; one i s sa id to
lead to the meat,and ano ther to the chu rchyard . I have spoken
to a gent leman who to ld me tha t i n Mr . Caulfield’
s tim e he
actua lly went a cons iderable way down the la tter , t i ll stoppedby an obstruct ion .
I n the castle demesne are two 11 ells bearing Ir ish names .
One 1s by the r ivers ide a short d istance above the m oat it i sca l led “ Tu bberara ,
”
poss ibly meaning the well o f th e,Bath .
The other i s not far from it, and i s new covered over w ith an
a rch o f m asonry ; i t i s known as and also as
“the Boher rrash Well,
”from an ancien t road o f tha t nam e
w hich form er ly passed beside i t This la tter we ll was i nx
'
old
t ini es considered a holy w ell , and is sa id to have been ded icatedto S t . John .
REFERENCES TO THE MAP OF K ILKEA CA STLE DEMESNE.
THE CA S TLE .
'
l'
H E M OAT .
TH E CH UR CHYARD .
T rrE M AN OR M ILL-P e rm .
T HE BLACK (MA NOR ) M i LL.
MON Ae LrA .
TH E N EW RO AD S .
PORTION or TH E A ncrrcx'
r AV EN UES .
THE N EW W ATERCO UR s E TO M I LLBR OOK .
T HE OLD W ATERCO UR S E.
THE DA IR Y ROAD .
THE ' BOHER N A S H LAN E .
TUBBER SH AW N’ VVELL .
TUBBER ARA \VE 1L .
THE FORMER POUN D ON THE OLD ROAD OVER
MULLACHREELAN H rLL.
O
z
z
t
r
r
f
s
e
a
mq
o
w
a
BUTLER STOWN CA STLE, COUN T Y WEXFORD .
(Form erly belong ing to th e S herlock Fam ily . )
N OTE S ON THE FAM IL Y OF S HERLOCK :
CH I E FL Y GA TH E R E D FR OM TH E
S TA TE PA PER S A N D OTHER OFFI CIA L
D OCUM EN TS .
BY THE REV. J. F. M . FFRENCH , OF CLONEGAL,
H E ancient fam i ly of S herlock i s sa id to der ive i ts name fromthe Castle of S cu rlag or S cu rloke inWales . A lthough notone of the great fam i l ies su ch as the Fitz Geralds
,the
Bu tler s , and the de Burghs,or Bou rkes, it represents an importantand rapidly decreasing class Of county fam il ies
,the descendants
of the Old N ormans , who in cou rse of time becam e m ore Ir ishthan the Ir ish them selves ,
”and who
,notw ithstanding the
changes and convu lsions, socia l and pol itical , to which thiscountry has been su bj ected , stil l hold on to their broad acres
,
and for centu ry af ter century have fil led many and importantOffices in Chu rch and S tate . Thu s the S her locks can boast ofhav ing suppl ied the land of their adopt ion and their birthw ith venerable ecclesiastics, stou t sold iers , keen lawyers, and
skil led physicians . This ancient fami ly i s said to have beenfounded by one of the compan ions in arms of H enry II .
,who
accompan ied h im into Ireland , and there i s somev
reason to
bel ieve that i ts senior branch i s tha t which was seated in thatnu rsery of so many Ang lo-N orman hou ses
,the county W ex
ford . Thomas S hyrlock of Baldw instown was resident therein the time of King John ,
and h i s great-grandson John Shyrlockresided there in 1306. A t subsequ ent periods they acqu ired otherlands in that cou nty , notably the Manor of Roslare
,to which
reference w i l l be m ade fu rther on in this paper . A lthoughjudging from their coat of arm s
,the county Wexford fam i ly
seem s to be the sen ior branch , yet the Meath and Kildarefam i l ies appear to be of equal ant iqu ity ; possibly the threefam i l ies were founded by brothers , for they all seem to havebeen in existence shortly after the com ing of H enry II . I n
1180, W i ll iam de S curlog bu i lt the Castle of S curlogstown in
the barony’
of Lower Deece in the county Meath, and thi s same
VOL . PT . I .
34 N OTE S ON THE FAM ILY OF S HERLOCK :
Wi l liam de S cu rlog granted the church and tithes of S curlogs
town and five other par ishes to S t . Thom a s’
s A bbey , Dublin ,
“ for the sa lvation of himself , of hi s w ife , of hi s ancestors,and
su ccessors .
”The Castle of S cu rlogstown was situ ated one and
a-half'
m i les from Tr im,on an estate granted to the fam i ly by S ir
H ugh de Lacy . It has been descr ibed as one of the strongestbu i lt watch-towers of thePale— i ts massi ve and g loomy walls,
S CUR LOGS TOW N CA S TLE , N EAR TR IM , CO . MEA'
I H .
i ts tal l towers, and unbroken battlemen ts gi ve i t such a sternappearance that in passing i t one sti l l expects to hear the warders
chal lenge from i ts gate ,
” 1
A t the early date O f 1299,the fam i ly of S herlock had been
long enough resident in Kildare to g ive their name to the townland which i s s ti l l known as S her lockstown ,
and from that
1 S i r W illiam Wilde ’
s Boyne and Blackwater . We regret to h ear
that th is cast le has now been entirely demolished .
FR OM S TA TE PA PER S A ND OFFICIAL DOCUMEN T S . 35
time forward there are traces of them to be found in most of thesou thern counties , such as Limer ick and Kilkenny , and notablyin the cou nty Waterford , where they are represented to the
present day .
The earl iest mention of them in the S tate Papers i s the
presence of R ichard S cu rlage as one of the ju rors on a sworn
inqu is ition held on the 4th of June,1251, relat ing to half a
caru cate of land which the A bbot of Tracton lost by defau l taga inst the king . S ubsequ ently we find from an account
rendered at M ichaelmas 1279,that Maur ice S corlagge held the
very important post of Constable of the Castle of Du blin ,and
that payments were m ade to h im for supplying food for John ,
Robert, and W illiam O’
Conor , who were held as hostagesthere for n ine weeks, and that in 1281 this sam e Mau riceS corlagge , accompan ied by H enry de Rochford and Bened ictde U fford , were employed by the government to convey whatwas then a great sum in treasure (one thou sand pounds) fromDublin to the ju sticiary who was in Roscomm on, and that a
sum of m oney w as pa id for three pa ir of wa llets (doubtlesssadd le-bags) to be u sed by them in conveying the treasu re . In
1284,Mau r ice S curlac was stil l in the service Of the king
and probably Constable of Dublin Castle, for there i s in existencean account rendered at M ichaelm as in that year of the pu rchaseof two hogsheads of w ine for the king
’
s u se, for the sum o f
seven m arks , from Domaion le Gascon ; which w ine was
del ivered to Mau r ice S curlac by order of S tephen ,B ishop
of Water ford Ju sti ciary of Ireland,and it i s fur ther speci
al ly mentioned that the w ine was tested by the bishophim sel f .
In 1282 w e find that the king’
s wr it of “venire facias
was issu ed to the sher iff of Cork, l comm anding h im to cau se a
ju ry of kn ights and free tenan ts to come b efore S tephen ,B ishop
of Waterford,Ju sticiary o f Ireland , or hi s depu ty , at K ilmal
lock,on S aturday next a fter the feast o f S t . Peter ad V incu la ,
to take the inqu isition ordered in the above second wr it to theJu sticiary ,
and on the panel the name of John S cu rlag (j un ior )occu rs . We find h im also on the panel of a j u ry cal led togetheron the same year to estimate the extent of the lands of W i lliam
1 The late John O’Daly, Of Ang lesea-street , Dub lin
,who was sowellknown
among Irish an tiquarians , cal led the at tention of a gen tleman,in teres ted in
the family of Sherlock, to a Gaelic poem in which the Sher locks , as a clan
under the name of Ski rlags , are ment ioned as m a stering w ith ot her clans inthe county Cork f or the pu rpose of engaging in bat tle . I t was not unu su al
for Anglo-N orman families to develop into sem i-Celtic clans .
D 2
36 N OTES ON THE FAM ILY OF S HERLOCK :
de Mohun ,which fel l into the king
’
s hands by W il liam ’
s deathat Ottery , Devon , on Tu esday before the Decollation of S t .
John the Baptist, 25th of A u gu st, 1282 .
W e now tu rn to the eccles iastics of the fam i ly who arr ivedat d istinction at that early per iod . In 1364 Thom as S cu r lockwas pr ior of N ewtown , near Tr im , and from thence w as pro
m oted to be abbot of the great hou se of S t . Thomas, near
Dublin ,which ou r readers w i l l rem ember had been enr iched
by the l iberal ity of h i s ancestor ; and,while there , he arr ived
at the highest offices in the S tate , being appoin ted Depu tyLord Chancellor in 1866, and Lord H igh Chancellor of I relandon the l st of Ju ly , The ecclesiastical influ ence of the
fam i ly rrru st have been very considerable in the pr iory of S t .
Peter ’
s , for in 1423 W i ll iam S cu r lock was prior t here , and in
1427 Thomas S cu rlog filled the sam e office . In 1429 he w as
appointed Lord H igh Treasurer of Ireland , and on the deathof Bishop Edward Dants ey he was elected B ishop of Meath .
A fter hi s election he went to Rom e to sol icit the Pope’
s confir
mation,but ei ther he was not con secra ted
, or he su r vived on lya short time . Ware does not inclu de h im among the bishopsof Meath .
The nearest approach to the present spel l ing of the name at
a very early per iod i s in the Rotu lom m P a tentz’
um ci Olausorum
Cancel/ar ia;H ibernica, vol. i . , par t 1, H enry II . to H en . VII .
1
In this calendar there are no less than twenty-fou r not ices of
this fam i ly , and among them , in the reign of H enry VL,the
name of VValto S hirlok, of the county Kildare
, occu rs . In the
Patent and Close Rolls of H enry V III . this fam i ly i s mentionedseveral tim es . In the twentieth year of that reign there i s a
grant from the king to Barnabas S corloke of N a ll, gent ,
son
and heir of Thomas S corloke , late o f A thboy , deceased (MeathCO . ) l ivery and seisin as to the town of Tu llagharde . S ubse
qu ently there i s a gran t of general l ivery of seisin and pardon
of intru sion for Barnabas S corloke of N a ll , gent . , son and heirof Thomas S corloke, late of A thboy
,deceased , who had held of
the Crown the town of Tullagharde , in the Co . Meath .
‘
On
the 15th of June,1555 , Barnaby S corlock of Bective wa s
appointed attorney-general to Qu een Mary, and in 1558 thisBarnaby S corlock was appointed attorney-general to Queen
Elizabeth , who a lso appointed h im to act as temporary chiefju stice in Ireland , in the room of S ir Robert D illon , and u nti lshe sent an Engl ishman over to occupy the post . Dou btlessthe sense of inju stice he felt at being deprived of the office of
1 In 1422 John Shu rlag was Coroner o f Meat h .
38 NOTES ON THE FAM ILY OF S HER LOCK :
France . In 1564 h i s comm iss ion ran to “ m ake w ar on the
Graces and Boorcks and their adher ents in r ebel l ion ,
”and in
carrying on the war he often doubtless exceeded h is pow ers ,for , i n those old days, the rough Old so ld iers who had w ork to
were by no m eans particu lar as to the m anner of doing i t .
Consequ ently , w e find that i n 1574 a pardon w as issu ed toPatr ick S her lock, Of S t . Kather ine ’
s Pr iory, sher i ff of the CO .
Waterford , and to d i vers others, in cons iderat ion of their goodservice .
In 1577 there i s to be found among the S tate Paper s an
agreem ent s igned by Patr ick S cu rlocke and others,on behalf
of the county Kilkenny ,by which they agree to accept the
term s of a composition for cess, su bscr ibed by the lords and
gen t lemen in England ;and we find tha t this fam ily gave the irnam e to severa l local i ties or denom inations of land in thatcoun ty . Another notable S her lock of those days w as Pierce or
Peter S her lock, who was sher i ff of the Cross of T ipperary in1578
,w ith comm ission to execu te martial law . In recompense
for h i s services, he and h i s sons Obta ined grants of lands inT ipperary , Limer ick
,and Cork. Probably from him descended
S ir George S her lock, of Cahir , who was kn ighted by S ir A .
Chichester,Lord Depu ty of I reland
,in 1606.
W e now retu rn to the Wexford branch of the fam i ly ,which w e have a lready seen seated at Baldw instown ,
in the
county W exford , in the re ign o f King John , and from t im e to
time we find,in the S tate Papers , g l impses of i ts history . It i s
not qu i te clear how the S herlocks came into possession of Baldw instown Castle
,as there seem s reason to bel ieve that i t was
bu i l t by a cadet of the great hou se of Montgomery , whosettled inIreland . That fam i ly possessed a castle bear ing thesame nam e in Wa les , and i t was the ir chief seat . One of the
Mon tgom erys receiv ed the cognom en of Le Gogli (the red
ha ired ) from the Welsh , and h i s descendants have kept i t as a
su rnam e . This castle and m anor of Ba ldw instown at one
time fel l into the hands of a ju n ior branch of the hou seO f Keating of K ilcowan ,
and i t i s now held by the S wan
fam i ly . The cast le it self has a keep abou t 80 feet squ a re, w i thwa lls 13 feet thick at the base .
Bu t to retu rn to ou r S tate Papers ; we find in the Paten tand C lose "Rolls of H enry VI II . (28th ,
29th , and 30th
year ), a grant o f the Offices of Treasu rer , Recei ver-Genera l ,and Ba i l i ff of the lordship of Wexford to Jam es S her lock,gentlem an . This James S her lock, in 1589, presented a su rveyof that county to S ecretary Crumwell ,
”for the u se of the
Governm en t,and in a letter he shows that the King
’
s revenu e
FR OM S TA TE PA PER S A N D OFFICIAL DOCUMENT S . 39
there amounted to £220 year ly ; he,at the sam e tim e,
comp la ins bi tter ly of one Jerberd , the depu ty-seneschal of thecounty , and of the bad condu ct o f the sold iers under the
senescha l ’ s command . I t seem s probable that he was the
founder of the S her locks of Bolgau reigh , Co . Wexford , whoare m en tioned in the “ Inqu i si tionum Cancellar iae H ibern iae
Repertor ium ,where we find that, i n 1625
,Thomas S cu r lock
was seised of the town and lands o f Bolgaureigh , and a
ham let cal led Curraghgost , a lso Ballynechae, Ballymullin, andBallymeiler .
In 1542 H enry V III . granted a pardon to Roland S curlock,of Wexford and Dublin ,
Bachelor of Physic, for heresies publi shed abou t s ix years previou sly . This Roland S curlock and
others were, in the years 1622—1623
,seized of the town and
lands of Ballyboygh , otherw ise Ballybough ; he nru st havebeen in high favou r w ith the ru l ing powers, for he was ap
pointed physiciarr to Qu een Mary , and subsequ ently he was
m ade physician to her strong-m inded sister Queen El iza
beth ; from her he obta ined a gran t of the manor of Roslare .
Consequ ently i t i s stated in 1 713 I nqu isi t ions that in 1625
Row land “ S cu rlocke o f Rosclare”was seized of the manor
Of Rosolare and Ballinmore, and of the advowson of the
rectory of Rosolare . The S her locks seem to have lost theirW exford estates in consequ ence o f the 1641 troubles , for in1657 Edward S hu rlock, of Bolganreaglr, in the barony of
Bantry, forfeited . When the manor of Roslare was confis
cated, i t passed into the possession o f John B igate, and fromh im to hi s cou sin H igate Boyd . The Boyd fam i ly still holdthis estate, or rather what rema ins of it , as a cons iderable portion of it has been encroached on and now l ies under the sea .
There are som e cur ious particu lars abou t this manor of
Roslare to be found in the S ent/noel! P ap ers . A fter the
surrender of Wex ford to the N ormans, the Ostm en of Wexfordwere placed u nder the care of the seneschal of the l iberties of
Wex ford , and he seem s to have transplanted them to the
par ishes of Roslare and Bal lymore in Forth , which w ere
m anors attached to h is office . In the Charter H ou se at Westm inster there i s a cu riou s docum en t g iv ing the resu l t of an
inqu est held by Lord W i lliam de V alence, as to the rents ,services , and cu stom s of the foreign Eastmen of the counties ofWexford . I t i s wor thy of observation that at that t ime theywere not cal led Danes . These tenan ts Of the manors of Roslare
and Ballymore,under the S herlocks, held as copyholders, a
tenure common enough in England , bu t we bel ieve un ique inIreland . Under th is tenu re, in Roslare, the tenant was obliged
40 N OTES ON THE FAM ILY OF SHER LOCK :
to do homage to the lord of the manor,none cou ld m arry
h is lordship w ithou t hi s perm ission,nor bu i ld a hou se, nor
su ff er i t to be demol ished,or fa l l , or decay . I f a copyholder
marr ied a ma id , a certa in fine was payable to h i s lord ; i f a
w idow ,dou ble as mu ch ; i f a woman whose chastity had been
violated,more . These fines were cal led Lotherwi te ; all
tenants were l iable to “ heriotts,
”ti e. the best beast on the
farm ,or the best p iece of fu rnitu re in the hou se, w as du e to the
lord on the death of a tenant . A transgressor of the laws ofthe manor for feited hi s copyhold . The marr iage laws w ere
probably intended to prevent marr iage w i th the so-calledW i ld Iri sh ,
”and the du ty of the tenan t to pay fines and
heriot ts was in exi stence among copyholders in England qu itelately, and probably i s so sti ll . The w r iter of these notes , whenhe resided in England , knew of an arrangement that was thenmade between the copyholders and the lord of a m anor
,by
which the copyholders gave up their r ights in a common to the
lord , and he,in retu rn , relinqu ished his r ights to fines and
heriotts from them . The name of S herlock has new,i t i s
bel ieved , qu i te d ied ou t of the cou nty Wexford , but a few yearssince i t was in existence.
In the year 1618 S ir Dan iel Molyneux,U lster King-at
A rms, v isited Wexford while the judge of assize was r hold ingh i s cour t. H e came for the purpose of inqu ir ing into and
reg ister ing'
the descent, arm s,and pedigrees of the princi pal
gentlem en of the shire . The resu lt of his labou rs i s to befound in the Col lege of A rms in the Berm ingham Tower , and
there the coats of arms of the d i fferent fam il ies may b e seen
beau tifu l ly emblazoned ;among them w i ll be found the S cu rlockes of Roslare, who registered six generations . W e m ustnow retu rn to an earl ier per iod .
The Four Masters tel l u s that in 1599 R ichard S cu r lockwas the Qu een ’
s sheri ff of the coun ty Clare , and we m ay feelw el l assu red that he was a stou t sold ier to undertake that office .
Even in 1894,the acting sher iff of Clare had not a happy life,
bu t what mu st i t have been in 1599‘
P The Waterford fam i lywhich was an offshoot of the Wexford branch , we find seatedat Grace D ieu , Pemb rokestown , Island Br idge , and other
p laces . The Waterford S herlocks seem to have adopted the
modern spelling of the nam e at an earl ier date than the
members of the fam i ly elsewhere , so that we find them calledS her lock at a very ear ly per iod . From the year 1462 to theyear 1690
, when the ci ty of Water ford was su rrendered to
King W i lliam TIL, the offices of m ayor and sher i ff of Water
ford were served ou th ir ty-three occasions by gentlem en of the
FR OM S TA TE PA PER S A N D OFFICIA L DOCUM EN T S . 4 1
nam e of S her lock. Four hundred and thir ty-one years ago a
m ember of that fam i ly named John S herlock wa s m ayor of
W aterford,and i n those days the posi t ion of mayor of a city
was one of great d ign ity and importance , W e are stil l enabledto form som e idea o f the manner in which m erchant pr incesand gentlem en l ived from the old m ansion s of the Rothes inKilkenny, and sim i lar bu i ld ings . The Rothe fam i ly were at a
very ear ly per iod connected by marr iage w ith the fam i ly of
S her lock, David Rothe,whose father , John Rothe, served as
sovereign of Kilkenny in 1440, hav ing m arr ied Catherinedau ghter of S ir Pau l S her lock, kn ight, of Grace D ieu
,county
Water ford .
These gentlemen m erchants p laced great store on theirarmor ia l bear ings , and i t was their cu stom to have their arm s
cu t in stone and inserted over the doors or in the front wal ls oftheir hou ses, and som etim es on their appo in tm ent to the offices
of m ayor or sovereign they had their arm s beau tifu lly emblaz
oned in the corporat ion books, instances of'
wh i ch are stil l tob e found in the books of the more ancient cities and towns . I f
the barons dom inated the country, the gu ild m erchants dom inated the towns . N 0 one cou ld com e into the town and sell h i swares to anyone except to a m ember of the said society
,and this
at the pleasu re of the buyer . Fore ign m erchan ts cou ld on ly vend
their m erchandise wholesa le , and then on ly to one of the
brethren . By reason of the gu i ld m erchant, no foreignmerchan t cou ld buy w holesale, w ine, wool , woolfel ls, le atheror lead from any foreigner , except from members of the same
gu i ld . In som e towns cu stom made the ru le of the gu ild m ore
oppressive ; for instance,“ i f anyone brought neat
’
s leather,wool
,
or woolfells into Derby to sell,and one of the gu ild p laced h i s
foot on the thing to be bought , no one bu t a m ember of the
society wou ld dare to buy it, nor wou ld the m erchant dare tosel l it, save to a m ember
,nor for a higher pr ice than that which
the member of the society offered .
”These old gu i ld m erchan ts
w ere recru ited from som e of the best fam i l ies in the land , andread ily passed back aga in into the ranks of the nobles , bu t i fthe gu i ld merchant occup ied a pr iv i leged position , how m u chmore so the nrayor . Let u s take Ga lway for instance, and w e find
in 1564, one N icholas B lake fined the great sum (consider ingthe va lu e of m oney then and now ) of £40 for dar ing to issu ethe Qu een ’
s wr i t aga inst the W arden w ithou t first su ing beforethe m ayor and counci l ; and no m atter how r ich a gu i ldm erchant was , he w as not to allow h i s w ife to vie w ith themayor ’
s w i fe in m atters of dress, for it was straightly ordered :
That no woman sha l l weare no gorgiou se aparell, bu t as
4 2 N OTE S ON THE FA M ILY OF S HERLOCK :
becometh them to do accord ing to ther callinge , and upon themthey shall weare no costli e hatt bands or cap bands of go ldtreede, the m ayorases on ly excepted .
” 1 O ur m erchant of
those days mu s t not on ly be an exper t in the coun ting-hou se ,bu t he mu st a lso be a good sold ier , and the m ayor shou ld be
ready a t a m om en t’ s notice to pu t him sel f at the head of the
tra ined hands , to repel the enem ies of h i s city . _ Many w ere
the battles the good citizens of Waterford fought aga inst theirenem ies the Powers , w ho were lords paramoun t of the county,and the O
’
Dri scolls o f Balt inrore, in the county Cork, who seem
to have been very m uch like a band of p irates, un t il i n 1587 ,exasperated by the p lunder of one of their m erchantm en
, the
m ayor a ssembled a l ittle fleet,consist ing of the great ga l ley o f
the city and two other ships w e l l appointed w ith arti llery and
400 m en u nder the command of bai li ff Woolock as chiefcapta in ,
Jam es S her lock and others , and w i th this l ittle force theWa ter ford m en destroyed the castles
,burned the ga l leys and pin
naces and plu ndered the terr itory of this sept . We do no t h ear
that the O ’
Dr i scolls ever m olested Waterford a fter that defeat .When in 1544 H enry VI II . engaged in a war w i th the
King of France, and passing over in to that kingdom besiegedBologne, he was accompan ied by a considerable body of Iri shsold iers
,who we are told d istingu ished them selves by their
undau nted sp ir i t, and aston ished the enemy by the rap id ityw ith which they traversed the country , and by their ferocity .
S even hu ndred of these sold iers were Wa terf ord m en,com
manded by the Lord Poer (011 Power ) and Capta in S her lock .
Lord Poer was ki lled at this s iege, as appears from a Queen’
s
letter dated the 31st May , 1588, orderi ng a grant o f land infee-farm to R ichard Poer , h i s grandfather having been s lainin service aga inst the rebels, and h i s uncle having been s lain at
Bulloigne in the service of ou r late father , of happy mem ory .
”
These soldiers p lundered all the adj acent country , and we are
told that their m anner of col lecting cattle was by ty ing a bu l lto a stake
,and scorching h im w ith faggots in order to force
h im to bel low, which gathered all the ne ighbou r ing cows abou t
h im, by which art ifice they were taken and carr ied to the camp ;
and whenever they m et w ith a Frenchman,they a lway s cu t off
h i s head , ref using h im both qu ar ter and ransom . The French
being aston ished by this strange kind of m aking war sen t a
trum pet to King H enry to learn whether he had brought w ithh im m en or devils that cou ld neither be won w ith rewards or
1 The charter s and cu stom s of corporate towns a t both sides of theChannel were mu ch the sam e .
FR OM S TA TE PA PER S A ND OFFICIA L DOCUMEN T S . 4 3
compass ion ,which the king turning to a j est, several o f the
Ir ish who straggled from their compan ions and fel l in the
enemy’
s hands , w ere afterwards u sed very cru el ly , and pu t to
great tortu res before they were sla in . A t this s iege a Frenchman challenged to fight any of. the Engl ish , hand to hand, ins ingle comba t, and cam e to the opposite s ide of the bay for this
pu rpose , being encou raged thereto by the depth of the water
and th e nearness of h is own m en . One N icholas W alsh , anIr ishm an
,accepted the chal lenge , swam across the bay ,
foughtthe Frenchm an
,despatched h im before any of h is countrym en
cou ld assist him ,and retu rned across the
'
water, sw imm ing w ith
Monsieur ’
s head in hi s mou th,for which exploi t he w as w el l
rewarded .
”Bu t not only were the Ir ish sold iers in those days
accu stomed to catch their cow s i n a s trange m anner,bu t they
had an equal ly strange m anner o f cooking thenr . They i n factboi led them in their skins having skinned a cow , they form ed
a bag or trough by lashing the skin firm ly at the four corners
to trees or stakes, and then having pou red water into the
trough , they kindled a large fire a t one side, and they boi ledthe water and cooked the m eat by heating stones to a great hea tand throwing them into the trough . This seems to have beenan adaptation of the m anner of cooking adopted in the o ld Ir ishcooking places, called
“the Boiling-places or Fire-places of the
Deer .
”S o tha t between the catching and the cooking ,
we can
not be su rpr ised that the French were not a l ittle aston ished .
In 1565 Jam es S herlock (Fitz Thom as) , who i s styled of
Bu tlerstown ,Co .Waterford
,was granted a cer tificate exempting
hi s lands there from the paym ent of a subsidy , and in 1570 hew as sher iff of the county
,and had a comm ission empower ing
h im to execu te m ar tia l law . In the same y ear he and otherswere appointed Comm issioners to su rvey and d ivide the landsof “ the White Knight .
”
A ll through the reign of Qu een Elizabeth the WaterfordS herlocks seem to have been stau nch loya lists, and , as they constantly ser ved the offices of sher i ff and may or , w e find themin cont inua l commun ica t ion w ith the Governm en t officia ls ,and supplying them w i th valuable in form ation , obta ined fromsa i lors and others
,as to proposed invasions o f the coun try f rom
abroad . In the reign of James I .,A D . 1608, we find Wa lter
S herlock and five others sta ted to be the on ly people in the citywho refused to t ake a sed it ious oath . The f am i ly seem to
have rema ined stead i ly loya l to the Crown yet , notwi thstand
i ng that loyalty , S i r Thom as S her lock, who was mayor of
Waterford in 1682 , very near ly lost all h i s estates .
There is a strange account of the v icissitudes of fortune
44 N OTES ON THE FAM ILY OF SHERLOCK :
that hefel h im , in an A ct of Par l iam en t passed in the 17th and
18th years of Char les IL, called
“an A ct for the expla in ing of
som e doubts ar ising upon an A ct intitled an A ct for the betterexecu tion of his M aj est ies graciou s declaration for the settlem ent of hi s Kingdom of Ireland ,
”&c. (see page This A ct
was not passed unti l after S ir Thomas S herlock’
s death , and
from i t we learn th at “ S ir Thomas S her lock ,Knight , deceased ,
was in h i s l i fe tim e a very dut i fu ll and loya l subj ect, and fromthe first breaking ou t of the sa id rebel l ion (1641) and war u ntothe last end thereof behaved himsel f .w ith great cou rage and
d illigence in hi s Majesties serv ice and su ffered great hardshipsand extrem ities from the sa id Ir ish rebells—unt i l at last be ingtaken pr isoner by them ,
he was forced for fear of hi s l ife tosu bscribe their oath o f association ,
and having so’
gained hi sl iber ty did immed iate ly fly u nto Dubl in and there subm ittedhim self to the now Lord Duke , then Lord Marquess of Ormond
,
hi s Ma jesties Lord Lieu tenant of Ireland, and continu ed thereever after serving hi s Maj esti e and hi s au thor ity to the
u tmost of h i s power , the consideration whereo f incl ined hi sMaj estie to m ention the sa id S ir Thomas S herlock in h i s late
graciou s declaration amongst the nam es of those few persons
whom h isMaj esti e was pleased to appoint to be restored to theirformer estate w ithou t any further proof of their innocencywhich sa id S ir Thomas S her lock was a fterwards by the Com
m issioners for the execu tion of the sa id former A ct adju dged a
nocent person u pon no other ground or ev idence than the
enforced subscr iption of the oath of association as aforesa id .
Be i t enacted by the au thor ity aforesa id : That the Comm issioners for the execu tion of this A ct shall for thw ith and w ithou tany previou s repri sall, restore un to Pau l S herlock Esq .
,son and
heir of the said S ir Thomas S her lock, and hi s heirs the possession of the pr incipal and cap ita l m essu age or seat and a lso one
third par t of all and singu lar the m essuages, m anors , lands ,tenements, and hered itam ents
,whereof the sa id S ir Thomas
S her lock was possessed u pon the 22nd of October , 1641. The
forego ing i s a sl ightly contracted extract from the A ct of Par
li am ent,and it seems to show tha t King Char les II . was often
un j u stly blamed for not restor ing confiscated estates to h is
followers .
In this case i t requ ired not on ly the whole power of the
King bu t two A cts of Par l iam en t to wrest one-third of S ir
Thom as S her lock’s lands from the A dventurers, and even this
cou ld not be accompl ished u nti l after h i s death ; so that notwi thstand ing hi s grea t services to the Crown ,
he m ust have passedaway from the wor ld in a state of uncertainty as to whether
46 N OTE S ON THE FAM ILY OF S HERLOCK :
unti l the year 1704 , when W i ll iam S herlock pu rchased it back ,
and i t remains up to the present day in the hands of h i s
descendants .
W e have already m entioned that the S her locks were locatedat Little Rath
,in the cou nty Kildare, in the year 1556. In
1646, S ir John S her lock, kn ight of Little Rath,was
,like m any
of h i s relatives , an officer in the serv ice of King Char les I .
,
and was governor of N aas u nder Lord Ormond . In his w i ll ,dated 1652 , he g ives a v iv id pictu re of the d iscords and unhappiness of the tim es he l i ved i n . H e says In regard to the
trou ble of these t im es , and the general devastation of thiscoun ty
,my whole estate i s likely ,
In all probab ility , to be of
sm al l benefit to m e or to my w ife, du r ing ou r natural l ives , andi t hath pleased God (the w ise d isposer o f all things) to bereaveof my children and poster ity of my own loy ns ; and those thatare my brothers by my father (a second m other ) are u tterlyincapable to inher it , in respect of their w icked adheri ng to theIr ish , in the horr id rebel l ion of this nation . S ir JohnS her lock w as bur ied at S t . M i chan
’
s,Dubl in . H i s stepbrother
Philip , who m arr ied E l izabeth , daughter o f the Right H onou r
able S ir John Eu stace, kn ight, of H arr istown ,had hi s
property sequ estered as a Papi st, and was among the few
propr ietors who w ere restored i n 1662 by the Court of Cla ims .
H e was bu r ied a t Bodenstown . S evera l of hi s sons fol lowedthe fortunes of King Jam es IL ,
and among them Chr isto
pher , the eldest,who forfe ited Li ttle Rath
,Derry
,and
Bodenstown in 1708,which townlands were bought back by
R ichard S herlock, and un ited w i th S her lockstown in 174 1.
S o that the representation of both branches of the KildareS her locks now devolves on the present propr ietor of S herlockstown . The S her locks of Rahan
,King
’
s County,are lineal
descendants of the Little Rath fam i ly .
A n in tim ate connection existed for m any years between thefam i ly of S her lock and the borough of N aas . John S her lockwas M .P. for that borough in 1560, and h is son James S herlockwas m ember for “ le N aase in 1585 . In May , 1586, hi s
nam e appears among those of the knights and burgesses of
Parl iam ent who protested aga inst the attainder of Desmond .
A nd when he d ied in 1595 , he was seized in fee of 2 castles,1 stone hou se , 85 m essuages , 182 acres o f arable land , 1 garden ,
and 1 water m i ll , all in N aas . In 1618 Chr istopher S her lockwas M .P. for N aas ; i n 1684 Chr istopher S her lock was M .P . for
N aas ; in 1639 Charles S her lock was M .P. for N aas Thissam e Charles S herlock was expel led for non-attendance in1642 ; he was probably a recu sant, and afra id to attend . In
FR OM S TA TE PAPER S A N D OFFICIA L DOCUMEN T S . 4 7
1609 Chr istopher S herlock was sovereign of N aas,and in 1686
Richard S her lock was sovereign o f N aas .
N OTE .
—I have to thank the Rev . Canon S herlock for perm i ssi on to m ake u se of hi s notes when col lecting mater ials forthe foregoing Paper .
S H IELD L —A RM S O F S HERLOCKS OF BALD\V IN S TO\VN A N D RO S LA RE, CO .
(From a Ped igree in U ls ter K ing-o f-A rm s’O ffice . )
S H IELD 2 . A RM S O F S H ERLOCK S OF S H ITRLOCK S T O \VN A N D LIT TLE RA H-f, CO . _K ILDA RE .
(From an o ld s to ne fo u nd a t S he rlo cks tow n in I 8SO, w i th A rm s o f C h r is top he r
S herlo ck a nd A nne Fi t z Ge ra ld ,h is w i fe . )
S H IELD 3 .—A I< M S OF S H ERLOCKS OF GRACE D IEU
,CO . W A T ER FO R D .
(From a Ped ig ree in U ls te r K ing-o f-A rni s’
O ffice . )
THE PA LE .
BY THE REV . DENIS MURPHY,S .J.
,
HE word Pale i s one of very frequ ent occu rrence in the
later m ediaeva l portion of Ir ish history . The word i s
der ived from the Latin , palzzs , a stake,which i s pointed
to be thrust into the ground for supporting a hedge or vines,to which a cr im inal wou ld be tied when he was abou t to bescou rged , or on which h is body wou ld be pu t when lef t to bedevou red by the bi rds of the a ir . The Engl ish der ivatives are
a pale, pal ing , impaled , a herald ic term , and so forth .
Boate, an Engl ishman who came to Ireland ln 1645,and
wrote a work bear ing the title o f the “ N atura l H istoiry of
Ireland , speaking of the variou s d ivisions of Ireland saysThere i s yet another div is ion o f I reland whereby the wholeland i s d ivided into two par ts, the English Pale and the landof the
'
mere Ir ish ; the original of which d ivision i s th is —TheEngl ish a t the first conqu est, under the reign of H enry IL ,
hav ing w ithin a l itt le time conquered great parts of Ireland,
did afterwards in the space of not very m any years, m ake
them selves m asters of a lmost all the rest,having expel led the
natives (cal led the W i ld Ir ish becau se that in all m anner of
w ildness they m ay be compared w ith the most barbarou snations of the ear th) into the deser t, woods , and m ountains ;bu t afterwards hav ing fal len on odds among themselves
,and
making several great wars, the one upon the'
other,the Ir ish
thereby got the opportun ity to recover now this, and then that
part of the land , w hereby and through the degenerating of a
great m any,from time to t im e
,who
,j oin ing themselves w i th
the Ir ish , took u pon them their w i ld fashions and their langu age ,the Engl ish , in length of time, came to be so mu ch weakened ,that at last nothing remained to them of the whole kingdomworth the speaking of bu t the great cities and fou r coun t i es
to whom the nam e of Pale was g iven , becau se that the au thor ityand greatness of the kings of England , and the Engl ish colon iesor plantat ions, which before had been spread over the wholeland , now were reduced to so sm al l a compass, and as i t wereempaled w ithin the same . And
,a lthough , s i nce the beg inn ing
of the present age, and since King James’com ing to the Crown
of England , the whole i sland was reduced under the obed ience
THE PA LE . 49
and government of the Engl ish laws , and replenished w ithEnglish and S cotch colonies
,nevertheless, the nam e of English
Pale, which in the old signification was now ou t of reason ,
rema ined in u se, and is so stil l,even since this last bloody
rebell ion, wherein the inhabitants of a lmost all the Pale,although all of them of English descent, have conspired w iththe native Irish .
1 Campion ,who wrote hi s “H istory of Ireland in 1571, g ives
a sl ightly d ifferent mean ing fer the name An old d istinotion ,
”he says
,
“ there i s of Ireland into Ir ish and Engl ish
pales ; for when the Ir ish had ra i sed '
continued tumu l ts againstthe Engl ish p lanted here w ith the conquest
,at last they coursed
them into a narrow circu it of certa in shires i n Leinster, whichthe English did choose as the fattest '
soyle , m ost defensible ,their proper r ight, and most open to receive help from England . H ereupon it was determ ined
‘ their Pale,
’as whereou t
they du rst not peepe . Bu t now, w ithin this Pale, unci vi l Ir ish
and some rebels do dwel l , and w ithou t countr ies and cities arewell governed .
”
S i r John Dav is too states that when the Engl ish Pale wasfirst planted,
“all the nat ives were clearly expelled ; not so
much as one Iri sh'
fam ily had so much as an acre of freeholdin all the Pale .
”I f he m eans thereby that at an early date,
soon af ter the com ing of the Anglo-N ormans , the territory ,a fterwards cal led the Pale, was entirely cleared of the natives,he i s qu ite wrong .
We mu st bear in m ind that many of the or igina l AngloN ormans separated themselves in a great m easure from theircompan ions in arm s
,and settl ing down i n var iou s parts of the
coun try , assumed the posit ion and au thor ity of the Ir ish chiefs,
whom in part or whol ly they d ispossessed . S o i t was w ith theFitzgeralds of Desmond
,the De Burgos o f Connaught , the
D’
Exeters, the Birm ingham s,of some of Whom it was sa id that
they were “ H ibernis ipsis H iberniores,”more Irish than the
Irish them selves bu t at no t ime and nowhere was any great
part of the country so cleared of i ts origina l inhabitants, forthe very good reason that the settlers cou ld not do w ithou tthem
,even i f they w ished to be rid of them .
The English who l ived up and down throughou t the countryw ithou t being incorporated w ith the people, as those whom Ihave m ent ioned , seem to have w ithdrawn into the portion of
Leinster nearest to the metropolis, towards the end of the reignof Edward L ; that is, abou t the year 1800, no doubt becausethis d istr ict was “ most open to receive help f rom England .
”
This was cal led “ The English land ,”
and those who dweltV OL. II . , PT . I . E
50 THE PALE .
ou tside were said to be inter H ibernicos , dwel l ing among the
Ir ish . A bou t a centu ry later , and 0 1 i then ,the name of
Pale was g i ven to i t . In the “ S tate Papers ,”
relating tothe beginn ing o f the reign of
[H enry V III . , under the date
1515 , w e find it l im ited to fou r coun ties , viz . D ublin ,Kildare
,
Meath , and U r iel , now Lou th . I t i s som etimes sa id to containfive counties ; bu t then we mu st remember that i t was on ly inthe 84th of H enry V III . , 75.e. , in 1548, Meath w as d ivided intoEast Meath , which we now ca l l Meath
, and Westmeath,and
that both were inclu ded w ithin the Pale . Its exact l im its are
set down there The Engl ish Pale doth stretche and extendfrom the town of Dundalk to the town of Derver (4 m i lesN .W . of Castle Bel l ingham ) , to the town of A rdee, always onthe lef t side leaving the march on the r ight side , and so to the
town of Sydan (4 m i les S . W . of N obber) , to the town OfK enli s (Kel ls) , to the town of Dengle (Dangan) , to K ilcocke,to the town of Clane, to the town of N aas
,to the br idge of
Kilcu l len , to the town of Ba l l imore (Eu stace) , and so backwardto the town of Ramore (Rathmore) , and to the town of Rath~cou le, to the town of Tal laght, and to the town of Dalkey
,
leaving always the marche on the r ight hand from the sa ideDundalk, fol low ing the sa id cou rse to the said town of Dalkye .
”
From this enumeration i t i s clear that considerable di stricts ofthese fou r counties w ere not included in the Pale . W ith in thi sterr itory , and on ly w ithin i t
,did the j u stices and judges hold
assize,and the sher i ff enforce English law . These may be
cons idered the lim its of the Pale in a general way ; bu t at t imes
i t seem s to have extended fu rther ; thu s we read in the Records
for the 87th o f Edward III . To su ch a height hadthe power of the Kavanaghs and others ar isen that the more
d istant d istr icts of the Pale w ere then rel inqu ished and the restreta ined , for the barr ier from Carlow to Dubl in was ordered
to be removed . I t was a common saying all this time that“ they dwel t beyond the law that dwel t west of the Barrow .
”
The Kavanaghs were paid an annu al rent cal led black rent,to protect the King
’
s su bj ects when crossing the Barrow at
Leighlin Br idge . S o too the O’N eills, O
’Connors, and others
received a sort of tribu te from the Crown or from the Engl ishsettled on the borders of the Pale, and the practise seems to havelasted til l the 24th of H enry VIII . when i t was forbidden by A ct of Parl iam en t to pay su ch tax further to theIr ish . Yet
, even in 1599, the Ir ish Counci l complained to
Elizabeth tliat the Engl ish su bjects sti l l paid most oppressiveblack rents.
In 1494, a parl iament was held at Drogheda, by S ir Edward
THE1
PALE . 5 1
Poyn ings , the same in which the famous Poyn ings’A ct was
passed ; i n this par l iament an A ct was passed for the protectionof those who dwelt w ithin the Pale . I t runs as fol lows :
A s the marches of four shires li e Open and not fensible in
fastness of ditches and castles, by which Ir ishmen
‘
do great hu rtin prey ing the same it i s enacted that every inhabitant , earthtiller
,and occup ier in said marches, i . e. in the county of Dublin
,
from the water of Anli ffy to them ounta in in Kildare , from the
water A nli ff ey . to Tr im ,and so forth to Meath and U r i ell
,as
sa id m arches are made and lim ited by the A ct of Par liamen theld byW i ll iam ,
B ishop of Meath , do bu i ld and m ake a dou bled itch of six feet high above ground at one side or par t whichm eareth next unto Ir ishmen , betw ixt th is and the next Lammas,
the said d itches to be kept up and repaired as long as they shal loccupy said land , under pa in of 403 . the lord of said lands toa llow the old ren t of sa id lands to the bu i lder for one year ,under sa id penalty . The A rchbishop of Du blin
, and the sher iffof the county of Dubl in
,the B ishop of Kildare , and the sher iff
of the county of Kildare,the Bishop of M eath , and the sher iff
of the county of Meath , the Prim ate of A rmagh and the sher iffof the county of U r iel
, be comm issioners w ith in their respectiveshires , w ith fu l l power to cal l the inhabitants of said fou r shiresto make ditches in the waste or Fasagh land w ithou t the saidmarches .
There are stil l several portions of this double d itch six feethigh remain ing ,
one part between Clane and Clongowes, closeto the sou th-western angle of the garden wal l of the college ,another part from the college farmyard to the nearer end of the
by-road that leads to Rathcoffy both are local ly known as
the Rampart,”and are stil l of the or ig inal height , as som e of
ou r fox-hunt ing fr iends nru st know to their cost, and almost w ideenough at the top for a car t to go a long on them . There i s athird portion near Kilcock, I have been told , and perhaps m ore
in other parts a long the l ine of d ivision given above . Perhapssome of ou r member s who reside in that part of the country m aylook them up and give u s some information abou t them . Thisd itch wou ld not be any great hindrance for an active person tocross it , such as an Engl ish wr iter who accompan ied KingRichard IL in h is exped ition to Ireland against A rt
M ‘Morrogh , describes the Ir ish to be, so n imble and sw ift offoot that l ike unto. S tags, they ran over m ou nta ins and valleys
,
”
and cou ld moun t a horse goi ng at fu l l speed . Bu t i f we bearin m ind that catt le constitu ted the great wealth o f the Englishcolonists , and that the l ift ing , or
‘reeving
’of them w as the
pr incipal way in which their Ir ish neighbours cou ld do them
E 2
25THE PALE .
harnr and'
benefit themselves, we shal l readi ly see what a pro
tect ion su ch a barr ier afforded . W e find something o f the kind
done in other parts for th e protection
of the Pale . Thu s in 1478,
inthe parl iamen t held at Drogheda , an A ct was passed empower
in'
g AndrewTu ite to make a trench a m i le in length between
Rathconyll and Queylan ,in Meath , where there i s a c ommon
road for the Ir ish enem ies of the king to come and enter ,”
and
he was al lowed to ra i se a tax o f One penny for every cOw ,
and
bu llock, and every hors‘
epack of merchand i ze and victu als com i ng
r u E RAM PART ( N O RTH V IEW ) , B E 1W EEN CLAN E AN D CLON GOW E S COLLEGE .
(From The C long o'w u z
'
a n ,w i th th e Edi t or
’
s kind p e rm i s s ion . )
or going by or near that road . In 1558, the last year of the
reign of Edward VL ,a comm i ssion w as issued to John Parker ,
Master of the Rol ls , bidd ing h im ra ise o f every townland in
Moyfenrath ,Lu ne , Berm ingham
’s coun try , the B ishop
’s and
Lenagh’slands , Ferb ill, and Fertu
llagh ,sixm en for six days to
repair a d itch that reacheth f rom the c astle of S ecrorghan
(Tecroghau near Tr im ) , to the Boyne which at t im es past was
made for the defence o f the country . A t i ntervals above the
54 THE PA LE .
1467, for al liance, fosterage, and alterage w ith the Ir ish , andexecu ted . This was bu t a pretext h i s real cr ime was h i s
having spoken d isparagingly of the Queen .
A nd elsewhere the same wr iter says : “ There were Ir ishcu stom s wh ich the Engl ish colon ies d id embrace and u se afterthey had rej ected the civi l and honou rable law s and cu stom s of
England , whereby they'
becam e degenerate and m etamorphosedl ike N ebu chadnezzar , who , though he had the face o f a man ,
had the heart of a beast : in so much that w ithin less t ime thanthe age of a man , they had no . marks or d ifferences le ft amongthem of that noble nation from w hich they were descended ;for a s they d id not on ly f orget the Eng lish language, and
scorne the u se thereof , bu t grew to be ashamed of their veryEnglish nam es
,and took Ir i sh surnames and n icknames :
N am ely,the two most poten t fam i l ies of the Burkes i n
Connaught , called their chie fsM cWi lliam Eighter andM_
°W illiamOughter . In thes ame province Berm ingham , Baron of A thenry ,cal led himsel f Mac Yor i s . Dexeter was cal led Mac Jordan ,
N angle, or de Angu lo, took the name of Mac Costel lo, and so
for th .
”Let me g ive one exanrple of many
, a domes t ic one,
which w i ll show you how these Eng lish settlers degenerated ,0 1
1 improved rather, as many think .
In 188 ] W i lliam de Burgo , known as the Dun Ear l,5th
in descent from W i lliam Fi tzadelnr,who cam e to Ireland w ith
H enry and grand son and heir of R ichard , the 2nd Ear l,
known as the Red Ear l , who became Ear l of U lster by h i srriage w ith the heiress of De Lacy , and Lord o f Connaught
by the grant of H enry II . to h is ancestor,was ki lled by Robert
de Mandevil le and other Engl ish settlers, near Carr ickfergus ,at the in stigation of Gyle de Bu rgo, w ife of S ir R ichardMandeville , i n revenge for h is having impr isoned her brotherWalter . There are those who think that i t was on ly the Ir ishthat qu arelled among them selves in those times . H ere i s whatthe au thor of the Annals of Clonmacnoise remarks on t hissu bj ect : “ There reigned m ore di scentions , str ifes , warres , a nddebates between the Eng l ishmen themselves in the beg inn ingof the Conqu est of this kingdom than between the Ir ishmen , as
by peru s ing“
the warres between the Lasies of Meath , JohnCou rsey , Ear l of U lster , Wi ll iam Marsha l , and the Eng l ish of
M eath and Munster , MacGerald , the Bu rkes, Bu tlers , and
Cogarrn may appear .
”Be that as i t may , Earl W i l liam ’
s w ife,
af ter her hu sband was slain,fled to Eng land , taking w i th her
their on ly ; daughter Maud , then on ly a year old . The De
Bu rgos of Connaught , descended from W i ll iam , second son of
Richard , son of W i l liam Fi tzadelm , fear ing that the lands
THE PA LE . 55
which they held wou ld be transferred to some roya l favou rite ,to Whom the king wou ld give this wealthy heiress in m arr iagefor the tastes and a ffections of young lad ies were not consu ltedthen so much as now , especial ly i f they were wealthy heiressesdeclared them selves independen t of Engl ish law, renouncing at
the same time the Eng l ish language and costume . S ir W illiam ,
eldest son of S i r W i l liam Liagh , who d ied in 1824,ancestor o f
the Ear ls of Clanr icarde , took the t itle of M cwil liam O uglrter
or Upper , and S i r Edward A lbanagh , h i s second son ,ancestor
of the Earls of Mayo , took that of M°W i lliam E ighter , or the
Lower , the lands of the former being in t he sou th of Galway ,those of the latter in Mayo, and w e find that the two chiefswere for the three centu r ies fo llow ing du ly chosen and in
augu rated chiefs of their respective“nat ions af ter the Ir ish
fashion . I may remark that Lionel , Duke of Clarence, thirdson of Edward III .
, got the young lady in m arr iage, and
though he cam e over w i th the au thor ity of V iceroy threesevera l tim es to take possession of h i s lands in Connaught , hereturned home toE ngland none the r icher .
The De Burgos d i d not agree among them selves abou t thed ivision of the spoi l , for w e read in the Annals of the Fou rMasters ”
under the date 1866 A great w ar broke ou t betweenthe English of Connaught MacMoris was ban ished f rom hi sterr i tory by Mac W i ll iam ,
and fled for protection to the ClanR ickard . MacW i lliam , H u gh O
’
Connor , King of Connaught,and O
’
K elly ,lord of Hym any , marched w i th an army to
Upper Connaught aga inst the Clan R ickard, and rem a inedthere near ly three months engaged in hosti lit ies , unti l at the
last M °William subdu ed the Clan R ickard whereupon the
hostages of these latter were del ivered u p to him , and he
retu rned to h i s country in tr iumph .
”Lionel hoped to come
by h i s estates, ow ing to the w rangl ings of the present possessors .
Bu t however mu ch they m ight quarrel among themselves , theywere always ready to u ni te and present a firm and und ividedfron t aga inst h im .
In 1867 Lionel ca lled together a par liament at Kilkenny ,
and had passed there the famou s statu te known as the S tatu teof Kilkenny.
“ It was,”says a wr iter on constitu tional law
,
nothing m ore than a peev ish and revengefu l expression of the
Duke’
s resentment for the opposition he had met wi th , and theloss of the lands to
“
which he la id a cla im . I t was not toh aveany obed ience pa id to i t ou ts ide the Engl ish Pa le . I t was inreality a declaration of perpetu al war aga inst those of
'
the
English race who were settled up and down the country, andhad been, more or less, necessitated to adopt the Iri sh cu stoms
56 THE PA LE.
and laws . S i r John Davis remarks that the preamble of th isA ct shows how degenerate the Engl ish l iving in Ireland hadbecome .
The Act runs as fol lowsWhereas at the conqu est of Ireland , and for a long time
af ter , the Eng lish of the said land u sed the English langu age ,made of r id ing ,
and apparel bu t now m any English o f the
sa id land , forsaking the Engl ish langu age, m anners,'
m ode of
r id ing , laws , and u sages , l ive and govern them selves accord ing tothe m anners, fashion, and language of the Ir ish enem ies, andm ake marr iages and al liances between them selves and the Ir ishenem ies a foresa id , whereby t he a l legiance du e to our Lord the
King and the Engl ish laws there are pu t in su bjection and
decayed,and the Irish enem ies are exa lted and raised up,
contrary to reason , our Lord the King cal led a par l iament, tobe held at Kilkenny by h i s well-beloved son, Lionel , Duke of
Clarence, h is l ieu tenant .
“ II . I t i s orda ined and established that no al l iance bymarr iage , gossipred , fostering of children be henceforthm ade between the Engl ish and Ir ish .
I have already stated that in a Par l iament held in Droghedai n 1467
,an A ct was passed for atta inting of treason the Ear l of
Desm ond,the Ear l o f Kildare , and Edward Plu nket, for a l li
ance,fosterage, and alterage w ith the Ir ish enem ies . I t was
enacted that they shou ld forfeit all their lands . A d ispensationwas some tim es granted w ith this law , as when R ichard II .
a llowed the Ear l of Desmond to send hi s son to be fostered toConor O
’
Bri en of Thomond,an Ir ishman .
III . That every Engl ishman was to u se the English lan ~
guage, be nam ed by an Eng l ish name, u se the Engl ish m anner of
r id ing and apparel ; and every Engl ishman,or Ir ishman living
among the Eng l ish cou ld be atta inted , and hi s lands seized byhi s immed iate lord ti l l he found su fficient secur ity that he wou ldu se the Eng lish language . A nd i f he had not lands, hi s bodycou ld be taken by the officers of the king and comm itted to thenext gaol .
IV . That no Engl ishman having d ispu tes w ith any otherEngl ishman shal l be governed by Brehon Law, which ough t notto be cal led law bu t a bad custom (E1118 malrez
’
s cas tame) . Andthat no d ifference of a lleg iance shal l be made between the
Engl ish born in Ireland and the Engl ish born in Eng land , bycall ing them Eng l ish bobbe (clown ) or I r ish dogge .
’
VI . And whereas a land which i s at war requ ires thatevery person do render him self capable of defend ing him self i ti s ordained that the commons of the said land of Ireland do
THE PA LE . 57
not . u se henceforth the plays which m en cal l horlings, w ith greatsticks and a bal l upon th e grou nd , from which great ev i ls and
ma im s have ar isen ,bu t that they do accu stom them selves to draw
bows and throw lances,and other gentlem an like games
,whereby
the Ir ish enem ies may be the better checked and i f any do
the contrary he shal l be taken and impr isoned .
“ XIII . N O Ir ishm an of the nat ions of the Ir ish i s to beadm itted into any cathedra l or colleg iate church by col lat ion ,
presentation ,or to any b enefice of holy Chu rch among the
English of the land .
X IV . N o religiou s hou se situ ate am ong the Engl ish shal lreceive any Ir ishm an to rel ig iou s profess ion ,
bu t they m ayreceive Engl ishm en , w ithou t taking in to consideration whetherthey w ere born in England or in Ireland .
XV . A lso,whereas the Ir ish agen ts who come among the
English spy ou t the secrets, plans, and pol icies of the Engl ish ,it i s forbidden that any Irish agents , that i s, p ipers , storytellers,babblers
,r imers
,sha l l come among the Engl ish , and that no
Eng lish shal l receive or m ake g ift to them ,and he that sha l l
do,so and be atta inted , sha ll be taken and impr isoned as well
the Ir ish agents as the English who receive them .
”
Fortunately this law ,than which none cou ld be m ade more
calcu lated to excite the hatred , antipathy , and revenge of bothnat ions
,not only fel l into d isu se bu t was treated w ith contempt,
as soon as Duke Lionel retu rned to England . Op inions varyas to whether the A ct had any eff ect in preventing the evi lswhich i t was m ade to prevent . H ere i s what Firrglas, ChiefJustice of the King
’
s Bench in Ireland in 1584,say s of i t in
hi s Breviate :A s long as the aforesa id statu te was kept, the land w as in
good prosper i ty and obeyed the king’
s laws, bu t soon a fter the
departure of the sa id Duke , he lef t the sam e yeare intoEngland, the great lords, as well of Munster as Leinster , thenbeing in great wealth , and grow ing into great nam e and
au thor ity , as John Fitz Thomas,then created Ear l of Kildare,
James Bu tler, created Ear l of Ormond , and M au r ice F itz
Thom as, created Ear l of Desmond
,hav ing d ivision amongst
them selves,began tO
'
m ake alterage w ith I r ishmen for theirstreng th to resist (each) other , and d isda ined to t ake pun ishm ents of kn ights , being the Viceroys , Ju st ices , or Depu t ies forthe t im e ; by reason of which d ivision the Ear ls of Orm ond
and of Desmond , by s trength o f Ir ish on both s ides,fought
together in battle,in King H enry V II .
’
s days , in whichbattle the good m en of the town o f Kilkenny , w ith m anyothers , were sla in .
”The reference i s, no doub t , to the battle
58 THE PA LE .
of Pi lltown , Co . K ikenny ,in 1462 , between the two Earls
,in
which the Ear l of Ormond was defeated .
Elsewhere I have spoken of the Fratern ity of S t . George ,established in 1472 for the defence of the Pa le, a poor defenceat best, show ing the inabil ity of the S tate to procure an
adequate protection for the settlers .
The Wars of the Roses w eakened stil l more the Engl ish
pow er in Ireland , by w i thdraw ing the chief m en and the
sold iers to support the r iva l combatants in England . These
and the other su bsequ ent events in connexion w ith this subj ectI need not dwel l on . Those who care to pu rsue the subj ectfu rther w i l l find it treated of at length in S i r John Davis ’
s
True D iscovery of the Cau ses why I reland was not entirelysu bdued .
”
I mu st not,however , om i t to mention the attempt to
transform into Engl ishmen the intruders into the Pale . By an
A ct passed in the fif th year of Edward 1V .
, it was ordainedthat “ Every Iri shman dwelling amongst the Engl ish in the
coun ties of Dublin,Meath , U r iel , or Kildare , sha ll go like
an Englishman in apparel , and shav ing of h i s beard above them ou th
, and sha l l w ith in one year take to him an Eng lish nam e
of one town , as S u tton,Chester , Trym ,
Cork, Kinsa le, or
colou r , as whi te,black, brown , or ar t or science
,as sm ith ,
carpenter , or office,as cook, bu tler , and he and h is issu e shal l
u se this nam e under penalty of forfe it ing h i s goods yearly til lthe a foresa id be done, to be levied two times by the year forthe King
’s wars .
In the 24 th of H enry V IIL, the Ir ish Pr ivy Counci lwroteto A llen , Master of the Rol ls
,to instru ct the king of the great
decay of this land , that nei ther the English langu age, or order
or habit hath been u sed , nor the king’
s laws obeyed w ithintwenty m i les in compass . This legislat ion was not su ccessfu lthen
, and whether i t produced the-desired effects in later times ,
and whether these have extended to our own tim es , and i f theyhave
,how far
,are matters of which you are capable of j udg i ng
qu ite as wel l as I .
S O UTHERN BOUN DA RY OF THE K IN GDOM OF M EATH
Clonard , rrren t ioned 0 11 the boundary line , i s a nam e in Ir ishhistory fam i l iar to everyone . The two m issing landm arks we
are i n search of corrre a t each side of Clonard— the Ford of the
French M i ll com es before, and , at the Dublin side , the Tochero f Carbury com es next to and a fter Clonard . Let u s thereforetake Clonard as the point to start from in ou r search , and goback towards D ubl in t o find the Ford o f the French M ill .H ere there i s a long esker or ridge o f sand-hills runn ing east
and w est . This i s no other than t he Eisci r R iada which crossesIreland from Dublin to Galway . There i s a tradition that a tthis poin t the Esker was cal led the long boundary . This nam e
has fallen into d isu se , and i s now bu t a fain t trad it ion amongst
the very old . I asked them why it was ca l led the long boundary
,and they an swered
,becau se i t was the old boundary line
between Meath and Kildare. H ere , at once, we stumble on a
b i t of the ancient boundary line . Let u s trace it back towardsCloncu rry to find the Ford of the French M il l . The E i sci r
Riada runs east through the town lands of Ballyonan ,Bal l ina
dr imna,and Roya l Oak
,till i t m eets a tract of hog cal led the
Balyna Bog . Crossing th is bog, which of course continu ed theboundary , we m eet the dem esne of Mr . More O
’
Ferrall,and
crossing the dem esne to the east 0 11 Dublin side, we com e upon
the s ite of the ancient v i llage of Balyna , not a v estige of whichnow rema ins . We are now at a point half way betweenClonard and Cloncurry, and the landmark we are seekingcannot be far away .
The nam e Balyna m ay be interpreted to mean the mou th of
the ford w ith Dr . Com er ford , or the town on the ford w ith otherin terpreters, bu t either mean ing w il l describe the l ittle v i l lageof Balyna . There was a m i l l-stream cross ing the road at the
v i llage, and there was a m i l l a l ittle lower down the stream .
Both the village and the m i l l m u st have been places of some
importance in the old tim es for,when roads were few in this
‘
part of the country , we see from the old m aps that three roads
me t at the m i l l . A bit of the m asonry of the m i ll sti ll existingshows i t to have been grou ted in the ancient style, and stronglybu i lt . S o far
, we have found a ford and a m i ll,and i f this be
the French m il l ou r search i s comp lete . O’
Donovan ,in one o f
the Ordnance S urvey letters, af ter m ention ing the Ford of the
French M i ll , asks who was this Frenchman‘
1’ The history of
the Balyna property g ives u s the answer .
A bou t the year 1555 Rory '
O’
More of Le ix fell in battleaga inst the O
’
Connors and hi s brother Patr ick . H e left twosons
, K edagh and Char les . K edagh d ied young , and Char leswas transp lanted to Balyna in the county Kildare to the
W HERE IT PA S S ED THR OUGH N ORTH K ILDARE .
for feited property of Delahoide . Mr . Delahoide was a m an of
high character , good education ,and var ied acqu irements
,and I
refer you to Dr .
O
Comerford’s work for more particulars abou t
him . B u t he was ev idently Mr . O’
Donovan’s Frenchman
,and
we may take it, therefore , that the v il lage o f Balyna , the m ou thof the ford , or the town on the ford , was the Ford o f the FrenchM i ll , and one of the landm arks defin ing the boundary of
ancient Meath . From Clonard back to Balyna i s abou t five
m iles , and from Balyna to Cloncu rry abou t five m i les also . A
straight val ley runs the whole way back, the M idland Rai lwayand Royal Canal are carried through it , and such a featu re i n
the landscape wou ld be natu rally fixed u pon for a bou ndary .
Before leav ing Balyna I m ay m ention that there are bu t fewvestiges now rema in ing of either V illage, m i ll , or stream . A fterthe fam ine of
’47 and the exodu s which fol lowed , the v i llage
soon d isappeared ,extensive drainage works carried ou t by the
late Mr . O’
Ferrall abou t the sam e t ime d iverted the cou rse of thestream ; even the three old roads were blotted ou t to enlarg ethe demesne , and new roads constructed ou tside i ts enclosure .
And all that now remains to poin t ou t the ford of the FrenchM ill , w ith i ts v i llage , roads , and stream ,
i s a dried-up watercourse, deep and w ide , and running along inside the boundaryof the demesne , where formerly the m i ll-stream flowed down to
the m i ll . And a little lower down , peeping ou t through a bankunder the trees , i s a sol id block of grou ted masonry which wasonce the corner of the m i ll .H av ing now , I hope , given satisfactory evidence to identi fy
the ford of the French M ill , and defined the boundary l ine of
ancien t Meath f rom Dubliir to Clonard , let u s see i f we can
ident i f y the other m issing landmar1k—the
'
l ocher o f Carb .uryThere i s no road or place at pre sent i n the Barony of Carbu ryknown by such a nam e ; but in the beginn ing of the prresen t
centu ry there was su ch a cau seway, called the Tocher of Car
bury . Its site i s now occupied by a wel l-constructed countyroad . This high road runs north from Carbu ry through a
large tract of hog cal led the bog of K nockcu r . I t was con
structed In the beginning of the present centu ry bu t beforei ts existence
,there w as always a passage or cau seway over the
bog , chiefly for foot people . It was eviden tly the approachfrom the north to the castle of Carbury , and the trad ition rs,
that th is passage or cau seway throu gh the bog of Knockcur
was cal led the Tocher of Carbu ry . W e have no choice bu t totake i t as the tocher mentioned by Keating . This being so
,
we have now the bou ndary taking a new d irection , and ru rrnrngsou th to the bog of K nockcur , which i s immediately to the north
62 S OUTHERN BOUN DARY OF THE K INGDOM OF M EA TH
of Carbu ry . A stream r ises in this bog ,
’
flows nor thward tothe sandhills above-mentioned , and then into the Boyne at
Clonard . This i s the conflu ence of Clonard,m entioned
by Keating . The boundary fol lows th is stream sou th fromClonard to the bog and the tocher . The bog of Knock
cu r i s on ly separated by abou t two m iles of low flat countryfrom the great bog of A llen which ru ns u n interruptedly fromEdenderry across the King s County to the sou th of Philipstown and on to Geashil l . A nd though it mu st be fifteen m ilesfrom the tocher of Carbury to Geashil l , K eat ing gives no landmarks the whole w ay , for the good reason that he had no land
m arks to give, as the boundary ran through the bog of A l lenfor the fifteen m i les .
Let u s now see how the old boundary stood in reference to
the presen t boundary , that we may know h i m mu ch of the
present county Kildare belonged to ancient Meath . The “ longboundary referred to already , l ies one m i le sou th o f the pre
sent boundary l ine . The continuation of th is l ine back to theford of the French M i l l , d ips one and a hal f m i les sou th of the
present l ine . S oon af ter passing Balyna i t runs ou t on the
presen t boundary line , and con tinu es along i t (w ith a sma l ldeviation at Cloncurry ) back to Kilcock, Maynooth , and
Leixlip . S o that it cu ts off a m i le or more in w idth,and
abou t fou r in length , from the present county Kildare fromClonard to Balyna .
The boundary l ine runn ing sou th from Clonard to the
Tocher of Carbury cu ts'
off a broad piece of the present coun tyKildare, five m iles long , and varying from three to fou r m i lesw ide, and leav ing the old par ishes of K ilraney , Garr ick,
N urney , and Kilmore in ancient Meath . From the Tocher of
Carbury the boundary line took a sou th-wester ly d irectionthrough the bog of A llen to Geashi ll .
That the boundary l ine ‘
of Meath ran sou th from Clonardtowards Carbu ry receives confirmat ion from the fol low ing facts .
The great Monastery of Clonard was situ ated north of the r iverBoyne , and certa in ly in the kingdom of Meath . Bu t we know
from the Monast . H ib . that theMonks of Clonard held severaltownlands sou th of the Boyne, which they lost in the reign of
Henry VIII . N ow i t i s very interesting to know the preciselocality of these town lands in the present county Kildare .
Taking the l ine already ind icated from Clonard to theTocherof Carbu ry , thi s l ine w il l cu t
'
off every one of the town landsabove-mentioned from Kildare, and , leave them in the terr itoryof ancien t Meath . That the monks of Clonard shou ld cross the
Boyne and acqu ire lands in a territory often hosti le,i s not easy
WHER E IT PA S S ED THROUGH N ORTH K ILDARE . 63,
to explain bu t when we conclude that these m onks held theirlands in their own kingdom ,
the d ifficu l ty i s solved .
In conclu sion ,we m ay observe that ou r ancestors made the
bog their boundary wherever they found it . They first met i tnear Balyna , and u til ised it for th is pu rpose . Then , afterturn ing sou th at Clonard , they met i t again at the Tocher of
Carbury ,and m ade it their bou ndary . A nd tw o m i les to the
sou th west they m et the great bog of A l len ,and m ade i t their
boundary to Geashill .A llwhich goes to prove the sagacity of our pagan ancestors
,
for the bog of A llen 1s an excellen t boundary to place betweeneither warl ike pagans or pugnaciou s Chr istians .
fl utes anti (arteries.
ON page 127 of vol. i . of ou r JOURN AL there 1s a m istake wh ich I begleav e to correct here . I t i s there stated that m Dr . A rthur
’s
“ Fee
Book there°
l s men t ion of a Lady Baltinglass , who , I thought , m ightbe the w ife of th e Lord Balt inglass . When I w rote that
,I w as not
aware that th is statement referred to a person in no way connected
w ith th e Eu stace fam ily . I h ave since found that th e t it le of
Balt inglass w as revived in favou r of a certain Thomas Roper , wh o w as
Constab le of Cast lemaine , Co . K erry ,from 1605 t o 1637
, and estab
li sh ed an English“
plantat ion”at Crookhaven,
Co . Cork . H i s con
nect ion w ith Balt inglass arose in th is w ay . In 1588 a grant w as
m ade to S i r Henry Harrington , knigh t , of the Cistercian23
Abbey of
Baltinglass, w ith all i t s possessions, to hold in capite for ever at an
annu al rent of £11 Irish money . Thomas Roper marr ied Ann,
(lau gh ter of S ir Henry Harrington, and had a grant conferred to h iniof the monastery and lordsh ip of Balt inglass by Charles I . in 1626
,
“ i n regard of the m any acceptab le serv ices done unto h i s father and
the late Qu een Elizabeth .
” In the follow ing year h e w as made a
Baronet , and Baron of Bantry , and V iscount Balt inglass . He died°
m-1637, and was su cceded by h i s son Thomas . Thomas
’name i s
frequ ent ly ment ioned in the Journals of th e Hou se of Lords . H e bore
the Sw ord o f S tate at the opening of th e first Parliament h eld in thereign of Charles II . in 1661 . He died in 1665 , and w as su cceeded byCarey Roper , 3rd V lscount Balt inglass, who died in 1676 . The t itlebecam e ext inct then .
The t itle w as again rev ived in 1685 by Jam es II . in favou r of
th e fam ou s Richard Talbot , w ho , in that year , w as created Baron of
Talbot ’s Cou rt
,V iscount Balt inglass , and Earl of Ti rconnell
,and
,in
N OTES A N D QUER IES . 65
Nodate i s affixed to th is pet it ion , bu t reference i s m ade in i t to
another , presented in 1839, on w h ich i t w as reported
“ that the
Pet it ioner , Rev . Charles Eu stace,h ad shown su fficient ev idence of h i s
righ t to the said /digni ty of V iscount Baltinglass, in case the attainderof James
,the th ird V iscount , w as reversed .
”—D . M .
S t . Dermott of Castledermot —Ou page 361, of vol. i . of the
JOURN AL, i t i s stated that S t . Di armaid founded h i s herm itage , calledafter him Diser t Diarmada
,
”abou t the year 500. Th is statement
i s an error, probab ly copied from Archdall’s Monaste
’
eon I fibernteam,
as imthe A nnals of the Four Masters, under the year 823 , the death i s
recorded of“
Diagmai d, grandson of A edh Roin, Who was an anchorite
and a dist ingu ished“
—deetor .
A cdh Roin was K ing of Ulidia , or Eastern Ulster, and lost h i s
life in a bat t le against A cdh A llan,K ing of Ireland
,in the year
732 , when h e w as decap itated on the Cloch -an-chomm aigh (orS tone of the Breaking) , in the doorway of the chu rch at Faughard ,county Lou th . Consequ ent ly O
’Donovan , in the Addenda at th e
end of the second v olume of the A nnals,says Cast ledermot w as
founded abou t 800, and Archdall i s incorrect in stat ing i t was founded
Can any of our Memfia s , w i th/
a know ledge of Irish,explain the
“ Roclij afyafit ,Wwh ich seems to h ave been a nickname
,and
w as
1
applied to Gerald fitz Mau rice Fitz Gerald,4 th Baron of Offaly ,
who was drowned between Ireland and England°
m 1277 .
2 . Fealyghe,”ali as Ru ssellstown ,
a townland lying near and to
the north -east of. A thy, in,
the c ounty K ildare .
3 . Turbettas , now th e townland of Jeru salem ,
in the sou th-eastern corner of the county K ildare. I t appears as
the form er nam e in a Patent Roll of 1552 , as the second name in an
Inqu isit ion of 162 1, and in i t s present name on a hand-painted mapof 1760.
4 . Mez°
rgeaelt .
”—In the A nnals of the Fear Masters, under the
year 1535 , Jam es, one of the u ncles of the S ilken Thomas , i s styledS hemu s Mei rgeach ,
”and O
’Donovan does not explain i ts mean
ing—W . FITZ G.
In reply to N o . 4 , I shou ld say th at th is i s th e same w ord as
mergaeh, wh ich W indisch ,in h i s Ir ish Dict ionary,
”translates by
the Lat in raga tas, i .e. wr inkled . Th is w ord i s akin to, i f not ident ical in m eaning w ith , metrgeaeh, wh ich O
’Donovan translates b yr usty
— D . M .
V OL . PT . I .
313251112111.
Pagan Ireland : A n A reha ologi eal S ketch. A Handbook of I rishPre-Chr istian Ant iqu it ies , w ith numerou s I llu strat ions . ByW . C. WooD MARTIN
,M . R . I . A . (pp . xxv iii., 689. Price
THE au thor of th is w ork set before h im self an extensive programme,as may be seen by th e t it les of a few ou t of th e fif teen chapters wh ichmake up the book : Ancient Fau na and Pr im it ive Man ; A u thent icityof the early Ir ish Records ; The Disposal of t he Dead ; Traces of the
Elder Faiths ; Flint , S tone , Wooden , and Bronze Implem ent s ;Weapons and Mu sical Instrument s ; Personal Ornament s ; Rock
S cu lptu res, &c. &c. I t i s in fact a sort of encyclopaedia of earlyIr ish Ant iqu it ies . In such a book one w ill look for the latest con
elu sions of specialists in each of the above branches . I t wou ld beunreasonable to suppose that the opinions of any one man on all these
subjects , each of wh ich i s vast enough to take up an ordinary l ifet ime
,are of very mu ch value, on the principle : qu i trop étre int
mal embrasse. Hence the au thor, wh ile deserv ing every credit for
h i s di ligence , w ill allow some of h i s readers to d issent from severalof h i s conclusions and assert ions, su ch as that “ the ancient Ir ishw arr iors were add icted to hab itu al savagery
—very probab ly theyw ere no w orse than their neighbou rs . The early monkish chro
niclers w ere not the on ly per sons“ who sou ght to p lace th e past of
ancient Er in on an em inence ”,others were gu ilty of the same cr ime,
and , indeed , bu t for these monk ish chroniclers ”w e shou ld have
v ery litt le left of the h istory of Ireland°
ln ancient t imes . The au thor
h as ent irely missed the significat ion of the rounds ” made by our
people to the holy w ells, when he locks on them as a su rv ival ofthe olden heathen adorat ion of water-wells .
”S uch an opin ion as that
expressed at p . 543 i s , to p ut i t m ildly, ou t of p lace there sm ithcraft , w itchcraft , pr iestcraft alike at tempt to const itu te themselves ad ist inct and separate caste charlatan ism
°
1s the same, wh ether prac
t i sed°
1n the beginning of man’s existence on the earth , or in the nine
t eenth century ; in the Eas t , or intheW est .
” SO, too, the note at p . 129
m igh tw ellbe om itted ; i t adds litt le to ourknowledge of Ir ish ant iqu it ies.
We beg leave t o d issent from th e statement that the modern u sage
of partaking of food, &c.
,in presence of the dead , was a fragmentary
rel ic of‘
the savage feast when the real body of the deceased was con
sumed ,
” in oth er w ords , of canni balism .
The illustrat ions , over 400 i n number, are, w ith very few except ions , a really valu able port ion of th e book . With most of them
student s of I rish ant iqu it i es are already familiar Here the reader
w ill find th em gathered together in a narrow compass , so as to have
them readily at hand for purposes of reference . The Bib liography,”
too , supplies a want .
68 PR OCEEDINGS OF TH E
The M inu tes of the previou s Meeting hav ing been read
and signed by the Cha irm an,M 1
1
. A r thu r V icars (U lster ) ,as H on . S ecretary ,
read the Report of Counci l for the year1895 , which was adopted .
The fol low ing Resolu tion,which was proposed by the Earl
of Mayo, and passed in respectfu l silence at the Excu rsionMeeting i n 1895
,was brou ght u p for confirmation and
ordered to be inserted 0 11 the M inu tesThe Member s of the Cou nty K i ldare A rchaeologica l S ociety desi re to
express their deep sense of the loss the S ociety h as exper ienced by the deathof their V ice-President
,The Most Rev . D1
1
. Comer ford,whose interest in
their work w as shown by the learned and interesting Papers that he read at
their m eetings .
”
The H on . Treasu rer then read hi s Report for the year1895 , which was also adopted .
T he Ear l o f M ayo proposed , and Rev . E . O’
Leary ,
seconded the fol low ing resolu tion , which w as passed u nanimou sly z
That the thank s of the Society are hereby t endered to Mr . J. R .
S utclifie,for kindly hav ing au dited the account s o f the S ociety .
”
The Rev . E . O’
Leary and M r . Thomas Cooke Trench ,being the Members of Counci l retir ing by rotat ion ,
w ere re
elected .
The office of V ice-President being vacan t by the lamentabledeath of the m ost Rev . Dr . Com erford
,the Rev . D1
1
. Dem s
Mu rphy was unan im ou sly elected to fill that offi ce . The
Rev . Dr . Murphy, S .J . ,in acknow ledg ing
]
the compliment,sign ified h i s w i llingness to continu e to act as H on . Ed itor of
the S ociety ’s publications .
The Rev . Mathew Dev itt,S .J .
,was e lected Member o f
the Counci l in the p lace of the Rev . Den is Mu rphy , S T.
The follow ing new members were elected - The Rev .
Thomas Doyle ; Mr . W i ll iam S taples , Mr . A . A . W arm ington,
H on . M rs . Barton (Life M em ber ) , Lord H enry Fi tzGerald ,and Lady Mabel Fi tzGerald .
The fol low ing new Ru le was proposed and passed
“ That the names of ladies and gent lemen desiring to become Members
of the S ociety shal l be su bm it ted,together w i th the names of their proposers
and seconders, to the Council; and
,i f approved of by them ,
shall then besu bm it ted to the next Meet ing of the S ociety for Elect ion . That the above
Ru le be inser ted af ter'
Ru le III . or Ru le IV . and that the numera t ionof the succeeding Ru les be a ltered according ly .
I t was decided that the Excu rsion M eeting for the ensu ingS ession of the S ociety shou ld take p lace at Celbr idge and
distr ict in S eptember .
COUN TY K ILDAR E A R CH ZEOLOGICAL S OCIETY . 69
The following Papers w ere then read
1.
“ The M oat of Rathmore,
” by the Earl of Mayo,P resi dent .
2 .
“ John Lye of Clonagh , Co . Kildare,by the Rev .
E . O’
Leary .
3 .
“ Ear ly Landowners in Kill, by the Rev . Canon
S her lock . [Read in the au thor ’
s absence byM r . T . C . Trench ]4 .
“ Castle Carbu ry , and the B irm ingham’
s Country,” by
the Rev . M . Dev itt .5 .
“ On the Lost Ogham , Deccedda S tone,once at Killeen
Cormac, Co . Kildare,” by the _ _Rev . W . Fi tzGerald . [Read in
the au thor ’
s absence by M 11
. A rthu r V icars (U lster ) , H on .
S ecretary ]6.
“ The Bu r ial Place of S t . Lau rence O’
Toole, by theRev . Den is M urphy, Vice-P resident.
Thanks were retu rned to the several au thors of thesePapers , which w ere referred to the H on . Ed itor for publicationin the JOURN AL .
I t being thought necessary to cu rtai l the length of Papers
read at the Janu ary m eetings, ow ing to the time being l im i ted ,the fol low ing Resolu t ion was proposed by the Ear l of Mayo,seconded by M r . Thomas Cooke Trench
,and passed
That the papers read at the Janu ary Meetings do not exceed a
qu ar ter of an hour each .
”
By the kind perm 1ss10n of the owner , M11
. Telford,some
iron implem ents recently d is covered near A thy , were shownand descr ibed by Lord Wal ter Fi tzGerald . Other obj ects of
antiqu ar ian interest w ere also exhibited .
The proceed ings conclu ded w ith a vote of thanks to thosewho kindly contr ibu ted Papers and E xhibits
,to the H igh
Sher iff for the u se of the Cou rt H ou se, and to the Chairman
for presiding .
REPORT OF COUN CIL FOR 1895 .
A t the first M eeting of the Society in each year , it i s thecu stom for the Counci l to subm it a Report , reviewing shor tlythe progress of the S ociety
’
s work dur ing the past year .
The Kildare A rchaeolog ica l S ociety has now been in exi s
tence for five years,
and du r ing tha t per iod has stead i lyincreased i ts numbers
,and done m u ch good work
, both in a
practical form , in the restorat ion and preservation of ancientG 2
70 PR OCEEDINGS OF THE
monum ents in i ts d istr ict, and in encou raging , by i ts publ ications, an interest amongst the people i n the ant i qu i ties and
history of the county and i ts neighbou rhood .
A l lowing for losses by death and other cau ses, the S ocietynow starts w ith 135 members on the roll , which shows that w e
have not merely not lost ground , bu t sl ightly improved the
position of last year .
The S ociety m et w i th a heavy loss du r ing the past year bythe death of i ts V ice-President, the Most Rev . Dr . Comerford ,who was not on ly known to u s as an archaeologist of the firstorder , but recogn ized as a prom inen t anti qu ary and histori anthroughou t the country . H i s p lace w i l l indeed behard to fill.
The Most Rev . Dr . Comerford , from the very fir,
st took the
keenest interest°
In the Kildare A rchaeolog ica l S ociety, and wasone of i ts most active supporters . The H on . S ecr 1
etaI i es, who
have mu ch to do regarding the inner working of the S ociety,can w i llingly testify to the great ass istance they at all times
received from the late courteou s V ice-President .You w i l l be cal led u pon to elect a V ice-President to fill the
vacancy thu s caused .
The first Meeting of the year 1895 was held in the CourtH ou se
,N aas. kind ly lent by the H igh-S her iff (M I
1
. Thomas
Greene , of M i llbrook) , at which severa l interesting Papers
w ere read some of which have a lready appeared in the
JOURN A I
The town of Kildare was selected as the rendezvou s for the
Excursion Meeting held on the 17th S eptember , when the
S ociety spent a most interesting day in v isi ting KildareCathedra l and other an tiqu ities in the town ,
and paid a visi t toGreat Connel l A bbey and the Cu rragh .
A specia l accoun t of this Meeting°
i s g iven below .
The Counci l w ish,however
,in passing , to express them
thanks to the Dean of Kildare and the V ery Rev . M ichaelMu rphy for the kind assistance they gave towards making theExcursion a su ccess
,and also to Lord Wa lter Fi tzGerald for
h is indefatigable efforts in the sam e d irection .
Du r ing the past year , through the exertions of the S ociety ,the Round Tower of Oughterard has been added to the l ist o fN a tional Monum ents
,and under S ir Thomas Deane
’
s ablesuperv ision , has been carefu lly re-pointed and saved from
fu rther inju ry .
The Counci l also beg to report that arrangem ents have beencompleted for add ing the A bbey at Castledermot to the list ofN ationa l Monuments
,the necessary papers having been signed
by the owner (Maj or Farrel l) w ithin the last month .
7 2 PR OCEEDIN GS OF THE
H ere the Ear l of M ayo , President of the S ociety , addressingthe assemblage , a l luded to the sad loss the S ociety had su stainedin
‘
the death of the V ice-Presiden t, the Most Rev . D11
. Comer
ford , and took th is, the first Opportun ity ,of m ov ing a resolu
tion expressing the feel ings of the S ociety , which was passed inrespectfu l silence .
LordWa lter Fitz Gerald then proceeded w i th the reading of
hi s Paper 0 11 the history of the abbey , wh ich w ill appear in the
pages of the JOURN AL .
The company then betook themselves to the vehicles and
proceeded to Kildare , enter ing the Curragh at the A thgarvanend and dr iv ing along i ts entire length to Kildare . H ere
luncheon had been prov ided in the Cou rt H ou se (kindly lentby the H igh S her iff) for those who had previou sly sent in theirnames .
The next move was for the Cathedral , where the Dean of
Kildare read a m ost interesting and exhau stive Paper on the
whole history of the bu i lding ; those presen t ranging themselves in the seats in the nave
,the main por t ion of the recently
restored ed ifice not being yet opened for w orship .
The Dean of Kildare exhibited severa l armor ial tiles and
other objects of interest found when the restoration works w ere
in progress, and a lso the Cathedral Commun ion Plate, som e of
which dates from the 17th centu ry .
On the conclu s ion of the Dean’s Paper the Rev . Den is
Mu rphy read at the foot of the Round Tower a paper of m u chresearch on
“ the A ntiqu ities of Kildare,” inclu d ing the Grey
A bbey and the Preceptory of Tu l ly . The day being somewhatadvanced , the company adjou rned to the Cou rt-H ou se and par
took of tea— a considerable section of those present first payinga visit to the old Castle, and afterwards wend ing their wayback on foot to the Ra i lway S tation .
The weather throughou t was ideal for an archaeolog icalexcu rsIOn .
The arrangements o f the day were in charge of Lord Wal terF1tz Gerald and Mr . A rthur V icars (Ulster ) , H on . S ecretar ies
,
who had provided for the com for t of the Members and theirVIsi tors to the ent ire sa tisfaction o f every one .
The fol low ing Members and V isitors took par t in the Ex
cu rs10n —The‘
Countess ofMayo Lady Eva Fitz Gerald M issA . F . Long ; Dr .
, M rs, and
.M iss Woolcombe ; M r . and Mrs .
Cooke Trench ; M11
. J . B . Cu llen ; Mr . M . P . and M iss Cu llen ;Rev . R . D . Sku se and Mrs . Sku se MI
1
. and Mrs . R . M .W i lson 1
M1ss Du pre W i lson ; Lady and M iss Weldon Mr . A . A .
Weldon ;Mr . and Mrs . Edmund Sweetman ; Mr . H . H endr ick
COUNTY K ILDA R E A R CH ZEOLOGICA L S OCIETY . 73
Aylmer,H on . Treasurer ; M I
1
. D . G. Jameson ; S u rgeon-Maj or
J . R . Keogh ; Col. V igors ; M iss Johnson ; Mr . W i lliam R .
M ol loy ; The Dean of Kildare ; M r . W . J . Kirkpatr ick ; M r .
Thom as Greene (H igh S her iff ) , and M iss Greene ; Rev .W ill iamFitzgerald ; Rev . James Jesson ; Lord Wa lter Fitz Gerald and
Mr . A rthur V icars , U lster King of A rms,H on. S ecretar ies ;
Rev . Canon S her lock, and the M isses S her lock ; M r . F . M .
Carroll ; Mrs . and M iss Carrol l ; M iss A rchbold ; Rev . Jam es
A dams ; M r . R . R . Kennedy , E .M . ; t he Ear l of Mayo,P re
s idoni ; M r . J . C . O’
Meagher , Dr . Darby ; Rev . T .
M orr in ; V ery Rev . Thom as Tynan ; Mr . T . J . H annon ;Rev . Den is Mu rphy , LL .D .
,Hon. Edi tor
,
1 Genera l andMrs . M ‘Mahon ; Mr . J . Loch , C . I .
, Rev . M . Dev i tt ;Rev . J . Dunne ; V ery Rev . M . J . Mu rphy ; Rev . W il liamEll iott ; Rev . John T . B ird ; Mr . K . S upple , D .I . Mr.
H . Thynne,C .E .
,Dep .
-Inspector-General ,1 M isses Med
licott ; M r . and M iss A rm strong ; M iss H opkins ; ColonelS hervington Mr . A . Leigh Rev . A . and Rev . E . Kirkpatr ickM iss Kirkpatr ick ; Mr . R . Long ; M iss Moody ; Mr . and Mrs ,
V ipond Barry ; M iss S tack ; Mr . J . Conlan , &c.
[BALA N C E S HEET
76 PR OCEEDINGS OF THE
membrrs
[Ofl‘i ce rs a re ind ica ted by heavy typ e ; Li fe M emb ers by an a s ter isk
Adams , Rev . James , K ill Rectory, S traffan .
A rchbold,Miss, Davidstown, Castledermot .
Aylmer , Miss , Donadea Castle, Co . K ildare .
Aylmer,A lgernon ,
Rathmore, N aas .
AYLMER,H . HENDRICK-
l, Hon . Treasurer , Kerdifistown , N aas .
7“Barton , Hon . Mrs .
,S traffan Heu se, S t raffan .
'il‘Barton , Major H . L.
,D .L . , S traffan Hou se , S traffan .
Bonham , Colonel J Ballintaggart , Colbinstown ,Co . K ildare .
Bird, Rev . John T . , Curragh Camp .
1 Brooke, J. T .
,Du ngannon, Co . Tyrone .
Brown, S tephen J N aas .
Browne, Rev . Ha t ey , Victoria Cot tage, Fermoy .
Burke, Very Rev . E .
, P .P . , Bagenalstown, Co . Carlow .
Burtchaell, G. D .,M .A .
, 7, S t . S tephen’s-green ,
Dublin .
Cane, Major Claude,S t . Wolstan
’s, Celbridge .
Carberry, Rev . Thomas, P .P .
,The Presbytery , Ballitore .
Carroll,Frederick
,Moone Abbey , Moone .
Carroll , Rev . James, C .C . , How th , Co . Dub lin .
*Clements,Colonel
,K illadoon , Celbridge .
Clements , Mrs . ,Killadoon
,Celbridge .
*Clemen ts,Henry J . B.
,Celbridge .
Coady, D . P .,M .D . , Johnstown, S traffan .
Cochrane,Robert
,Hon . S ecretary 17, Highfield-road,
Rathgar .
Cole, Rev . J . F.,The Rectory, Por tarlington .
Conmee,Rev . J. F. , S . I .
,S t . Francis Xavier ’
s,Upper Gardiner-street , Dublin .
Cooper , Au stin Damer , Drumnigh Hou se, Baldoyle , Co . Dublin .
Coote, S tan ley , The Orchard Hou se , IVargrave,\
Berks .
Cowell , Very Rev . G. Y.
,Dean of K ildare, The Deanery, K ildare.
Crosby , Rev . E . Lew is, 36, Ru tland-S quare, Dublin.
Cu llen, J. B . , 40, K enilworth-squ are, Rathgar , Dublin.
Dames, R . S . L°
ongworth , 21, Herbert-street, Dublin .
Dane, J. Whiteside,OsberstoWn Hill, N aas .
Darby, M .,M .D .
,Monasterevan .
Day, Rober t, 3,S ydney
-place, Cork ,
COUNTY K ILDA RE A R CH ZEOLOGICAL S OCIETY . 77
Dease,Colonel G .
,Celbridge Abbey, Celbridge .
DE BURGH , THOMA S J .,D .L .
, Oldtown ,N aas .
DEVITT, Rev . MATHEW ,S .J . , Clongowes Wood College, S allins .
Doyle , Rev . J. J Derrycappagh , Moun tmellick, Queen
’s County .
Doyle, Rev . Thomas, Caragh ,N aas .
Drew,Thomas , Gortnadrew, Monkstown .
Duncan , J . A .,A thy .
Dunne, Rev . John, C .C.,Clane .
Dunne, Laurence, J .P .
,Dollardstown Hou se, A thy,
Elliot t, Rev . W illiam,The Manse,
’
N i as .
Falkiner,F . J .
, M .D . , S pring Gardens , N aas .
Ff rench,Rev . J . F . M .
,Ballyredmond Hou se
, Clonegal .*FitzGerald , Lady Eva , Kilkea Cast le, Mageney , Co . K ildare .
Fitz Gerald , Lady Mabel , K ilkea Castle,°
Mageney , Co . K ildare.
*Fitz Gerald,Lady N esta, K ilkea Cas tle , Mageney , Co . K ildare .
a“Fi tz Gerald,Lord Freder ick
,Carton
,Maynooth , Co . K i ldare .
aleFi tz Gerald,Lord Georg e, K ing ’
s Hou se,K ingston , Jamaica .
a’1‘FITZ GERALD,LORD WALTER
,M .R .I .A Hon . S ecretary , K ilkea Castle ,
Mageney , Co . K ildare .
Fitz Gerald , Lord Henry, K ilkea Cast le, Mageney , Co . K ildare .
Fitz Gerald,Rev . W .
,Cast letown Rectory , Po rtroe, K illaloe.
Fogarty, Rev . M . , Professor , Maynooth College .
Foll is, Rev . C . W . Emi ly-square, Athy .
Canly , Rev . C . W .,The Rectory, Cast ledermot, Co . K ildare .
Garret t,Rev . George, K i lmeagu e, Co . K ildare .
Garst in, J . Rib ton , D .L ., Braganstown , Cast lebellingham ,
Co . Lou th .
Glover , Edward, 19, Prince Patrick-terrace, N or th Circu lar-road, Dub lin.
Greene,Thomas , LL .D . ,
M i llbrook , Mageney .
Hade,Arth u r
,C .E . , Carlow .
Hannon , Thomas J. Mil lview House,Athy .
Higginson ,Lady , Connellmore, N ewbridge .
Hoguet ,
”
Madame Henry L.,48, W est Twenty-eighth—street , N ew York .
Hou ston,Rev . B. C . Davidson
,S t . John
’s Vicarage, Sydney Parade, Dublin .
Jameson,Miss S oph ia, Glenmona, Moone .
Jessen,Rev . J . L .
, The Rectory, K i lkea , Co . K ildare .
Johnson ,M iss , Prumplestown Hou se, Castledermot , Co . K ildare .
Joyce, Patrick Weston, Lyre na Grena, Leinster-road, Rathmines , Dub lin .
78 PR OCEEDINGS OF THE
Kennedy , Rev. H .,S t . Dav id
’s Rectory , N aas .
K ennedy, Rober t R . , R .M .,Carlow .
K eogh , S u rgeon-Major T . R . , Castleroe , Mageney , Co. K ildare .
K irkpatrick, W illiam ,Donacomper, Celbridge .
Large, Rev . W . Somerville Carnalway Rectory, K ilcu llen .
La Touche, Mrs . John, Harristown, Brannoxtown .
Loch , J . ,The Firs, N aas .
Long, Miss A . F . , Woodfield , Kilcavan, Geashill .
McMahon,General
,Knocklof ty , Clonmel .
McMahon, Mrs .,Knocklof ty , Clonmel .
McS weeny , J . G .
,18, Claremount-road, S andymount , Dublin .
Magu ire, Rev . E ., D .D . , Prof essor , Maynooth College.
Magu ire , P. A . ,2, Oldtown-terrace, N aas .
Mahony , David , D .L . , Grange Con , Co . W icklow .
Mahony , George Gun ,Grange Con, Co . W icklow .
MAN SFIELD, GEORGE,D.L.
, Morristown Lattin, N aas .
Mayo, Dowager Countess of , 20, Eaton-squ are, London ,
S .W .
MAYO, Th e EARL OF,Presi dent , Palmerstown ,
S traffan .
Molloy, W illiam R.,
17, Brookfield-terrace, Donnybrook, Dubl in ,
Moran,H is Eminence Cardinal , Sydney , N . S .Wales .
Morrin, Rev . Thomas, P .P . , N aas .
Mu rphy, Very Rev . Michael, P .P . , S t . Brigid’s, K ildare.
O’Byrne, Rev. Patrick
,Cast ledermot , Co . K ildare.
O’Ferrall
,Ambrose More , D .L Ballyna, Moyvalley .
O’Hanlon , Very Rev . Canon John , 3, Leahy
’s-terrace, Sandymount , Dublin .
O’LEARY, Rev . E . , P .P . , Ballyna, Moyvalley .
O’Leary , Rev . Patrick
,Maynooth Col lege .
O’Meaghe1
1
,
1
J. Casim ir,
45 Mountjoy-squ are, S . ,Dub lin .
Owen, Ar thur , Shanvaghey, Ballacolla, Qu een’s Co .
Palmer , Charles Col ley, D .L. , Rahan , Edenderry .
Ponsonby, Hon . Gerald,Palmerstown, S traffan .
Ponsonby , Lady Maria,Palm erstown, S traffan .
Pratt, Mrs ., Glenheste, Manor-K ilbri de, Co . Dublin .
Rynd, Major R . F . , Blackball, Naas .
S aunders, Colonel R . , D .L. , S aunders’
Grove, S tratford-cn-S laney .
S eaton , Lord, Bert Hou se,Athy .
8o COUNTY K ILDA RE AR CH ZEOLOGICAL S OCIETY .
R U L E S .
I . That this Society be called “ The County K ildare ArchaeologicalS ociety .
II . That the purpose of the S ociety be the promot ion of the study and
know ledge of the antIqu It ies and obj ects of interest in the county and
su rrounding districts .
III . That the S ociety consist of a President , Vice -President , Cou ncil ,Hon . Treasu rer , two Hon . S ecretaries , and Members . Ladies are eligib lefor Membersh ip .
IV . That the N ames of ladies and gent lemen desiring to become
Member s of the Society shall be subm it ted , together w ith the names of
their proposers and seconders , to the Council,and
,i f approved by them ,
shall then be submit ted to the next Meeting of the Society for Election .
V . That the affairs of the Society be m anaged by the President , V icePresident , Hon . Treasu rer , and Hon . S ecretar ies , together w ith a Counci lof six Members . That for ordinary bu siness two sha l l form a qu orum bu t
any mat ter u pon wh ich a difference of opinion arises shal l be reserved for
another meeting ,in wh ich three shal l form a qu orum .
VI . That two Members of the Council sha ll retire by rotat ion each
year , but shall be eligib le for re-elect ion .
V II . That Members pay an Annu a l Sub scription of Ten Sh i l lings (du eon the 1st of January) , and that the payment of £5 sha l l constitu tea Life Member .
V III . That Meetings of the Society be held not less than twice in each
year , one Meet ing being an excu rsion to some place of archmological
interest in the district .
IX . That at the first Meet ing of the Society in each year the Hon .
Treasurer shall furnish a balance-sheet .
X . That a JOURN AL of the Society be pub lished annu al ly , containingthe Proceedings and a column for local Notes and Queries, which sh all besubm it ted to the Council for their approva l .
XI . That the Meet ings of the year be fixed by the Council , du e noticeof the dates of the Meet ings being given to Members .
XII . That Members be at liberty to introduce v isitor s at the Meet ingsof the Society .
XIII . No Member sha l l receive the JOURNAL i f hi s S ubscription for
the prev iou s year be not paid .
T HE LAT E REV . DEN IS MURPHY, S .J. , LL.D ,
JOUR . ARCH . soc. K ILD . [vol. p .
82 OBITUA RY OF THE R EV . DEN IS MURPHY,S .J.
was in h i s “ Cromwel l in Ireland . Great clouds of fiction
circled abou t the few sol id facts of the visi t of Ol iver Cromwel l
to Ireland . S tor ies of h is deeds in parts of Ireland wh ich he
never visited , were not only numerou s,bu t were bel ieved in .
By a patient investigation of au then tic records, ou r au thor followed Cromwel l from h i s land ing in Ireland in A ugu st, 1649,to h i s depar tu re on u the 29th May ,
1650. This interestingvolume was published in 1888, and was soon ou t of pr int . The
stu dy of the var iou s towns and castles visited by Cromwel l led
to a further investigation of the anti qu ities of Ireland,and this
soon took up all the time not devoted to hi s sacred du ties . In
1891 he pr ivately pr inted Tr iumphalia Chronologica Monas
teri i S anctae Cru cis in H ibernia,”
and “ De Cistermensi um
H ibernorum V iris Illu stribu s .
”These were ed i ted
, w ith a
translation from the manu scr ipt then in the possession of the
Most Rev . Dr . Croke . Apart from the interest of th i s work as
descr iptive of H oly Cross A bbey , the account of the forty
fou r i llu str iou s Ir ish Cistercians, beg inn i ng w ith S t . Malachy
O’
Morgai r, who d ied 1148,to Patr ick Everard
,the A bbot of
Dunbrody , who d ied 1650, makes i t a pecu l iarly va luable
volume .
H i s next work was the translat ion of Cucogry O’
Clery’
s
Ir ish manu scr ipt of Lughaidh O’
Clery’
s l ife of H ugh Roe
O’
Donnell, Pr ince of T i rconnell (15386 The Ir ish text
i s gi ven , w ith an histor ical introdu ct ion , notes, and i llu stra
tions Thi s was speedi ly fol lowed by a“ S hort H istory
of Ireland in which he endeavou red, w ithou t note or
comment ,“ to g ive all the lead ing facts of Ir ish history in a
manner which m i ght interest the young reader .
”
Early in 1896 appeared“ The A nnals of Clonmacnoise,
being annals of Ireland f rom the ear l iest per iod to A .D . 1408.
This had been t ranslated into Engl ish , A .D . 1627,by Conel l
Mageoghagan . It was now for the first t ime pr inted ,being
ed ited by Dr . Mu rphy ,
for the Royal ociety of Ant iqu ar iesof Ireland , and issu ed as their extra volume for 1893—95 .
The text was pr inted from the copy made in 1684 by Tadhg
O BITUARY OF THE REV . DEN IS MURPHY ,S .J. 83
O’Daly , now in the Library of Tr in ity College, Dublin . It
has a carefu lly made index .
The last work he was engaged on has for i ts title Our
Martyrs,
”and gives an account of those who had su ffered
du r ing the rel igiou s persecu tions in Ireland,and who had
belonged to the au thor ’s Chu rch .
Besides making a study of Ir ish manu scr ipts, he for many
years made Ir ish antiqu ities an obj ect of special investigation ,
and he has published very many contr ibu tions in the Journalsof ou r Antiqu ar ian S ocieties . W i th the h istory of most of theIrish stone crosses he was particu larly fam i liar , and he neverre fu sed a request to give a lectu re on these , general ly illu strated
by photographs , many taken by him self .
'
H e was a lwaysready to ass ist other investigators, many of whom w il l for longmiss hi s generou s help .
On the morning of the 18th of May , 1896, not making h isappearance as u su al , he was found dead in hi s bed
,w ith a
peacefu l expression on hi s featu res . Proofs of h i s “ M ar tyrsof Ireland were on a table by h is bedside . By his decease
many of the Members of the Kildare A rchaeological S ociety
have lost a gen ia l , kindly fr iend .
The Royal Un iversity of Ireland con ferred on h im the
H on . Degree Of LL .D .,of which Un iversity he was an
Exam iner in Span ish . H e was Professor of the Language
and Literature of France in Un iversity College , S t . S tephen’
Green . H e was a V ice-President of the Royal S ociety o f
A ntiquar ies of Ireland,and Of the County Kildare A rchaeo
logical S ociety, a Member of the Council of the Roya l Ir ish
A cademy , and an H on . Member of the Waterford and S outh
East of I reland A rchaeolog ical S ociety . Father Mu rphy was
a lso the H on . Editor of ou r Jou rnal,a du ty which he kind ly
undertook on the resignation of that office by the Rev . Canon
S herlock in l894 .—E . P . W .
V OL. PART 11.
86 CA RBURY A N D THE EIRM IN GHAM S’
COUNTRY .
the terror and sometimes the protection of the p lains on whichit frowned .
The length of the line of the sou thern wal l , w r ites S irW i lliam W i lde, i s alone 100 feet ;and the general v iew of the
castle upon our first approach w ith i ts chimneys, narrow pointed
gables , and large stone-sashed w indows,i s that o f one of the
best Specimens o f the castellated‘
mansions of abou t the time o f
Jam es The eastern front , which m easures sixty feet,sti ll
rema inswith several of its mu l l ioned w indows , even yet qu ite
perfect ; and upon a gentle slope leading down from i ts wa lls on
r
CA S TLE CARBURY .
this side may yet be traced the vestiges of a garden ,w ith a
few of i ts fiowel s now w i ld and In fact everything abou t this 1 u in beal s evidence O f ladies fa ir as wel l asval iant kn ights having inhabited i t , . . bu t on a closer i nspec
t ion and an internal exam inat ion ,we perceive from the charac
ter of the m asonry,the m assive walls
,the deep stone-roofed
donjons,the pr incipa l of Which runs for 85 feet under the
great keep , from sou th to north , the m an ifest antiqu ity of the
en tire western end,and the genera l arrangement of the whole,
that the present ru in consists of the rema ins of structu res,very
m u ch older than the ear ly part or m iddle Of the sixteenth
CA RBURY A ND THE BIRM IN GHAM S’
COUN TRY . 87
century indeed som e of them appear to be as old as the twel fthcentury , and there are rem a ins of wal ls of great thickness , bu i ltw ith r ubble m asonry and grou ted , ex tending even beyond theconfines Of the presen t ru in to the north-west . The m odern
add it ions all exist on the opposite s ide , and their later da te i s atonce
'
m an i fest . Four of the chimneys, three of which are in the
eastern front, have sixteen s ides
,and are l ike som e of the
chimneys of Engl ish cast les bui lt abou t the year 1580, beingbeau tifu lly wrought and mou lded at the top .
”
S o far S ir W . W i lde .
CAS T LE CARBURY .—PA RT OF IN TER IOR .
we ascend to the summ it of the hill , which r ises 471 feetabove the sea
,we shall be repaid by the prospect of a landscape
replete w ith histor ica l association s . On the sou th w e see the
infant Boyne as it emerges from Tr in ityW el l , for the legend of
which I m u st refer y ou to S ir W i lliam W ilde’
s book on“ The
Boyne and the B lackwater . Beyond i t i s an immense stretchof hog , once covered w ith forests, the name of which alonesu rv ives in the Fews (fidlp, being the I rish for woods) . Thistract w as considered one of the strong passes of Ireland, and
was ca l le d the “ door”of the Engl ish Pale.
88 CARBURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’COUN TRY .
On the w est, beyond Edenderry , we see the hil l of Croghan ,
conspicuou s on the landscape . There S t . Br ig id of Kildaretook the vei l from S t . M ac Ca ille in 467 , and there in later and
rougher tim es was the stronghold of O’
Connor , pr ince o f Ophaly ,
which O ’
Donovan cal ls hi s Cau casu s or Mount A tlas, and
from which he cou ld V iew the whole extent of hi s terr itorynorth , sou th , east, and west .
On the north and north-east, we see the ancien t kingdom of
Meath , spread ing i ts rich pastu res almost to the base of the hil l .
TH E BOYN E A S 11‘
EMERGES FROM TR IN ITY WELL.
On the east and so u th-east lie the pla ins of K i ldare, w ithwhose history we are all fam i l iar .
The hi l l of Carbu ry ,being thus si tu ated 011 the border of
the kingdom s o f Leinster and M eath in the pre-N orman t imes ,and on the borders of Ophaly in later times
,was a lways con
sidered a m ost impor tant position .
In the prehistor ic per iod it was known as S z'
d/z-N eclataz'
n,the
fa iry hi ll of N echtain ,who was monarch of Ireland in A .M .
8970. H i s name, Keating tel ls u s, was derived from the rootof the Latin word ma: which sign ifies snow,
for hi s skin was soexceeding white as to be compared to the driven snow . H i s
oo CA R BURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’COUN TR Y.
Martyrology was w r itten by the learned M ichael O ’
Clery ,
one Of the Fou r Mas ters,in the seventeenth century , we m ay
be su re that Kilcock was recogn ized to be a perm an ent portionOf Carbury .
Aga in ,in O
’
H eer in’
s“ T opographica l Poem ,
wr itten in
the fifteen th century,-w e read
Over Carbu ry , of Leinster of the plains ,Ru les O ’
Keary , of the red-handed swords ,The scion of Almhai n
, w ithou t scarcity t o the east ,By whom bat t les were kindled round Croghan
From the express ion the “scion o f A llen, O
’
Donovan
concludes that Carbu ry O’
K eary extended sou th as far as
A l len .
The O’
K eary s w ere a very powerfu l and noble fam ily 111
ancien t Er in . O’
D uggan , in hi s Topographical Poem”com ~
posed in the fourteenth centu ry,says
O Ci a1dh a over Carbu i y of poet s
Of the tribes of nine hostaged N ia l l ,They are bu t themse lves over to the east
Of the clans of N ia l l ln Leinste1 .
They a lone of all the Leinster fam i lies were descended fromN ial l of the N ine H ostages , and thu s were of the noblest bloodin Ireland .
The deaths of their pr inces are frequ ently recorded in the
Annals of the Fou r Masters,”and
,as u sual wi th Ir ish pr inces,
w ere violent deaths . The fol low ing extracts relate to th isfam i ly
A .D . 952 .
“ A great slaughter was made of the people of
Carbury and Teathbha (Teffia w as a d istr ict in Longford. and
Westm eath) by O’
Ru airc, on which occasion U a Ciardha , lordof Cairbre, w as sla in .
”
A .D . 992 .
“ Maelru aneadh U a Ciardha,lord of Carbu ry ,
was slai n by the m en of Teathbha.
”
A .D . 999.
“ A edh U a Ciardha was blinded by hi s brother ,ale. U algharg U a Ciardha .
”
A s we frequ ently read in the Ir ish annals of this horr ibleform of mu tilation infl icted by som e member of the V ict im ’
s
fam i ly , i t m ay be wel l to Observe that the Object in v iew was to
d isqualify the un for tunate relat ive for the chiefta inship . In
Ireland the succession was ) determ ined by election , bu t was
l im ited to the m embers of one fam i ly, and any deformi ty or
personal blem ish d isqual ified a cand idate .
We now come to a ve i y impo1 tant event 1n Ir ish history
CA RBURY A ND THE BIRM IN GHAM S’COUNTRY . 9 1
the great revolt of Leinster aga inst Brian Born,who was then
ru l ing all I re land from h is palace on the S hannon at Killa loe .
Malachy, the legitim ate A rd-r igh had given up hi s cla im to
the high-kingship, and was content to remain king of Meathalone
,and to be a vassal and al ly o f Br ian . Abou t A .D . 1012
Mailmora , king of Leinster , while on a v isit w ith Br ian ,
qu arrel led over a game of chess w i th Morrough , the son of
Br ian , and , leaving Killaloe in a great rage , retu rned to hi s own
people . The chieftains of Leinster m et at the house o f
O’
Toole, king of Western Lifié , and , having heard his story,determ ined to revolt . This revolt cu lm inated finally in the
battle of Clontarf . The first act of the Leinstermen was to
engage al lies,
and w i th th is V iew they sent embassies to
Flaherty,son of M u ircher tach O
’
N ei ll,to Ferga l O
’
Rorke ,king of Brefné , and to U algarg O
’
K eary ,king o f Carbré na
Ci ardha,and these all prom ised their a id aga inst Br ian .
1
A sMalachy was now in a ll iance w ith Br ian ,h is kingdom of
Meath w as at once invaded by the insurgen t pr inces .
Under the date 1012 , the Fou r Masters w r ite : “ A greatdepredation was comm itted by U algarg U a Ciardha , lord of
Ca irbre, and by the son of N ia l l O ’
Rua irc and the m en of
Teathbha in Ga ilenga (ti e. the barony o f Morgallion Mea th) , bu ta few good m en o f the hou se of (Ma lachy ) Maelseachla inn over
took them,and
,being a t the time intoxicated a f ter dr inking ,
they (imprudent ly) gave battle through pr ide . There w ere sla in ,
Donnchadh,son of M aelseachlainn , Donnchadh, son of
Donnchadh Finn,royal, heir of Teambha i r (Tara) , and many
others along w ith them . Maelseachlainn af terwards over took
them w ith his forces, and the spoi ls were left behind to him ;
and Ualgharg U a Ciardha lord of Cairbré , and many othersbesides h im were slain .
Donnchadh, the royal heir , was a grandson of Malachy .
2
The Leinster pr inces now all ied them selves w ith the Danes,
and again enter ing Meath ravaged M alachy ’
s kingdom as
far as Fore, the shr ine of S t. Fechin , not respecting even the
very termon or sanctuary o f the sa int . A f ter th is , M alachysen t messengers to Br ian , praying him not to perm it theLaighin and the Breffni and the Cai rbri and the Cinel-Eoghainto com e all together aga inst h im .
In the “ W ars of the Gaedh il w ith Galll we read thatO
’Rorke of Brefini cam e over to Br ian before the battle of
Wars of the Gaedhil with Gai ll,” Rol ls S er ies , p. clxi v and p. 147.
2 Gaedh il and Gai ll,
”
p. 149. 3 I bz'
d . , p . 149.
92 CARBURY AND THE BIRM IN GHAM S’COUNTRY .
Clontarf , and that when Br ian asked him what news he
brought , he told him that A edh,son of U algharg U a Ciardha ,
king of Carbu ry, ref used to accompany him to bat tle in defenceof Br ian . Thereupon Brian cursed the O
’
K eary s and the m en
Of Carbu ry .
A t the per iod of the Engl ish invasion , Carbury was g ivento Mei ler Fitz Henry . In the old Anglo-N orm an poem , gene
ra l ly spoken of as the composition of Mau rice Regan ,interpre
é
ter to King Dermot MacMu rrogh , we read :“ Carbry he
(S trongbow ) gave to the good M ei ler who was such a nobleLord .
”Gi raldu s Cambrensi s 1 says that “ he gave in fee to
Mei ler as Lord Marcher the remoter cantred of Ophelan .
”
Carbury was ou ts ide Ophelan ,but we need
,not trou ble
ourselves w i th the geography Of Giraldu s Cambrensis, whichwas as loose as hi s tongue . H e tells u s
,later on
,that in
1181, Kildare
,and the adjacent country granted by the
Earl (S trongbow) , was taken from Mei ler by John Constableof Chester , and Richard Le Pec, Governors of Ireland at thatt ime
,and that M eiler received Leix in exchange . This aga in
wou ld show that Giraldu s considered Kildare to be in Ophelan ,
whi le in rea l ity it was in Ophaly . Most l ikely he confu sed
Ophelan w ith Offaly .
Into whose hands did Carbury fall when i t was taken fromMei ler Fitzhenry
There seem s to be a genera l impression that it was acqu iredby the B irm ingham s . S ir W . Wilde2 thought that the Castleof Carbu ry was bu i lt by the B irm ingham s ; and even Dr .
Gi lber t 3 imp l ies that they were planted there by S trongbow .
I hope to prove that th is V iew i s untenable . Carbury, as
portion of Dermod’
s kingdom of Leinster , was held by Mei lerfrom S trongbow , and when taken from Mei ler wou ld natural lyrever t to the heirs of S trongbow ,
unless we have evidence of
another grant . A s there i s no trace of such a grant at this
per iod , we m ay take the reversion for gran ted . On the deathof S trongbow in 1176, h i s only chi ld Isabel , the granddaughterof Dermod M ‘Mu rrough, was the heir to h i s vast estates . In
1189, she was given by the crown in marr iage to W i l liam Earl
M arshal,head of the great Baron ial fam i ly which held the
hereditary office of Marshal to the King of England . By th ism arr iage he becam e Lord of ancien t Ossory , and O f the threecount ies of Wexford, Carlow, and Kildare, and Earl of Pem
1 Vol. V . Rol ls S eries, p . 314 .
2 Boyne and Blackwater , 2nd edition , p. 30.
3 H ist . of V iceroys ,”
p . 144 .
94 CA R BURY A ND THE BIRM IN GHAM S’COUN TRY .
con test , the sold iery , u rged forward i n a crowd by the Baronsclosed u pon the Ear l w ith lances, ha lberds, and axes, and
,
hav ing hewn off the feet of h i s wounded bu t sti ll spir itedsteed
,at length su cceeded in bring ing h is r ider to the grou nd ,
where through the j oinings of h i s armou r a long kn ife was
plunged to the haft in h i s back.
” 1 “ This occurred on the
first of Apr il, 1234 ; and a few days a fter, he d ied of hi s woundsa t K ilkenan
”
(Kilkenny) .2 “ H enry III . expressed deep gr ief
at hi s dea th , den ied that he had au thorised the warrant aga insthim , invested h is brother Gi lbert as Ear l Marsha l of Eng land ,w ith all the pri vi leges enjoyed by h i s predecessors in thathigh Office
,
” 3and ordered Mau r ice Fi tzGerald , the Ju sticiary ,
to restore to Gi lbert allh is brother ’
s lands and castles in Ireland .
H e also sent , on S eptember 26th , 1234, a m andate to H ughde Lacy, Ear l of U lster , to g ive the m essenger of Gi lbert ,Earl of Pembroke, seisin of the Castle of 0am (sic) in hi scu stody, owing to the war between the King and R ichard ,Earl of Pembroke .
This i s the first m ention of the castle that I can find on record ,and completely d isposes of the asser t ion that the castle wasbu i lt by the B irm ingham s
,or that they came into possession of
the p lace on the remova l of M ei ler F itz H enry . Gi lbert,Ear l M arshal , d ied in 1241 and h is estates and tit les passed t ohis brother Wa lter , who d ied in 1245 .
The last of the brothers Anselme su rvived h im ,bu t eighteen
days, and as he,l ike h i s brothers, d ied w ithou t issue, the nam e of
this great fam i ly d ied wi th h im . A ccord ing to Mathew of
Westm insterf’ Isabel , thei r mother, the daughter of S trongbow
and granddaughter of Dermod Mac Mu rrough , had prophes iedthat all her sons shou ld enjoy the Ear ldom in su ccession ;bu t all di e w ithou t heirs, and so he says the shield of the
Marshals, terr ible to so many and m ighty foes of England, wasno more .
”
Their estates in Leinster were d i vided among their five
s isters . Provision , however , wasmade for their su rviving w idows ;and we find under the date of 30th Apr i l , 1249, a mandate fromthe king ,
recit ing that Margaret Cou n tess of Lincoln ,w idow of
Walter,Ear lMarshal
,having been granted one-third ofWa lter ’
s
estates in Ireland as her dower , had received from the j u sticiarythe whole Co . Kildare, the m anor o f Fothered (Barony of
1 Gi lbert,
V iceroys, p . 97 .
2 Book of Howth , p. 123.
3 Gilbert , Viceroys, p . 98 .
4 Cal. of S tate Documents , Ireland ,”vol. i ., No. 2 175 .
5 Flores Hist ., 1570, 204 .
CARBURY AND THE BIRM INGHAM S’
COUN TRY . 95
Forth , Co. Car low) , and £62 178 . 4d . in the manor of Aboy .
Bu t,as the Ju sti ciary had not given the countess seisin
of her castles in Kildare , becau se there was no men tionof them in the king
’s letters , the king now commands the Ju s
t i ci ar y , to cau se the cou ntess to have seisin of the castles of
Kildare and Carbury , in that cou nty .
’ 1
On her death , these lands and castles wou ld revert to thed irect heirs . One of the five daughters of W i lliam Marshal]
,
named Sybil , had marr ied the Ear l of Derby , and was entitledto a great part of the Co . Kildare . On her death she left fou rdaughters, Agnes, Isabel ,Mat i lda
,and S ibi l , among whom the
county was d ivided . Agnes , the eldest, m arr ied W il liam de
V esci . A ccordingly w e find a state docum ent o f A .D .
g iving the d ivision of W i lliam Ear l Marshall ’s lands amonghi s heirs, and assigning to W i lliam de V esey ,
among otherlots, If arbereg/e wor t/a £60
In 1276, we have three payments to Iter de Blou n, constable
o f the Castle of K arbri , for horses bought of him or lost by h imin the king
’s serv ice , and for other expenses .
3
In 1282 , W i l liam De Mohun ,who had m arr ied another
he iress Of Marshall , i s r etu rned as hav ing d ied seised of Carbury .
This document i s instructive , as it show s u s the nom inal valu e of
land at that time in Ireland , and how m uch it was actuallyw orth to i ts Engl ish propr ietors . I qu ote it, therefore, at greaterlength Carbury , there are 3-
2L carucates 430 acres , temp .
Ed . II . ) of land in demesne nam e c hbow , Gilcaskyn ,and
Clonken (Clonkeen ) , whereof 25 lie uncu ltivated on account ofthe war w ith the Ir ish . In time of peace they were w or th £10,bu t they are now worth nothing .
‘
H enry , son of Riry , holdsClonken
,w ith a m i ll there , for 1008 . a-year .
”
In 1284 , an inqu isition,held in Kildare , reports
“ thatW i l liam De M ohun held 67} cantreds, as wel l in dem esne as in
seignory in Carbu ry . The land in Carbury i s worth inpeace £17 33 . 4d . , in all issues, and now nothing, becau se theland is destroyed by the Ir ish of O ffa ly .
”
Again ,an inqu isition
,held in Kildare in 1284 , reports
“ thatW i l liam De Mohun d ied hold ing 67} cantreds as wel l in de
mesne as in seignory in Carbu ry ,”and adds ; the land in Car
bu ry i s worth in peace £17 38. 405. in all issues, and now nothing,becau se the land i s destroyed by the Ir ish of Ophaly .
”
1 Cal. S tate Doc. ,2989.
2 Cal. S tate Doc. Ireland , vol. ii . , No. 933 .
3 S tate Doc. , vol. i i . , pp . 236—7.
4 I bz'
cL, No . 2324 .
96 CA RBURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’CO UN TRY .
N evertheless, I be lieve the castle to have rema1ned in the
possession of the De V esey fam i ly .
From a state docum ent of we learn that on the
death of Margaret Countess of Lincoln , who had beenassigned the Co . Kildare as her dower , A gnes De V esey hadtaken possession of i t
,and of all the profits ar ising from
pleas, and of the sea l and appointment of bai l iffs . This act
was contested by the other heiresses . Bu t , in 1278, the
king d irected fu l l possessi on to be g iven to A gnes ;2and
, m
1283, aga in w rote d irecting the Treasurer of Ireland to carryou t h i s w r it i n favou r of her . In 1290
, W i lliam de V esey ,the grandson of Agnes , was V iceroy of Ireland
,and held hi s
Chancery in Kildare , o f which he w as lord . John Fi tzThom as
Fitz Gerald of Off ally accu sed him of treason , and offered to
m a intain h i s charge by wager of battle . Edward 1. summ oned
both to W estm inster , and De V esey came mou n ted and fu llyarm ed for the combat . Fitz Thom as d id no t appear , bu t w as
exonerated , and a comprom ise eff ected . DeV esey su rrendered h i s
Ir ish estates to the king , having secured hi s N or thumber land
property for h i s il leg itimate son,
“ the Master of Kildare .
”H i s
Ir ish estates w ere d ivided between W i lliam de W ellesly and
Fi tz Thom as , who soon after was created Ear l of Kildare,A .D .
A nother version ,mu ch more popu lar in Ireland , makes
De V esey shirk the combat and fly into France,whereupon the
king declared Fitz Thomas innocent,and , saying, A lbeit De
V esey conveyed h i s person into France, he left h is lands behindhim in Ireland ,
”
granted them to the baron of Offaly .
4
On the death of De V esey an inqu isition of his lands wastaken w ith a v iew to grant ing Isabella, his w idow ,
her dower
thereou t,accord ing to that extent , and accord ing to the law
and cu stom of Ireland . In 1297,the ju rors report that,
among other p laces he held ,“at A lwyn (A llen ) , 51 acres of
arable land in the March of O ffaly , which w ere wont to be
wor th 348 . a year , b u t now lie uncu ltivated , ow ing to the
war of the m en of O ff a ly , and render nothing at Thu rgegi n Carbu ry , in the sam e March
,four score acres which were
wont to be w orth 538 . 4d . a year , bu t now lie uncu ltivated ,ow ing to the sam e war , and render noth ing .
’ ’ 6 This not very
profitable property was, however , assigned to De V escy’
s deso
late w idow .
7
1 Cal. S tat . Doc . , vol. 935 .
2 I ba’
d . ,1503.
3 Gilber t,
V iceroys ,”
pp . 111,112
,136.
4 Earl s of Kildare ,” p . 24 .
5 Cal. S tate Doc.,vol. iii . , p . 481.
‘5 find .
7 Ibz'
d . , p . 226.
98 CAR BURY A N D THE BIRM IN GHAM S’
COUN TRY .
whole and entire, bu t Of faly to the west of Ofi'
elcm (viz . that
par t of Ofialy lying west of Off elan) .
The terr itory of Offelan comprised the baron ies of Ikeathyand Oughteranny , Clane, N . and S . S al t, N . N aas
,and the
nor thern part of Conal l .1 The por tion of Ophaly ly ing west of
this d istrict wou ld be the or iginal Birm inghams’
country .
The on ly portion of Offelan border ing on Offa ly i s thatnow represented by the northern half Of the barony of Connall.
The sou thern half of that barony i s par t of the ancientterr itory of Omurethi . A l ine drawn west from the hil l o fA llen wou ld be the sou thern l im it of Ofi w/y to the west of Ofieh m.
2
S ou th of this l ine wou ld lie Rathangan and the baron ies of eastand west Off aly . This latter d istr ict, according to H ol inshed ,was the par t of Off aly granted to Maur ice Fitz Gerald byS trongbow in H e was granted , Hol inshed tel ls u s
,
Offaly in which i s Rathangan , bu t not the town of Kildare .
3
This sou thern l im it corresponds w ith the boundary Of the presentbarony of Coolestown in King
’s County , and w ith the sou thern
boundary of the ancient terr itory of Twat/i cr7a Mu ighe, angl icisedThetmoy ,
“ the cantred of the two p la ins .
” 4 I ts w estern boundary i s ind icated m a S tate paper w r itten by A len 111 the reign o f
H enry V III .,A .D . 1537 , when the Birm ingham s were establ ished
in Carbu ry . This paper suggests that the h ither (i .e. eastern )p ar t of that country (Offaly ) unti l Tower Trowan, wh ich of old
t ime was inhabi ted by the Brymminiwmes, shal l be restored untothem again .
” 5
I f we can identify Tower Trowan, we sha l l easi ly str ike thel ine o f their western border . Bu t i t i s not easy to do so . The
nam e,as i t i s wr itten in the published volume of the S tate
papers , i s not to be found,as far as I know , on any m ap 0 1
1 in
any S tate document, or in any'
of the Ir ish annals . I havecon su lted
,am ong m any others , the par ish pr iests of Carbu ry
and Ballyna , and they can find no trace of any name corre
sponding to i t in that country . I conclude , therefore , that i ti s a corru pt ion . The nearest resemblance to i t wou ld be Towe1
,
or Tog/1e1 , 01oghan I t i s easy to conceive an Engl ish clerkunequal to the expression of the Ir ish gu ttu ral ; and a slip of
pen wou ld g ive u s Trowan for Crowan . Ju st at the w estern
border of ancien t Thetmoy i s a townland called now Togher ,that der ives i ts name from a togher , or pass, through the bog ,
1 Song of Dermot and t he Ear l ,” p . 324 .
2 O’Donovan
’s note
,
“ Book of Righ ts ,” p . 2 10.
3 Ear ls of K ildare, p . 9.
4 TOp . Poems,
LI,4 13.
5 S tate Papers , Hen . V III . vol i i i . p . 446.
CARBURY A N D THE BIRMINGHAM S’COUN TRY . 99
near Croghan hill . In an Old map of Leix and Offaly,a fac
s im i le o f which i s p ublished in the “ T ransactions of the
Kilkenny A rchaeological S ociety .
” 1 This togher i s traced w ith atower bu i lt on i t to guard i t , and the tower i s on the veryboundary line separating Thetmoy from the w estern d ivision of
Offaly .
Again ,as far back as 1234
,that 1s abou t sixty years after
S tronghow’
s grant to Robert de Birm ingham , w e have the
fol low ing m andate from the King to the Ju st1ci ary Beinginformed that hom icides and other gr ievou s cr im es ar ise fromd ispu tes concern ing bou ndaries between the land of Peter deB irm ingham in Totemoy , and the land of Mau r ice Comyn inm edkedaeh
,the King comm ands the Ju sticiary that i f e ither
par ty br ing a plea before him he adm inister ju stice accord ingto the King
’
s wr it,o’e ali b i-si s fiwieh dis , and accord ing to the
cu stom o f England . N ow K wruahedach has been identifiedw ith the present par ish of Castlej ordan .
3
We have a lready seen that in that very year 1234 the
castle of Carbu ry was held by Gi lber t , Ear l Marshall, and
we have th u s found that the or ig inal country of the Birm ingham s was west of Carbu ry , sou th o f Castlej ordan , north of
Rathangan ,and west o f the Togher of Croghan ; in short
,that
i t was practically the present baron ies of Warrenstown and
Coolestown in the King’
s County .
In 1289, John de S au nd ford , A rchbishop Of Du blin , and
keeper of I reland ,“ordered tha t S i r Geoffrey de Genevi lle
shou ld gu ard the m arches of A thlone,as far as Totemoy , for a
sum to be receiv ed ou t of h i s ser vice du e to the king , S ir Peter
de Berm ingham ju n ior , the m arches from Totemoy to Rathangan ,
and John Fi t zMau r ice the m arches of Rathangan to
Ballym adan ,
”now Maddenstown , two m iles sou th-east of
Kildare .
4
In 1295,Peter Baron of Thetmoy i s eighth on the Parl iamen t
rol l of Barons . In the next centu ry , w e find the B irm inghams
in the barony of Carbu ry . In 1305,S ir Piers de B irm ingham
held the cast le, not o f Ca1bu ry bu t of Ca1 r ick, or Car1Hi ck-O1 i sOr is being the Ir ish for Piers . H e i s known to history as thetreacherou s Baron .
”In that year he inv ited som e of the
O’
Connors of Offaly to d ine w ith h im on Tr in i ty S unday, which ,
on accoun t of Tr in ityW ell , has a lways been a great festiva l inthat d istr ict, and
,j u st when they rose from table, had them
1 Vol. i v . ,N .S .
, p .,344 .
2 Cal. S tate N o. 2232 .
3 O’Donovan
’s note on Top . Poem s
, p . i i i .4 “ Cal. S tate vol. i i i . , p . 268.
V OL . PART 11.
CAR BURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’
COUN TRY .
mu rdered to the number o f twenty-six. The I r ish chief ta in sm ent ion this act of treachery in their rem onstrance addressed
to Pope John XX II . in 1315,and add that
,when compla int w as
m ade to the Engl ish King ,no redress cou ld be found . It i s a lso
m entioned by the “ Four Masters,
”the “ Book of H ow th ,
”and
m ost of the Ir ish A nnalists . Thady Dowl ing ,the Protestant
Chancellor of the D iocese of Leighlin ,in hi s “ A nnals o f I re
land,
”w r ites 1304 . Mu rtagh O
’
Connor , King of O tl'
aly ,
and Calcagh , h is brother , w ere ki lled in the Cou rt o f Peter
Bremyngham a t Carr ig in Carbery,by Jordan Comyn ,
son Of
A rchbishop Comyn ,V ide s upra . B ishops d i d not then m arry
,
yet had children .
”A s A rchbishop Comyn d ied in
the assassin of the O’
Connors , i f h i s son ,mu st have been near ly
100 years old when th is terrible deed was done by him .
This treacherou s baron had served w i th the K 1ng 111
S cotland . One of the ear liest specim ens of A nglo—Ir ish poetryi s a lam en t for h i s death , and is pr inted by Dr . Gilber t in h i sN at iona l MS S .
” 2 In i t he i s descr ibed as an intrepid and nu
relenting foe of the Ir ish ,whom he hunted ou t“as hun ter hunteth
hare .
”Their hosti l ity to h im was not less fierce , and he had to
obta in 400 m en at arm s from the governm en t to defend hi s
frontiers .
3 H e d ied in 1308. H i s son S ir John de Berm inghami s wel l known in history as the conqueror of Edward Br uce, at
t he battle Of Faughard , near D unda lk,in 1318. Though Bruce
had been then three years in Ireland ,i t seem s that S i r John had
never seen h im ,and , 0 11 the day before t he battle , when both
arm ies were encamped near D unda lk,determ ined at any r isk to
get a look at h im . N o doubt he w ished to recogn ize h im in the
shock of battle , and to have the g lory’
of m eeting h im in s inglecombat . The Book of H ow th (p . 144 ) descr ibes hi s
dangerou s adven ture in these Words : The day before thebattle , Lord John Bremyngham ,
chief ta in of the Engl ish bat t le ,was desirou s to see Br uce , the S cots
’
capta in ,and apparel led
himself in a fr iar ’
s w eed and came to Bru ce,being upon hi s
knees at Mass,and hi s book of devotion before h im ,
and asked
h i s a lms . Bru ce,being occu pied w ith h i s book, d id not m ake
an swer , nor did not hold up h i s head ;the other,being desirou s
of hi s des ired pu rpose, never gave over of craving ,Bru ce looked
up , and sa id to those that stood by,S erve this sau cy and
impor tunate fr iar w ith somewhat ; he doth d istu rb m e in my
service .
’
A nd even so doth I m ean ,un less I have my desired
1 Harris and Dalton .
2 Vol. i i i . , No . 4 .
3 Gilbert , V iceroys , p . 144 .
10 2 CA RBURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’COUN TRY .
Lou th, proposed that the capta ins of their cou ntry shou ld
abandon i t , and receive lands in England i n exchange . A daywas g iven to them to come into the Engl ish Pale , and m ake
final arrangem ents w ith B irm ingham . Bu t in the m eantim e
the Engl ish fam i l ies of the d istr ict , especially the V erdons and
Gernons , had grown j ealou s of him,
and determ ined to
exterm inate h i s fam i ly . They invited h im and severa l of hi skinsfolk to a banqu et at Bragganstown ,
near Drogheda , whilehe awa ited the approach of the M ‘Mahons . In the cellars o fthe castle
,they had placed m en fu lly armed
,and at a g iven
signa l the assassins entered the banqu et-hall , and slew the
conqu eror of Bru ce w i th hi s brothers kinsfolk and‘
retainer s,to
the number of 160. Bu t one of the B irm inghams presentescaped . This was a child w hom hi s nu rse wrapped u p in
a m antle, and passed ou t by the porter of the cast le to some
fr iends . H e was brought up"in the barony of Ba lrothery
,
county Dubl in,and “ both he and hi s proved men of great
worshipIreland
,in the fou rteenth centu ry , was in a m ore d isturbed
state than probably at any other per iod , ei ther since or before .
The settlers who seized on Ir ish lands now turned 0 11 one
another,and res isted any effort of the Engli sh governm ent to
restore order and law i n the land .
A fter the mu rder of Lord Lou th , the Engl ish of Meath ,under S ir S imon Genev ille , m arched into Carbu ry , but w ere
dr iven back by the Birm ingham s,and lef t seventy-s ix m en
dead on the field .
2 The published Rol ls g1ve evidence of the
tumu lt that raged around Car .buryIn 1312 there i s a grant of £6 16s . to Dav id Le Mazener ,
V icar of Kildare, which sum he had paid to John Fitz Thom as
for hi s expenses in cru shing the malice o f the felons o f
Carbu ry .
”3 In 1325,am ong others appointed cu stod ians of the
peace in Co. Kildare w as“ R ichard de Berm ingham of Ba l ly
coghlan for the d istr ict of Carbu ry .
” 4 In 1326 w e have a
gran t of £ 10 to S im on de Geneville, to help h im to repa ir theCastle of Carmecanestown in the march o f Carbu ry , recentlybesieged , taken ,
and bu rned by the king’s felons5 of the said
m arch .
”
In 1333, The Brem ingham s of Carbre d id take a great
prey of 2000 kine or mere of O’
Conogher .
”6
1 Book of Howth ,” pp . 152-3 . Mac Geoghegan’s H istory of Ireland,
p . 322 .
2 Mac Geoghegan , p . 322 .
3 Close Rol l,5 Ed . II . 19.
4 Pat . Rol l,19 Ed . 11. 80
,82 .
5 Close Rol l , 20 Ed . II . 23 .
6 Book of Howth , p . 159 .
CARBU RY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’
COUN TRY .
A bou t the m iddle of this century there came a turn ingpoint in the history of this war like fam ily . H ither to stu rdychampions of the A nglo-N orman supremacy , they now become
gradu ally transform ed into “enem ies and rebels .
”In 1361
Walter B irm ingham of Castlecarbu ry d ied , leaving h is pro
perty to hi s s isters . One of the latter had been m arr ied toRobert Preston, Chief Baron of the Exchequ er , and to her hadbeen left the castle of Carbu ry . S he d ied , however , in the
same year as her brother , and Preston proceeded to occupythe castle . Thereupon the B irm ingham s rose aga inst h im ,
ravaged hi s lands in Meath , u nited w ith their old enem ies theO
’
Connors, and began to w age a deadly and destru ct ive war
on the English of the Pa le . Preston , however,“ kept a great
ward in Carbre , and bestowed mu ch thereon ,and defended the
r ight of hi s w ife .
’ 1
In 1368, Thomas Bor ley , Chancel lor of Ireland and Pr ior of
Kilmainham ,w ith a large force, proceeded against the Birm ing
ham s . A fter a parley between the two sides the Birm inghams
took the Chancellor pr isoner , and w ith him John Fitz Roger ,S her iff of Meath , Robert Tyrrell , Baron of Castleknock
, and
many others . The Chancel lor was released in exchange forJames Birm ingham ,
then a pr isoner in the Castle of Trim .
The other capt ives were ransomed .
2
In 1374 a gran t of 40m . was g iven to Edward Berle forhi s laudable service in the reformat ion of the peace in Meath incompany of Fr iar Thos . Bur ley, late Chancel lor of Ireland ,
where he was taken wounded and impr isoned by the m en of
Carbu ry .
”3 Another gran t g ives to Richard Crenys N icholasWaffre 20m .
,
“ becau se of their exertions in company of Thos .
Burley then , for the good of the peace in Carbu ry , where bythe B irm ingham s , enem ies and rebels, they w ere takenwounded and deta ined in pr ison un ti l they paid a fine of 10m .
,
1 hauberk, and 1 palet worth 5m .
” 4
Robert Tyrrell , the Baron of Castleknock,w e are told
,had
to pay a ransom both in pence and in horses and armou r to
to the va lu e of
The castle seem s, however , to have been held for the
Engl ish . In 1380 Cornel ius de Cloun was“ Constable of the
king’s Castle of Carbu ry .
”6
In 1381,“ the King appoints W i ll iam Wellesly custodian
1 u Book of Howth ,” pp . 167, 168.
2 I bid . , p . 168.
3 Close Rol l , 48 Ed . III . 6.
4 Ibicl. , N O . 16.
5 Ibi d .,48 Ed . 111. 76.
6 Close Rol l, 4 Rich . II .
10 4 CA RBURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’
COU N TRY .
and governor of the castle,lands , and dem esnes of Carbu ry and
of the lands and dem esnes of Totem oy and K ernegedach ;1and
i n 1384 he was a l lowed a salary of 200m .
In 1384 Mau r ice Fitz Eu stace was appointed in hi s place ;1 3
and in 1386 he was replaced by Wa lter , son o f Jam es
Delalnide .
4 From the published Rolls,therefore
,it seems that
the Castle of Carbu ry, e ither by the feu da l r ight of wardship01
1 by confiscation ,had now rever ted to the king .
Bu t the war o f the Birm inghams and O’
Connors aga instthe Engl ish st i l l w en t on . A patent Rol l of the year 1421reci tes that R ichard N ugent, Baron o f Delvin
,and othe i s o f
the Co . M eath ,“consider ing the m in and final destru ction of
the CO . M eath ,w rought by O
’
Connor o f Ophaly and Mei lerB irm ingham , bl ought James Ear l of Desm ond f i om M unster
w i th a grea t mu lti tude o f horse and foot, to the number of 5000,into the said d istr ict of Carbu ry ,
where they bu rned and destroyedthe stand ing corn o f the sa id M e i ler , and rem a ined thirteen daysin the sa id coun ty of M eath for the protection of the whole
people .
’ ’ 5
In the m eantim e som e of the B irm ingham s seem to havebeen bou ght over by the Engl ish . There i s a grant of the
year 1424 in wh ich the “ king in consideration of the servicerendered by W i lliam , son of John B irm ingham ,
in the wars
aga inst the rebels and marau ders , called Bermyngham es, g ives
h im fou r m essu ages, and 80 acres of arable la ,nd 8 acres of
m eadow,and 20 o f pastu re , and 20 of wood , in Reynoldstown ,
a l ias, Paynescastell, hard by the Cas tle o f Carbu ry in the Co .
Kildare . To be held from the king at S occage, to the valu e of
5m . per annum ,by h im and the heirs m ale o f h i s body .
Bu t i f he d ie w ithou t he irs m ale,they are then to rever t to
John Bermynham ,brother of the said W i ll iam and to h i s he irs
male .
In 1443,however , the whole fam i ly
"w ere once more in
revol t . In that year the son o f the chief B irm ingham enteredthe town o f Tr im u nder a safe condu ct of the Ear l of Orm onde .
’
One of the Barnewalls , Treasu rer of Tr im , contemptu ou sly
gave h im a stroke o f h i s finger on the nose . Thereu pon you ngB irm ingham lef t the town
,and wen t stra ight to O
’
Connor of
Offaly . The two fam i l ies once more un i ted , and war aga instthe Pa le was again decla1ed . This war was cal led by the
1 Pat . Rol l , 5 Rich . II . 69.
2 Close Rol l , 8 Rich . II . 16 .
3 Pat . Rol l , 8 Rich . II . 69.
4 Pat . Rol l , 10 Rich . II,14 7 .
5 Pat . Rol l , 1 Hen . VI . 118.
6 Pat . Rol l , 3 Hen . VI . 14 .
10 6 CA RBURY A N D THE BIRM IN GHAM S’
COUN TRY .
Wi ll iam ,living like an Ir ish chiefta in
,had exacted coyne and
livery (free qu arter s for m an and horse) , as w el l u pon the king’
s
lands as upon other gentlemen’s lands , and all manner of works
upon the tenants u pon their own charges, had m ade h i s tenants
g ive him s ixteen qu arts to the gal lon ,whether i t be of ale or
bu tter,and had a gallon of bu tter upon every cow in h is lord
ship . This cu r iou s document proceeds“ I tem , he giveth
commandment and maketh it for a law e throweou t the baronyof Carbre
,cal led the Brymycham coun try
,that no m an sha l l
[br ing] any m anner of th in’
ge that they have to any m arket,
bu t onely to h i s w i f , and she to make the pr ice .
I tem , W i ll iam Brymycham taketh theves , and letteth them
goo at h i s p leasu re , so as they fyne w ith h im (i .e. they pa idfines for their re lease) . I tem
,nowe of late thereWas two stronge
theves taken by the king’s tenants in har vest, of which one of
them i s now e w ith my Lord Depu t i e, and the other , thestrongest thief and a gentylm an borne, which
'
Wil liam Brymycham sent for him and let h im goo, becau se he was CayreOcconer
’s servant .
I tem , the saidW illiam keepeth of the Connors w ith hym ,
wh ich be better spies in this countrey (i .e. the Engl ish Pale)than they that be borne here .
” 1
H owever, other advisers of the king and of hi s com
m issioners thought i t more pol itic to ga in over Birm lngham
to their side . In the year 1537 , Robert Cow ley wrote to
Cromwel l suggestions for the comm issioners . H e points ou t theabsolu tely defenceless and devastated condition of the Engl ishborder lands
, and u rges that su ch lands shou ld be g iven on ly tosu ch as are
“ m archers,m en of war , hav ing good retinues .
”
H aving g iven deta ils of var iou s cast les then abandoned or
cap t u red by the Ir ish,he wr ites : “ There are likew ise certa in
p i les bordering on O’
Connor’s country
,which w ere the Ear l of
K ildare’
s and Delah i de’
s,and are l ikew ise a great defence to
the m arches of the Engl ish Pa le , and now for the more par twaste . The Bu tlers
,the Baron -of Delvyn and h i s sons , and
W i lliam Brym egham e are mos t worthy, for their tru th , power ,and ability of any in that land
,to be pu t in su ch places and
marches of danger .
” 2
A ga in in the same year , 1537,John A l len
,wrote to S t .
Leger , the head of the king’
s comm issioners, as fol lows3“ I tem , whereas the country of Offaly , cal led O
’
Connor’
s country ,
1 S ee Annu ary of the Royal Hist . and A rch . A ssociation of Ireland for
the years 1868 and 1869.
2 S tate Papers, Hen . VIII ., vol, ii . p. 3.
3 I bial., p. 485 .
CAR BURY A N D THE BIRM INGH AM S’
COUNTRY . 10 7
hath of long time been the door whereby m uch war and
m ischief hath entered am ong the king’s su bj ects ; it shal l be
necessary now that w e have i t at the king’s commandm ent , to
take su ch an order therew ith,that hereafter it shal l no m ore so
grieve u s . Wherefore , i f seem eth it were exped ient that thehither part of that country u nti l Tower Trowan , which of old
t ime was inhabited by the Brymm in iam es shall be restored to
them again ,andW illiam Brymm iam e , becau se of h i s activity , to be
Lord thereof and have the same for him and h is heirs for ever ,
g iving some chief [rent] year ly ou t of i t,as shall seem to your
d iscret ions ; and the rest of O ffa ly to be g iven whol ly to KayreO
’
Connor for him , and hi s heirs for ever,he to be named Baron
of Off aly , paying likewise some chief rent to ou r S overeignLord
,and both the sa id Brymm iniame, and he to be m ade Lords
of the Par l iament .”
For more than 200 years the B irm ingham s and the
O’
Connors had been in al liance aga inst the English colony ,
and now w e fi nd the shrewdest and w isest counsellors of the
strongest m onarch o f the Tudor l ine advising h im to buythem over to hi s side, to bestow on them lands and titles
,and
to confide to these desperate and dauntless chieftains the safe
keeping of hi s Ir ish fron tiers .
The adv ice was only partial ly adopted . The Birm inghams
were detached from the O’
Connors,and the latter had now to
face a combination of the Engl ish Governm ent w ith their old
al l ies . In the fol low ing year Lord D . Gray wr ites toKing H enry V III —“ Pleaseth you r Grace to be advertisedthat s ince my last letter sent unto you r Grace , I have ou t threepacy s (passes) in the coun ty of K i ldare adjoining to the
borders of Offaly,two in Brym ingham
’s country , whereof
som e of the said passes be a m ile in length cu t , and so broadcu t
, that 4 or 5 carts one by another may easi ly pass .
” 1
These passes were necessary , to enable the English troops to
penetrate the woods that were a natu ra l defence to the frontiersof Offaly . In 1540
,w e fi nd the O
’
Connors devastating thelands of the Birm ingham s
,now their enem ies .
The event i s thu s descr ibed by Brereton ,wr iting f rom
Dubl in in that year O’Connor , w i th a great number o f
horsemen , gal lowglasses , and kerne, bu rned the Bremyngham’s
country .
”The Lord Chancel lor and the Treasu rer were then
in the county of Kildare ra ising the county against theO
’Tooles, Kavanaghs, and O
’
Connors ,“and they then seeing
1 S tate Papers, Henry V III . , vol. i i i . , p. 3.
10 8 CARBURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’
COUN TRY .
the sa id Brym ingham’s coun try afi1e went w ith as m any m en
as they had then w ith them into O’
Connor’
s country, and there
b in ned d iverse towns and brought w ith them certa in kine and
othe1 ca ttle , which burn ing cau sed the sa id O ’
Connor to tu 1n
back,so that i t i s thought that i f th e sa id burn ing had not
been he had done more harm to the Eng l ish pale than he
d id .
’ 1
The frontiers of Carbu ry were sti ll a cau se of grave anxietyto the Government . In this same year the Counci l of Irelandw ri tes to King H enry V III
'
H av ing f ur ther aid of £200
from you r M aj esty , we intend to erect and bu i ld one towerat K ynnafad , another at Ca ste l l Jou rdan
,Wh ich i n this war
w as prostrated by the sa id O ’
Connor, and to reed ify K y shevan
(K i shawanny) and Ballanower (Ba llynu re) , be ing the frontiers ofthe sa id O ’
Connor and the on ly passages where he m u st en terw i thin you r pa le, which places be ing so bu i lded
, _ shal l not
on ly be a preparation to banish the sa id O ’
Connor , i f he be
set to u pon h i s next breach , bu t also be a stop to.keep h im
and all the Ir ishmen behind h im from invad ing you r palew ith any horsemen ,
as my Lord of N orfolk doth , r ight wel lknow .
” 2
In 1542 H enry V III . granted to S ir W i ll iam Birm inghamand the he irs m ale of h i s body the title of Baron of Carbury ,
w ith a grant of the s ite of the late pr iory of Ba l lyboggan and
the late abbey of Clonard,w ith all the
‘
messu ages adj acen t .
3
Bu t this title had already been conferred on him by the Il i shDepu ty . and by h i s summons to
4
the celebra ted Par liamen t heldi n Dublin i n the p1eviou s yea1 .
4
S ir W il liam wen t to that Parl iam ent as Baron of Carbu ry ,
assisted w ith the other m agnates at solemn H igh Mass on
Corpu s Chr isti Day ,rode in the procession to the Par l iam en t
H ou se,and voted , w ith the others for the abol ition of the
Papal j ur isd iction w i thin these rea lms , and for the transfer
of that ju r isd iction to King H enry V III .
5 There w e1e g1 eatrej oicings in Dubl in 011 this occasion . Bonfires and i llum i
nat i ons blazed through the city : w ine was freely d istr ibu tedto the people , and a general amnesty granted by the Kinggave freedom to all persons confined in gaol .
The Baron of Carbu ry was now appointed arbitratorbetween Bernard O ’
Connor , chief of hi s nat ion ,and Cahir
O’
Connor,h i s brother ; and w ith him were associated Dav id
1 S tate Papers, Henry VIII . , vol. iii . , p . 205 .
2 Ibz'
d ., p . 241.
3 Pa t . Rol l,33 Hen . VIII . Ju ne 17th , 1542 .
4 S tate Paper s , Henry V III vol. iii . , p . 295 .
5 17nd , p. 304 .
CAR BURY A N D THE BIRM INGHAM S’
COUN TRY .
A gain ,in the Jacobite wars
, they appear fighting for
James II .
,and seem to have lost everything .
The atta inders of 1691 present the nam es of PiersB irm ingham of Donadea , Andrew of Carr i sborough , and
Garret of Carr ick, in the county Kildare .
Of all these branches the Birm ingham s of Dunfierth seem
to have been the m ost important, and the nearest in blood toW i lliam , Baron of Carbu ry .
In 1688,Walter B irm ingham of Dunfierth d ied, leaving two
sons,John and Thom as, and two daughters , Mary and A nne .
The sons d ied w ithou t issu e, and thu s the male l ine of this fam ilybecame extinct . Mary was m arr ied to John,
the first LordBel lew and Anne
, to M axim il ian O’
Dempsey ,the last
V iscoun t Clanmaliere . These two ladies‘
were coheiresses to a
proper ty worth £1500 a year . Mary lies bu r ied w ith he r
hu sband in the sou th isles of Du leek Chu rch , interred in a
large tomb , w ith the fol low ing inscr iption
This tomb hath been repaired and the vau lt made byDame Mary Berm ingham of Dun fert
,w ife to John Lord
Bel lew,who was shot in the bel ly in Aughr im fight
The mm of July, 1691. A s soon as he found h imselfab le to u ndertake a jou rney , he W ent w ith hi s Lady to
London , where he died,the 12th of January , 1692 . He
was laid in a vau lt in W estminster,ti l l the April follow
ing, hi s corpse was brought h ither .
I regret that th i s qu aint inscr iption i s the last qu otation Ican find throw ing any light “
on the history of this remarkableA nglo -Ir ish sept . We can trace their story no further , and
their nam e i s no longer found in the pages of our Annals .
They w ere em inen tly “ m en of war,
and for 500 years heldtheir grou nd aga inst all comers in the Coun ty of Kildare and
i ts borders , bu t in the terr ible confiscati ons of the 17 th centu rythey lost all they had , and the p laces that once knew themknow them now no more .
THE MOAT AT RATHMORE, CO . KILDARE .
R A TE A/[ OR E ( TH E B I G R A
BY THE EARL OF MAYO,PRESIDENT .
[Read at NAAS,Febru ary 5 ,
H I S rath i s s itu ated in the barony'
of N or th N aas,in a
town land of the sam e name , I t stands a few perchesnor th-east of the present Protestant chu rch .
Before g iv ing an accou nt of Rathm O1e , I shal l draw attention to what 1s known of Ir ish 1aths 1n general . My au thor i tyi s Dr Petr ie . H e says , in “ A n Essay on M ili ta1y A rchi tec
tu 1e in Ireland previ ou s to the Engl ish Invasion ,rath and
l ios are synonym ou s,and are app l ied to designate an ear then
mound or flat enclosu re,w ith one or more fosses or ramparts .
The word sign ifies secu r ity . A vo lum e of au thor ities m ightbe adduced to prove that this class of fortress was ra ised by theIr ish previou s to the N orwegian and Dan ish inva sion .
The “ A nnals of the Fou r Masters ”
g ives a list of twen tye ight raths which existed in Ireland anter ior to that t ime .
K in fala , ca lled the learned , of Derryloran , in Tyrone , a poetof the seventh centu ry , states, in a poem descr ibing the com ingof the M i lesians from Spain in to I reland , that Rath Righbai rd
w as dug. The situ ation of this fort can be learned from a
passage i n Ti 1echan’
s“ Life of S t . Patri ck .
1 14 R ATHMORE .
hear of nothing being found in the kistvaen bu t the skeleton .
Those who saw the remains seemed stru ck w ith the size of the
bones . Fergu son ,in his “ Rude S tone M onum ents,
”chap .
p . 48, says : We have no d iffi cu lty in beg inn ing ou r historyof m egal ith ic remains w ith rude stone cists
, general ly cal ledkistvaens, or stone-boxes . These kistvaens are found in sepu l
chral tumu l i , and consist of on ly fou r , bu t generally of six or
more , stones, set edgew ays, and covered by a capstone, to prot eet the body f rom being cru shed .
”In ou r case a t Rathmore
severa l stones w ere u sed as the cover , or cap . The exposedface of the rath , on close inspection , show s som e interestingfeatu res .
On the north end of the face, at the sam e level as the kistvaen
,20 feet below the existing top o f the ra th
, there can
be d istinctly seen a black stra tum or l ine , which has beencrea ted by an accumu lation of wood ashes ; m ost likely fromthe fires by which food was cooked . I a lso found in this partof the rath , in a blu ish sor t of clay , which , in w et w eather ,sm el t nasty , the broken horns of deer , the bones of oxen ,
sheep ,and p igs . This clay i s fire-dr ied m ud
,and i s so d istinct f rom
the l im estone gravel the rath i s made ‘
of,that i t i s read ily noticed .
This was m ost probably the kitchen-m idden of the rath . It
l ies in broken ,irregu lar lumps , as i t fel l from the rain-washed
face of the big rath , bits of bones of all sorts show ing on the
lumps . A l i tt le above this there seems to be another stratumor floor
,wh ich contains w ood-ashes and bones
,as i f a later
generat ion had l ived , eaten , and w arm ed them selves at theirfires on the rath . What years have rol led by 1 Yet the ashesof the fires rem ain as i f ex t ingu ished bu t yesterday . What
generations mu st have come and gone while the traces of theancient rath-dwellers w ere being obl iterated , li ttle _ by l ittle,under the green grass which clothes the summ it of Rathmore .
In these lumps of clay or mu d, and indeed ly ing loose
am ongst the fallen gravel , I found many p ieces of white quartz ,which g ives ou t sparks when str uck w i th a steel . This qu artzdoes not , as a ru le
,occu r in lim estone gravel or sand formation ,
and m u st have been brought from the Wicklow hi lls close by .
Mr . Wood-M artin ,in h i s “ Ru de S tone Monum ents of h e
land,
”says : It i s remarkable tha t fragm en t s o f qu artz
accompan ied a lmost every interment in Carrowm ore &c .
”In
short , qu ar tz was found in almost every intermen t m ore espe
cially in those which appear to have been bu t l ittle d istu rbed .
These quar tz-stones serve to identify the human rema ins as
belonging to a very ancien t -
per iod of in term ent . A'
consider
able num ber of sim ilar pebbles of whi te quartz have recently
R ATHMORE. 1 1 5
been found in var iou s old Br itish tombs in the Isle of Man .
These pebbles w ere also found in m ost of the old tombs re
cently excavated i n the neighbou 1hood of Du ndee .
The white stones Were probably to the ancien t pagan m indemblem atic of som e 1 elig iou s idea , at p1esent a mystery to thean ti .qu ary I t w il l be r
°
emembe1ed i t was at this part of therath that a numbe1 of skeletons w e1e found .
The road-ccon tractors w i l l no dou bt,as long as mater ial re
ma ins , con tinu e u sing Rathm ore as their qu arry ; and I haveb1ought these few notes before the S ociety becau se it i s so
seldom that a rath 1s,so to speak, sl iced in half
,the supersti
t ion of the coun try peop le m aking i t d ifficu lt to explore thesedwel lings the prehistO1 ic I1 i sh .
VOL T ART 11 .
GERALD TH E 8TH EARL OF K ILDARE’s ARM S
,
On h is T omb , form erly in S t . M ary’
s Chap e l, Chr is t C hu rch C a thedral, D ub lin .
The D ext e r S h ield bears the FitzG erald and Eu s tace A rms impaled .
The S inister Shield the FitzGerald and S t .John A rms.
IN CIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF GARRETT MORE ,
are three crowns in pale, on a sim i lar cross ; Wh i le the m int mark s are a
t refoil , rose , and neu r -de-h s .
(2) The other var iety has a like sh ield qu artered by a cross whose arm s
are term inated each by three annu let s ; at each side of the sh ield i s a
sma l ler one bear ing a sal tire, the arms of Gerald Fi tzGerald , Ear l of
K ildare and Lord Ju stice of Ireland in 1479, all w ith in a plain circle . The
crowns on the reverse are closer and o f a m ore regu lar f orm than those o f
the first var iety , and are w i th in a dou b le t ressu re of eigh t , or m ore,
genera l ly nine , arches ; they invariab ly have a fleur-de-li s on one or both
sides , in som e part of the legend , wh ich i s rarely fou nd on the pieces of thefirst var iety .
The legend on the groats, bear ing the Fi tzGerald arm s as
a ru le, r uns thu s (wi th slight di fferences on others)
Obverse. Reverse.
Groat s , REX AN LIE FRA ' DOMINO S YBERN IE
( i . e. K ing of England and France) . (t .e. Lord of L eland) .
Ha lf Gro ats , DO MINO S . DOM INO S .
These coins , Dr . Sm i th considers , w ere stru ck in the m int inthe Castle of Tr im
,in the year 1479. The three crowns on
the reverse , he cam e to the conclu sion ,w ere the old arms of
I reland before the harp was adopted in H enry V I II .
’s reign ,
as that King ,after the Reformation ,
considered the threecrowns resem bled too closely the Papa l ti ara , ~ hence the harp ,which was sti ll in u se on W i l l iam IV .
’
s coinage .
In 1486 a repor t reached Ireland that Edward , Ear l of
Warw ick, son of George, Duke of Clarence , and the last malePlantagenet, had made h i s escape from impr isonm ent in the
Tower o f London ; and in the fol low ing year the famou s
impostor Lamber t S imnel,who represented him self to be the
young Pr ince, at the instigat ion of Margaret, w idow of Char les,D uke of Bu rgu ndy , and s ister of King Edward IV .
, landed inIreland w ith a large force, and w as acknow ledged by the Ear l .H is examp le was fol lowed by the rest of the nobles of the
Pale, and they proclaim ed him King in Chr ist Chu rch Cathedral ,
EIGHTH EA RL OF K ILDAR E . 1 19
crown ing h im w ith a crown borrowed from the statue of the
B lessed V irg in in S t . Mary’
s Church .
In June,1478
,the invasion of England was decided on ,
and on the 6th of the m onth the 1mpostor’s fate was decided
by the ba tt le of S toke in N ottingham shire,in which he was
taken pr isoner ; the Ear l of Lincoln , Lord Lovel l , and S ir
Thom as Fi tzGerald of Lackagh , Lord Chancel lor of Ireland ,and the Ear l ’s brother , being among the sla in . The Earl andthe other lords of the Pale, acknow ledg ing their cr ime
,implored
the King’
s pardon ,which w as gran ted , and not on ly that
, bu t
the Ear l was actu a lly reta ined in office ow ing to h i s greatinflu ence over the I r ish Ch iefs . In the follow ing year S i rR ichard Edgecomb w as sen t over to Ire land by the King toreceive the oaths of a l legiance from the lords of the Pa le .
This,he w ith some d ifficu l ty and delay accomplished on
the 21st o f Ju ly in“ the Kings
’Chamber ”
of S t . Thomas’
A bbey,common ly called Thom as Cou rt, the Lord Depu ty
’s
residence .
Under the year 1488, the Annals of the Four Mastersnotify the destru ction of the Castle of Balrath
,Co . Westm eath
,
belonging to the sons of Murtagh MacGeoghegan ,by a plunder
ing army u nder the Ear l , who brought ordnance to bear againstit . This i s the first a llu sion t o the u se of cannon in the Annals .
A bou t this tim e , too , a present of six hand-guns was sent tothe Ear l from Germany
,and as this weapon was all bu t
unknown in Ireland , the sentries over the Ear l ’s residence at
Thom as Cou rt armed w ith them cau sed mu ch aston ishment tothe passers
-by .
In 1489, the Ear l’s enem ies in Ireland petitioned the King
to grant them preferment in order to counterbalance hi s
influ ence . The King in consequ ence summoned all the lordsof Ireland to hi s Cour t at Greenw ich and gave the Ear l precedence he received them all graciou sly , bu t among other thingsrem arked of those who had supported S imnel , that they wou ldat last crown apes, shou ld he be long absent . A fterwards heentertained them at a splend id banqu et
,where he cau sed
S imnel to wa i t u pon them as bu tler .
1
In the year 1492 , the A nnals of the Four Masters record
the death of Con ,the son of A rt
,the son of Con O
’
Conor, who
was slain by the Ear l ’s people for having in jest thrown a poleat him , they apparently m istaking hi s action .
The Ear l was at this time removed from the office of Lord
Depu ty being su spected of plotting against the King .
1 IVare’
s Annals .
1 2 0 IN CIDENT S 1N THE LIFE OF GA RRETT M OR E ,
In this sam e year (1492) a cur iou s incident took p lace inS t . Patr ick’
s Ca thedral,DublIn which arose ou t of the feu d
between the Gera ld ines and Bu tlers . I t i s related by S tan ih urst
,and i s to be found on pages 82 and 88 of the 2nd vol. o f
I-Iolinshed’
s“ Chron icles ”
of the ed ition publ ished in blackl etter in 1586 ; the story there g iven i s a s fol lows
The p lot of the mu tu all grudge was grounded u pon the fact iou s dissent ion that was rai sed in England betweene t he hou ses of Yorke and Lancaster ,K ildare cleaving t o Yorke
,and Ormond reli eing to Lancaster . To the
u pholding of wh ich discord , both these nob lemen labou red w i th too th and
naile to overcrow and consequ entlie to overth 1ow one the other . A nd for
so mu ch as they were i n honou r peeres , they wrough t by hooke and b \
crooke to b e in au thor i t ie su per iou rs . The Governm ent t heref OI e in the
reigne of Henr ie the seventh , being cast on the hou se of K ildare,James
Ear le of Ormond a deepe and f am e reach ing m an, giving backe like a
bu tt ing ram to st rike the ha i der pu sh ,devised to inveig le hi s adve1 sa11e by
subm ission and cou rtes i e , being not then ab le to m mmatch h im w ith stou t
nesse or preh im inence . Wher eu pon Ormond add i essed h i s letters to thedepu t i e , specifieing a slander raised on him and h i s
,that he pu rposed to
deface hi s government and to w ithstand h i s au thor i t i e . And for the cleer ingof him selfe and h i s adherent s , so i t stood w ith the depu t i e h i s pleasu re, hewou ld make hi s speedi e repaire to Du b l i n and there in an Open audiencewou ld pu rge h im selfe of all su ch odiou s cr im es of wh ich he w as w rongf u llysu spected .
To this reasonab le requ est had the lord depu t ie no sooner condescended,than Ormond w ith a pu isant arm ie m arched t owards Dub lin ,
encamping inan abbie in the su bu rb s of the ci t ie
,nam ed S aint Thom as Cou rt . The
approaching of so great an arm i e of the cit izens su spected ,and a lso o f
K i ldare’s council lors greatlie disl iked, lastli e t he extortion that the lawlesse
sou ldiers u sed in the pa le by severall complaints detected : these three
point s , w ith diverse other su spiciou s circum stances laid and pu t together ,did m inister occasion rather of fu r ther discord , than of anie present agreement .
Ormond persist ing sti l l in h i s humb le su te,sent h i s messenger to the
lord depu t i e, declar ing that he was prest and readie to accomplish the
tenour of h i s letters , and there did at tend (as becom e h im ) hi s lordsh ip h i sp leasure . And as f or the com panie he b rought w ith h im from Moun ster
,
ablei t su spiciou s braines d id rather of a m aliciou s craf t inesse su rmisethe wor st , than of char itab le w i sdome did j u dge the best ; yet notwi th
standing , upon con ference had w ith h i s lordship , he wou ld not dou bt to
sat i sfie him at fu l l in all points , wherew ith he cou ld be w i th anie colourcharged , and so to stop u p the spring from whense all the enviou s su spicionsu shed .g
“ Ki lda i e, w ith th i s m i ld m essage intreated , appointed the meet ing tobe at S t . Patr icke h i s chu rch : where they w ere r i pping up one to another
their mu tu all qu arrels , rather recount ing the damages the \ su stei ned than
acknowledging the inju r ies they offered the citizens and Ormond h i s armi ef ell at som e j ar , f or the oppression and exact ion w ith wh ich the sou ldierssu rcharged them . With whom as par t of the cit izens b ickered
,so a round
knot of archers ru shed in to the chu rch , meaning t o have mu r thered Ormond,
as the capteine and belwedder of all these lawlesse rabb le.
The Ear le of Ormond su spect ing that h e had beene betraied ,fled to
the Chapiter Hou se, pu t to the doore, sparring i t w ith m igh t and manie .
EIGHTH EAR L OF K ILDARE . 1 2 3
to i llu strate the Jou rna l of the Royal S ociety of A ntiqu ariesof Ireland .
”
In 1498, i t hav ing been reported that the Earls of K lldare
and Desmond were in correspondence w i th Perkin Warbeck ,another impostor whom the Du chess of Burgu ndy w as againtrying to br ing forward as R ichard , D uke of York, the second
son of Edward IV .,and so heir to the throne , the form er Ear l
hastened to England to rebu t the charge ; bu t H enry V IL,
not being satisfied , in form ed him that S ir Edward Poyn ingsw ou ld be sen t over as Lord Depu ty . In S eptember o f the
follow ing year S i r Edward arr ived in Dublin and proceeded
against the northern Ir ish , accompan ied by the Ear l , who was
anxiou s to rem ove any su spicion aga inst him self . H owever,i t
came to S ir Edward’
s ears tha t the Ear l and O’
H anlon,in
whose coun try they w ere , had formed a consp iracy to assass inatehim
,and a t the sam e t im e news w as brought to him that the
Ear l ’ s brother , Jam es Fitz Gera ld , had r isen i n rebell ion and
had sei zed Car low Castle the Depu ty , therefore , tu rned sou thwards
,la id siege to Car low Castle , and captu red it in ten days .
H e then determ ined to act vigorou sly aga inst the Gera ldines
,and summ oned a par l iam ent at Drogheda i n 1495 ,
in
which was passed an A ct for atta inting the Ear l and hi s ad
herents,and another to abol ish h i s war-cry of Crom-a-boo,
w ith those of other great fam i lies .
The or igin of this war -cry dates f rom abou t the thirteenthcentury
,when Mau r ice Fitz Gerald ,
the ancestor of the Ir ishGerald ines , was granted the d istr ict of Crom adh
,Crom ,
or
Croom , which lies in the countyLim er ick . A s the su rroundingterr itory belonged to the O
’
Briens o f Thom ond, the castle
erected by the Fitz Gera lds there w as frequen t ly attacked bythem ,
and on these occasions the defenders wou ld shou t Crom
a-boo or“ Crom for ever
,in opposit ion to the war -cry of
the O Br iens, which w as Lamb la idher-a -boo ,”or The s trong
hand for ever .
”Crom-a-boo af terwards becam e
,and st i l l
i s , the fam i ly m otto . A por tion of the A ct abolishing thesewar-cries, ow ing to the d isturbance crea ted by the gather ingof the factions on the cry or slogan being ra ised , i s thu sworded
“ Therefore be i t enacted and es tab lished by the Commons in the presentPar liam ent assemb led
,that no person nor persons of what soever estate
,
condition , or degree he or they may be of , t ake part w ith any lord or gent lem an
, or u phold any such variances or comparisons in word or deed,as in
u sing these words : Crom -a-bo and Bu tler -a-bo, or any words like or con
trary to the K ing’
s Laws,h i s crown and dignity and peace, bu t to cal l on ly
on S t . George, or the name of h i s S overeign Lord the K ing of Eng land forthe t ime being , &c.
”
1 2 4 IN CIDENT S IN THE LIFE OF GAR RETT MORE,
The pun ishment was impr isonment and fine. In spite of
the above A ct the w ar-cry w as sti l l made u se of and,when
carved on stone or t ile[
o f this per iod , the follow ing prefix inold N orman French w as defiantly added : S i Dieu Plet ”
Crom-abo ;and as such i t appears (1) 011 som e encaustic pavem enttiles from Bective A bbey , county Meath , dating from the
latter end of the fifteenth to the commencem ent of the six
teenth centu ry ; (2) on a stone table which former ly stood in “ the
PAV EM EN T T ILE FROM B ECT IV E ABBEY, CO . M EAT H ,
Bea r ing Gera ld the 8th Ea rl o f K ildare ’
s A rm s and M o t to (ci rca
Counci l H ou se o f Maynooth Castle , and i s now at Car ton,
dated 1533 ; and (3) on a stone chimney-p iece in Kilkea Castlebear ing the date 1573. S trange to say , the A ct abol ishing thewar-cry was revoked only w ithin the last few y ears .
A fter hi s at ta inder the Ear l lost m uch of hi s pow er and
many of h i s fol lowers . Be ing at feud w ith Plu nket o f’
Rath
m ore,he was defeated by h im in severa l skirm ishes, and at
last hardly dared Show himself in the county Meath,nor cou ld
I Z O IN C IDEN T S IN THE LIFE OF GAR R ETT M ORE ,
sanctu ary . The Ear l answered tha t he was not su fficien t lyable to defend him self
,as the B ishop w as a learned m an and so
was not he, and thu s he m ight be able to get the better o f him
in an argum ent . Thereupon the King advised the Ear l toselect a counsel lor , and any one he chose he wou ld su re]y get .
The Ear l repl ied that he dou bted he w ou ld get the good fel lowhe wou ld select . “ By my troth , thou shalt
,
”said the King .
“ Give m e you r hand on i t,
”said the Earl . “ H ere i s my
hand,
”said the King ,
and choose well , for thou ar t badly inneed of a good one .
”I w i l l choose the best in England ,
”
said the Ear l . “ And who i s that ? ”a sked the King .
“ Marry !
the King him self,
”rep lied the Earl
,
“and by S t . Br ide I w i l l
choose none other . A t this the King laughed , and tu rn ingto the Cou nci l remarked “ A w iser m an m ight have chosenw orse .
A fter fin ishing w ith the B ishop of Meath ’s complain ts , the
B ishop of Cashel eventually came forward and accu sed the Ea11
of having bu rnt hi s cathedra l on the Rock of Cashel , and a t
the sam e time p1 odu ced numerou s w itnesses to prove the fact .
Bu t contrary to their expectations, the Ear l not on ly confessed
i t,bu t added :
“ By S t . Br ide ! I n ever wou ld have done i t
bu t I thought the B ishop was inside .
”This being sa id in
front of the B ishop him self made the King lau gh hear t i ly ,and
he was so favou rably impressed w ith the blun tness and frank
ness of the Ear l , that on the Bishop of M eath irr itably exclaim f
i ng :“ You r Majesty mu st see all I reland cannot ru le th is
man,
the King at once repl ied :“ Then he shal l ru le all
Ireland .
”
And thu s the Earl was restored to his honou rs and estates ,1nd appointed Lord Depu ty by letters patent, dated 6th o f
A ugus t , 1496.
In this same year the Ear l m arr ied hi s second w ife ,Elizabeth
, eldest daughter of Ol iver S t . John,of Lyddiard
Tregooze, in Wi l tshire , and cou sin o f H enry V II .
The fa ther of h i s first w ife , Lord Por tlester , d ied at this time
and was bu r ied i n the Franciscan A bbey at K i lcu l len and so
the Manor at Por tlester , coun ty Meath, passed to the Earl
, who
soon after embell ished the chu rch of the neighbou r ing A bbeyof Bective
,and paved i t w i th encau stic ti les , som e of which
bore hi s arm s and motto . These t i les are rem arkable as beingthe on ly Ir ish example at present known bear ing a fam i ly coa t
of arms ; they are five and a qu arter inches squ are and from
one to one and a half inches i n thickness ; t he clay i s bakedred in colou r and g lazed or varn ished over the face w ith a
green ish yellow substance . The design in the centre of the
EIGHTH EA RL OF K ILDA RE . 1 2 7
ti le i s an ornamental shield bear ing the Fi tzGerald coat of
arm s,a saltire . On one side of the shield i s a G and on the
other anE ; round this in a circle i s the m otto S i D ieu pletCrom abo
”
; th e fou r corners are filled in w ith fol iage ; thewhole design i s in rel ief . The in i tials G and E are supposed
to stand for the Earl ’s Chr istian name,and that of hi s second
w i fe—Gerald and Elizabeth ; and as mentioned above, the t i lesdate abou t the year
In 1497 the Ear ls of Kildare and Desmond opposed and
nearly captured Perkin Warbeck,who had landed in Cork and
was joined by a large number o f Ir ish a ll ies . For the nextfew years he was busi ly occupied in m aking expeditions in toConnaught and U lster .
In the year 1503, the volum e known as
“ the . Earl o f
K i ldare’
s Red Book, probably so called f rom i ts binding ,was
comp iled for the Ear l by Philip Flatti sbu ry ,of Johnstown ,
near N aas . It i s wr itten on vel lum and con ta ins copies o f
grants, title deeds , and other docum ents belong ing to th e Ear l .A fter the rebel lion of the S ilken Thom as, ju st thirty-threeyears later
, the Ir ish Governm ent placed great impor tance on
this volume and did their best to obta in possession of i t , bu tfai led to d iscover i ts whereabou ts i t. does not appear in w hosecu stody it w as then
, bu t i t i s probable the Cou ntess Dowager
had i t, together w i th “ the Ear l of K ildare
’
s Ren tal Book,
”
which w as comm enced in 1518,and i s now am ong the H ar leian
M S S . in the Br it ish Mu seum . The Red Book w a s cop iedfor George , the 16th Ear l of Kildare
,in 1633 , by W i l liam
Roberts, U lster King-at-A rm s, w ith a highly decorated title
page .
In the “ Compend ium Annalium Ecclesi ast icorum H i ber
n iae,by Father Francis Porter , Rom e
,1690, p . 185
,i t i s
m entioned as the Liber Rubeu s Com i ti s K ildari ensi s . Boththe “Red Book
”and the copy belong to the Duke of Leinster .
Besides compi ling the“ Red Book,
”Phil ip Flatti sbu ry w as
employed by Gerald , the 9th Ear l,in 1517 , to wr ite the anna ls
of Ireland in con t inu ation o f Giraldu s Cambrensi s . H e
accord ingly wrote“ D ivers Chron icles ,
”which extended from
1184 to 1370,which he comm enced thu s — “ H ere follow
d ivers Chron icles,wr itten at the in stance of the N oble and
Magnan imou s Lord , Girald Fi tzGeralde, Lord Depu ty of Ire
1 Papers on“ Ear ly pavement Tiles in Ireland ,” by Dr . W . Frazer ,
have appeared i n the V olum es of the Royal Society of Anna
qu ar ies, Ireland, for the years 1893-5 .
1 28 IN CIDEN Ts IN THE LIFE OF GA RRETT MORE ,
land,by Phil ip Flat tesbury , of Johnstown , near N aas
,A .D .
15 17 , and in the n in th year of King H enry V III th .
These chron icles are qu oted by S tau i hu rst and Camp ion intheir H istor ies of Ireland .
In 1504 , U l ick M‘W illiam Bu rke , Lord of Clanr icarde ,
w ho had m arr ied Lady Eu stacia,daugh ter of the Ear l , form ed
a confederacy w i th severa l Ir ish Chiefs to Oppose the au thor ityof the King . The Ear l in consequence assembled a large force,and in A ugu st m arched in to
,
Connaught . W ith Clanr icardew e1e the fo llow ing
’
nat ive chiefs —O ’
Bri en o f Thomond ,M acN am ara
, O’
ConnOI o f Connaught, and O’
Car .1011 On the
Ear l ’s s ide w ere severa l of the Lords o f the Pale , besidesO
’
N e ill,M ‘Dermott o f Moylu rg , M agenn i s of I veagh ,
O’
Farrell, M‘Mahon , O
’
H an lon ,O
’
Rei lly , O’
K elly , O’
Conor
Ea ly,and the Bu rkes of Mayo . The two arm ies m et on the
19th a t Cnock T uagh , the H i l l of the Bat tleaxes, nowK nockdoe , abou t seven m i les f rom Ga lway , and a fierce and
hard fought confl ict ensu ed in which both s ides su ff ered heavylosses ti l l at last the Connaught army broke and fled . The
Annals say tha t since the t im e of the Conqu est in 1170 110
such battle had been fought in I reland , as regards the
numbers engaged or the m u lt itudes sla in . The resu lt of thisbattle had the effect of breaking the strength of the westernsepts, and it was cons idered o f such
“
importance by the King ,that when the news of the v ictory was brought to him byWa lter Fi tzS imon
,A rchbishop of
,
Dublin,he created the Ear l
a Kn ight of the Garter . The Ear l was insta l led a t W indsor ,on the 4 th of May ,
1505 , by h i s proxy , S ir John W i lliam s .
A bou t this period the Ear l r ebu i lt several castles to
s trengthen the possessions of the Crown ,and am ong others the
White Castle of Athy,and those o f Castlede rmot
,and Ra th
villy , the latter in the Co . Car low .
In the year 1507 , the Ear l wrote a rem arkable letter fromhi s Castle in Castledelmot , to F101e11ce , in which he makes
inqu ir ies as to the fam i ly of Ghe1a 1din i tl1e1e , f10m whom hi sancest0 1 Dom inu s Otho
,the fi1st of the fam i ly to res ide in
Eng land , and great-grand fathei to Mau r ice Fi tzGerald,the first
of the Ir ish Gera ld ines, wa s sprung , close on five hundred yearsbefore . This letter i s amongst the Gherard ini papers , and wasworded thu s
To be given to all the f am ily of Gherardini,nob le in fame and v irtue,
dwel ling in Florence,ou r beloved brethern in Florence, Gera ld , Ear l o f
K ildare , Lord Depu ty of the K ingdom of Ireland , sends greet ing to all the
Fam i ly of Gherardin i dwel ling in Florence . Most gratef u l to u s have been
your letters to u s,most il lu str ious m en . From them we have learned to
GERALD TH E 8TH EARL OF KILDAR E’
S TOMB ,
de st royed ab ou t th e'end o f th e 1 7th cent u ry .
Taken from M onum enta Eblanae, a. MS . volume of Sketches of D ub lin Tomb s , in Uls ter’
s O ffice .
GERALD THE 8TH EARL or K ILDARE’S TOMB
,
Erec ted in S t . M a ry’
s Chap el, Ch r is t Chu rch C a thedral, D ub lin , abou t the yea r 1 503
des t royed ab o u t th e end o f the 1 7th centu ry .
T aken from M onum enta Eblanae , a M S . v olum e o f S ketches o f Dublin Tomb s
in Uls ter ’
s Office .
V OL . PT . I I .
132 IN CIDEN T S IN THE LIFE OF GARRETT M ORE .
stages he w as m oved to A thy and thence to Kildare,where
,
af ter l inger ing for a f ew days m ore , he d ied on the 3rd of
S eptember . H i s body w as taken to Du blin , and 0 11 the l6th
of October bu r ied w ith great pomp b efore the high al tar of
S t . Mary ’
s Chapel which he had him sel f bu il t°
m 1503,in the
choir of Chr ist Chu rch . The inter ior of th is chapel was r ichlyornamented w ith the Ear l ’ s a i m s w ithin the Garter
,and these
of h i s w if e, w ith the arms of m any of h is predecessois and su c
cessors, bu t they w ere all defaced by W i lliam Moreton, Bishop
of Kildare and Dean of Chr ist Chu rch , when he repaired thechu rch between the years 1677 and 1705 . The site of S t .
Mary ’s Chapel i s now occupied by bu ildings connected w ith
the Cathedra l .The Ear l ’s character i s thu s descr ibed by S tan ihu rst zKildare was open and pla ine , hardlie able to ru le h im selfe
when he were m oved to anger , not so Sharpe as shor t , beingeasily d isp leased and sooner appeased . Being in a rage w i thcer teine of hi s servants for fau lts they comm itted
,one of hi s
horsem en offel ed Master Boice (a gentlem an that r eteined tohim ) an Ir ish hobbie
,on cond ition that he wou ld plu cke an
ha ire from the Ear le°
hi s bea1d . Boice taking the proffer at
rebound , stept to the Ear le (w ith w hose good nature he was
thoroughlie acquainted) parching i n the heat of hi s choler , andsaid S o i t i s
,and i f it l ike your lordship , one of you r horse
men prom ised m e a choice horse i f I sn ip one haire from you rbeard .
’ Well,
’ quoth the Ear le, I agree thereto , but i f thou
plu cke an ie m ore than one, I prom ise thee to br ing my fist
from thine eare .
’
The Master Boice m en tioned in the above anecdote was
Governor o f Maynooth Castle_in the y ear 1535 , bu t resigned
the post on the breaking ou t of the S ilken Thom as’
s Rebellion,
and was su cceeded by Chr istopher Pares , the la tter ’
s foster
brother . H i s Chr istian nam e was Jam es . It was he who,
stand ing by , made the remark in Ir ish ,“ An trah
”
(i .e. too
late) , on Pares saying to the Lord Depu ty , S ir W i lliam.Skeffigton ,
that he wou ld not have betrayed the Castle i f hehad known that he wa s to be pa id the blood-n10ney and hangedaf terwards ; hence arose what becam e a proverb in Ir ish o f
Too late qu oth Boice,”wl1ich
°
i s equ iva len t to the Eng lish one
of You’ve arr ived a day late f0 1 the fa ir
”
[ 34 JOHN LYE,OF CLON AUGH .
had issu e, John the Interpreter , Emery , A rthu r , mentioned inJohn ’
s w i ll, Francis in the army , and H enry . These facts w elearn from Bu rke
’s
“ Landed Gentry ,”which tells u s that
Francis MacLysach , of Killeagh , petit ioned in 1551 for a leaseof the dissolved monastery , town ,
and lands of the H oly Cross,
Killeagh , and obta ined a lease of them next year . Two
months later, N ov . he obtained a grant of Engl ishliberty to enable him to hold lands . H e was dead in 1573
,
and his lands were in possession of h i s eldest son , John Lyethe Interpreter .
In Brewer’
s Calendar of Carew Manu scr ipts, under date17th Feb ,
1579, there i s m ention of a feofment made by S irW i ll iam O
’
Carrol l, of Lemyvannon , in Elye, to John A ley
(Lye) , of Clonaghe , Co . Kildare , and to A rthur A ley , of the
same, of all hi s lands and possessions in Ireland , for the u se of
S ir W i ll iam , and for hi s sons S hawn and Callough .
” 1
John Lye or Ly had a perfect knowledge of the Engl ishlanguage as wel l as the Ir ish , was appointed Interpreter to theS tate , and was gran ted for hi s services as Interpreter , by patentdated 9th May , 1584 , the fee of the Monastery of Killeagh ,which he then held under the lease m ade to h i s father , and
obtained a grant of Rathbr ide, Co . Kildare,dated 1st Ju ne
,
1591. H e marr ied Amy , daughter of George Fitzgerald of
Tecroghan ,Co . Meath
,and sister of S ir Edward Fitzgerald ,
ku t . , of the same place, and had issu e, John ,his heir , Andrew ,
a m inor in 1612,Kather ine, 111. James Fitzgerald of Osbalds
town , or Osbertstown , Co . Kildare , Mabel,Mary
, Margaret,Br idget , Amy , and Ellinor .
In 1571, John Lye received Clonaugh as a reward for hi s
services as appears f rom a S tate paper , which conta ins theentry at the su it of John A lee , a m essenger to ye dangerou s
p laces . Clonaugh i s a townland in the extrem e nor th of the
Co . Kildare, abou t one m i le from the borders of Co . Meath,
and i s in the old pie-Reformation par ish of Cadamstown .
There i s an entry i n the Counci l Book of a f reedom of
40marks to John Lye , the Interpreter , in respect of m a intain inga br idge upon the B lackwater , Co . Kildare . This B lackwaterbr idge i s on ly a m ile from Clonaugh , and i ts mention heretempts m e to make a digression .
The old coach-road from Dublin to Galway crosses the
Blackwater at this spot . There are two B lackwaters fl ow inginto the Boyne. Bu t w ith the larger and more famou s
,which
1 Brewer s “ Calendar of Ca1ew MS S ., vol. for 1575-78
, p . 485,17th
Feb . ,1579.
j OHN LYE, OF CLONA UGH. 135
flows sou th , and joins the Boyne at N avan ,we are not con
cerned . The Co . Kildare B lackwater flows north from the
bog of A l len ,through Johnstownbridge, by Longwood , and
joins the Boyne at Castlerickard . A t the point on the Blackwater , where John Lye was pa id to keep the br idge, a very
pecu l iar and famou s race-m eet i ng u sed to be held one hundredyears ago . In those days this r iver was undra ined, as the
upper reaches of the Barrow are at present, w ith the resu lt thatthe country was flooded in ra iny seasons . A great crowd
gathered on the day of the races, w ith mu sic and dancing , andbooths on the green ; bu t the races had come off at an ear lyhou r in the m orn ing , for the proper and becom ing reason , thatthe races were sw imm ing contests of the horses down the flood
,
gu ided by scanti ly clad j ockeys . A great mu ltitude assembled,
dur ing the day , to celebrate the victories of the m orning .
There i s now ,and has been for a t least two hundred years , a
good stone br idge ln the place . These horse-sw imm ing races ,
or contests,mu st have lapsed a century ago, for their m emory
i s a mere tradition , bu t what mu st have been their or iginThe fol low ing i s a probable explanat ion . The times we speak
of were bu t a centu ry removed from the rebel lion of 1641,and
the B lackwater br idge i s bu t half a m i le from Balyna , the
castle of Roger O’
More,“the great rebel
,who
,after Owen
Roe O’
N ei ll,was the ablest of the Ir ish leaders . The clear ing
i s s ti l l pointed ou t in the woods at Balyna , Where O’
More
dr il led hi s sold iers . Bu t a m ost impor tan t‘ detai l of m i l i tary
dr i ll mu st have been to tra in hi s horse-soldiers to cross the
swol len floods in a country where there were not yet e itherroads or br idges . What more l ikely
,than that a m i l itary
leader of geni u s, like O’
More,shou ld have established these
swimm ing con tests,and have g iven prizes for skill in thi s
important item of m i litary dr i l l ?A nd now to return to John Lye . In the townland of
Clonaugh, say the Ordnance S urvey papers, is a piece of
ground , conta in ing an acre,which i s su rrounded by a d itch .
A t the t ime of t he general suppression ,there was here a
religiou s hou se, 011
chapel, ded icated to S t . Fynian ,w ith the
town lands adjoin ing . This was a bu r ia l-place of note, and i n
war-t im e the circumadjacent inhabitants were exempt from all
the customary bu rdens of the cou ntry . In the centre of the
circle was a s tone cross and two y ew trees, from one of whi chhung a bel l . A djacent to the east side of the chapel wassma ll close apperta in ing thereto, all of the annu al value, besidesrepr ises, of 605. (male, Chief It emembrancer ) . In an Inqu i sition,held at N aas in the reign of James I . , 1608, we find that John
136 j OHN LYE,o r CLON AUGH .
Lye o f Rathbride , gent .
,being seized o f d ivers lands in the
sa id townland of Clonaugh ,level led the tenements
,bounds , and
l im its o f the sa id rel ig iou s hou se, threw down and destroyedthe cross and trees , and erected a tower , 011 smal l castle , w ithother bu i ld ings . A ll these said prem ises were , for a longtime concealed from the king .
1 The reason for concealing this
JOH N LYE’
S A RM S ,
O n a s tone from C lonaugh C a s tle , C o . K ildare , now b u i lt into the porch o f a
farm-hou se in tha t ne ighb ou rho od . (2 0 in . X I I in . )
Clonaugh property from the king w i l l appear f ur ther on . Byan Inqu isition taken a t N aas
,1612
, i t appears that Johnwas seized of certa in tenem en ts and 300 acres of land in
T ichnevin ,Ba l lybrack, Ballinaki ll , Kilpatr ick, K ilcaskin , and
K ilmorebranagh . A nd the said John Lye was also seized of
1 Inqu isit ion held at Naas, 1608.
138 j O I—IN LYE ,
or CLONAUGH .
in h i s“ General A rm ory descr ibes it as—A dexter arm ,
embowed vested compony, coun ter—compony, or , andggules, the
hand hold ing a sword proper , pommel and h1lt gold .
The arms are— argent,two bars az u re , over all a bend
compony , counter-compony , or , and gu les .
.
J
The fol low ing i s the broken in scr ipt1on 1n fu ll . (S ee sketch . )
TH ELI
TH IS T
Bu t what becam e of the stone cross which John Lye threw
down I s it destroyed , or lost , or i s any por tion rema in ingI th ink there i s . A t the w est of the v i llage o f Johnstownbr idgethere i s a remarkable obelisk or p ier bu i lt on the roadside of
which a draw ing i s here given . The large stone i s very like
the base of a cross . I t i s 2 feet high , 21 inches long at top, and
JOH N LYE,OF CLON AUGH . 139
2 feet at the base . There i s a socket in the upper su rface, 14
inches long, and 8 inches w ide . The present cross i s on ly 4inches w ide it i s 16 inches high , and though it w idens ou t toa base of 8 inches as shown in the ske tch , i t does not half fill
the socket , and i s wedged in there w i th other bits of stone ; so
that this base and this cross w ere never intended for each other .
The history of this cross and base i s bu r ied in obscu r ity . The
common trad ition i s that they belonged to a religiou s hou sewhich former ly existed at Johnstownbridge, bu t there i s no
GERALD TH E 1 11
11
11 EARL O F K ILDARE’S A RM S ,
O n a s tone from C lonaugh C a s tle ,now in the m llage o f j ohn s townbr idge , Co . K ilda re .
(A b ou t 2 0 inches squ a re . )
record of any such relig iou s hou se in the “ Monast . H ib . or
any o ther au thor ity that I cou ld find . There i s no record ofhow long they are up in their present position , bu t tradi t iong ives it that they were so placed by one of the ancestors of Mr .
More O’
Ferrall,the landlord of the place. But I think there
140 JOHN LYE , OF CLON AUGH .
can be l ittle doubt bu t that they both came from Clonaugh , and
are the rema ins of John Lye ’
s iconoclasm .
There are two other scu lptu red stones in the v i llage o f
Johnstownbridge which certa in ly came from Clonaugh , and
one of which Mr . A rthu r V icars has kind ly under taken to
descr ibe, at the end of this Paper .
John Lye , the Interpreter , was evidently a m an to make the
most of hi s opportunities, and to get the best valu e he cou ld forh i s services . In 1582
,w e find John and hi s brother Em ery in
the r61e of What at the present day wou ld be cal led land
grabbers . O’More was transp lanted from Leix to Balyna
abou t this time,and soon we find John and Emery cast ing
covetou s eyes on Balyna , for in 1592 , in the S ta te Papers ,1 we
find the petition of Emery Lee and John Lee , hi s brother , tothe Pr ivy Counci l , for fu rther i nterest in the castle of Ballyna,&c.
, and that Calagh O’
More shall be made to choose otherlands, or that they m ay have others of l ike valu e . Bu t the
lands of Balyna are neither r ich O11
product ive , and so the Lees
soon found ou t , and turned their eyes to search for good landin som e other d irection .
Gerald S utton , of Castletown ,in the
'
Co . of Kildare, gent ,
closed h i s last day on the 18th February,1574 . A t the time
of h is death , he was seized in fee of the town of Castletown ,in
the sa id county , con ta in ing a cast le w ith 200 acres of land ,a lso of the town of Rathbr ide
,in the sa id county , conta in ing
200 acres o f land ; a lso the town of Ballycro tan conta in ing 40acres &c. hi s son and heir i s Gerald S u tton , of fu l l age
in 1574 . The w ife of Gerald S u tton was Jcunetta E ustace,(and af ter Gera ld
’
s death ) she w as marr ied to Maur ice Fitz James
(FitzGera ld) , of Osberstown 1n the Co . Kildare.
2 David S u tton
wa s attainted of high treason i ii 20th N ovember , 15 H ere
was land Worth looking for . S o, in 1586, we have the Queen
wr iting to S i r John Perrott,Lord Depu ty , and the Council OfIreland , d irecting that John Lye, of Clonaugh in the Co .
Kildare , shou ld have a lease of the lands of Rathbr ide, Morr istown-biller , Croatanstown , for s ixty years w ithou t a fine, in
reversion 0 11
possession ,0 11 considerat ion of the genera l testi
mony del ivered by the depu ty under the hands of the counci l ,and by a par ticu lar letter from the lord depu ty to the secretary"
Walsh ingham ,in commendat ion of the sa id John Lye, both for
1'
Hami lton ’
s Ca lendar of S tate Papers , vol. for 1574—85 , 1lth May ,1582 .
2 “ Exchequ er Inqu isitions, No. 8 of Ehzabeth .
3 N o . 23 of Elizabeth .
14 2 JOHN LYE,OF CLONAUGH .
fee of x11a’. Ir i she per d iem as the sam e shall termli e grow
unto him ,taking hi s bill testifying the receipt thereof shall be
y eure su fficient warrant in that behalfe . Given at Carl ingford ,the xi i i d . of S eptember, 1587.
H EN RY S YDN EY.
ROBERT WESTON , &c. ,&c.
To our tru sti e, &c., S ir Wm . Fitzwi lliam , K nt . ,
V ice-Threas .,&c.
,at Wars
,
We learn from S towe that, in 1591, John Lye acted as
interpreter in London at one of the most noted S tate tr ials ofthe t ime—that of S i r Bryan O ’
Roarke, of Lough Gi ll , for hightreason . Dr . O
’
Donovan refers to a m anu scr ip t in the Roya lIr ish A cademy
,which g ives an account of this tr ial
,and
, at
p . 452,narrates Bry an O
’
Roarke , the I r ish potentate , beingthu s by the King of the S cots sen t into England , was arra ignedat Westm inster H a ll . H i s ind ictm ents were, that he had
st irred A lexander M ‘Donnell and others ; had scorn fu llydragged the Qu een
’s picture at a horse ta i le, and d isgracefu l ly
cu t the same in p ieces ; gi ving the S pan iards enterta inmen tagainst a proclamation ; fier
’
d many hou ses,&c. This being
told by an interpreter (John Lye) , for he u nderstood noe
Eng lish , he said he wou ld not su bm i t himself to a tryal l of
twelu e m en,1101
1 m ake answer , except the Qu een sat t in person
to ju dge h im . The Lord Chief Ju stice made answer againe,by an interpreter , that whether he wou ld subm it him sel f or not
to a tryall'
by a j ury of twelve m en,he shou ld be j udged by
law , accord ing to the particu lars a l leged, whereto h e rep l iednothing , byt
‘ i f i t mu st be see let i t be soe .
’
Being con
demned to d ie he was sh ortly a fter carri ed into Ty burn‘
, to be
executed as a tra itor , whereat he seemed to be noth ing m oved,scorn ing the A rchbishop of Cai shi ll who was
there to counsel h im for his sou l ’s health , becau se he had brokenh i s vow from a Franciscan , chang ing h i s relig ion .
”In the
l ife of Char les O ’
Connor,of Balanagare , we have the following
reference to this trial, a t p . 112 —“ The on ly cr ime whichO
’
Roarke cou ld be accu sed of was h i s having recei ved u nder
h i s roof som e shipwrecked S pan iards, m en whom the m ost
hardened barbar ity wou ld scarcely consider as enem ies .
”A
l ittle before h is execu tion M i ler Magrath , appointed A rchbishop of Cashel, was sen t to h im to preva i l on h im to con
form .
“ N o,
”sa id O
’
Roarke,“ bu t do you rem ember the
1 “ Memorandum Roll of the Exchequ er ,”9 Elizabeth .
JOHN LYE , OF CLON A UGH . 14 3
d ign ity f rom w hich you have fal len ? Retu rn into the
bosom of the ancient chu rch,and learn from my fortitude
that lesson which you ou gh t to have been the last on earth tod isavow .
’
In 1591, we hear of John Lye in a new rOle—that o f LandLeagu er
—comp lain ing that the rent i s too high . A t this datethe Queen aga in w rites to the Lord Depu ty and Counci l , ofIreland . S he refers to her letter o f 1586, granting John Lye ,our good and fa ithfu l su bj ect, a lease for 60 years , w ithou t
fine, of Rathbr ide, Morr istownbiller , and Croatanstown ,
”and
she says Lye compla ins that the rent charged for them i s
too high , so that he can’t l ive on them ,
mu ch less defend themaga inst evi l d isposed persons , which , he says
,are in tha t par t
very num erou s .
” 1 The Qu een now,therefore , orders that these
lands be resu rveyed , so that the sam e m ay be reasonablyrented ; and that he may reap the benefit she graciou sly m eans
to him , in order to make u p the fu l l valu e of £50 ster ling ,
such other lands that m ay com e to the Crown by attainder ,escheat, on tru sion ,
or concealm ent,whereof he shall give notice ,
are to be set to him and to hi s assigns for 60 years, w ithou tfine . This was a most important docum ent for John Lye .
H e i s the S tate servant , and he i s prom ised all the for fei tedlands of hi s un fortunate neighbours, of which he shal l givenot ice . Mark the resu lt . A few m iles to the sou th o f
Clonaugh ,and on the road to Rathbr ide. we find a whole
colony of Ketons , or Keatings . T icknev in belonged to GeraldFitzGera ld Keaton , Kilpatr ick to Gerald Fi tzEdmond Keton ,
and Ba ll inaki l l Bal lybrack to Edm und Fi tzMyler Keton ,and
Ballinaki ll to Thomas Keton . A ll these u n fortunate peopleare att ain ted of h igh treason ,
and lose their lands , which at
once slip qu ietly into the possession of John Lye .
2 There i san old laneway
,blotted ou t in m any p laces , bu t still qu i te
traceable,which passes Clonaugh ,
and goes i ts w ind ing w ay
sou th to Kilpatr ick, T icknevin ,then we Lullymore , across the
bog of A l len,and on to the open country towards Rathbr ide .
Most l ike ly this laneway was constructed by John Lye .
A nother w indfal l com es to John at this time a lso—Kilmore
branagh . It i s on ly hal f a m i le north-east from Clonaugh ,and belonged to Jam es W alshe, brother and he ir to JohnFi tzPhilip Walshe . This Jam es Walshe was atta inted of hightreason , and K ilmorebranagh i s en feoffed to John Lye , of
1 Mor rin’s Calendar o f Patent and Close Rol ls of Chancery , Ireland ,
vol. i i . , 21st Feb . ,1591
, p . 228.
2 “ Exchequ er Inqu is itions, N0 . 2 Elizabeth .
JOHN LYE ,OF CLONAUGH .
Clonaugh , gent .1 There are many respected descendants of
this old Ir ish fam i ly stil l l iv ing in the sam e neighbou rhood ,the present representative being the Rev . Edward Walshe
,
P .P . , Clonbullogu e, King’
s Co .
In 1592, John Lye , an in
terpreter of the Ir ish tongue ,was recommended from the
Lord Depu ty and Council forhi s good service .
2
1596. In the list of the
pr incipal inhabitants of the
Engl ish Pale, g iven by cou n
ties, in this year , the name
appears of John A lee, of Rathbr ide , Co . Kildare .
3
In 1600,John Lye was
made a pensioner . In Ru ssel l ’sS tate Papers} g i v ing a l ist of
such pensioners as are payableou t of H i s H ighness
’s Trea
su ry com ing‘
ou t of England .
Amongst the nam esoccu rs thatof John Lye , entered by warrant of the Lord Depu ty (theEarl of Essex) , dated the 22mdDecember , 1600, by d irectionou t of England at p er
day1
,and per annum ,
£50
A f ter the death of Queen
E lizabeth, w e find John Lyelooking for a n ew lease of h i s
lands imm ediately af ter James
I . came to the throne . H e
got i t , tee , and add itiona l lands 1
1 0MB OF JOHN m ,
as we l l . In the S tate Pape1s In th e g rou nds o f St . Br ig id’s C a thedral,
we find a letter from James I .
K ‘ lda ’ e '
to the Lord Depu ty of Ireland , granting a lease, in reversmn
for s ixty years, to John Lye and h i s son ,of the castle, town
“
,
Exch equ er Inqu isit ions, -No . 29 Elizabeth .
2 Ham ilton ’
s“ Calendar of S tate Papers, Ireland, 1588 p. 456 ;
25th Jan 1592 .
3 Brewer’s Calendar of Carew p .
4 Ru ssel l ’ s Calendar of S tate Papers , Ireland, 1603—6, p. 128.
5 I bid . , p . 184 .
1 46 JOHN LYE , OF CLON A UGH .
And af ter to the u se of the said Mab ell Lye my daugh ter , and the
hei res of her boddye lawfu l ly begotten and for want of su ch issu e
To the u se of the said Mary Lye, my daugh ter , and the h ei res of her
boddye law fu l ly begotten ,and f or want
of su ch Issu e
Margaret Lye, my daugh ter , and the b eires ofher boddye law fu l ly begot ten ; and f or
want of su ch 1ssu e
Br idget Lye, my daught er , and the b ei res of herboddye law fu l ly begotten and for want
of such issu eAmy Lye, my daughter , and the b eires of her
boddye lawfu l ly begotten and for wantof su ch issu e
El linor Lye my dau ght er , and the b eires of herboddye lawf u l ly begot ten ;and for wantof su ch lssu e
of my repu ted son Edward Lye and the heires malesOf hi sboddye law fu l ly begotten ;and for wantof su ch issu e
of my brother Ar thu r Lye and the heires males of h i sboddye lawfu l ly begotten and for w ant
of su ch issu eof my brother Henry Lye and the he1res males of h i s
boddye l aw fu l ly begot ten and forwant
of su ch issu eof my dau ghter Kather in Lye and the b eires males o f h er
boddye lawfu l ly begotten and for want
of su ch issueof mywelbeloved brother
-in law S r . Edward fitzGerralde
Knigh t , and h i s beires for ever .
H is Execu tors areHi s w ife and hi s unmarried ch ildren .
The overseers to the w i l l areH is w elbeloved b rother-in-law ,
S r . Edward fitz Gerralde, of'
l’
ecroegan ,in the County of Meath
,Knt .
I
Hi s welbeloved si ster in law Mabell fitz Gerralde (sister of S i r
Edward’s,and o f Amy h i s w ife) .
Hi s Goshi pp Chr istopher Lynce, of C1oboy, In the County of Meath ,
gent .
My ffather Owein Doyne .
1
H i s son-in-law James fitz Gerralde of Obsbaldstowne in the Countyof K ildare
, gent .,and
Kather in Lye hi s w ife
The w i l l ends th usIn w itness whereof I , the said John Lye, have hereunto pu tt
my hande and seale, the fifth daye of Ju ly in the yeare of theRaigne of ou r most grati ou s Soveraigne Lord K ing James of
England fi’
rance and Ireland the Eigth , and of S cot land the
f orteeth three.
“ JOHN LYE .
”
1 Hi s chaplain or h i s foster-father .
JOHN LYE,OF CLON A UGH . 14 7
In prepar ing this paper , I have to thankfu l ly acknow ledgethe va l uable help recei ved from Lord Wa lter F itzGerald , whosuppl ied m e w ith cop iou s and valu able notes ; and also fromM 1
1
. M . Brophy , of Car low ,who has published all the in form a
tion he cou ld glean abou t John Ly e, includ ing the reprodu ct ionOf Mr . H oare
’
s paper .
In d iscu ssing t he national ity of John Lye , both Mr . H oar e
and Mr . Brophy incl ine to the bel ief that he w as an Ir ishm an,
and descended from the M acLai gh ids, or O’
Lees , who w ere
hered itary physician s in W est Connaught . Mr . Brophy g ivesthe fol low ing ev idence to corroborate h i s opin ion ,
and statesthat
,in the possession of S ir Thom as Echlin
,Bar t .
,R . I .C.
Depot, Phoen ix Park,there are amongst the records of the
f am i ly proper ty of the Echlins,docum en ts which show tha t
S ir H enry Echlin , a rem ote ancestor of the present S ergean tBaronet, pu rchased Clonaugh Castle
,i ts appu r tenances and
lands , par t of which lay i n Ga lw ay , f rom the tru stees of the
for feited estates . A nd he argu es that , as the lands o f Clonaughwere par t of a Galway estate
,w e m ay in fer a connection
be tween the Lyes of Clonaugh , and the C’
Lees,or M acLa ighids
of Galway ,and that John Ly e was m ost probably descended
from the M acLaigh ids of Ga lway,and of cou rse an I r ishm an .
Bu t I subm i t th at the connection between Clona ugh and
Galway ar ises from another sou rce . In the inqu isit ion a lreadymen tioned
,taken at N aas in 1612
,which r ecoun ts the var iou s
properties in land held by John Lye , i t s ta tes of Clonaugh ,that these lands cam e into h i s hands from Thom as Bir
m ingham qu i tenentu r de Tho . B irm ingham .
”N ow
,
when i t i s rem embered that the B irm ingham s of Kildarewere a branch of the great A nglo-N orman fam i ly of the De
Birm ingham s of Galway , we see at once that the connectionbetween Clonaugh and Galw ay i s du e to the B irm ingham s
,
and therefore can prove nothing as regards the Lees .
Other competen t au thor ities,hav ing du ly cons idered the
matter , incline to the Oppos ite op in ion ,that the Lees were
English , or of Engl ish descent , for the fol low ing reasons
First , their Chr ist ian names are Engl ish , and none of themIr ish ; second, the coat-of—arm s i s the sam e as that of one or twoof the Eng l ish Leghs third
,in one of h i s pet i t ion s , John Lye
calls himself an Eng l ishm an very perfect in the Ir ish tongu e .
In the trou bled t im es which followed the death of JohnLy e , h is descendan ts rem a ined faithfu l fol low ers of the
S tu arts ; and Clonaugh , w i th the other Kildare proper ty ,cont inu ed in their possession till the fal l of Jam es whenthey lost everything . Clonaugh at that tim e passed into the
V OL. PT . 11 . M
148 JOHN LYE,or CLONA UGH .
hands of the Echlins, as we have seen ; and I hopefu tu re paper to conclude the history of Clonaugh , and o f Its
owners, both the Lees and the Echlins .
The fol low ing descr iption i s contr ibu ted by A rthu r V icars ,U lster
This i s the atch ievement of S i r H enry S idney ,K .G.
S IR HEN RY S IDN EY’S COAT OF A
'
RM s ,
On a s tone from C lonaugh C a s tle , now in the v illage o f Johns townb r idge , C o . K ildare .
(A b ou t 2 0 inche s sq u are . )
From a rubb ing t aken by Lord W alt e r Fi tz G era ld in 1894.
The A rms on the slab m ight be heraldica l ly blazoned as
fol lows z— Qu arter ly of Eight .
1st 011 , a pheon azu re (S idney ) .2nd Argent , two bar s and in ch ief three escocheons sab le (Clumford) .3rd A rgent , three chevronels gu les , a labe l of three points az ure
(Barrington ) .4 th A rgent , on a bend gu les three lozenges of the fi eld (Mercye) .5 th Quar ter ly or and gu les an escarbuncle sab le (Mandev il le) .6th A zu re
,a chevron between 3 mu l let s or (Chetwynd ) .
7th A rgent , three lions rampant gu les, armed azu re (Bellow se)8th Barry of ten
\
a11
gen t and gu les , a lion rampant or , du ca l ly crowned
per pa le of the 2ud and 1st (Brandon) .
150 JOHN LYE,OF CLON A UGH .
The representation in tr ick of S i r H enry S idney’
s arm s i s
here g iven from a M S . in U lster ’
s Office, entitled
Th is i s an Hera ldic Collection of the Arms of S overeigns , Princes ,K ingdoms , and states in Europe together w ith the Arm s o f English Peers ,Knigh t s of the Gar ter , and the
'
chief of the old H istor ic English famil iestogether with a sketch o f a Glassory and a Lis t o f all Du kes
,Marqu ises ,
Ear ls , V iscou nt s , and Barens created from the Conqu est down to 1574 ,col lected by W i l liam Jenyns or Jennings , Lancaster Hera ld temp. HenryVIII .
”
[recte to Elizabeth .]
This sketch w i l l show how very w ide of the mark the Ir ishstone-carvers were in the i r endeavou rs to represent H era ldry .
Their inaccuracy i s qu ite extraord inar y at tim es, and I wou ldwarn all An tiquar ies not to pu t too mu ch rel iance on the
correctness of A rm s so depicted on M on um ents in Ireland . For
instance, the suppor ters h‘
ere g iven do not agree w i th those a s
represented in the MS . m ent ioned above , as the Porcup ine'
shou ld be to the s in ister , and a lso collared and chained,and
‘ theLion rampant shou ld be the dexter supporter, and be collaredand cha ined too .
IR IS H PLA CE -N A M E S A N D L OCAL FOLK
LORE .
By M . DARBY, Esq . ,M .l) .
IF Monasterevan had not a bette r name of i ts own i t m ightw ith ju stice be cal led the town o f br idges as there are
twenty -six of them w ithin a qu ar ter m i le rad iu s . The oldestand most interesting of those i s Ba llagh , or Pass Bridge, verynarrow
,w ith recesses on one side to enable pedestr ians to evade
vehicu lar traffic. It spans the r iver Barrow where the Ear l o fE ssex crossed in 1599, in hi s m arch northw ards , a fter escap ingdestru ction by the O ’
Moores in the Pass of Plumes . Trad it ionsay s that , for the a ss istance rendered him by the inhabitantson that occasion ,
he granted them a r ight of way”
of ten
yards in w idth a long either bank for a considerable d istance,presumably for the purpose of fishing . H ere a lso Cromwell ’sarmy crossed before batter ing down the fine old castle of Lea ,the pr incipal stronghold of S ilken Thomas . S ome of Crom
wel l ’s adm irers here had the br idge photographed , under theerroneou s impression that it was bu i lt by h im , when there wasqu estion of i ts removal for the Barrow dra inage. An old man
named Whelan , who l ived close by , and who d ied a few yearsago aged 98, was told by hi s father that he, the latter , o ften saw
as m any as thirty m embers of the old Ir ish H ou ses o f Comm ons
and Lords stop at a hotel beside the br idge , all r id ing on theirw ay to 0 1
1 from a Parl iamentary S ess ion . They travelled togetherfor obv iou s reason s . The hotel was kept by an ancestor of thelateDr . Du dleyWhite , city coroner . On one side of this br idgel ies the townland of Coolnafera (the m en
’
s corner ; it mayalso m ean the “
grassy corner”
) ornam ented w ith the inev itablecock-pi t . H ere the natives assembled for athletic exercises
,
&c. In the bog close by were fou nd som e years ago a qu an t ityof bu tter and a long ear thenware j ar , fu l l o f flu id , which tothe d isgu st of the finders
,was as tasteless as the bog
-water .
A ll trace of the jar has been lost as the d iscoverers have longs ince em igrated .
Passing up the Black r iver , formed by the conflu ence of
the S late, Figlle, and Cushina , we m eet the fine old dun of
15 2 IR ISH PLACE-N AMES
Gou l-na-Graigu e,“ the fork of the v i l lage , where, acccording
to m any of the neighbou rs, litt le m en are accu stomed to playat hu rley , bu t they w i l l not a l low of close inspection .
A shor t d istance up the eastern bank, we come on the
Yew-tree grave-yard . H ere was a branch of S t . Evan
’
s
Monastery ,whose first onks w ere , l ike him sel f , Munster
m en , and hence the place was called Clogheen na Mon ia, the
stony place or l ittle stone fort of the Munster m en , or Clocain
na Mon ia,“ the bel l of the Mu nster m en .
”The latter , I
believe , to be the proper name , as there exists no remnan t ofa stone fort , nor i s it a stony place . Moreover
,there i s another
clogheen fu rther down on the Opposite s ide of the r iver . H ere
w as kept S t . Evan’
s bel l as a swear ing rel ic for the surrou nd
ing tr ibes— notably the O ’
Dempseys and O’
Connors . It now
l ies in a particu lar spot in the adj acent r iver cal led the Bel lH ole .
’The story that the bel l of i ts own accord rol led
down to the r iver , on a fa lse oath hav ing been taken on it,m ay be passed over , as it i s not l ikely that this w as the firstfalse oath taken on it du r ing severa l centu r ies . The m ore pro
bable trad ition i s, that in one of the Dan ish incu rsion s the
person in charge of the bel l threw i t into the r iver for sa fety,
and was either kil led or u nable to find it afterwards . H ow
ever there i t l ies in ten centur ies of m ud awa iting i ts resu rrect ion (apparently as far Off as the genera l one) at the hands ofthe Barrow Dra inage. The bog adjoin ing i s known as Derrym anagh ,
“ the oak wood of the monks . It was here that av oung man named Connor found abou t two years ago a largecylinder of bu tter abou t ten feet below the surface
, placedthere for secu r ity or to preserve it from rancid ity .
‘
It was
covered w ith leaves and the remains of a firkin,and i s now at
Braganza H ou se,Car low . I t wou ld not be possible to tel l ,
w ith any degree of certa inty,when i t was placed there, as it
wou ld sink by i ts own w eight, and this bog i s subj ect to frequ entmovements ow ing to the swel l ing of the soomaries 01
1
u nder
ground waters .
This local ity was the nu rsery and hotbed of the Whitefeet .On the oppos ite or Qu een ’
s coun ty s ide of the r iver i sInchacooly , the r iver m eadow in the angle 01
1
corner .
”H ere
one summ er’s day , near ly seventy years ago, a local farmer
,F .
,
was engaged in mow ing, and was in the act of eating h isd inner ju st brought him by his w ife , when a m an from a
neighbou r ing v i llage presented a pistol at h im . H i s w ife tr iedto dodge between them , bu t the wou ld-be assassin su cceeded
in pu tting a bu llet through F .
’s chest. H e was brought into
Monasterevan in a boat ; recovered, and d ied only last year at
154 IR ISH PLA CE-N A MES AN D LOCAL FOLK -LORE .
demanded h i s brother from the congregation ,and wa s refused
H e then had the doors fastened on the ou tside , set fire to the
thatch , and bu rned all the worshippers , except one, S hawnKel ly , who, escaped som ehow ,
and ran for h is l ife . The first stoph e m ade to look back was at a cross roads in the Rathangand irection , which i s cal led
,in consequ ence, Bally shawn ,
“the
town of Jack,
”to this day . On the oppos i te side of the road i s
a farm-hou se, cal led Ballinrahan,
“the town of the ferns .
”
H ere l ived a substant ia l farm er , in the ear ly years of the
present centu ry , nam ed Morr in . H aving sold one m arket dayin Edenderry (
“the hill brow of the oak wood
”
) som e of the
produce of the farm,he was in f01m ed by the innkeeper where
he pu t up that he was be ing w a tched by a h ighwaym an .
A va i l ing him self of the t ip , he m ounted hi s horse and ga l lopedhome
,closely followed by the robber a lso wellmounted . Com
ing opposite h i s hou se he jumped off,ran to i t by a short cu t
,
and let the horse find hi s way hom e by the u su a l rou te,the
no ise of whose hoofs gu ided h i s pursu er . By the t ime the
robber arr ived,Morr in had the lower par t of the hou se
barr icaded , so the form er got a ladder , pu t i t up to a w indowi n the gable, and was abou t to effect an entrance when the
la tter shot h im dead,bu ried h im in the garden , and took
possession of h i s horse . I am qu ite aware that the above
stor ies are very commonplace , and , to many,un interes t ing ,
bu t they faithfu lly reflect the dark side of the habits and
cu stom s of the times of which they treat . The ev i l m en do
l ives after them—the good i s often bur ied w ith their bones :a strange commentary on that oft-repeated precep t ,
“ N i /ai l (le
inorz‘
nis nis i 601mm .
”
m im llanea.
The Hills, Eire and Alba — In reference to the ident ificat ion of
tw o h ills,E ire and A lba
,som ewh ere in th e Co . K ildare (ment ioned
on p . 343,v ol. i . , of th e JOURN AL) , Dr . P. W . Joyce cont ribu tes th e
follow ing additiona l piece of inform at ion relat ing t o th is subject . H e
wr ites The account of Laegh ai re’s death given in th e ‘ Book of
Leinster ’ i s th is A t th e end of two and a h alf years [after he h adbeen taken prisoner and released by th e Leinstermen] h e came [ inv iolat ion of h i s oath] and took a prey of k ine at S id N ech tain .
Whereupon th e elem ent-s [by wh ich h e h ad sworn] dealt ou t death toLaeghai re by the side of Cass, that i s, th e earth swallowed h im , th e
sun scorch ed him , and th e w ind ( i . e. h i s b reath ) forsook h im’
(r ide‘ Book of Leinster ,
’
p . 299, at th e b ot tom of the second column ) .This show s that Laeghai re w as k i lled near th e h ill of Carbu ry , of
wh ich the old name was S id N ech tain—N echtain ’s Shee
,or fairy
h il l . I now th ink that Cass’
(wh ich means crooked,01
1
'
w inding)was th e name of a r iver .
Lord Edward Fi tz Gerald’s Bag
-pipes .
—The follow ing extractfrom the Register, v ol. i .
,of th e Mu seum of the Royal I rish A cademy
i s cont ribu ted by Mr . J. Casim ir O’
Meagh er—‘ 1 These Bag
-pipes ,
consist ing of a leath er b ag w ith bel low s attach ed,three ivory Drones
mounted in silver,a Trumpet of th e sam e m etal
,a
‘ Regu lator w ithfive silver keys , and a b ox-w ood b rass bound Chanter w ith ivorycirclets ( said by the V endor to h ave been portion of the instrument ) .On the ivory b and por t ion of th e stock i s engraved
—EGAN,and on
th e silver band i s the follow ing Coat-of—A rms1
Quarterly ,1st and 4th , Gules , a tower argent between two
m en in armou r,each h olding a h albert , proper .
2nd and 3rd . Or , on a b end azu re,three p lates .
Crest—A tow er surmounted by a dem i man in armour
grasping in the dexter hand a halbert , proper .
Motto—Fort i tudo et Prudent ia .
'
The inscript ion ,Lord Edward Fit z Gerald, i s also engraved
on the silver band .
“ The Bellow s are of mahogany w i th marqu etery border , and a
sh ell ornament in an oval green ground . On the upper side in th elatter there are two ivory perforat ions .
“ Pu rch ased from George Tuke , of 5 , Merrion-place , for £6, onthe 27th March , 1876, wh o stated that th ese Pipes w ere given to h i s
1 This Coat-of-Arms has not been identified .
V OL . PT . 11.
15o M IS CELLAN EA .
m oth er by a memb er of the Duke of Leinster’s fam ily in w h ich she
lived for m any years as a domest ic . Tuke,form erly a h ackney
-car
dr iver,i s now i n h i s 80th year . H i s m other died at an advanced
age : and h e asser ts th at s ince h er death th is instrument has always
b eenIn hi s possession .
“ Manu factu red by Egan of Dub lin ,a w ell known m aker of Bag
p ipes , f ath er of th e late e
b
m inent H ar -p m aker of Dawson-st reet in the
sam e City.
”
The Churchyard of Donoughmore lies close to the railw ay betw een
Leixlip and Maynooth , and opposite to th e demesne of C 111
.ton I t I s
locally called th e Grange W illiam”chu rchyar ,
d af ter the farm i t
stands on . Fath er S hearm an,in h i s “ Loca Pat ri ciana
, says that th isDonou g
1hm 01e ( i .e. Domhnach more th e great chu rch ) w as a founda
t ion of S t . Patr ick ’s, w ith wh ich , 111 sub sequ ent t imes
,an Ossori an
saint , Bishop Ere, w as connected , and that i ts f ull ancien t name w as
“ Domhnach mor Magh Lu adhat .
” The presen t remains of the
chu r ,ch wh ich consisted of nav e and chancel
,are of a m u ch later
per iod , dat ing probab ly f rom the fou rteenth cent ury . The rude
ch ancel arch i s st ill standing , and in the w est gab le end (wh ich i stopped by th e remains of a lit tle doub le belfry ) i s a narrow spikehole w indow w ith an internal splay ; i t i s squ are-h eaded
,and has
no cu t stone-w ork abou t i t , thou gh in th e graveyard are port ions of
cut limestone jamb s belonging to th e doorway .
On the north side of th e ru ins i s a flat slab on wh ich i s inscr ibed
Here lies old Joean honest Man
,
S ay more of Mortali f you can .
S ome years ago the four th Duke Of Leinster had added to th e
inscript ionJoseph Foster
d ied 1781
and, at the same t ime,had the slab
,wh ich was in several p ieces,
cemented toge nthei A t Carton th ere i s a crayon 28 inch es byby Ham ilton ,
of th is Joe Foster,who was an emp loye there . He
i s 11
e1
p1esented as an old man dressed In a b ig sk irted blu e coat,long
red waistcoat , wh ite cravat,corduroy knee
-breeches,blu e stockings,
and b ig bu ckled brogu es ; a st ick i s in h i s hand,and he i s looking
up at an old clock standing on the fioor .—W . FITZ G.
The attent ion of our readers i s called to “the Treasure Trove
notice on last page of cover of th is number of the Jou rnal . By mak ingknown throughou t their district s th e informat ion contained thereinthey may be the m eans of sav ing the valuab le contents of a crock
f rom the melting-pot .
Tw o ancient stru ctu res in th e sou th ern end of the county h ave
su ffered sev erely from th e w eather dur ing the last tw o w inters .
Du r ing the h ard Febru ary of 1895 a large port ion of th e chu rch r u insof K illelan
,near Moone
,fell to th e grou nd ; and du ring th e w et
season at th e comm encem en t of th is year the eastern corner of Inch
Cast le , near A thy , collapsed , destroying th e original ent rance, w ithi t s internal “ mu rder-h ole ,
”a large pm t i on of the staircase bu ilt in
th e th ickness of the wal l, besides th e chambers overhead .
estuaries.
Sunday’s Well. —In the county K ildare th ere are anyh ow three
w ells,i f not m ore
,known as Sunday
’
s W’
ell one of them i s near the
v illage of Clane,another near N aas , and the th ird i s in th e townland
of Richardstown ,and parish of K ildangan . Th e last one m en t ioned i s
th e only one wh ich b ears th e I r ish form of th e nam e , v i z . Toberreen
downey wh ich i s a contract ion for Tober-r igh -an-domhnaigh ,”
mean ing th e Wel l of th e K ing of S unday ( i .a. God) .1 Can any of ou r
readers inform me on wh at day the Pat terns w ere formerly h eld at
th ese w ells ? Ju st over the mearin of th e coun ty K ildare , and in th e
county Carlow ,i s a S unday
’
s Well at a p lace cal led K inneagh , wh ichlies abou t four m iles to the sou th-east of Cast ledermot ;according to theOrdnance S urvey let ters the Pattern w as held h ere on Wh it S unday .
Pi per’
s , S tones —On the summ it of Brewel h ill , 15 m i les to thenorth of Colbinstown stat ion ,
and,in th i s county , encircled by a w ide
doub le entrenchment (now mu ch levelled , and not marked on the six
inch Ordnance S urvey map ) i s a group of four large bou lders, of wh ichtwo are gran ite, another of wh ite qu artz , and the fou rth of red1‘pudding-stone th ey are known as the “ Piper
’s S tones
,
”though
the people in th e locality do not know why ; I'would be glad to know
i f any one can explain the name, and relate the legend wh ich mu st‘
be
attached to th em ,as other places in Ireland have also groups of stones
bearing th e same name ; one, for instance, near Ballymore-Eu stace, alsoin the county K ildare.
The Race of the Black Pig”on the Curragh
—An ancient roadof th is name crosses the w estern end of the Curragh ; roughly speakingi t lies b etw een th e racecou rse and K ildare , and i s so shown on the six
inch Ordnance S u rvey map . What is the origin of th ename‘
P—W .Fi tzG.
1 Vide p . 452, S econd S eries, of Dr . Joyce’s
“ Irish N ames of PlacesExp lained .
J O U R N A L
fi rtlganlagiralS uf ismsf tbs ( las tingK ilban
S arraaahiag D i stri rts .
S T . L A UR E N CE O’T O OL E .
BY THE LATE REV . DENIS MURPHY, S .J.
[Read at NAAS , Febru ary 5 ,
GAIN E MOR ,27 th in descent from M i lesiu s
,and A rdr igh
(head king) of Ireland for 40 years, the common ances
tor of the Leinster tr ibes , d ied 570 years B .C .,and w as
bur ied in the roya l rel ig or cemetery of Cr uachan,in the present
100 . Roscommon . H e had a numerou s issu e, twenty-two sons
and three daughters . A n old Ir ish poem tells u s that he d ividedhi s kingdom
' in to equal parts between his five-and-twen tychildren . H e su rvived all hi s sons bu t two—Laogha ire Loreand Cobhtach Calmbreagh , who, in tu rn ,
su cceeded h im , dwelling at Dinr igh , near old Leighlin , on the Barrow . Th is rathi s still in exis tence .
To hi s grandson , Labrah Lonseagh (i .a. Lavra the m ar iner) ,we owe the name of Leinster—Laighen—which was substitu tedfor the ear lier name of Gai lean , he having in troduced the
long , green spear , called laighen ,from foreign countr ies .
A bou t the beg inn ing of theChr istian era l ived TuathalTeachmar
,twenty-sixth in descent from Ugaine . H a was monarch
o f Ireland A .D . 76 to A .D . 106. H e i t was that made Tara the
fixed residence of the A rdrigh , which i t cont inued to be forsix centu r ies . H e it was, too, that first la id the tr ibu te ca l ledthe Borua, or cow tax, on Leinster , wh ich was exacted for five
centu r ies, g iving r ise to many contentions, unti l it was rem ittedV OL . P T . 111. O
160 S T . LA UREN CE o’r oor n .
to the Leinster m en by Finnachta Fleadach , at the requ est ofS t . Mol ing , of Hy K inseallagh ,
1A .D . 693 . I t was reimposed
by King Br ian Boru ,of the cow tax
, on the people o f
Leinster , to pun ish them for call ing to their ai d the Danes
again st him .
Fifth in descent from Tu athal w as Cathaoi r M011
,f rom
w hom descended nearly all the kings of Leinster ti l l the A nglo iN orman invasion . We have stil l rem aining h i s w i ll. I t can
be found in the old Ir ish m anu scr ipt called theBook of Lecan,
and a copy of i t w i ll be found in the Book of R ights ed ited byO
’
Donovan . In that w i ll,w e find tha t he left to Fi acha
,the
you ngest of h i s ten sons, the coun try abou t W exford .
This Fiacha , Keat ing tell s u s,though the you ngest, i s
placed°
ln many books of genealogy°
before h i s brothers , perhapsfor th is reason—that the prov i nce of Leinster was governed bym ore kings of h i s poster ity than of any of the other brothers .
From h im are descended the pr incely fam i l ies of M ‘Morrough
Cavanagh , O’
Toole , O’
Byrne, and others .
Illann,the fi1 st Chr istian king of N orth Le in ster
,who v as
bapt ized by S t . Patr ick,Was seventh in d irect descen t from
Fiacha . H i s brother O illioll, who su cceeded h im ,w as baptized
in N aas by S t . Patr ick .
Fou r th in descent from Oi llioll w as Colm an,who gave
Glendalough to S t . Kev in to found a m onastery there .
M u rchadh Mor , fou rth°
ln descen t from Colm an,d iv ided h i s.
kingdom between h i s three sons— (l ) Mu readagh , to whom he
gave the terr itory in later times known as Hy-Mu i readhaigh ,the sou thern half of the county Kildare , and Im aal2 ( in the
presen t coun ty of W icklow ) ; to h i s second son (2) Dunchadh
he gave all the terr itory east of the Li ffey ,zle. a great par t of
'
the present county Dublin and to h i s third son (3) Paclan he
gave the terr itory 1n later t im es known as Hy Faelan ,inclu d
i ng the northern end o f the cou n ty Ki ldare . H i s d escendan ts
in later t imes called them selves U i Bru in,01
1 O’
Br ins,and
lastly O’
Byrnes,from Faelan
’
s grandfather Bran ,king of
Lei nster , who d ied abou t the year 687 .
The seventh in descen t from Murchadh Mor was Tu athal
h i s father Ugaire'
was slain at the battle of Con fey ,near
L eixlip , in 915 , fought against the Danes u nder the leadershipo f thei r ch ief
,S i tr ic, grandson of Imar . Frequ en t m ention i s
1 Th is district inclu ded the whole of the Cou nty W exford,the barony
of Sh illelagh ,in the County W icklow , and the northern extrem ity of the
County Car low .
2 C orresponding, in extent of territory , with the diocese of Glendalough
162 S T . LAUREN CE o’
TOOLE .
Mu ireadhaigh ,wou ld n ot be sat isfied un less he recei ved hostagesto prevent any sort o f reta l iation on the par t o f those whom he
had inju r .ed
For two y ears the young boy dwel t a t B1 1ttas treated w i th
great cru elty by Dermot . H e w as on ly r1
estored to h is f a ther
a t the end o f that tim e,.w ho , learn ing the m iserable cond i t ion
o f hi s son ,se ized on twelve o f Dermot
’s kinsmen and threa tened
to pu t them to death un less h i s son w as returned to h im u n
harmed . H e w as then sent to the bishop of Glendalou gh ,to
be instru cted . There,after a tim e , he took the rel igiou s habi t,
and becam e a monk.
In 1157 , in h i s thir tieth year , on the death of the A bbotGi lla da-N abmh , Lau rence was chosen to take h i s p lace . On
the death of Gregory , A rchbishop of Dublin ,four years later
Lau rence, whose holiness and prudence had a lready becom e
wel l known , was chosen unan imously to succeed h im . H e wa s
consecrated in Chr ist Chu rch in 1162 , by Gil la M acDe,better
known as Gelasiu s the Pr imate , and the fol low ing year hei ntrodu ced into the Chu rch the bCanon s o f S t . V ictor , cal ledA roasians, from A roase . H e became a m ember o f their com
m un ity, observing most str ictly all that the ru le prescr ibed .
Of hi s many v irtues the m ost rem arkable w as hi s love o f
the poor , thir ty o f whom he u sed to su pply w ith food at his owntable every day , wh i le he had somet im es as many as threehundred orphans and waifs to provide for .
S oon after the arr iva l of the A nglo-N ormans , Derm otMcMurrough , a ided by them ,
laid s iege to Dublin . The peopleof this city had s lain hi s fa ther and treated hi s dead body w ithignom iny , burying a dog
°
i n the same grave w ith him . Know
i ng the cruel d ispos ition of Dermot they took counsel togetheras to the m eans to aver t the storm that was impend ing . I t
was unan imou sly agreed to send their A rchbishop to treat withDerm ot
,and ask him to spare the helpless ci t izens , who off ered
to m ake all amends in the ir power for the past . Bu t whilehe was interced ing for the people , M i lo de Cogan and Raymond
le Gros , who were posted at the other s ide of the town, made a
breach°
1n the wa l ls,and forcibly entered the city . They put
to the sword whom soever they m et .
Taught by su ch Sad experience , Lau rence went round tothe Ir ish kings and chiefs to exhor t them to un ite aga inst thecommon enemy . The resu lt was that an army strongassembled under the wa l ls of D ublin . H owever , their want ofd iscipl ine and t heir j ea lou sies a l lowed the enemy , though fewi n numbers , to m ake the ir e scape and join their fr iends -inWexford , and later to overrun a great part of the country .
S T . LAUR EN CE O’
TOOLE . 163
In 1175 S t . Lau rence w en t w ith Cathal, A rchbishop .of
A rm agh , and the A bbot of S t . Brendan ,as ambassadors o f
Roder ic O’
Connor,to m ake a treaty between h im and
H enry II . This trea ty i s known in history as the Treaty of
W indsor .
p
In 1179,w ith five other Ir ish bishop s, Lau rence assisted at
the Cou nci l of Latera in , held at Rom e . Pope A lexander III .
t rea ted h im w ith specia l favou r , confirm ing the r ights and
pr iv ileges of the A rchiepiscopa l S ee of D ubl in,and appo inting
h im Lega te o f the H oly S ee for Ireland .
The son s of Roder ic O ’
Connor hav ing rebe l led aga inst him ,
and hav ing been a ided in their rebel l ion by the troops of the
Lord Depu ty , Lau rence was depu ted by O’
Connor to go :to
and a sk K ing H enry to enforce the t reaty m ade five yearsbefore .
On hi s arr iv a l he fou nd,
the‘
king deaf to hi s appea ls for
peace . Du r i ng h is stay in England he m ade a p ilgr image to
t he tom b of S t . Thomas aBecket . A s he w as stand ing at the
foot of the altar,before beg inn ing
“
M ass,he was felled to the
ground by a v iolen t blow on the head , stru ck by a man iac .
A f ter a whi le he became con sciou s , and w as able to proceedw i th the Mass .
H enry m eantim e had set ou t for N orm andy . The arch
b i shop determin ed to follow h im , and try whether anotherappea l w ou ld not sof ten h im . Taking ship at Dover , he landedon the coast of N orm andy
,near Eu . A s he was descend ing a
h ill , he m et a shepherd , of whom he dem anded the name of the
town in the va lley beneath , and of the chu rch which rose upf rom the centre of i t . Being told tha t the place w as Eu ,
and the
chu rch the pr iory chu rch of S t . V ictor, he repl ied in the wordso f the 181st Psa lm
This i s my resting-place for ever ; in th is place will I dwel l, for Ihave chosen i t .
”
H e w ent to the pr iory , where he was recelved most kind lyby Osber t the Pr ior .
There h e fel l i ll,and feel ing that h i s end w as draw ing near ,
h e sen t one of h i s compan ions to H enry ,asking h im ,
as a dyingrequ est , to preven t further shedd ing o f blood in Ireland . The
m iss ion w as su ccessfu l , and the m essenger retu rned w ith theconsol ing n ew s tha t the king w ou ld carry ou t hi s w ishes .
On N ovem ber 14 th ,1180
,at the age of for ty-three , the
sa in t passed away ca lm ly . H i s last words w ere w ords of com
passion for h is cou n trym en — “A h , fool ish poople What w i l ln ow become of y ou Who w i l l relieve you when I am gone
161
4 S1
11
. LAU R EN CE o’
TOOLE .
Fi ve years a fter h is d eath the grave was opened , and th e
body was found as f resh as on the day o f hi s b ur .ial I t w 1s
then bu ried before an a ltar i n the Chu rch o f our Ble ssed L 1
111ly .
In 1225 ,fifty five years a fter the sa int ’ s de1 ,
1th Pope
H onor ius III . published the B u llo f h is canonizat ion,to the g re 1t
j oy o f the people o f E u and t he surrounding country
t>
T 11e
follow ing year hi s remains wer e aga in exhumed,and t r 1
ans fe1red
to a shr ine, wh ich was carr ied i no
process ion through t he town,accompan ied by » a vast mu l ti tude ; the A rchb ishop o f Rouen,
the B ishop o f Am iens, the Prior o f S t . V ic tor’
s , a nd many o ther
ecclesiastics were present . The shrine was placed before the
high a ltar ; i t i s n ow immediately over the h igh a ltar o f the
church .
S ome years s ince, this shrine conta ining the re l ics was openedin the presence o f the A rchbishop o f
c
Rou en,severa l o ther
ecclesiastics , and some med ical men . T hese d rew up a fo rm al
d ocument, sta t ing that the b ones were i n the sh rine,and
, mor
o ver,that on the sku ll the re was an indenta t ion su ch a s wou ld
h ave been made by a blow from some blunt instrumen t . We
h ave a lready spoken o f the blow which he rece ived f rom a
man iac.
1 Th is I was assu red o f by a m ed ica l m an, who was one
o f those p resent at the open ing o f the shrine .
The photographs1wh ich I w i ll now show y ou are
(1) The Memoria l Chapel o f S t . Lau rence , bu ilt on the s id e
of the h ill over looking E u,f rom whi ch he firs t caught
s ight o f the town . T his chapel was rebu ilt in 1876,
on the s i te o f an o lder one bu i l t there i n byM . Pierre Prevost
, priest o f the p ar ish o f the H olyTr in i ty of E u . I 1i 1810
,th is chapel was replaced by
another and a better one by M . L’
A bbé Chandelou p,curé of E 11 ,
(2) I show fou r photogm phs o f the Chu rch o f N o tre Dame
et S t . Lau ren t t he par ish ch urch o f E u two V iews o fthe east end
,show ing it 1s one of the finest specim ens
o f Goth ic o f the very be s t type i n ex istence a t hird
photo of the in ter ior , showing the b ea u t i fu lly va u l tedroof of the wes tern doorway ,
o f mu ch in fer ior style .
The fact i s , the western ha l f o f the chu rch was
bu rnt down in 1500, and rebu ilt soon a fter,accord ing
to the sty le of the t im e,and very infer ior to tha t o f
the older port ion .
1 1 1 These photographs would f have been u sed for i l lu str at ing th is Paperhad not the lamented death o f Father M urphy preven ted i t .
166 S T . LA UR EN CE o’
TO OLE .
O’DONOVAN
’S
’
PEDIGREE or sr . LAURENCE O’TOOLE .
(From the“A nnals of theFour M aster s
,under the year
Tu athal,
K ing o f
“
Leinster , died-
956 from whom the su rname of O’Toole
h as been der ived .
Ugaire , K i ng of Leinster , slain a t Belan ,Co . K ildare,by the Danes , in 976 ,
Dunlang ,d ied in 1013 .
Donou an’
Ua Tu athal, K ing of Leinster,slain 1015 .
Gi l la-lComhgha i ll Ua Tu athal.
Gilla-K ev in Ua Tu athal.
Duncu an Ua Tu athal.
haill Ua Tu athal;
Gilla-Kev in U‘
a Tu athal Mu i rchear tach (or Mu rtagh ) , Chief of Eye
Mu i readhaigh’
,died 1164 .
S t . Lorcan (or Laurence) O’
Toole.
Ob . 14 N OV . ,1180.
Gi lla-Kevin O’Toole.
Faclan O’Toole , Lord of Hy
-Mu i readhaigh (or Hy :Mu rray ) , -died inHe? Was the ancestor of the O
’Tooles of Ferracu llen ,
Fer try ,
Castlekev in ,Pow er scou r t , etc. ,
all in the Cou nty W icklow .
For the ancestors of Tu athal, see the pedigree opposite to p . 168 of the
fir st volume of theV ou rm rl.
V I h W OF CA S TLE R H EBAN,1 892 .
CA S TLE RH E BA N .
BY LORD WALTER FITZ GERALD.
[Read at the A TH Y EXCURS I ON MEETIN G , S eptember ,
TH E nam e Rheban (pronou nced Ribbon ) i s supposed to b e
made up o f two Ir ish words , sign ifying“ the habitat ion
o f the king .
”
The Egypt ian geographer , P tolemy , who l i ved in the second
cen tu ry ,on h i s thin ly-nam ed m ap o f Ireland , has tw o inland
town s m arked near one another , nam ed “ Dunum”
and‘ 1 tha iba .
”These p laces ha ve been ident ified r espective ly
w ith D unam ase1and Rheban .
Thou gh Rheban i s now a part of the Coun ty Kildare , itw as form er ly a por t ion of the ancien t terr itory of Leix ,
2over
which the Clan O ’
More held sway .
1 W r itten Dunm a sg ( i . e . Ma sg’s For t ) in the Ir ish Annal s . It i s
°
a hu ge ,
precip i tou s sided,isolated rock
,now crowned w ith the ru ins of an Ang lo
l\'
orm an cas t le , and lies between the towns of S tradba l ly and Maryborou gh ,
i n the Qu een’s Cou nty .
2 The t err itory of Leix,or O
’More’s cou nt ry , compr ised the pr esent
baron i es of Maryborou gh , Cu llinagh ,Ba l lyadam s
,S tradbal ly , par t of Por t
nah inch , in the Qu een’s Cou n ty ,
and that por tion o f t he Cou nty K i ldarewh ich lies to the west of the Bar row in the A thy neighbou rhood .
168 CA S TLE R HEBA N .
The Moat o f Rheban stands abou t half an Engl ish m i le tothe sou th of Cast le Rheban . Th is earthwork i s o f great au ti
qu i ty . I t consists o f an a rtificia l moat 0 11 m ound 38 feet inheight , at tached to the north-east s ide o f which i s a tr iang u larenclosu re , surrounded b v a deep , broad dyke , w h ich g i ves the
p lace the appearance o f a ra th . This enclosure i s sa id to havean entrance on the nor th side
,closed by an iron door
,lead ing
in to a cave 011
u nderg round chamber . The moa t itsel f for m anyyears past has been u sed as a gravel-p i t , and a lready abou t twothirds o f i t hav e been carted away . S om e seventy—five years agoM cE voy
’
s cottage , be tween i t and the road,was a t the edge o f
the m oat,bu t now a potato-garden i s la id ou t on the excavated
por t ion . In the next field to the m oa t there was,some twenty
y ears ago , a sm a l l m oat , wh ich was levelled by a M r . JosephBu t ler
,who then l i ved a t Castle Rheban . U nder the m ound
was d iscovered a kistvaen ,or d ry
-wa l led chamber, fu ll o f
human bones . This field i s - ca l led “ the B ridge F ie ld . One
corner of i t, nea r the m oa t , i s never t illed,as m any hum an
bones lie close to the su rface ; i n consequ ence , it i s known as
the Churchyard . The field 0 11 the oppos ite s ide o f the road
i s ca l led “ the Raheen .
”
In the latter end of the twelfth cen tu ry m ost of the prov inceo f Leinster passed in to the possess i on of R ichard de Clare, Ea rlo f Pembroke , n icknamed S trongbow ,
by h is m arr i age w ithEva ,
daughter and heiress o f Derm ot M ‘M u rrough ,the last of
the na ti ve kings of Leinster . The resu lt of th is m arr iage w asan
“
on ly daughter , I sabel , (who m arr ied Wi lliam Marsha l l , Ear l
o f Pembroke (called , in H amm er’
s H is tory of I reland, W i l l iamM axfield , Ear l Marsha ll o f Eng land ) , who th u s su cceeded to
the lordship of Le inster . Their ch i ldren consisted o f five sons
and five daughters the son s,
all -d ied childless , and so Leinsterw a s d iv ided by King John ,
a 1nongs t the five dau ghters , to theyo u nges t of whom
,Eva , was port i oned
lo ff the M anor of
D u nam ase , ln Leix . S he m arr ied Wi ll iam de B roase (orBr eou se) , Lord o f Brecknock, in Wales , and by h im the pre
sen t r u ins of Castle , 0 11 the Rock o f D unam ase , w ere bu i l t,abou t the year 1250. Their da ughter Mati lda m arr ied Lord
Roger de Mort im er,who eventu a lly succeeded to the above
m anor .
In the year 1225,the king i ssu ed a m andate to Ear l
W i ll iam M arsha ll,j u sticiary of Ire land , to cau se R ichard
de S t . M ichael to have,du r ing p leasure , o u t of the king
’
s
e scheat s in I reland,£20 worth o f land , to m a intain h im in the
king’
s service (A pr i l In the folloviring year (1226) theking issued an other m andate to Geoff rey de Mari sci s, lord
1 70 CA S TLE R HEBA N .
ju sticiary of Ir eland,to cau se to be restored to Roger 1Vaspa il
the chattels taken du r ing the d isseisin cau sed by Richard deS t . M ichael , son and heir o f M argaret , Roger
’
s w i fe,in the
la nd in Ryban ,wh ich Roger held , of the inher itance of th e
s aid ‘Margare t .
1
From W i l l iam M ar sha ll,lord pa latine of Lein ster , Rheban
and i ts neighbou rhood w ere gran ted 1n fee to R ichard deS t . M ichael , created Baron of Rheban , who , du r ing the reigno f King John , founded the Crou ched Fr iary in A thy , and bu i ltthe tw o castles of W oodstock and Rheban ,
w hich are both on
the w est bank o f the Barrow ,
2 three Engl ish m i les apart .
Both of them w ere for the defence of the fords at those places ,and the one a t Rheban probably took the p lace of the Rathm en t ion ed above , wh ich mu st have been erected for the de fenceo f the ford in ancien t tim es . S ince the ar r iva l of the N orm an s
in Ireland, castles w ere erected at all the pr incipal fords on the
’ borders 0 11 m arches
“
o f the Engl ish land ,”0 1
1 Pa le , a s it w as
af terwards ca l led , so as to preven t“th e Ir ish enem i e from
m aking host ile incu r sions among the n ew settlers .
Rohesi a , dau ghter of the above Richard de S t . M ichael ,m arr ied Thom a s Fitz Gerald , Baron of Offa ly ,
whose dea tht ook place in 1260. H er m arr iage por t ion w as the Manor s o f
W ood stock and A thy,which st i l l be long to their descendants .
They w ere the paren t s of John ,a fterw ards first Ear l of Kildare
,
who w as so m iracu lou sly saved from being bu rnt to dea th , onone occas ion when W oodstock Castle caught fire, by a tam e
m onkey , which becam e
”
and sti l l i s the fam i ly crest ow ing tot ha t e vent .
In the year 1282 a wr i t was issu ed,comm and ing John de
S aun l’
ord , Escheator o f Ireland , to take in to the king’
s hands
all the lands and tenem en ts in Ir e land whereof Roger de
M ort im er , sen ior , was seized in fee at h i s death . In the l ista t tached
,under the head ing o f “ Kn ight
’
s Fees , appear s the
f o l low ing1
Rober t '
de S t . M ichae l , 2 kn ights’
fees in “ Landa” 3 de
Reban ,for two kn ights
’
serv ices when roya l serv ice i s sum
1110 11ed .
4
1 S weetm an’
s Calendar of Docum ents , Ireland .
2 Ancient ly wr it ten Bearbha,
”ti e . the dumb w ater , meaning the
s ilent,flowing r iver .
3 This i s wr it ten in lei ado de Rheban in the Ca lendar o f Car ew MS S .
u nder th e head ing of —Extent of lands of the late Lord Roger deMor t imer
in Ire land,made at the new town of Leys (Leix ) , Co. K i ldare
,10th March ,
11 Edw . I .
4 V ide “ Calendar of Documents,Ireland .
CA S TLE R H EBA N .
'
1 7 1
In the y ear 1315 Robert Br uce ’
s victory over the Engl ishat Bannockburn was th e signa l for a r is ing in
'
hi s favou r in
U lster , and he sen t over'
hi s brother Edward to head them . In
May ,Edward Br uce landed at Car rickfergu s w i th 6000 S cots ,
and, p roceed ing to Dunda lk
,had him sel f crowned King of
Ireland there . H e then proceeded V ictoriou sly through M ea th,
and , t o qu ote f rom R ichard Cox ’
s H is tory of I reland p ublishedin “ from Loghseudy ,
where he had spen t Chr istm as,
Edward B i nce m arched throu gh the Cou n ty of Kildare u n to
R athangan ,Kildare
,Castle Dermond
, A thy,Raban
,and
Sketheri s ,ll where t he Lord Ju st ice (S ii1 Edmond B u tler) ao
com p an ied by Lord John Fi tz Thom as (afterwards firs t Ear l ofKildare) , and m any others
,encountered him on the 26th o f
Janu ary, and w ere defeated by reason o f some u nhappy feu dsand misunderstand ings in the English army . H ereupon the
Ir ish of Mu nster and Leinster rose in rebell ion ,and the B ir ns
,
Tools,and Moors
,bu rnt the country from A rclow t o Leix.
I t was not u nt il three years afterward s t hat Edw’
ard B ruce w as
d efeated near D undalk by S ir John de Berm ingham . In th isconflict he was killed , and the S cot t ish invas ion came to an end .
In 1325 Ly sagh O’
More,being entrusted by Lord Mor ti
mer , who had m arr ied Matilda,heiress. of (Lord B recknock,
w ith the care and p rotect ion of h i s estates in Leix , assumed
i ndependence and destroyed Dunam ase,
captur ing in one
even ing eight castles , includ ing Rheban .
In the second volum e o f the S ta te Papers of H enry VII I .
r elating to Ireland , Rheban Castle i s now and aga in m entionedbeing either un inhabited or ou t of repa ir . In the year
1587 Robert Cow ley , Master of the Rol ls,wrote to Thomas
C rumwell,the Lord Pr ivy S ea l , as fol lows
The holdes gar i sons i n theMarches, whereof m any are now desolate ,
r uyue, iv lak inhab i tacion , shalbe mete therefor t o b e depar ted to suche.as are marchers
,m en of warre , having good 1
1 '
,etynu es yeld ing t he
conveny ent reser vaci on of anu ell rent, 85 to have estate of i nheri taunce
erein ; for inhabit ing repayr ing af ter su ch manner,81 t o be in p laces
of dau ngier , i t shalbe met e for them to h ave s uch e estate . The Fassaghe
Rebane, Wodstock
, other piles i n th e O’
More’s cu ntrey , whereo f par t are
i n possess i on of the lr i shr ie the residu e 1s w as te ; soo as i f the same be
not gevyn to su che as m ay buylde inhabi te the same,having some
ab ili t ie to b ei e the charges thereof , there i t wou ld remaine wast e,
be both
agayne , su ccor , refuge to the Ir i shr i e ;whereas b eing inhabited strong ly ,
i t shou ld be the fm tification of the Engli shr ie , increase of the K ing’
s
revenu es obedyencye , impover ishing & enfebling of the K ing’s di s
obeysaun tes .
”
1 N ow Ske’
r
-
ri es
’
fwh ich liesbelow the Moat of Ardscu ll (t.e .
-
t he ‘l
‘,
heigh tof the S hou ts to the N .W . The name means Rock s .
”
1 72 CA S TLE R HEBA N .
In the follow ing year (1588) S ir Piers Bu tler , eighth Ear lof Ormond
,wrote to S i r A nthony S a in t Leger one o f the
Comm issioners of I reland , as fol lows .
If this thing the redu ction of the K a vanagh s ) be f ur ther dela i edfor eny other consi deracions , that then th is som er , for asm oche as t he
M0 1es i n I eys be in d iv ision , ther fore to repa i re W oodstok , to enhabi te
r econtynu e to th e K ing s Magestyes lordship of Fassagh Rebane W i tho ther Cast les landes in Leys ; to goo ab ou t e that th e
b
Irishry i n that
partes as MCGllpat l lk ,
1 O’Karroll
,other s , b e bond to a
1u 11ther su bj ecci on to the K inge , w ith a knowlege to h i s Grace of an
annu all profite , wh ich , w ith power polesy , w e shall , God w il ling , enf orcethem to agree unto .
”
A ccord ing to an old m ap of Lei x and su rround ing di st i ictso f the sixteen th cen tu ry
,now in the Br i t ish Mu seum
,reprodu ced
in the th7 Volume of the K i lkenny A rchaeological Jozm ml (forthe years 1862 the d istr ict of “ Fasagh Reban ”
extendsalong the w est bank of the Barrow ,
from the Bau teogu e r iveron th e north to .where Kilmorony i s on the sou th side . Thisd istr ict i s narrow and shown fu l l of forests and bogs . The
word Fasagh”s ign ifies a w i lderness
, o‘
r uncultiva ted land .
InMorr in ’
s List of Paten t and Close Rolls, Ireland , in the
y ear 1581, i s g iven the follow ing“L ivery of S e isin
'
o f the po ssess ions ofW a l ter S a int M i chael”
Baron of Reban, son and he ir of Chr istopher S a int M ichael ,la te of Castleton of Reban ,
for a fine of £6 Ir ish . Dublin,
May 5th .
In 1585,the Calendar of S ta te Papers, Ireland , notifies the
conten ts of three letters w r it ten by a Cap ta in Thom as Lee
(“o f Castle Ma1 tin
,Gent . to the Lord Depu ty , they w ere
dated from Castle Reban ,and “ Castleton Reban ,
in “1
m onths of A ugu st and S eptember . A t this tim e Captain Lewas comm iss ioned to pu rsu e and captu re a noted rebel n am ed
Cahir Owre Kavanagh . Tw o y ears previou sly he had offered
hi s services to the S ta te , in order that he m ight obtain“
a leaseo f lands ln the fron tier of the Co . Kildar
,e confiscated by Lord
Bal tinglass (Eu stace) . This may be the “ Capta in Leya fterwards m en t ioned in the year 1608
,and agai n in 1611.
In the year 1607 King James wrote to S i r A rthurChichester , in A pri l , that no lease or cu stod ian was to be
granted of any par t of the castle and lands of Reban ,the king
hav ing specia l purposes to serve in the d isposa l of them . In
the fol low ing m on th (May ) , S ir A rthu r Chichester receivedinstru ct ion s from the king to pass theManor of Reban (besides
1 The old name of the FitzPa tri cks. 2 The O’Mores .
1 74 CA S TLE R HEBA N .
O’
N eill,Genera l of th e H orse. N ext , they wen t to A thy ,
and
d id summon Capta in W e ldon , Governor ther ,eof who presently
yielded . W hereu pon the body of the army m arched home , and
Capta in Gera ld Crone ( i .e. swarthy ) F itz Gera ld was com
m anded , w ith summons , to Grange Mel lon,which , w ithin two
day s a f ter , w a s surrendered .
” 1
When Capta in T i rlagh O’
N ei ll and L ieu tenan t N ea leO
’Qu in, res id ing i n Cast le Reban w ith the ir com pany , we re
inform ed of the surrender of Maryborough , they , by the assen t
o f Captain John H agan ,Governor of A thy , b u rned the Cast le
o f Reban,and car r ied the ir garr ison , ammun i t ion
,and p ro
v is ions to A thy , choosing ra ther , for their safety and honou r,
to m ake good one p lace aga inst the enemy than to hazard thewhole by d iv ision and d istracti on .
” 2
“ The army u nder the Lord o f Inchiqu in rendezvou sed at
Cashel on the 8rd of May ,f rom whence Castlehaven w as
detached , w i th a party which took Rheban ,M aryborough , and
A thy from Owen Roe’
s soldi ers w ith considerable slau ghter ,and that being done , it m et at Cloghgrennan on the 26th of
M ay .
’ ’ 3
S ince this time Rheban Castle has been a r u in .
1
By an inqu i sition taken in Kildare on the 20th o f Apr i l ,1640
,the manor and lands of Rheban were then in the posses
s ion of. Thom as , the son of S ir A r thu r S avage , kn ight , w ho suc
ceeded hi s fa ther in March , 1682 . A l ist of the town landscom pr ising the m anor i s g iven below ,
as m any of the old I r ishnam es are not now to be found on the Ordnance S urvey m aps
Reban,alias Cast le Reban ,
4alias Ca stleton Reban ; Moates
towne ,4 Pr ieston
,Garrankancellott , alias Garry canclot t ; M il
towne,4 Brounston ,
4 Terrelstonf Cou nston, Ballinru e ,‘1 S haen ,
4
Ballinescollock,
4 Com i testowne, Ballinedryna , Rathnoran , alias
Rathnerane ; Balln iddyn ,Chu rchtowne ,
4 Cou r testowne,Rath
negon ,a lias Rath inegoune ;Rathenreny , Rath i nkeagh , Brack
a ragh , alias Brackanagh Cardinstowne,4and som e prem1ses i n
A thy .
The above conta ined 1 castle, 80 farmhou ses , 80 garden s,2490 acres , and three weirs on the Barrow , bes ides water-mi llsand p igeon-hou ses ; all of wh ich were he ld from the kingin cap i te for a kn ight
’
s ser vice . The rectory of Fasagh Rebanw as held frOm the king in f ree and comm on soccage ,
”and
the prem ises in A thy were held from the Ear l of Kildare .
"
1 1 1 Gi lbert ’s
“ Hi story‘
of Af fai rs in I reland ," 2 I bid .
‘
3 Cox ’
s“ History of Ireland .
”
4 Present names of town lands on the Ordnance S urvey maps .
CA S T LE R HEBA N . 17 5
From the Ordnance S u r vey Letters of abou t 1837,bound up
b y coun t ies , and now i n the l ibrary of the Roya l Ir ish A cademy,
the fo llow ing ex tract i s taken . I t i s a transla tion by O’
Donov an
from the Ir ish of a portion o f a poem by the bard Fergana inMcK eogh ,
descr ibing the predatory excu rs ions of H ugh m ac
S hau n O ’
Byrne , of Glenm alu re , in the 16th cen tu ry 1
Baile-ath a Dha thi 1 he likewise b rough t,A nd Rathdu bh ,
2u nder t he swa y o f an enemy
He left Ros Br inni udh3 w ithou t kine .
This Hu gh had lu ck of Ca t t le .
Master Davy he capt u red
A nd Mas ter Harney in one Conflict .
The Roya l t own of Ca is lean Reba in t
He sacked , Kr gained mu ch trea su re
W h ich spread h i s f ame .
From Di orin Ru adh5 he drove h i s cat t le,”etc.
In the A nnals of the Fou r M asters H ugh O’
Byrne’
s dea thi s recorded in the year 1579.
From the above odds and ends we learn tha t Rheban was
or igina l ly in the possession of the O’
Mores, in w hose terr i toryof Leix i t then was . It then passed through King Dermo t
M cMu rrough’
s daughter , Eva , to S trongbow ; through S trongbow ’
s daughter , I sabel , to W i ll iam Marsha l l , Lord. Pa lat ine of
Leinster ; through hi s daughter , E va,to W ill iam de Breou se ;
then into the fam i ly o f R ichard de S t . M ichae l,who i s sa id to
have bu i lt the castle . The second Baron o f Rheban appears to
have been Robert de S t . M ichael , and u nt i l the sixteen th cent uryt here seem s to b e no record of the su cceed ing Barons of
Rheban .
In the year 1550Mathew de S t . M ichael, Baron o f Rheban
,
d ied , and was su cceeded by h i s eldest son , Chr istopher , whomarr ied E leanor Fitz Gera ld (af terwards w i fe o f Wa lter A rchbold , of “ K ylmelyn ,
in the County D ubl in) . Chr istopherw as ki l led in Baltinglass
’s rebel l ion , in the year 1582 , and was
succeeded by h i s son and heir Wa lter . Wa lter d ied,leaving a
brother N icholas who, hav ing entered into possession by indenture
,dated 20th May , 1606, in considera t ion of 218 . of ou ld
s ilver,
”convey ed all the prem ises to John Toppe , in as ample
manner as they had been dev ised to him by Chr istopher ,
1 This i s intended for Bal ly-ath-ae , or Athy ,i .e . the ford of A e .
2 i .e . th e Black Fort , u nident ified .
3 N ow Rosbran .
4 Cast le Rheban .
5 Now Kel lyvi l le, which was former ly named Derryroe, i . e . the RedO ak Wood .
V OL . PT . 111 .
1 76 CA S TLE R HEBA N .
h i s father , a t a ren t of £10 and half the fish taken at the
w el11 .
S u bsequ en t ly the castle and m anor cam e in to the possessionof S i r H enry Lee
,Lam br i ck N ottingham ,
and Jane h i s w ife,
who conveyed all their in terest there in to S ir A r thu r S avage,w ho
,by an inqu isi t ion taken at N aas on the 20th of October
1612, was in possessi on in fee of that m anor .
S ir A rthu r d ied on,
the 18th of M arch,1632 , leav ing a son
,
Thom as,who su cceeded him ,
and was fou nd in possession of
the cast le and m anor by an inqu is i t ion taken at Ki ldare on the
20th of A pr i l , 1640.
Thom as S avage d ied , leav ing a son W i ll iam ,
‘
who w as
drowned in the m on th of A u gu st , 1658, and w as su cceeded byh i s brother Francis
,who lef t a dau ghter nam ed Douglas
S avage , who w as five y ears old in 1661,the year an inqu isit ion
was taken in the m on th of N ovem ber in A thy .
1
In vol. v i i i . , p . 249, of A rchdall’
s Loclge’
s P eerage, it i sstated that A rthu r Lof tu s , 3rd V iscount Ely ,
m arr ied to hi s
first w ife Douglas , daughter and hei r to W ill iam S avage, of
Ca st le Rheban, bu t had no i ssu e by her , who d ied and w as
in terred in h i s fam i ly vau l t in the chancel of the‘
chu rch a t
Monasterevan . H er death took p lace before 1676, as in thatyear Lord Ely m arr ied again .
A v iew o f Rheban Castle as i t was before 1793 i s g1ven ln
the A nlizologia H ibernica. Magazine, v ol. i i . ; this view i s re
produ ced in N o . 44 of the Dublin S atu rday M agaz ine, vol.
and a lso at p . 245, vol. i i i . , of the Du blin P enng Journal
The present r u ins show the castle to have been a squ arebu i ld ing , ,
of which on ly the sou th s ide rema ins stand ing ,
together w ith thegvaulted cham bers on the ground floor . U nt i la few y ears ago the ru ins w ere v ery mu ch as they are shown 1n
the pr in t in the Ilf agazine bu t the present tenant of the.p lace,
Mr . Large, took down the north side of the castle , wh1ch , hesa id w as an un s ight ly wa l l w i th no w indow s , for the sake of themater ia l . S om e stone celts , and an instrum en t l ike a fack,
2
bu t all of iron ,found by the presen t tenan t w hen p loughing a
1 Vi de “ Chancery Inqu isit ions .
The coun try spade , hav ing the footplece on one S i de only .
1 78 CA S TLE RHEBAN .
On another slab ra ised above the ground level , a lso in ther u ins o f the chancel , i s the fol low ing inscription ,
w ith the lettersin rel ief
I 8Here lyeth y
e Body of Bryan mc
Manu s late of Cast le Rebbau
who depar ted this life ve 9th of
Meeh r 1729 Aged 47 years of
h i s mother in law Cathr in Coff iewho depar ted this lif e in ye 731d
year of her age a l so of h i s
Daugh ter Ca th rine m GManu s
Who depar ted th is life in 1729
and in y8 20111 year of her age
A sku ll and
2Mem entoc ro ssb ones
EXT ERIO R V i Ew or CA S'
I LE R HEBAN , 1896.
O LD CA S TLE A T O UGH'
I ERA RD , CO . KILDA RE .
EA R L Y LA N D OWN ER S [ N K ILL , CO UN T Y
BY THE REV . CANON SHERLOCK .
[Read at the JAN UARY MEETIN G of
K N OW a lady,who shal l be n am eless , whose firm persuas ion
i s that an archaeolog ist i s simply a S ir Walter S cott or a
S hakespeare spoi led . S he has the highest r espect for our
im agination , bu t no t the least fa ith in ou r facts . S he thinksthat the act ive m embers of ou r S ociety ,
when they are abou t tocompose a Paper on any su bj ect
,set their imaginat ion to work,
and when that facu lty i s red-hot , they sa lly for th , and find ingin their w a lk a grassy m ound
,or an old bou lder , or a fragment
o f a w a ll , they proceed to inven t an appropr iate h istory ,sad to
say ,m ore or less du ll
,and cer ta in ly not at all tru e, w ith which
they begu i le the other m embers o f the A ssociat ion , and perhaps ,i f the ed itor be prop it iou s , acqu ire a n iche i n the temp le of fam e
by m eans of ou r Jou rnal. I f any su ch incredu lou s person b e
presen t to-day , let m e assu re her tha t she gives ou r im ag ina
tion far too m u ch cred i t . For mysel f , I can on ly say thatthose who dou bt m e m ay go to the Record Office , or to the
Library o f the Roya l Ir ish A cademy , and they w i ll find mysta tem en ts all in pr in t , thou gh sca ttered in fragm ents , which Ihave had to p iece together .
EA R LY LA N DOVVN ER S IN K ILL,CO . K ILDA R E .
My su bj ect i s connected w ith the n eighbou rhood o f Kill ;and I propose to show how the Anglo-N orm an settlement wascarr ied ou t there , as i t m ay help u s to u nderstand the process
general ly .
Before S trongbow’
s 1nvas ion and conqu es t , all this par t o f
Leinster was occu pied by the Ir ish tr ibe of O’
By rne . W hatthe Conqu est d id w as to d epr ive the I r ish o f their terr i to ries
,
and dr ive a large number o f them up in to the m oun ta ins of
W icklow on the one s ide , and the desolate fastnesses of the
bogs on the other . The conqu erors took possession o f the fer tilep la in . Bu t i t wou ld be a m istake t o su ppose that all the old
inhabitants were dr iven away,or that wha t w e ca l l pr i vate p1 0
perty was destroyed . In fact,there w as l ittle or no pr i vate
proper ty , excep t the w a t tled h u ts,the 1 ude clo thes
,weapons ,
implem ents , and vessels . N obody in those days owned anyland . I t belonged to the tr ibe , and wa s parcel led ou t by lo t tothe d iff eren t m em bers o f the tr ibe, who d id not own i t
, and
w ere not even w hat w e cal l permanent tenants , being obligedto su rrender i t aga in ,
and to take wha tever o ther lot fel l tot hem at the d iv ision . I t i s most like ly that w hen the chiefsand their f am il ies w ere d r iven into the m ounta ins and bogs , a
large number of the other m embers of the t r ibe rema ined to dothe w ork on the lands taken by the new propr ietors , to ploughin some r ude way ,
to cu t the woods,and to herd the
‘
ca t tle .
The cond it ion of the na t ives who r em a ined was probably n ot
a ltered for the worse, perhaps ra ther fo r the better . Bu t theirrelat ions w ith society we re tota lly changed . Before
,they had
belonged to a tr ibe th ey w er e a ttached to th e chief,not to the
land . I f the chief m oved into ano the r d istr ict,and the tr ibe
moved w ith h im ,all the m achinery
,so to speak, of l i fe w ent on
working as u su a l . B u t the A ng lo-N orm an conqu ero rs bro ughtin w ith them the feu da l sy stem , and the history o f the ir se t tle
men t in the country i s for cen turies the history of an a ttem pt
to substitu te the feuda l system for the tr ibal sy stem . Th e
a ttempt} in large m ea su re, fa iled , becau se so large a n um ber o f
the low er Ir ish popu la t ion rem a ined,and they w ere w i ll ing
enough to regard their new s u per iors a s chiefs, par ticu la rly i f
they had m ar r ied I r ish w ives ; b u t they did not take k indly tothe relat ion o f a feu da l lord and h is dependents .
Be tha t a s i t m ay , o ver all the f e11 t i le p la in of th is coun tythe feu da l system came in w ith the Conqu es t . The g rea t lordsheld from the king , the infer ior lords f rom them , the ir va ssa lsaga in from them , a lways 0 11 cer ta in term s o f m i li tary serv ice int im e o f war . It w as n ot a system o f land lord and tenant
,b u t
of feuda l lords and their in fer iors . Below these aga in w ere a
EA R LY LA N DO \VN ER S IN K ILL, CO . K ILDA RE .
ra iny w eather . To get beyond the Li ffey one had to cross byfords at Castlesize or Clane . Besides this , great part o f the
country w as covered w ith w i ld forest , hard to travel through ,and apt to shel ter ou tlaw s or the w i ld I r ish . Derrindarragh ,or Daars a s w e ca l l i t now
,was a thick oak wood .
I t mu st be confessed that i f the old I r ish tr ibal system had
continu ed , this state of things w ou ld not soon have beenm en ded . People who had n o permanent in terest in th e landwou ld n ot m ake roads
,br idges , m ake good fences or dra ins , or
recla im bogs and forests , as those who su cceeded them hav edone . Yet history show s u s a sort of rou gh poet ica l j u st iceadm in i stered . The tr ibes dr iven to the m ou n ta in s were forcedby the change in their circum stances to change them selvesA nd now for tu ne
’
s wheel has tu rned ,and w e . see the m ou n ta in
men com ing down to the pla in s aga in ,ren ting pas tures and
buying farm s,reaping the benefi t of the roads
,br idges , drains,
cana ls , ra i lways , and reclam a t ion s , m ade by those who drove
their fore fa ther s to the hil ls .
In very many cases the new propr ietors did a v ery sen ibleand r igh t act . They bu i lt a l itt le chu rch f or them selves and
their fol lowers ; and they e ith er arranged w ith som e m on asteryto supp ly the cler ica l du ty
, or they endowed i t w ith incom e
su fficient to keep a clergym an . Most of those town lands thenbecame par ishes , and the chu rches w ere par ish chu rches . In
other instances , where they found a nat ive I r ish chu rch , theyreta ined i t
,or perhaps rebu i l t and endow ed i t . A t Kill ,
w here there w as a lready a chu rch ded icated to S t . Br ig id , theyseem to have added to the old ded icat ion ,
and ca lled i t th eChu rch of S t . Mar /y and S t . Br ig id ; and thi s chu rch became
part of the possess ions of the Abbey of S t . Thom as .
In A .D . 1177 , fou r years a fter the canon izat ion of Thomas
a Becket , A rchbishop o f Can terbu ry,a chu rch , ded icated to
h im ,wa s founded in the western su bu rb o f the city o f Dublin ,
on behalf o f H enry II . by W i ll iam F itz A ldelm ,hi s represen
tat ive in Ire land .
"The chu rch w as u nder the care o f the
A ugu stin ian Canons of the O rder of S t . V ictor , and i t became
the centre of an establishm en t ca l led the A bbey of S t . Thom as
the Martyr , n ear Du blin . Being of roya l foundat ion i ts abbotswere appo in ted s ubj ect to the approva l o f the king ,
and becam e
m em bers of ‘
h is counci l in Ireland , peers o f hi s par l iam en t there,and adm in istered j u stice in the cou r t of the abbey . I t soon
becam e r ichly endow ed , and had cons iderable possessions in theCoun ty Kildare . I ts endowm en ts at Kill or ig inated thu s
One of the favou r ite compan ion s-in-arm s of S trongbow w as
a young man nam ed A dam of H ereford . To this A dam ,
EA RLY LA N DOW N ER S IN K ILL,CO . K ILDAR E .
S trongbow gave large ter ritor ies , v iz . the S alm on Leap , Cloncurry
,Kill
,Oughtera rd , Down ings , and other lands . To help
h im to defend these lands A dam sent to England for h i s twoe lder brothers
,John and R ichard , and ga ve them a Share of hi s
possess ions .
To h i s brother John,A dam gave the lands o f Kill
,K ildroch
(Celbr idge) , Clon shanbo , and M a inham,w ith Cokey (Rath
coffey ) ; bu t he retained him sel f 111 this i1e ighbou rhood Oughterard
,wh ich w as then strong ly fort ified . The chu rch o f
W och tr ed (O ugh terard ), w ith t ithes o f lands betw een i t and
Castel lum W arin1 (Cast le W arden ) he bestowed 0 11 the A bbeyof S t . Thom as . John o f H ereford , Lord o f Kill
,endow ed the
A bbey w ith seventeen an d a-ha l f acres of land,near Fou rn
(Forenagh ts) , and a lso w ith a farm in Kill .H i s son
, Thomas of H ereford , confirm ed these g i fts, and
a lso bestowed on the A bbey h i s chu r ch o f Kill (ded icated toS t . Mary and S t . Br ig id ) , w ith lands in the d irect ion of the
possess ion s of Robert A r thu r (A r thu rstow n) , situ ated on the
stream whi ch cam e down from Radm or (Rathm ore) .Thomas also gave the canons of S t . Thom as the r igh t of
pastu r ing their an im als of all kinds a long w i th h i s own,and
the r igh t o f cu tt ing wood in h i s forests for bu i ld ing ,fir ing , and
fencing . The sam e Thomas endow ed a certa in hospita l in thetow n of Kill
,w ith twelve acres o f land . I t i s poss ible that
this m ay not have been ,str ict ly speaking , a hosp ita l in the
m odern sense,bu t r a ther a place o f hosp i ta lity for strangers
and t 1a vellers,and for d ispensing rel ief to the neighbo u r ing
poor and infirm eOple , som e thing a f ter the na t u re o f the old
I r ish betaghs . In add i tion to other benefact ions h e gave tothe A bbey
gthe whole town land of Ballykerdeval,
2w i th all the
meadow adjacent to i t , which gran t was a f terw ards con firm ed
by E leanora , h i s daugh ter , and M i lo de Rochfor t , who had forh i s por tion Kill and K ildr .ough t
3
A deed o f a 1
nothe1 n eighbou r ing landowner , Robe rt A r thu r(o f A r thu rstown ) , w i tne ssed by D u lian u s and Wal ter
,chap
la ins of Kill, gave the abbot and canons o f S t . Thomas e igh teen
acres of land in S henebale (Old Town ) , nea r Kill . A notherA nglo
-norm an sett ler in the neighbou i hood o f Kill was
R icardu s de Lesse . H e gave to the A bbey the chu rch o f
1 There was one W arinu s,Abbot of S t . Thom as
,A .D . 1268 .
2 Ballikerdeval Ballakerdes K erd i ff'
s town .
3 Thoma s of Hereford had no son . H i s daughter Eva m arr ied W alter
de Rochfor t (de Rupe For ti) , to whom she brough t Mainham and Rat h
coff'
ey . The other daughter Eleanora m arried,as above , Mi lo de Roch fort .
1 84 EA R LY LAN DOW N ERS IN K ILL,co . K ILDA RE .
Fornach , w i t-h tithes , &c .,only stipu lating tha t h i s son W illiam ,
a clergyman shou ld hold i t as long as he l ived . In add ition tothis , h i s son or h i s brother John de Lesse
,su rrendered to them
all h i s r ights over the Cl1u i1 0h o f F0 1nachbeg (Furness) .One thing that we come a cross in these old benefact ions i s
a t first ra ther puzzl ing . You read in one document tha t su cha lord ga ve to a chu rch or to a m onastery cer ta in lands , and
then ,a few years later
, you find h i s son or grandson g i antingthe sam e lands over aga in . I su ppose the explana t ion i s
,
that the lord , hold ing f rom h i s feuda l super ior , w as unableto bestow m ore than hi s l ife-interest in the lands
,as , under cer
tain circum stances,they were l iable to be resumed . Practically ,however
,the g ift was in perpetu i ty , becau se h is representative
never ventu red to reclaim i t ; and assu rance was m ade‘
surer
by a deed o f confii m a tion .
Am ong other landowne1 s near Kill w as one who i s var iou s lycalled W i llelm u s le Hyra is , H 1rey S , H ibernicu s , Iber 11i ensi s , or
W i l l iam the Ir ishm an . On the land which he held (probablyfrom th e H ereford fam ily ) there w a s a chapel. This was s u b
o rd i na te to the m othe r church o f Kill and by deed w i tnessed
by M i lo de Rochfor t, Wi ll iam , the V icar of N aas , and Wa lter ,chapla in of Kill
,and by hi s bro the r
, Rober tu s le Hy ra is , he be
stowed the pa tronage of this chapel on the A bbey of S t . Thomas,
and endowed i t w ith an a cre o f land adj acen t,together w i th
the r ight of pastu re for the chapla in’
s horses and ca t t le over all
h i s lands . A fter h i s bro ther ’
s death, Robert le Hy rai s , a lthough.
he had been a w itness o f this deed o f g i ft , d i spu ted t he r ight ofthe A bbey to the patronage . H e w as i n o rd ers
,and had pro
bably been h is .b ro ther ’
s chapla in . The d ispu te wa s takento Rom e ,
an d there se tt led by j udges appo inted by the Pope i n1224—5 . It resu lted i n a comprom ise . Robe r t was d irected tosu rrender a ll hi s cla im s to the chapel , and i n re tu rn ,
the abbotand canons su r rendered t he chape l and be long ings to him for
h i s l ife,s ubj ect to a sma ll paymen t thereou t a t Ch ristmas .
Rober t w a s to d ischarge t he du t ies o f t he chape l, and to paya ll ep iscopa l d ues ; bu t to the m other church o f Kill wa s re
served the r ight o f bapt iz ing all infants,and the r igh t o f bury
ing all par ish ioners . The par ishioners at tend ing the chape lw ere a lso bound to a ttend the m o ther chu rch , w i th the accu s
tom ed oblat ions , 0 11 the feas ts o f Easter , Pen tecost, Chr istm as ,
and the feast o f the m other chu rch .
I ha ve o ften w ondered w ho this Wi ll iam the I rishman was .
W hy was h e ca lled so ? Was he really Ir ish ? Or wa s he
on ly ca l led so becau se he had adopted the nat ive way o f l i ving ?I f he was really Ir ish
,how d id he com e to be l iving a s a
THE M OA T OF A R DS CULL .
nv oMURETHI .
H AT i s known as“the Moat
,o f A rdscu l l stands on the
summ i t of the high grou nd of that nam e,which r ises
140 feet above,and 3 m i les to the north-east, of the
town of f A thy . In this in stan ce the term “ Moat ”i s m i s
app l ied , as in real ity this ear thw ork i s a ra th 011 fort ; b u t in
Ireland all m ou nds,a rtificia l or na tu ral , are called Meats
,
”
though , as a r u le,the n am e imp lies a Pagan sepu lchral m ou nd
or tum u lu s .
In the Ordnance S u rvey Letters (w r itten abou t the yearkep t in the Library of the Royal Ir ish A cademy ,
O’
Donovan , the great Ir ish scholar , t hu s expla ins the m eaningo f the nam e
1A rdscu l l A rd and S 001,m ean ing the H i l l of S hou ts .
’
I t i s m en t ioned in the Book of Lecan as the si te of a battlebetween the Lein sterm en and the M unstermen in the reign of
Felimy Reach tmar (i .e.
‘the Law-m aker, K ing of Ireland
from A .D . 111 to
The M oat (as i t w i l l be called in f uture ) r ises to a height of55 feet abov e the ground level , and 1s ar tificia l . It con sists of
a steep high cen tra l mou nd,w ith a rampar t. rou nd the top ,
and
an open ing on the west side (which m ay be of modern
w h ile a tren ch in side a rampar t enci rcles the base . The Moa t
i s now cover ed w i th trees , wh ich w ere p lanted ear ly in thiscen tu ry . The pu blic road from A thy to Fontstown and
S ke rr ies run s round abou t two-thirds of i ts base . It lay in the
d istr ict of Om u reth i , belong ing to the O’
Toole sep t ; and
thou gh i t m u st from i ts strength have been a stronghold of
great impor tance , y et , strange to say ,the nam e i s not m en
t i oned in “ The A nna l s o f the Fou r M asters ,”
nor does i t
appear in an} of the old I r ish histor ies u nti l af ter the com ingof the N orm ans in to Ireland in the latter end of the twel fthcen tury .
TH E MOA T OF A R D S CULL . 187
The fol low ing three extracts a re taken from H o l inshed s
Chronicles of I reland :
( 1) The N orwath (i .e . N arraghmore) and Ardscoll, w ith other townes
and vil lages , w ere b u rnt by Philip S tanton ,the six teenth daie of N ovember
,
i n the yeare ( Vide Cox,H i story of I reland, as wel l . )
(2 )“ In the yeere 1309, on Candlemas day (2nd the Lord John
Bonnev i ll was sla ine neere t o the town of A rdscoll by the lorde A rnoldPowre and h i s accomplices ; h i s bodie was bu ried a t A th ie
,in t he Chu rch
o f the Fr iers preacher s . In the yeere f ollow ing, a t a Par liamen t holden a t
K ildare , th e lorde A rnold Powre w as acqu it on that s laugh ter , f or that i tw as proved i t w as doone in hi s own def ense . ( Vi de a l so Ca lenda r ofCa rew M S S . , p .
(3 )“ In 1315 th e Br use 1 went throu gh the Count rie unt o Ra th im igan
( i .e . Rathangan ) and K ildare, and to the partes abou t T r i s teldermot
( i . e . Cast ledermot ) dz A thie , then to Raban,S ke tli er (r ecte S ker ries ) , 8:
neere to A rdskolle in Leins ter where the Lord Ju st ice Bu t ler ,2 t he LordJohn Fi t z Thoma s
3(Fitz Gera ld ) , the Lord A rnold Powre , 61 other lords
gen t lemen of Leinster Munster came to encoun ter the Br u se bu t through
d iscord tha t rose among t hem,they lef t the field u nto the enemies ; S ir
Wi l liam Pr endergast , Knigh t , Heimond le Grace , a righ t v a liant Esqu ire ,were sfaine there . And on the S cott ish side S ir Fergu s Andressan , S i r
Wa lter Mu rrei e, w ith d ivers other that were bu r ied in the chu rch of the
f r ier s preacher s at A thie .
”
(V ide1 Ca lenda r of Carew M S S ., p . 133
, as
w el l . )
TheH amon (or H eimond ) le Grace , men tioned above as one
o f the ki lled ,was a descendan t o f Raymond le Gros (i .e. the
stou t) , second son of W i ll iam , who wa s brother o f M au r iceFi tzGerald , the firs t of the I rish Gera ld ines . Raymond Ie
Gros cam e in to Ireland w ith S trongbow in 1170,became
V iceroy in 1176, and,marrying Bas il ia de Clare , S trongbow
’
s
s ister , acqu ired the ex tens ive d istr ict i n the Co . Kilkenny,
which w as known as“ the Grace coun try ,
”ow ing to h is deseen
dants assum ing the su rname o f Grace,wh ich or ig ina ted in the
a gnomen“ le Gros .
”The f am i ly i s now sea ted at M antu a
(formerly Montagh) Hou se,near Elph in , Co . Roscommon
,
and at Gracefield H ouse (former ly S hanganagh ) , near A r less,
i n the Queen ’
s County .
In a well-i l lu strated w ork by S heffield Grace, calledMemoirs of the Grace Fam i ly, i s published a long poem
of twenty-five stanzas on the fam i ly, wr itten a t Jerpoint
1 Edward , b rother of Robert Bru ce , K ing of S cot land .
2 S i r Edmond le Bott i ler,Ear l of Carrick .
3 John Fi tzGerald , af terwards 1st Ear l of K ildare .
1 88 THE M OA’
l‘
or A R D S CULL .
A bb ey ,Co . Kilkenny . S tanza V III . thu s al lu des to the death
o f H am on
O11 A scul’
s plain w as heard th e sound of woe,A nd a s the gent le Barrow gl ided by
All b lood-stained w e re i t s wat er s i n th eir flow ,
W her e h er oes d ied , bu t no t f or v ictory .
There Hamon per i shed in h i s flow er of days ,Wh i le many a f resh w reath b loomed h i s t emples round
The w arr ior Lau re l wi th th e m in st rel BaysEn twined , and by the land h e d ied f or bound .
Oh ! sacred b e the t u rf above h i s breast ,And ha l low ed b e th e spot , almost unknown ,
Wh ere f a l l the par ting su nbeam s of the W est,
A nd gi ld th e Earth , u nm ark ed by t ree or s tone 1
The g r ass grow s w i ldly o’
er h i s low ly bed ,A nd nou ght bu t common clay enwraps the brave
W h ile m any , as th ey o’er h i s pil low tread,
Know not th ey trample o’er a hero
’
s grave
A f ter th is perIOd I can find no allu sions to A rdscu ll un t i lthe year 1654 . I t i s then referred to m a M S . book in theRecord Office of the Fou r Cou rts
,called The Book of Genera l
Orders for 1654 .
I t i s as fol low s
The Inhab itan t s Upon reading the wr it ten pet i cion of the wel l affectedof K ildare . j Inhabitant s ,
of the Cou nt i e of K i ldare, pr aying tha t th e
state wou ld contribu te th ir ty pou nds towards the fin i shing of a Fort yt
they'hav e bu ilt a t th e Mote of A rdscul l lying near th e Barrow ,
&_upon a
con siderab le road,
that the sam e may be a Garr i son .
I t i s ordered that i t be referred to Coll . Hew son,Col l . Lau rence , the
Com l e Gen11 of the Rev enu e , to consider of the allegacion ,of the necessity
of for tify ing a p lace in K ildare , of th e conv eniency of the p lace w ith inmen tioned
,f or su ch a forte ; and being sat isfied therein to cer t i fy the same
t o th e Council , the Com re Gen11 to give order for a w arrant to b e prepared
f or con tr ibu t ing toward s the finishing thereof ou t of ye
pu b liqu e Treasu rynot exceeding tw enty pounds .
(S igned ) TH OM AS HERBERT , Clerk of the Counci l .
Dub lin ,12th March ,
1654 .
“
A s far as can be now ascerta ined , no Cromw el l ian for t waser ected at or near the Moa t , and I have com e across no trad it ion of i ts exi stence ; yet , accord ing to the word ing of the
petition , th e for t w as actu a lly commenced,and they
begging for £80 to be able to fin ish i t !
1 Brew er,in hi s Beau t ies o f Ireland , and Moore
,in hi s H i story of.
"
Ireland ,”
qu ote the first fiv e lines of the above stanza .
190 THE M OA T OF A R D S CULL .
Can i t b e tha t they selected a m oat 1 (the one in qu es tion) ,and converted i t into a rath-like for t by ra is ing the rampar ts at
the summ i t ? I ts comm and ing pos it ion and size w ou ld m ark i t
ou t as a m ost favou rable earthwork to for tify . This idea i scarr ied ou t by the follow ing descr iption of the Moa t as i t w as
over a hundred years ago , taken from R ichard Gough’
s
”
edition
a1.
0c Of
PLA N OF TH E IN T ER IOR‘
OF THE M OAT or A RD S CULL,
By W . Beau fo r t .
(From G ou gh’s C am den
’s B r i tannia ,
1 Father S hearman,in h i s “ Loca Pat r ici ana , favou r s the idea o f i t s
b eing a m oat , and a lso gives hi s v ersion of the m eaning of the name, wh ichi s given below for w hat i t i s wor th
N u adha “ N each t ( i . e . the snow-wh ite ) s lew Ederscel,son of Eoghan ,
son of O ilioll, K ing of Ireland in A .M . 5089 ( i . e . according to the A nna ls of
the Fou r Master s , B . C. at Knockaulin ,Co . K i ldare
,and became K ing
o f Ireland . Eder scal,
”says Father Shearman
,
“ was bu ried in A rd
Eter scel,now A rdscule
,a remarkab le t umu lu s near A thy .
”
If i t w as f ormer ly a moat , tha t f act wou ld accou nt for i ts not b eingm ent ioned in ear ly h is tory a long w ith Knockau lin ,
A l len , N aas,Mu l lagh
m ast,Mullachreelan , and other for ts .
THE M OA T or A RD S CULL . 19 1
'
o f W i l liam Cam den’
s B r itannia (or ig ina l l y published inwhich he i llustrated and enlarged in 1789 (oia
’e vol. i i i . p .
the account, pr obably from the pen of'
W. Beau for t , who alsodrew the sketches here reproduced f rom the volum e
,i s as
fol lows
A rdscu l, abou t 3 m iles f rom A thy , on t he road t o Dub l in , in the b aronyof N orragh , and county K ildare , i s a v ery fine Dun . S ee the plan and
v iew ,Plate XLII .
,figs . 2 and 3
,in wh ich
E i s the m ote or ditch,150 f t . long ,
110 f t . wide and 40 f t . above the
level o f the country .
B, the r ath , or cu ir t , from 12 to -20 ft . w ide .
G,the parapet , 20 f t . above t he level of the country .
C,the ban ,
or rampar t of earth , f rom 8 to 10 f t . w ide .
A , the entrance f rom the west,16 ft . above the platform of the for t , and
34 ft . above the mote (E) , being from 16 to 20 f t . w ide a t the top, and fr om
40 to 50 f t . at the bot tom .
D,th e amhai rc, or r adh arc, that i s , a specu lum or watch tower
,whereon
the hab itat ion of the ch ief w as genera l ly situ at ed,and whereon w ere con
stantly p laced the guards or watchmen . Th is i s 120 f t . by 4 5 ,r ises som e
w hat higher than the ban (C) , and comm ands a m ost delight fu l and
ext ensive prospect . On th is m ay be t raced the f oundations of a bu ildingat (H ) .H
, consisting o f t wo apar tm ent s , o f wh ich that marked 1 i s 14 ft . by10 ; No .
2 i s 30 f t . by 23 ; N o . 3 i s 14 f t . by 20. In tha t marked 2 abou t
s ix years since Mr . Beau for t discov ered , near two f eet b eneath the surface,
a fi rehearth ,consist ing of fou r large stones , one for the hearth ,
one at the
b ack , and one at each side they were nea t ly hammered , bu t not chisel led ,
and on the hear th were f ound some p ieces of coa l we now denominat eK ilkenny coal , and a lso pieces o f wood bu rnt . There cou ld a lso be tracedthe founda t ion s o f other b u i ldings wh ich h ave since been dug u p t o m ake
“
r oom f or a crop of potatoes .
L i s an ir regu lar apar tment,50 ft . by 15 .
M was either a wel l or an entrance to a cave u nder the rath 10 f t .
squ are .
I and K were apar tment s in a recess of the parapet I i s 30 f t . by 12 ,and K i s 20 f t . by 12 .
4,5,6,and 7 . The fou nda tions of the apar tments, or barrack s , marked
N os . 4 , 5 , 6, and 7, are‘
s i tu ated w ithou t the ban,and are in the whole
100 feet by 20. N o . 7 i s 30 f t . squ are .
The Irish rath s or dun s , when situ ated on a plain ,are genera l ly ciren
lar ; bu t when on a natu ral h il l,are of variou s form s
,according to the
S itu ation of .the ground . Th is at A rdscul i s irregu lar , and cont rary to the
genera l m ethod,opens to the w est , and not to the east .
A new road has been m ade round i t abou t twenty years ago, before'
wh ich the mote or ra th w as situ ated in a la rge field , and the country roundi t was covered w ith an extensive f orest , now for the greater part a bog .
1
1 S ome of the neighbou r ing town lands bear names indicating the form er
woody natu re of the dis trict , su ch a s Forest,S awyer
’
s Wood, and Black
w ood .
VOL . PT . 111 .
10 2 TH E M O AT OF A R D S CULL .
The above descr iption , though the w r iter has pu t Celticnam es to por tions of this ear thw ork , convey s more the idea of a
r a th or moat conver ted to a m odern u se than that of a veryear ly nat ive for tress ; and so
,th e pet ition o f 1654 and the
above accou n t m ay , perhaps, sat isfactor i ly expla in each other .
The road m en t ioned i n the petition of 1654 ran m ore 011
less paral lel to , and on the east side o f,the presen t road r un
n ing from A tliy to the M oat . Por tion s of i t are shown on a
hand-pa inted m ap , drawn by Roqu e m 1756 for Jam es , Ear lof Kildare, where it i s m arked down a s
“ the old road .
”
The earl iest N orm an possessor of proper ty in and arou nd
A rdscu ll , accord ing to S weetm an’
s Calendar of Documents,I r e
land,appears to have been W il liam de M ohun (Mowon ) , a s , in
the year 1282 , the escheator of Ireland (John de S au nford ) w as
ordered to take in to the king’s hands all the lands whereof
W il liam de Mohun d ied se ized in fee . W i l liam ’s death took
p lace at Ottery , in Devon , on the 25th of A u gu st, 1282 . One
of the twelve ju ry on the sworn Inqu is ition ,held on the 4 th of
October in tha t year , to ascer ta in W i l liam ’s possession s, w as a
S tephen de Molochm ast . They fou nd that he had in possession ,
bes ides the M anor of Grange Mohun (M oone ) , proper ty in
B i thelan (Belan ) , Carbery , A l len ,and A rscol
,all in the Co .
Kildare,besides property in the Co . Kilkenny . A s to Ar scol,
or A rdscu l l ,“ they say that there are here 601 acres in d emesne ,
which they extend at 608. 6d , nam ely , each acre at 12d . ;
8 acres held by W i l liam H oper are extended to 88 . a-year,nam ely , 12d . an acre : total , 683 . 6d . The bu rgesses of A rscol
hold 160 burgages , and render therefor 8l. a-year , one m oietyat M ichaelmas
,and the other at Easter , besides 3s . 8d . su rplu s
rent .
M i ll , etc; They extend a m oiety of the m il l of A rscol
which W i l liam held a t h i s death at 198 . a-year one m o iety o f
the w ood there at 6s . 8d . pr isage of beer there at 138. 4d .
a-year , and p leas and perqu isites of the hundred there at 20s.
a-year : tota l ,The Moat i s on the Duke of Leinster ’
s property. I t pro
bably came into the possess ion of the Fi tzGeralds 1n the 18th
centu ry , on the m arr i age of Thom as Fitz Gerald , 6th Baron of
Off a ly (father of the first Ear l of Kildare) , w ith Rohesia ,daughter of R ichard de S t . M ichael , Baron of Rheban,
who
was he iress of the M anors of W oodstock and A thy .
The Moat of A rdscu ll 1s stil l bel ieved by the old peop le tobe the abode of the l ittle gentry, or good people , as they pro
p i tiatingly cal l the fa ir ies . One story I lately heard in con
nexion w i th it was to this effect —Long ago there dwel t in the
194 THE M OA T OF A RD S CULL .
to h im or h i s have resu lted . I t was formerly covered w i ththorn bu shes ; under one in particu lar on the sou th s ide of the
rath i t was rumou red that a b ig lump of m oney was bur ied,bu t
no one wou ld dare d ig for it . H owever , a few years ago a b igw ind blew down the bush , and Chr isty then attacked the p lacew ith a fack ; bu t a fter d igg ing to a depth o f three feet hefa i led to find the treasure, and so desisted . W hen level l ing therampart he cam e across a large number o f anima l bones and
teeth , a horse’
s and a cow’
s sku ll , as wel l as a sort of 1ron b i ll hook,abou t a foot 1n length , w ith teeth and a socket for th e 1nser
tion of the hand le . In the north eastern corner of the rampar t
he cam e across an u nfiagged chamber , fu l l of black bar ley and
a shes,of which he drew away twenty-seven cartloads, and u sed
it as m anu re . Just ou ts ide this find , in the trench ,in one
p lace was a very soft dry spot , down which h i s shovel went asi f through water the length of the shovel and h i s arm d id no t
reach the bottom . H e d id not exam ine i t fu rther .
In connexion w ith this squ are rath Chr isty H ickey tel ls a
story which he had heard from old m en , while“col log u ing a t
the fires ide . In g iving i t here, I have adhered as near as pos
s ible to hi s own words —Af ter the Danes had been exterm i
h ated ou t of the country a sm all remnant of them stil l existed i nthe depths of the B lack Wood
,near the Monavullagh Bog ,
in
the neighbou rhood of the Moat . They had ha iry skins , l ikebu l locks, and shor t ta i ls
,bu t were harm less and inoffens ive to
the people round , w ith the exception o f a white w olf they pos !
sessed . They were known by the nam e of Mac Lochlan s .
”
One day a m an nam ed Br ian O ’
Toole hunted the wh i te wolf ,bu t was pu rsu ed by the Danes , who chased h im u p a tree .
The white wolf was fol low ing a fter h im , when he fired at itw i th a bowarra , and wou nded i t in the ey e . The Danes thenfled , and w ith the white wolf d isappeared ou t o f the coun try .
S ome years af terwards Br ian, in order to m ake u p h i s rent,
w en t over to Eng land to look for work, and from there passedon into the Danes
’
country . In the heel o f the e venm g o f one
hot day he found himself tramping a long the m a i l-coach road ,
weak w ith fatigue . Presen tly he met w ith an old man who was
s itting on the top of the d itch crying b i tter ly . Beside h im a
few head of cattle and a pu ckawn were graz ing by the roads ide .
On com ing u p w ith h im Br ian b id h im the t ime of day ,and
asked what a i led h im . The old m an repli ed ,“ My father i s
a fter g iv ing m e a skelping . for not driv ing the cows ou t to
graze sooner .
’ “ I s your father sti ll al ive . says Br ian ,
Fa ith he mu st be a very old m an entirely where does hel ive ? ”
H e lives in a hou se abou t ten perch f in ther down
THE M OA T OF A RD S CULL . 195
the road , sa id the old m an ; bu t i t’
s tired you look . Won’ t
you"
go in and take the w eight off you r feet , and you ’ l l find a
dr ink of bu tterm i lk on the dresser Br ian w i ll ing ly, accepted
this i nv i tation ,and w a s star ting off when the old m an ca lled
h im back, and sa id ,“ I t
’
s w ant ing to shake hands w ith you myfather w i l l be, and though he i s m ighty old , yet he i s powerfu ls trong ; so y ou had better take this w ith you , and g ive it toh im instead of you r hand . A nd he gave Br ian the leg-boneo f a horse .
On enter ing the Dane’
s hou se,w ith a God save all here
,
Br ian saw that the aged Dane w as lying in a crad le slung fromthe r idge-pole of the hou se . H e w ent up , and comm enced
rocking i t , u pon which the occupan t opened on e ey e and lookedat. h im .
“ Give u s you r hand ,”says he . Br ian held ou t the
leg-bone , w hich the Dane grasped , and cru shed it to bru ss .
N ow , si t down and take an a ir of the fire ,”sa id he, while I
speak to you .
”Brian sat him self on the hob , and p icking up
a live coa l , li t h i s pipe w ith i t . I know you well sa id theDane
“ i t’
s ou t of the coun ty Kildare you are .
”Fa ith
,I
am,
”sa id Br ian
,in aston ishm en t .
“ Did you ever hear tel l o fth e Moat o f A rd scu l l asked the Dan e .
“ W asn’ t I r eared
w i thin the baw l of an ass of i t,
repl ied ,Br ian “ W ell , i t
’
s
there I m ade my load ,”continu ed the Dane ; and now , i f
y ou w i l l fol low m y ins tru ct ions , I’
ll m ake you as r ich as the
King of S pain .
” W hy are you go ing to trea t m e so handsom ely inqu ired Br ian , su sp iciou sly . I
’
ll te l l you that,”
sa id the Dan e do you m ind som e years ago cou rsing a whitew o lf , and w ou nd ing i t in the ey e w ith a bowarra Bedad
,
I d o, repl ied Br ian .
“ W e ll , said the Dane, myself wasthe w o lf
,and that eye i s dark in my head yet . By w ou nding
m e you broke the enchantm en t that w as on u s,and we w ere then
able to retu rn to ou r ow n cou ntry . B u t to retu rn to the treasu re .
Do you know the lit tle squ are rath ca lled ‘ A rdnacu tch,
’
th a tl ies w ithin a shou t of the M oat of A rdscu ll to the sou th ? ”
M any are the cock-figh ts I’ve seen in i t
,repl ied Br ian .
Di d you ever rem ark a b ig skeoch-bu sh 0 11 the north s ide of
i t asked the Dane Begorra , I have ,”answered Br ian
shu re , I destroyed a m agpie’
s nes t in i t last year .
” “ Wel l ,con t inu ed the Dan e
,
“on you r retu rn hom e
, get a fack and d ign ear the roots of the skeoch you
’ll m eet a flight of steps , at
the bottom of w hich i s a stone flag ,w ith an iron r ing in i t on
r aising that , y ou w i l l find a cave conta in ing the fu l l of a car of
golden gu ineas . Bu t you m u st take this handkercher and
w orrum”
(which the Dane l ifted ou t of a box he had pu lledfrom the thatch , and handed to Br ian ) w ith you ,
becau se the
190 THE OF A R D S CULL .
cave i s gu a i ded by an eagle , a dog , and a cat,which w ill
attack you ; bu t , by hold ing one 111 e i ther hand , they w i l l ha ven o power over you . Don
’
t lose them,or your luck w i l l fa i l .
A nd now I’
ll take a shough of you r doodeen before I go tosleep , and good lu ck go w ith y ou .
”That n ight Br ian slept 111
the settle bed in the Dane’
s k itchen,and ear ly next m orn ing
comm enced hi s return jou rney to Ire land . In d u e cou 1se h e
reached hom e,and w ithou t de lay comm enced to dig u nder the
b ig skeoch-bu sh on the n or th s ide of A rdnacu tch . H e d is
covered the steps , u near thed them ,and lay bare the stone flag
a t their base . H e then took the handke1ch ief i n one hand and
the worm in the‘
other , and comm enced to ra ise the flag frombelow ,
when a‘
screeching and baw l ing commenced . A s soon as
he Jhad o pened the m ou th of the cave , ou t charged the eagle,dog , and cat . Br ian lost hi s head , and , dropping the handkerchief and worm ,
seized the fack to protect him self . H e w as
immed iately stu nned by a blow from,the eag le
’
s w ing ; and
when he cam e to aga in he fou nd him self lying ,bad ly bru ised
,
i n the m idd le of A rdnacu tch ,whi le the hole tha t he had dug
w as f reshly fil led i n aga in . S ince then no one has discovered
the treasu re .
To som e i t m ay seem child ish to record “ fa iry ta les of the
above descr ip tion ; bu t they are old w 01ld stor ies that ar e hardto collect now ,
as the old generat ion who u sed to recite them,
and who,to a great extent believed them to be t r eu
,are passing
away,and w ith them w i l l go a very great dea l that was innocent
and in s tructive , never to retu rn .
CELBRJD GE : S OM E N O TE S ON [ TS PA S T
BY REV . CHARLES I . GRAHAM,B .D.
,Incumbent of Celbr idge .
[Read at the CELBRIDGE MEETIN G, S eptember , 1896 ]
OT every v i llage i n Ireland can boast itself the scene of a .
fam ou s histor ica l romance , Yet Celbr idge , som e hundredand seventy years ago , was for a shor t per iod,the scene of a
rom ance which wi ll not be forgotten as long as the nam es of
S w ift and V anessa l ive in the pages of history . Rom ance and
archaeology may not at fir st s igh t seem to be on the best of
term s . The tru th i s that rom an ce is a much g reater thing thanarchaeology, and i f archaeology can make
'
th e r om anoes of the
past stand ou t before u s as l iv ing realities to-day ,archaeo logy
h as deserved wel l even o f those who can find in it nothing bu tthe dr iest of dry bones . The story of the love of V an essa for
S w if t , m ore than a centu ry and a-ha lf ago , can be rea lised tothe fu l l by any who pay a v isit to V anessa
’
s Bow er at The
A bbey , Celbr idge, and who have imag ination enough whenthere to throw them selves into the history of the past . Bu t
what i s this story of Sw ift and V an essa ? Br iefly i t i s this .
Bartholomew V an H omr igh , a Du tch m erchan t who had beenComm issary of S tores for KingW i ll iam III . in the Ir ish C ivi lWars
, pu rchased forfeited estates to the va lue of in
I reland .
‘
H e became Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1697 . A nd at
hi s death , abou t 1709,h i s w idow (who was the daughter of
Mr . S tone , a Comm issioner ) , w ith her two sons and two
dau ghters settled in London . There Sw ift becam e
“
acquaintedw ith them . A t that t im e
,the e ldest dau ghter , Esther V an
H om r igh was abou t tw en ty year s of age . S he w as the Van-Essa
o f Sw i ft ’
s rom ance . S he and the Dean read and stud iedtogether in London
,unti l the l iterary bond deepened in to a
stronger and m ore power fu l one, and Esther V an H om r igh
con fessed her love for her m aster . This con fess ion w as m ade
j u st before Sw if t w en t to take possession of th e Deanery of
S t . Patr ick ’s in 1713 . Sw ift indeed expressed su rpr ise that
V anessa shou ld have con ceived su ch a passion . H e w r ites
V anessa,not in year s a score
Dream s of a gown of for ty-fou r .
Imaginary charm s can find
In ey es w ith r eading a lmost b lind .
CELBR IDGE 2 S OM E N OTE S ON IT S PA S T H IS TORY .
he tel ls u s that,
H i s condu ct m ight have m ade h im styledA f ather
,and th e nymph h i s child .
That innocent deligh t he tookTo see th e v irgin m ind her book ,W as bu t the m aster
’
s secret j oyIn school t o hear the finest boy .
Cadenu s and Vanessa .
Bu t there m u st have been som eth ing m ore than this in the
m at ter . For in Sw ift ’s Letters toM i ss John ston (better knowna s S tella)—another o f the Dean
’
s lady-loves , and anotherEs ther— though frequ ently speaking o f M rs . Van H om r igh , and
o f h i s v is its to her hou se in London he never m ent ions thenam e of V anessa . Indeed h e refers to her on ly tw ice in all
these Letters,and then
, qu ite cold ly and ind ifferen t ly,as M rs .
V an H om r i gh’
s eldest daughter This, to say the least of
i t,i s su spiciou s . H owever , a year a fter the con fess ion o f her
love for the Dean , her m other d ied,and her two brothers
su r v ived their m other bu t a shor t tim e . Esther and her sisterM oll, or M olkin
,then retu rned to Ireland to l ive on their
property a t Celbr idge , the dem esn e n ow known as The A bbey ,and at pr esen t the residence of Colonel Dease . The da te o f
V an essa’
s res idence at Celbr idge i s 1717 . Bu t Sw ift who hadS tella on hi s hands
,and to whom
,i t has been sa id ,
he w as
secret ly m arr ied in 1716, n ever v isi ted V anessa at Celbr idgeu n ti l the y ear 1720. S o tha t the Celbr idge part of the S w i ftand V anessa rom ance i s confined to three years
,1720—1723
,for
in the latter year V anessa d ied . H er death w as indeed a
tragedy . Torm en ted w ith doubts crea ted by rum ou rs whichshe had heard
,she w rote to S tel la to ask the natu re of the
f riendship which existed between her and the Dean . H er
letter w as shown by S tel la to S w if t . The Dean w as so
m u ch i rr itated by the let ter tha t,
filled w ith rage , he rode
from Dublin to the A bbey,and throw ing down V anessa
’
s
let ter to S tel la on the table in her presence , he ru shed from the
room in a paroxysm of passion ,and rode back at once to
Du blin . W ithin three w eeks of this occu rrence V anessa had
d ied of a broken heart,in the 37th year of her age . S u ch i s
the story of Sw i ft and V anessa .
I B u t how far can the landm a rks of this rom an ce be now traced ?
1 If any w ish t o read a fu l l accou nt o f th is rom ance th ey h ad bet ter
pu rch a se Mr s . W ood’
s Esther V an Hom r igh .
”Th is book i s a novel , not
a cont ribu t i on t o archaeology ,and som e of i t s h istorica l s tatem ent s m ay not
bear the scr u t iny o f an archaeologica l inv est igat ion . N ev er theless i t g ivesa v ery fair pictu re of the t im es
,and i s qu ite wor th reading .
2 0 0 CELBR IDGE : S OM E N OTE S ON IT S PA S T H IS TO RY .
The v i llage of Celbridge w as called i n Sw if t’ s day ,Ifi
'
lclro/wd,
0 1 K i ldrougizzf. If i ldro/wrl i s sa id to m ean The Chu rch of the
B 1 i dge, though w here the church w as,or the br idge which
ginally gave a nam e to the v i llage , no one seem s as y et t o
have d iscovered . The w ord Ce lbr idge”i s clear ly a hy br id
one—K i ll softened into CW,
”and Dre/10d transla ted as
“ Br idge?” The n ame K im/ 1
0 119711 st i l l exists as the ecclesiast icaln am e o f the par ish , while in the v i l lage there i s a K z
'
lzéroug/uf
H ou se , and. the present Rectory ,acqu ired by th e par ish in 1892 ,
has been s tyled [KHz/f ought Parson age . S o t he past i s not qu iteforgotten . S w if t refers to K i ldrouglzt in hi s letters to V anessa
“ Pray take care,
’ ’
he w r ites,“o f you r health in th is I r ish
a i r to which you are a stranger . Does not D ubl in look veryd irty to you ,
and the country very m iserable ? I s K i ldrohod
a s bea u t ifu l asW indsor , and as agreeable to you as the p rebend’
s
lodg ings there ? I s th ere any w a lk abou t y ou ,as p leasan t as
the A venu e and Mar lborough Lodge ?”
A ga in he w r ites toher I have asked
,and am assured there i s not one beech
in all you r groves to carve a n ame on,nor p ur l ing s tream
,for
love or m oney,except a grea t r iver w hich som et im es -roars
, b u t
never m u rm ur s,j u st l ike Governor H u ff .
” 2 S i r Wa lter S cott,
in hi s l i fe o f D ean S wif t , m entions that V anessa a lways
p lan ted a lau rel 0 11 two wlienever the D ean w as com i ng to
v is it her . N o traces o f these lau re ls su rvive at the A bbey , bu tthere are y ew
-t1ees not f 1
a1 from the hou se which m ay havebeen cotemporar ies of the Dean . A t the Rectory a t N ew
castle -Lyons,three m iles from Ce lbridge, an old y ew
-tree i s
shown u nder w hich it i s sa id that Dean Sw i ft many a t ime sat
and talked . Bu t i f w e cannot,
trace the lau rels which V anessa
p lan ted at the A bbey , w e can ident i fy the bower in which heand V anessa so often sa t w i th the ir books , and t he ir w r i t 1ngm a tei ials on a table ln front of them . Tliere i t st i ll rema ins
,
w ith the t luy island ,and the l i t t le cascade , w i th i ts leafy roof
,
and the r iver that roars b ut never m u rm u rs and y o u have
only to stre tch yourse lf on the m ound a bove i t,and close your
eyes , and y ou can l ive in the days o f t his sad romance,and
see i t w ith the clearest o f v is ions . The old foot-br idge over
w hich S w if t and V anessa had so of ten crossed,w ith i ts arched
en tr ance and iron gate, s t i ll rema ins . In Colonel D ease’
s
1 That there m u st have been a bridge Over the Li ffey here f rom p ret tyea i ly t imes appear s f rom the f zrct t ha t m an Inqu is it ion 1n the t ime of HenryV 111. qu oted i n Ar chdall
’
s Mona s tzcon,ment i on 1s m ade of some pasture
g round a t the f oot o t the Bridge o f K 11drough t .
2 Governor Hu ff , i t i s need less t o add ,was one of Swif t ’
s pet names f or
V anessa .
2 0 2 CELBR IDGE S OME N OTE S ON IT S PA S T H I S TORY .
of Clon fe‘
rt and K ilm acduagh . Indeed , there m ight have been
p layed u pon Pr ice , the joke which Sydney Sm ith says was on ce
p layed on a r ich Canon of Chr ist Chu rch,Ox ford , who held no
less than eight benefices and d ign i t ies at the sam e t im e . One
d ay the Canon asked a fr iend of h i s to order d inner for h im at
H unger ford . H i s fr iend w en t to the hotel , and there ordered
e igh t separate d inners . One w as f or the Canon of Chr i s tChu rch , another for the Rector of S taverton
,another for the
V icar o f this , another for the Prebendary of that,so that when
the Canon of Chr ist Chu rch arr ived at H ungerford , he found
eight separate d inners ready for him ,and had to pay the bi ll
accord ing ly .
Bu t Pr ice ’
s ecclesiastica l greatness did not stop shor t at th eB ishopr ic of Clon fer t . In 1730 he was translated to the
B ishopr ic of Ferns ; and in 1784 he w as translated f rom that tothe Bishopr ic o f M eath and rem a in ing there ten years, in 1744he w as tran sla ted to the A rchbishopr ic o f Cashe l . In 1746 he
was m ade V ice-Chancel lor of Tr in it y College , Dublin,and you
can see h i s por tra it on the w a l ls of the D in ing H a ll of tha tU n ivers ity . H e d ied on Ju ly 17 th , 1752 , a t Celbr idge, an d
was bu r ied in Leixl ip on Ju ly 20th . A m on umen ta l slabrecord ing h i s bu r ia l i s placed in the floor of the nave of Leixl ipChurch .
A rchbishop Pr ice probably b u i l t the hou se now known a s
Oakly Park,abou t the sam e tim e that Cast letown H ou se w as
bu i lt,that i s
,in the year 1725 , and trad it ion sta tes that the
t w o hou ses had a comm on arch itect . When prom oted to the
B ishopr ic o f'
M ea th he seem s to have l ived at Oakly Park, and
from thence to have su per in tended the bu i ld ing o f an ep iscopa lres idence f or the D iocese o f M eath at A rdbraocan , p ursuan t to
the designs o f hi s predecessor in the see,B ishop Evan s . H e
d id not comp lete A rdbraccan H ou se,for before i t was fin ished
he was t ranslated to the A rchbishopr ic of Ca shel . On whiche vent the au thor of some M s . notes to an ed it ion of W are
’
s
A n tiqu i ties , in the Library of T r in ity Col lege , makes the
fo l low ing sarcast ic r em ark I t had been m u ch to he w ishedtha t he h ad never qu itted M ea th
,and then the hou se a t A rd
bracean w ou ld have been completed , and the noble and venerableCa thedra l of Ca she l wou ld have escaped hi s destr uct ive hand .
”
T he reference in the la t ter sen tence i s to the fact that,w hen
A rchbi shop of Cashel,he procu red an A ct of Counci l to remove
the Cathedra l f rom the Rock of Cashel in to the town , u n it ingthe sam e w ith S t . John ’
s Par ish .
“ By w hich'
m ean s ,”adds th e
wr i ter I have ju st quoted ,“that n oble and venerable p ile has
gone to r u in s .
”H ow ever
,no m an i s W ithou t h i s redeem ing
CELBR IDGE S OME N OTE S ON IT S PA S T H IS TORY .
f eatu re . Pr ice d id not forget the'
first par ish of w hich hew as
v icar . In 1784,w hen B ishop of Meath
,he presen ted to Cel
br idge Par ish a very su bstan tia l set of V essels for H oly Comm un ion . They are the ones now in u se , they are inscr ibed w ithh i s nam e , and the da te of the g i ft ; and seem to be very littlethe w orse of the w ear and tear of 162 y ears .
1
Dr . Pr ice w as su cceeded as V icar of Celbr idge by GeorgeM arlay , who af terw ards became B ishop o f D rom ore . H e l ivedat the A bbey , and for a considerable tim e in i ts history ,
i t borethe name o f Mar lay A bbey
,af ter him self and hi s fam i ly . I t
eem s as i f A rchbishop Pr ice he ld Oakly Park in hi s own posses
s ion u nti l hi s death , for he d ied at Celbr idge , and h i s su ccessor i n
t he V icarage in 1724 l ived not at Oakly Park, b u t a t T he A bbey .
For thirty-three years a fter h i s death ,w e cannot say what
tenan t m ay have occup ied the hou se . B u t in 1785 there came
to l ive at Oakly Park , or Celbr idge H al l as it w as then ca l led, a
fam ily the m em ory o f who se deeds sheds a glory on the v i llageo f Celbr idge . In that year Colonel and Lady S arah N apiertook up their r es idence at Ce lbr idge H a ll
,and all their sons w ere
born there except S ir Char les . In the Baptismal Register thereare entr ies m ade of the baptism of five of h is children . LadyS arah N apier before her m arr iage w as Lady S arah Lennox
,
seventh daughter o f the second Duke of R ichm ond (who was
grandson o f Char les by S arah,eldest dau ghter of Lord
Cadogan . Lady S arah N ap ier , who w as a . celebrated beau ty,
and to whom King George H I . had offered h i s hand and heart,
had three sisters— one Caroline,m arr ied to the first Lord
H olland,and mother of Char les James Fox ; another
,Em i ly
,
m arr ied to the Duke o f Leinster , and mother of Lord Edward
Fitz Gerald ; while a third,Lou isa
,was m arr ied to Co lonel
Conol ly of Castletown . W hen the N apiers l ived at Celbr idgeH a l l , the house soon becam e known in the neighbou rhood bythe nam e o f the Eagle
’
s N est .
”I t was so called e ither
becau se o f the hooked noses possessed by the N ap ier boy s , 0 11
becau se of the ir high spir its?
. In the Life o f S ir W i l liam
1 S om e year s ago a dispu te arose as to whether the Bishop of Mea th
shou ld b e t ermed 111 036 R ea,
”as being the b ishop of the see nex t in
d ignity to the two archb ishopr ics , or R igh t R ev .
”as an ordinary b ishop .
On the Celbridge Commu n ion Vessel s the inscr ipt ion i s R ig/rt R ev .
”In
a Paper recent ly read before th e Roya l Irish A cademy , Canon O lden has
cal led at tent ion to the fact that two of the pa tens , presented by Archbis ho pPr ice
,are made t o fit as chalice covers when reversed . ( The P a ten i nf
Gour don i llu s tr a ted f em the B ook of A rm agh ,by Rev . T . Olden
, Feb l2 P unch once represented a m eeting b etween the Duke of W elling tbn
and one of the N apier s , in wh ich the greet ing consisted of a f raternalr ubb ing of noses .
2 0 4 CELBR IDGE : S OM E N OTE S ON IT S PA S T H IS T ORY .
N ap ier , m any a ta le i s told of the Celbr idge o f tha t day . I t
seem s that Char les and W i l liam N api er w en t. to a school inthe v i llage , known by the name of the A cademy , u nder the
m astersh i p of a m an nam ed Bagna l . A t this A cad emy the
boys w ere allRom an Cathol ics . A Protestan t Board ing S choolexisted in S t . W olstan
’
s a t that t im e , and on one occasionChar les N ap ier , when a l itt le boy ,
hav ing m arched a band of
volun teers whom he had organ ised and dr i l led , past S t .W olstan’
s,
an a ttack w as m ade on them by the boys of that In stitu t ion .
S er iou s consequ ences w ere only prevented by Charles N apierr id ing on h i s l i ttle A rab pony b etw een the bel liger ents , and
ca ll ing off hi s you th fu l troops .
1 The days of th e r ebell iono f 1798 w ere sad days for Celbr idge . W ounded m en w ere
con stan t ly being brough t int o the v i llage , and the v il lage itselfwa s tw ice ordered to be bu rn t by the Governm en t
,and only
s aved throu gh the in tervention of Colonel N apier . Celbr idgeH a l l was itself a ttacked
, and on the knocker of Oakly Park
hall door can stil l be seen the m ark of the blow of a s ledgehamm er w ielded by som e of those who w ere trying to break i nthe door .
Close to Oakly Park, in an enclosed graveyard , stand theru ins of the old chu rch burn t in the y ear 1798. Par t of theseru ins have been roofed in to m ake bu r ia l-places for theM aun sel land Conol ly fam i l ies . In the Conolly vau l t i s to be fou nd a
large and handsome m arble m onum ent of the R ight H on.
W i ll iam Conolly,S peaker o f the Ir ish H ou se of Comm on s , and
h i s w ife . I t represen ts the Speaker reclim ng i n h i s robes,and
h is w ife bend ing over h im . There i s on it a long Lat in inscr iption ,
stat ing that it was erected to h i s m em ory by Cather ineConyngham h i s w ife . A nd in fron t of i t i s a beau tifu l p ieceof i ron gr i l l-work . A n effor t was m ade som e y ears ago to havei t rem oved from i ts present posi tion ,
and p laced in the par ishchurch . Bu t nothing cam e of
'
i t . I have reason to bel ievethat the present owner ,
of Castletown i s anxiou s that this statu eof h i s an cestor— so. influ ential
,so patr iotic, and so good an
1 There i s some dispu te ab ou t the house in which this Academy w as
h eld . I w as led to believ e that i t was in K i ldrou gh t Hou se,next the Cou rt
H ou se . Bu t the Rev . M . Hogan ,
'
a former Roman Catholic cu rate in
Ce lbr idge , in form s me tha t i t i s a lso said to h ave been held i n a hou se ln
th e v il lage wh ich h as a da te over i t , or in a hou se lower down i n the v i l lagewh ich st ands m a place known as the Brew eryYard . Fa ther Hogan , who has
very kindly placed h i s notes at my d isposa l f or the pu rpose of th is Paper ,s t a t es th at m a book ent it led ‘ ‘ A Shor t V iew of the History of the Chr ist ianChu rch from i ts fir st Estab lishm ent to the Present Centu ry
”by Rev
Joseph Reev e , pub lished m 1809,he f ound a l is t o f su bscr iber s to the book
many of whom gave as their address Celbr idge Academy .
”
m iswllanra.
On the Lost Ogham“ Deccedda S tone, once at K illeen
Cormac, near Colb instown, Co. K i ldare .
— Ou an in let at th e
entrance of th e great estu ary of th e K enm are r iver stands a v eryrem arkab le stone m onum ent .
1
[Under th e lofty range of S liev e
M i ski sh , r ising almost from the edge of th e A t lant ic,and b eside th e
land-locked Bay of Ballycrovane , in a lonely ,treeless land of m enu
t ain,and rock
,and
'
ocean b ay ,w atch es , and h as w atch ed for centu r ies
,
a rough ,u nhewn ,
clay-slate m onol ith,erect
,th ou gh age
-stooped ,and
score-inscr ibed w ith the myster ious Ogh am script . Th is ru de stone
i s remarkab le for one th ing, as b eing the longest and lof tiest of all
th e in scr ibed monolith s yet found in Ireland,or
,indeed ,
in th e
Brit ish I sles . Bu t i t i s remarkab le , too ,for facts connected w ith th e
inscr ipt ion . I need not ( I suppose) m inu tely descr ibe the natu re of
th e Ogham script: for readers of th e K ILDARE ARCH ZEOLOGICAL JOURN AL .
Everyone know s th a t i t consist s of st raigh t , or s l igh t ly-cu r ved scores
and n icks graven w ith a tool in th e stone , almost alway s along an
edge , w h ich form s ( so t o S peak ) th e b ack b one of th e scores, these
lat ter spreading f rom i t in para l lel lines on either side,m u ch as a
h err ing’s l ibs spread from i t s sp i ne, wh i le the n ick s are indented
along the edge sp ine it self . In th e Book of Ballym ote (fou rteenthcentu ry ) i s a t ract on Ogham (or Ogam ) alph abet s , wh ich gi v es a cl u et o th e deciph ering of these myster iou s scores and n ick s . S u ffice i t to
say , that th e scores (according to th eir number and length ) representconsonants , and the n icks (according t o th eir numb er ) rep resent
vowels . Th e langu age i s (popu larly speaking) Old I rish .
Th e in scr ipt ion on th e stand ing m onolith of Ballycrovane ,above
m ent ioned,r uns thu s
MAQI DECCEDDA S AFITORAN I AS
( according to Mr . Brash’s reading of i t , wh ich i s not substant ially
d ispu ted ) .The remarkab le letters here are those form ing th e w ord “
DECCEDDA .
Th is w ord,0 1
1
name ( for su ch i t i s) , i s well known t o Ogh am ist s . I t
h as been found (pract ically ident ical ) on several Ogh am-in scr ibed
p illar-stones , and invariably preceded by the word M AQI ,”
fi e. son
of .
”A t Ballintaggart , Dingle (Co . Cork ) , occur s thu s— “
MAQ I
nEe DA .
”On a s tone f ound at Gortnagullan ach ,
in th e Dingle ,
distr ict —“111mm DECEDDA .
”On one of th e Dunbell stones in th e
Mu seum at K ilkenny MAQI DEceEDDA .
”
In th e Archaeologica Camb rensi s , vol. I II .
,3rd ser ies
, p .
1 Brash, The Ogam
-inscribed Monument s of the Gaedhi l, p . 127 .
3 S hearm an’
s Loca Patri ciana, p . 39 Brash , p . 316 .
M IS CELLAN EA . 2 0 7
an Ogham-inscribed monument of the close of the sixth centu ry i s
descr .ibed I t i s at Penros Slygwy , in Anglesea . I t reads,
“ H i e
j acet m accu decett i .
Space, as w e ll as know ledge , fails m e to go 1nto the conclu sionssu ggested by th is remarkab le ex tension of a nam e
,thu s found ln su ch
w idely-sundered d istr ict s . Wh at i s of importance to my present
pu rpose i s,that a stone formerly existed (descr ibed and figu red
by Brash , p . 316,
fig . N o . 2,K i llen Corm ac, on PI. XL. and by
S hearman, p . 39) in the old graveyard at K illeen Corm ac
,near
Colbinstown ,Co . K i ldare , b ear ing the sam e name
K illeen Corm ac i s famou s am ong Ir ish arch aeologist s f or i t s Ogh amstones, especially for i t s alm ost ( in Ireland ) u niqu e specim en of a
b ilingual Ogham and Lat in-inscribed stone,b ear ing the mu ch -dispu ted
let ters IVVERE (or IVVENE ) Dv m Es,
”upon wh ich Father S hear
man founds a very elaborate and learned disqu isit ion , perfect ly sat isfactory in every respect , excep t that the reading of the Ogham wh ichhe adopt s i s u nfortunately ab solu tely impossib le, for reasons into wh ichspace f orb ids my entering now . N or i s th is famou s stone the one
now to engage ou r not ice . I t i s another stone— th e “DECCEDA
,
”
“DECEDDA ,
”or
“DDECCEDA stone
,formerly existing, and standing
upright , in K illeen Cormac. The inscript ion ran
-LLLL+H H . JILLJ-Li-LM -LL-h / -u-u-LH ~H+-
7L+
75f§ £ 4 4 4 4 -11 IIIITM
’
A Q I D D E E D A M A Q I M A R N
( S tone of ) THE SON or DDECCED SON or MARIN .
That th is was a stone worth preserv ing few w ill be su ch Goths and
Vandals as to doub t . Bu t i t h as not b een p11
.ese1ved I t i s undoub ted lygone, and has b een gone now for a good many years . N 0 one cou ldgiv e any 1nfo1mat1on as to i ts disappearance , fu rther than that i t wasgene , w h ich w as ev ident .
In Au gu st , 1892 , Rob ert M itchell , of Ballynu re , and the presentw riter paid a v isit t o the K illeen . Mr . M itchell found a f ragment of
a stone near the spot marked on Father Sh earman’s p lan as the site of
the “DDECCEDA
”stone . Th is fragment bore unm istakab le Ogham
scores . W e hunted for a couple of hou rs , t i ll darkness set in,and
found abou t twelve fragm ent s, some larger , som e smaller—abou t fou r
bearing Ogh am scores . S everal fitted along the fractu res (tolerab lyrecent fractu res) , plain ly show ing that th ey once form ed part of a
pret ty large inscr ibed Ogham stone . The let ters p lainly traceab le on
the f ragment s (of wh ich I have draw ings) com e into th e inscript ion on
th e lost “ Ddecceda”stone, as given by Brash and Sh earman (loczs
We left the fragm en t s p ieced and fitted together . On su bsequ entv isits I found th ese fragm ent s scat tered abou t , and lef t them i n a
cav ity i n the mound of th e K il leen,where I fondly fancied they w ou ld
be safe . Bu t last N ovember , wh en S i r A rthu r V icars (Ulster ) ,H . Blake , and myself visited the K illeen , we found that the boundarywall of the graveyard had been lately repaired by the Board of
PART 111. R
M IS CELLANEA .
Guardians, and that certainly one,and probably all, of the
“lDdeeceda
stone fragment s h ad been very admirab ly and securely mort ared-upinto th is excellent wall.
I cou ld not bu t be rem inded, by th is indiscrim inat ing zeal of th e
Fathers of the Poor , of a story I h ave h eard concerning a country
gentlem an of archaeological tastes . He had on h i s property a venerable
and interest ing ru in . H e gave direct ions to h i s m en that th is ru in,in
order to preserve i t , shou ld be w ell fenced in w ith a good w all . On
com ing som e t im e af ter to see how hi s orders had been execu ted,h e
w as,no dou bt , h igh ly gratified t o
‘
discover an adm irab ly bu ilt w all su rrounding a vacant space , wh ere the obj ect of h i s care once stood . Everyrem aining stone of the r u in had been u tiliz ed by h i s int elligentw orkm en in constru ct ing the wall of preservat ion . M end — S et some
one th at knows som eth ing of archaeology to look af ter K illeenCormac.
—WILLIAM FITZGERALD, Clk.
County K i ldare Trade-Tokens,” Seventeenth Century .
Appended i s given a l ist of all th e Trade Tokens in connexion w ithtowns in the Co . K ildare that are at p resent known to exist : th ere i sa specimen of each one here given in the Carton collect ion of coins .
Th e f ollowing remarks on the origin and u se of th ese Trade Tokens
has been kindly supplied to me by Dr . W illiam Fi az er , F .R .c.s .1 .,
M .R .I .A .
,w ho 1s an expert on such mat te1 s :
“ Little p ieces of copper coin, va1yi ng in size from that of a
sh i lling to even smaller th an a th1eepenny p iece , u sually inscr ibedw ith the nam e of the person by whom i t w as issued
,and h i s trade or
occupat ion , possib ly a lso bear ing th e date of i t s issu e,and on the oth er
side,oft en having the town or v illage in Wh ich h e lived
,are called
Trade Tokens,
’for they w ere made principally by t raders and
merchant s,to assist their bu siness tran sact ions
,affording change for
penny and h alfpenny pu rchases . S ome also w ere struck by town
corporat ions for the relief of the necessitou s poor , and many by tavern
keepers, to promote the return of their recip ients to the sh op where
they wou ld b e received in payment s .
The per iod wh en su ch little tokens became important in the
h istory of English num ismat ics was the seventeenth centu ry . Trade
at that t ime received a local development prev iou sly u nknown,and
people liv ing in England and Ireland comm enced retail traffic in all
descript ions of goods, so extensive that th e former m onetary arrange
ment s failed to m eet the requ irements of th e purchasers, for procu ringand paying small qu ant i t ies . S ilver as the sole m edium w as not
su fficient . S o early as the reign of Qu een Elizabeth th ere appeared
for I reland a petty coinage of pennies and h alfpence, struck in copper ,wh ich d id not su ffice even for the lim i ted w an t s of th is country .
James I . endeavou red to supplement the deficiency w ith imperfectsu ccess . The Catholic Confederat ion of K ilkenny st ru ck coin also
,
and so d id Ch arles I . Yet all these efiorts w ere of little influence inthe seriou s monetary troub le due to the .want of su itab le small p iecesof coin for trade.
2 I O M I S CELLAN EA .
S everal years since a deficiency w as f elt,01
1 assumed ,in th e amount
Of far th ings requ i si te'
for the u se of traders, su ch as m ercers and
bakers , &c.,and a l im ited coinage w as m ade by pr ivate indiv iduals ,
to circu late in th e larger cit ies,Dub lin
,Belfast
,Cork , W aterford , and
Lim er ick . I b elieve th ey w ere u sed pr incipally for supplying adver
t i sem ent s of th e estab lishments Of those by whom th ey w ere issu edthan for legit imate trade pu rposes, and after a few years th ey w ere
suppressed by Government . A ll su ch pr ivate coinages, h ow ever interest ing to th e num ismat ist
,are open to grave obj ect ions . They do
not represent the monetary value of th e circu lat ing m edium th ey
appear t o stand for,and as th eir realizat ion by th eir temporary owner
mu st depend on th eir b eing presented for redempt ion at th e Ofli ce , 011
mart , of the issu er, who i s alone responsib le for th em ,
and'
whose
bankruptcy renders their possession a loss to the community ,or ,
'
at
least , to th e indiv idu al who chances to h old them ,th ey are properlv
and reasonab ly proh ib ited from being issu ed and circu lated .
“ In th is br ief ze’smne’ I have lef t ou t of considerat ion altogeth erthe series of copper t okens , pr incipally penn ies and h alf-pence , issu edin
'
Great Br itain and Ireland dur ing the great Cont inental w ars againstth e French Repub lic and Napoleon I . Th is w as th e per iod wh en ou r
Camac h alf-pence and sim ilar tokens in Ireland formed almost ex
elu sively ou r Ir ish copper m edium for all trade pu rposes requ iringsmall change , ow ing to th e cu lpab le negligence of th e Crown at th isper iod, in refu sing to supply an adequ ate amount Of copper coins .
The str iking’
of tokens by traders becam e almost unavoidab le , and
th ey preserve to u s m any important featu res respecting th e domest ich istory of the t imes in wh ich they appeared .
”
LIST OF ALL THE
,
KNOWN COUN TY K ILDARE“ TRADE-TOKEN S
(17TH CENTURY) .
ATHY .
WILLAM ADDI S
OF A » THY 1659. A swan .
IAMRs SWAN TON . A lion rampant .
EXCI S E OFFICES IN ATHY
M IS CELLAN EA . 2 I I
Obverse. I AMES WALSH A doub le-h eaded eagle di splaved .
Reverse OF ATHY 1 666
(Th is i s said to b e a uniqu e specimen . )
BLACKR ATH .
Obve71 se. TH O CVSEK AT RI AOKW ROTH An u pr ight sw ord
b etw een two star s .
C
Rever se IN THE COVN TY : OF K ILDARE T A
a
CASTLEDERMOT .
Obver se. THOMAS ADERLEY : A six-nailed horshoe .
a p incers andReverse SM ITH OA ST[ELDE]RMOT a hamm er
Obverse. THOMAS CLIN TON OF : A lion rampant .
Recer se. CASTELLDERMON T1
Obverse. HENERY MARRENRR A glove .
Reverse. OF CASTLEDERM OTT
2 I 2 M IS CELLAN EA .
K ILOULLEN BRIDGE .
I OOverse f THOMA S SW AN
Reverse K ILLCVLLIN BRIDG A lion rampant .
K ILDARE .
Obverse. CHRI STOPH = CVS ACK a1e
,
Reverse OF K ILDARE MARCET
. A bu llock .
IAMES M ONEY OF a A Maltese cross .
K ILDARE MARCHB W E ?)
MAYNOOTH .
Obverse. m ounted postman .
Rever se M AYN OOTH POSTMASTER
MON ASTEREVAN .
Obve118e. THO RVRROW S IN a
R808? 88. MON STEREVEN MR A man in armou r .
Obverse. ROBERT H OBSON a
Reverse IN MON STEREvEN
N otes.
Cawlcannon (w r it ten as pronounced ) i s the name of a d isheaten by th e peasan try exclu sive ly on All-holland AEve or A ll-hallow een
,
ti e. th e 3 1st of Octob er . I t i s composed of potatoes, wh ite cabbage,
on ion s , &c .
, pepper and salt ; all boiled , pounded up , and m ixedtogeth er ; w hen pou red ou t on a keeler
,or plate , a hollow i s made in
the centre Of the mash , and pat s of bu tter are placed in i t , and allowed
to m elt .
The lst of N ovember , or All S aint s’
Day, w as th e date of a great
pagan fest ival called“ th e S amhain ”
(pronounced S av in or S owan ) ,so that , possib ly, the eat ing Of Cawlcannon at th is t ime
,i s a relic
of th e pre-Chr ist ian feast .
Can anyone give the der ivation and meaning Of Cawlcannon
The bu i lding of two Bri dges in the Co. Kildare, in the four
teenth century .—Holinshed , in hi s Chronicles of Ireland
,
” 1and in
“ the Descript ion”sect ion , wr ites
( 1) 1319. There h ath bene a w orth i e prelate, Canon in the
Cath edrall Chu rch of K ildare , nam ed Mau rice Jake (or Jaki s ) , whoam ong th e rest Of h i s char itable deedes bu ilded thebridge of K ilcoollenne ,and the next yeare followyng h e bu ilded in lyke m aner th e b i idge of
Leighlinne, to th e great and dai lie commod i ti e of all such as are
occasioned to tra vai le in those qu arters .
1
(2 )“ The Hygh S treete (of Du b lin ) bear ing to th e hygh Pype.
Th is pype w as bu ylded in the yeare 1308, by a woor th i e Cit izen
named John Decer,being th en Mayor of Du blyne . H e buylded not
long before that tyme the br idge harde by S . Woolstans that retch eth
over the Lyffle .
’
2
Calverstown,CO. Kildare .
—Th is p lace i s a cu r i ou s Instance of
th e ch anges a name undergoes in cou rse of t ime . In 162 7 i t was
granted t o Maur ice Eu stace of Harr istown , Esq ., and i s styled in th e
grant , Calvert stown,alzas Calv i estown, alzas Callow stown
,ali as
Ballinch aloe (M ale p . 263, vol. i i i .1
of Morr in’s Calendar of
The Tipper Cross lies on the sou th side of the chu rch ru ins i t i s
in one piece ; the base i t formerly stood on i s not now v is ible ; prob ably i t i s buried under an accumu lat ion of clay and fallen m asonry .
1 Vi de p . 19 of t he 1577 edition ; and p . 33 Of the 1586 edition .
2'
i de p . 11 of the 1577 edi tion and p . 23 of the 1586 edi t ion .
N OTES . 2 I 5
A s i s shown in th e accompanying sketch,on one face of th e cross
there are two coat s-Of-arm s (each b earing a crescent ,” denot ing a
second son ) . Betw een th em are the in it ials I D and M W ( theW
o f j su fi c t
0 a w w fl fi .
T H E. T IPPER CRO S S .
appears on one of the side faces) . S i r A rthu r V icars inform s m e that the
init ials and arm s correspond w ith th e Delahyde and Walsh coats, v i z .
( 1)“Barry Of six argent and gules, a b end sab le, for Delahy de .
( 2 )“ A zu re
,a lion rampant argent , debru ised by a fess per
pale argent and gu les , f orWalsh .
I shou ld be glad of information wh ich w ill ident ify the indiv idu alsowning th e in it ials .
VOL . 11 PT . 111.
2 16 N OTES .
The Leap of A llen i s a v illage lying three-quarters o f a m ileto th e north of the H ill of A llen : what i s th e or ig in of the nam e
9
I believe i t h as som e connex ion w ith Finn M ‘Cool, whose ch ief
residence, in the th ird century , was on the H ill of A llen.
The‘
Franci scan Abbey , Cast ledermot —Opposi te to page 374,
v ol. i .,of the JOURNAL, i s an illu stration Of th e great w indow of the
Lady Chapel as i t u sed to b e,b elow wh ich i t i s stated th at i t w as
maliciou sly destroyed in 1799 this i s a m istake,as an Old man named
Mick S lav in, a t ailor , S t ill l iv ing in Cast ledermot , rem embers i t s b eingpu lled down by a man named Billy Gr imes some fifty years ago .
Billy Gr imes had the graz ing at the abbey , and said h i s cattle were indanger from th e u nsafe condit ion of the w indow ,
to th e upper port ion of
wh ich he fastened a rope, and so pu lled th is fine w indow to th e ground ,an act wh ich cau sed great indignat ion in the town a t the t ime . MickS lav in remembers seeing glass in some of the tracery of the w indow .
'
0 11 the next page (375 ) an ep itaph in v erse i s qu oted as b eing on
a stone formerly b elonging to th is abbey, and given in Grose’s An t i
qu ities Of'
Ireland .
”This i s an error
,as Grose wr ites of i t as being
at the Gray Abbey of K ildare (m’
cle p . 83 of vol.
Pictures and Engravings of'
the Salmon Leap and Castle at
Leixlip
( 1) A large square p ictu re , qu aint ly paInted in oils,includes th e
castle, chu rch -tower , and S almon Leap . Th is i s fixed in a_panel over
the ch imney-p iece in th e hall at Castletown .
(2 ) A small oi l-paint ing by Roberts ( 17 i n . x 25 in . ) Of the—
S almonLeap alone i s at Car ton .
(3) ,An engrav ing of th e S almon Leap , called“ Nymph s batheing
five nude female figures are scattered abou t the rocks b elow the
fall ( 17 in . x 2 1
Below th is p ictu re i s printed Painted by F. Wheatley .
The aquat int s by T . Jukes . Engraved by R . Pollard ,London
, pub lished April 10, 1785, by J. R . S mith , N o. 88,
Oxford-street .
(4 ) In Fisher’
s V iews Of Ireland ”are two plates in brown t ints
( 11 in . x 8
(a) One i s called Leixlip Cast le on theRiver Liffey,”and includes
the Castle, a tea-hou se on the r iver-bank , the chu rch-tow er
and the Weir .
Below i s printed Dub lin, published, &c.,by I . Fisher,
Apr il , plate VII .
2 18 N OTE S .
Map of Ireland , sh ow ing th e pr incipal fam ilies,Ir ish
,and
English ,in the cou ntry at th e commencem en t of the sev enteenth cen
t ury . Engrav ed by S . Thompson ,Dame-S treet
,Dub lin . There i s no
dat e , bu t an elab orate ded icat ion (w ith coat -Of-arm s) to W illiam , Duke
of Lein st er ( 1773- 1804 ) from h i s most ob edien t servan t,Char les
O’Connor , Esq .
” Th ese last w ords (at th e end of head-line 3 ) arech anged in anoth er impressi on to servants the Editors
,and a line
i s added at th e foot
Pub lished according to A ct of Parliam ent , byWogan ,Bean
,and
Pike,Old Bridge , N o . 2 3
,Dub lin .
”
I should like to fix th e date of these maps.
J. R . GAR STIN .
The Journal of the Associ at i on for the Preservatmn of the
Memor i als of the Dead, Ireland —Th e requ est for inform at ion on
I r ish Chu rch Plate , given b elow ,i s forw arded t o u s by one of ou r
Members , th e Editor of th e Jou Inal of “ The A ssociat ion for th e
Preservat ion of t h e Mem or ials of th e Dead,Ireland .
”Th e pr incipal
Obj ects of th is interest ing and u sef u l pu b licat ion ar e
1. To pu b lish all inscr ipt ions on sepu lchral m onum ent s In
town and count ry chu rchyards , so that wh en w eath er and t im e
have m ade the letter ing i llegib le , th ere m ay st ill b e a record of
th em av a ilab le .
2 . A s far as the funds of th e A ssociat ion w ill admit,to
collect, p iece together , and restore ancient t omb s
, wh ose fragment s may li e scattered abou t the bu r ial-ground .
The Jou rnal Of th e A ssociat ion, wh ich has been in existence S ince
1888,i s w ell i llu strated ,
and carefu lly indexed . I t i s b rou gh t ou t
once a year ,and sh ou ld be in th e h and s of all ou r Memb ers
,as i t i s
an invalu ab le sou rce Of inform at ion for comp iling a county h istory ,or a fami ly pedigree .
Ir i sh Church-Plate .—I am now engaged in collect ing, for pub li
cat ion , par t icu lar s of the ch urch-plat e in u se in th is country ,in th e
chu rch es"
of th e v ar iou s denom inat ion s,and I sh all feel very mu ch
ob liged for any part icu lar s th at m ay b e sent t o m e concern ing th esame .
’erba i z
’
m cop ies of any inscr ipt ion , and of Hal l ”and oth er
m ark s on th e several art icles , and informat ion as t o wh eth er th ey are
silver , plated , brass , or pew ter , w ith h eight and d iam eter , and,i f
possible , th e w eigh t , as w ell as sketch es or ph otograph s of flagons
and ch al ices , w ill b e th ankfu lly receiv ed .
Th e constant sale of ancient chu rch-plate , and i t s loss from one
cau se and another , m ake i t v ery desirab le that su ch a list , as I propose m aking ,
sh ou ld be prepared and pub l ish ed .
I t i s par t icu lar ly requ ested that descript ions, &c., of any chu rch
plate in possession of fam i lies , m ay b e sent to m e .
—PH ILIP D . VIGORS,
Colonel , Holloden,Bagenalstown Co . Carlow .
J O U R N A L
OF THE
fi rrbaclsgiralS w ag sf the ( las ingK ili an
AND
S arrcunhing D i stri rta.
iBrorc ings.
'
T HE A nnu al Genera l M eeting o f the S ociety was held on
W ednesday , the 24 th of Febr uary , 1897 , in the Cou rt H ou se ,
N aas , kind ly lent by the H igh S her iff . Ow ing to the absenceof the President, the Ear l O f Mayo , through illness, the S en iorMem ber of Cou nci l ,
M R . TH OMAS COOK E-T REN CH was called upon to take the Cha ir .
The followm g Members of the Counci l w ere present :M r . George Mansfield Canon S herlock the Rev . E . O
’
Leary ,
P .P . M r . Thos . J .
'
De Burgh ; the Rev . Ma tthew Dev it t , S .J .
Mr . H ans H endr ick-Aylmer,Hon. Treasurer ; Lord Wa lter
-Fi tzGerald and S i r A r thu r V icars, Ulster , H on . S ecre
tarz’
es .
In add ition the fol low ing M em bers and'
V isi tors w ere
p resentS u rgeon
-Maj or Keogh , High S heriff of K ildare ; Rev. W . S . Large and
Mrs . S om erv ille Large ; Mrs . Cooke-Trench ; the V ery Rev . the Dean of
K ildare ;‘
Mr . George Wolfe ; Rev . Thomas Doy le , C.C . ; Rev . Thom as
Morr in,
Mr . J. Loch , C.I . ,R .I .C . Mr .W illiam S taples ; Mr . and M rs .
A lgernon Aylmer ; Miss Dennis ; Miss Weldon ; Dr . and Mrs . Falk iner ;Mr . and Mrs . J. R. S u tcliff e ; Mr . and Mr s . Edmund S weetman ; the
Coun tess of Mayo ; ~Miss Sher lock Rev . H . Cu l len,and others .
The M inu tes of the previous Meeting of Febru ary , 1896,h aving been read and confirm ed
,w ere s igned by the Cha irman .
S i r A rthu r V icars (U lster) , H on . S ecretary , then read the
-Report of Counci l for the year 1896, which was adopted .
V OL . PT . Iv .
2 2 0 PR OCEEDIN GS OF THE
The fol low ing Resolu tion ,which was p roposed by M r .
George Mansfield , and passed in respectfu l s i lence at the
Excu rsIOn M eeting in S eptem ber , 1896, was brought up fO1
confirm at ion ,and orde1ed to be inserted on the M inu tes
That th is b eing the first Meet ing of the K i ldare Arehmolog i cal Societysince the death of the Rev . Denis Mu rphy , th e Council and Memb ers of the
Society desire to express their keen sense of the loss they hav e su stained In
th e dea th Of their Vice Pr esident and Hon . Editor,whose act ive interest in
the w orking of the S ociety ,and great ab il ity as a wr iter on Antiqu arian
and A rchaeological m at ter s , waszD
ev idenced f I Om the f oundat ion of th e
S ociety .
”
The H on . Treasu rer then read hi s Repor t for the year1896, wh ich was adopted , and a vote .of thanks passed to himfor the sam e .
M r . Loch, proposed, and S ir A r thur V icars (U lster ),
seconded the fol low ing resolu tion , w hich was u nan im ou sly
passed .
That the thank s of t he Society are hereby tendered to Mr . J. R
S u tcliffe,for kindly au dit ing the account s of the S ociety for the past year
and the Society hope that he w i l l cont inu e hi s serv ices .
S om e d iscu ssion ensu ed r egard ing the n ecessity for economythe genera l expenses o f the S ociety
,when M r . George
M ansfield proposed , and Mr . H endr ick-Aylm er seconded the
follow ing resolu t ion ,which was c arr ied .
1
That a Sub Comm ittee,consist ing of the Hon . S ecretar ies and Mr .
oke-'
1rench , be appoint ed to decide i n what m anner a redu ction In the
pendi tu re of the Society can be made,and to carry i t ou t .
The Offices of V ice-President and H on . Ed itor being vacan tby the regretted death of the Rev . Den is Mu rphy ,
the Soci etyproceeded to elect O fficers to fill the vacanci es .
The Rev . Matthew Devitt,Rector of Clongowes , w as elected.
V ice-President of the S ociety, who , in acknow ledg ing the com
plim ent paid him ,expressed h is hOpe that he m ight c arry ou t
the du t ies of the Office In as su ccessfu l a m anner as hi s prede
cessor had done .
S if’
A r thu r V icars (U lster ) , preposed , and Rev . MatthewDev itt , Vice-P resident, seconded the fol low ing resolu tion
That the Rev . Canon Sherlock be ea i nestly requ ested to act as Hon .
Edi tor of the K ildare Archaeologica l S ociety , to edit the JOUR N AL and other
publi cat ions of th e S ociety’
This m otion w as carr ied unan imou sly , the Chairm an appealing to Canon S her lock, who w as presen t , to resum e h i s Old
du t ies, which he had prev iou sly carr ied ou t in su ch an ablem anner , bu t had been obliged to rel inqu ish ow ing to i l l hea lththey w ere all g lad to see Canon S her lock restored to heal th
2 2 2 PR O CEEDIN GS OF THE
som e a ttent ion as a specimen of ' the 1
cu riou s fash ion o f forme r
days .
A vote of thanks hav ing been passed to the gen tlemen who
had read Papers and lent Exhibits , to the H igh S her id o f Kild are for the u se Of the Cou rt H ou se
,and to the Cha irm an for
presid ing , the M eeting w as brought to a term inat ion .
REPORT OF CouN eIL FOR 1896
A t th is the Genera l Meet i ng Of the Kildare A rchae olog ica lS ociety for the year , i t i s u sua l for the Cou nci l to report on the
progress o f the S ociety d ur ing the past year 1896.
The 1011 Of Membership , after allow ing for loss by resignation or death
,now amou nts to 147 , o f w hich number 14 are
Life M embers . Th is shows a healthy sta te Of affai I S .
The Council regret extremely to aga in have to repor t a
vacancy in the V ice Pr es idency of the S ociety,by the su dden
death of their d istingu ished col leagu e and an tiqu ary , tthe Rev .
Denis Mu rphy , who w as on ly elected to the O ffice at t he Genera lMeeting last y ear to fill the vacancy cau sed by the dea th o f
B ish op Com er ford .
The Rev . Den is Mu rphy’s ser v ices to the S ociety are so w ell
known to all,that they feel i t unnecessary to expatiate on h is
mer its as an an ti qu ary and h i s va luable ass is tance to the Kilda1e A rchaeolog ica l S ociety .
f A s he a lso filled the O ffice O f H on. Ed itor , you w ill thu s b ecal led u pon to elect a t this Meeting a V ice-Pres ident and an
Hen . Ed itor .
The first Meeting of the y ear 1896 was held on the 5 th
February last , in the Cou rt H ou se, N aas,kind ly lent by the
H igh S her i ff (Major John Aylm er ) , at which sevei al Papers O f
in terest w ere read,m any Of which have s ince appeared in th e
JOURN AL;The Excu rs ion M eet ing took p lace on 17th S eptemberbr idge , Leixlip , and d istr ict being the p laces selected
,and
the Obj ects of interest then visited Show that the An t i qu ities of
the Cou nty are so far by no m eans exhau sted .
A10;op os of the Excu rs ion Meet ing ,the Counci l think that
the numbe1 of p laces to be v isited in one day , and the lengthO f the Papers to be read
,m ight be cur ta i led w ith ad vantage , as
crowd ing too m u ch into one day’
s programm e necessitates toohu rr ied an inspect ion Of the places v isited
,no .t . to. m ent ion the
inconven ience occasioned by . tOO rap id a progress on sueif an
excursi on .
A special account Of this Meeting W lll as u sua l appear inthe next number of the JOURN AL .
COU N TY K ILDA R E ARCHHT OLOGICA L S OCIETY .
A t th is Meet ing Mrs . Kirkpatr ick kindly inv ited the Mem
b ers o f the S ociety and their fr iends to tea at Donacomper .
The H on . Tr easu rer w il l present h i s repor t , and in accord
ance therew ith the Counci l fee l i t incum ben t upon them to
som ewhat redu ce the expenses attendan t on the produ ction of
the JOURN AL,wh ich , du r ing the last year or two
,has been pro
duced a t an expense scarce ly in accordance w ith the income of
the S ociety .
Our H on . Treasu rer rem inds the Counci l that the composit ion of Life M embers shou ld form the nu cleu s Of a reser ve
fund for con t ingenci es , and w ithou t any su ch fund the S ocietycannot undertake any practica l work in the nature of grants ina i d of restorat ions of ancien t monum ents in i ts d istr ict .
The Cou nci l are happy to repor t that d ur ing the past yearthe A bbey at Castlederm ot
,which , throu gh the exertions of the
S ocie ty,was S chedu led as a .N ational Monum ent
, was takencharge of by S ir Thom as Deane , and preven ted from
‘
fa lling to fu rther decay , thu s making the fou rth bu i lding 111 the
C ( u nty schedu led under the N at iona l Monuments Preserva t ionA ct , the others being the Round Tow ers Of Taghadoe , Oughtera i d , and Old Kilcu l len .
Tw O M ember s of the Council, Mr . GeOI ge Mansfield andthe Rev . Canon S her lock
,retire by rotation
,and being elig ible,
o ffer them se lves for re-e lect ion .
S igned on behal f of the Cou ncil,
TH OM AS COOK IE-TREN CH , Chai rman .
A RTH UR V ICARS, Ulster ,
W A LTER FIT Z GERALD ,
Da ted this 24 th ( lay of February , 1897 .
EXCUR S ION ME ET IN G,1896.
The S ixth Excu rsion M eeting w as'
fixed for Celbridge,Le ixlip ,
and that d istr ict,and took place
1
on T hu rsday , S eptem ber 17th .
The var i ou s m orn ing train s b rough t the company to H azelha tch S tat ion ,
which was the start ing , point , a lthough a few
l iv1ng a t the nor thern end O f the Coun ty landed at LeixlipS tat ion
,and joined the Meeting there
A s ta i t w as made from H azelhatch abou t hal f-past ten f oiS . W olstan
’
s,a d istance of one and a half m i les , where , di s
m ou n t ing at the gate-lodge , the company w alked tO -tthe A bbey
2 2 4 PR O CEEDIN GS OF TH E
r u ins . H ere1 M r . W i l l iam "Kirkpatr ick read a Paper on the
r u ins, and gave a fshor t history of the former owner s of the
A bbey .
Pr ior to the read ing of the Paper , Mr . George M ansfield ,in the absence O f the Pres ident of the S ociety (the Ea11 of
Mayo) , m oved a vote O f condolence to the relatives of the Rev
Den is Murphy , Only recently elected V ice-Pres iden t of the
S ociety, and whose death the S ociety dep lored : the tei ms of
this resolu tion w i ll be found i n the Proceed ings .
The S ociety then proceeded through the demesne to the
other gate-lodge , w here the carr iages were in wa iting to takethem 0 11 to Leixl ip . On the way the r iver Liffey was crossed
by the O ldest br idge in th is part of Ireland,st i l l cal led N ew
B11nlge, althOugh bu i lt i n 1808 by John Decer, M ayor of D ublin,
and the cu ri ou s cone shaped tower , w ith externa l ci rcu lar sta ircase , bu i lt by the Conol ly fam i ly in 1743
,w as s ighted f rom
the read .
On arriva l at Leixl ip the celebrated S a lm on Leap was
inspected . Owing to the recen t ra in s the volu me Of w ate1
passing ove i the rocks he ightened the eff ect .S om e O f those p1esent then entered Leixl ip Castle, which
had been kind ly thrown Open for in spection by M r . W i ll iamM ooney . The i ntei ior i s now fitted u p as a m odern residence ;bu t the room in which King John i s sa id to have slept i s st i ll
pointed ou t , and i s know n as the “ King’
s room .
”N otes on
the Castle were read by Lord F i nede i ick Fi tz Gera ld ,“
af terwhich Lei xl ip Par ish Ch urch w as v is ited
,and the m any inte
resting monum ents i t conta ins,and the reg isters and chu rch
p late , a ttracted m u ch attent ion .
A pleasant d r ive to Lu can ,through the demesne Of Lu can
H ou se , passing the fam ou s S pa , brought the com pany to Lu canS pa H ote l , w here luncheon w as ser ved .
S ome delay in m aking a sta i t a fter Iuncheon somewha tShor .tened the tim e appO i ti Oned to th e rem a in ing p laces to bevis ited
,and i t was a lready late when the S ociety arr ived a t
C i stletown , where they w ere rece ived by the Lord Chief Ju st iceand Lady 0 ’
B i ien. The M embers and the ir f r iends hav ingassembled in the ha ll
, Lord Wa lt er Fitz Gera ld i ead an interesting Paper on Ca stletown H ou se and the Conolly fam i ly,and the Rev . C . Graham folllowed w i th no tes on the past his toryOf Celbr idge af te i w hich
,by the kind perm iss ion o f the Lord
Chief Ju stice, the company w e1e perm itted to inspect the i n
ter iOI of the hou se .
I t was late when Donacom per Chu rchy ,ard w hich w a s
the next p lace On the day’
s p iu
og i amm e to be v is ited , w as
COUN T Y K ILDA R E A R CH ZEOLOGICA L S OCIETY .
LIS T O F HO NO RARY O FFIC ERS AN D MEMBERS .
( CORRE C TE D T O FEBR UA R Y 24 ,
1
33113111111
THE EARL OF MAYO .
fi irr-‘
ifirbsibmt
THE REV . MATTHEW DEV ITT,
6130111111
511
(IN ORDER or EL !1 CT I ON . )
THOMA S COOKE-TREN CH,ESQ ,
D .L.
GEORGE MAN S FIELD,ESQ , D .L.
THE REV . CAN ON SHERLOCK,M .A .
THE REV . EDWARD O’LEARY, P .P.
THOMA S J . DE BUBGH , ESQ, D .L.
AMBROSE M ORE-O’
FERRALL, Esa , D .L.
£011.
HAN S HENDRICK -AYLMER,ESQ ,
K ERDIFF STOW N , S ALLIN S .
Egan. S em i arirs
LORD WALTER FITZ GERALD,
K ILK EA CA STLE, M AGEN EY .
S IR ARTHUR VICARS , Uls ter , 44 , W ELLIN GTON -R OA D ,DUBLIN .
245011. (151111011
THE REV . CAN ON SHERLOCK,M .A .
,S H ERLOCK S TOWN ,
. S ALL i N S .
PR OCEEDIN GS OF THE(0
l\)
(
flfitrmbew1
[O ffice rs a re ind ica ted by heavy‘
typ e ; Li fe M em b e rs by a n a s te r isk
Adam s , Rev . James, K ill Rectory , S t’
raffan .
A rct ld,Miss
,Davidstown , Cast ledermot .
Aylmer , M iss , Donadea Castle, CO . K ild are .
Aylm er,A lgernon ,
Rathmore, N aas .
AYLMER,H . HENDRICK Hon.Treasurer , K erd iffs town , Sallin s .
Hon . M rs .
,S traffan Hou se,
”
S t rafi’
an .
stBar ton,Maj or H . L .
,D .L . , S trafian Hou se, S tra if ah .
Beard,T .
, M .D .
,Bungay ,
N orf olk,England .
Bi rd , Rev . John T . , Cu rragh Camp , N ew bridge .
Blake , J . R .
,22
,M meh amp ton-road, Dub lin .
Bonham , Colonel J Ballintaggart , Colb instown ,Co . K ildare .
Brooke , J. T .
,Du ngannon, Co . Tyrone .
Brown ,S tephen J N aas .
Burke , Very Rev . EL, P .P . , Bagenalstown,Co . Carlow .
*Burtchacll, G. D . , M .A ., 7, S t . S tephen
’s-green ,
Dub lin .
Cane,Major Claude, St . W olstan
’s,Celbridge .
Carberry , Rev . Thomas,
The Presbytery , Ba llitore .
Carroll, Freder ick , Moone Abb ey , Moone .
C arroll, Rev . James,How th , Co . Dub lin .
Clarke,Mrs . , A thgoe Park , Hazelha tch
,Co . Dub lin .
*Clements,Colonel
,K illadoon
,Celbr idge .
Clem en ts , Mrs . ,K i lladoon
,Ce lbridge .
*Clemen ts,Henry J .-B .
,D .L .
,K i lladoon , Celbridge .
Coady , D . P .
,M .D. ,
N aas .
Coch rane,Rober t
,Hon . S ecretary 17, H ighfield-m ad
,
Rathgar .
Cole, Rev . J . F .
,The Rectory , Por tarl ington .
Colley, G. P . A .,M ou nt Temp le, Clontar f , Co . Du b lin .
Conmee,Rev . J . F. ,
S . J .
,S t . Francis Xa vi er ’
s,Upper Gard iner
-street , Du blin .
Cooper , Au st in Dam er,Drum nigh Hou se , Baldoyle, Co . Du b lin .
Coote , S tanley , The Orcha nd Hou se,W argrav e , Berks .
Cow/
ell,Very Rev . G . Y .
,Dean of
‘
Kildare , The Deanery , K i ldare .
2 301
. P R O CEEDIN GS OF THE
Gr aham , Rev . C . J K ildrought Parsonage, Celbridge .
Greene,Thomas , LL .D . ,
M i llbrook, Mageney .
Hade,Arth ur , C .E . , Carlow .
H i gginson ,Lady,
-Connel lmore, N ew’
b ridge.
H oguet , M adame Henry-L .,
W est Twenty-eighth-street , N ew York .
Jam eson,Miss S oph ia, Glenmona , Moone .
Jesson ,Rev . J . L .
, The Rectory , K i lkea , Co . K ildare .
Johnson , Miss , Pr umplestown-Hou se, Castledermot , CO . K ildare .
Joy ce , Patrick W eston,Lyre na Grena , Leinster-road , Rathm lnes , Dublin .
K ennedy , Rev . H .,S t . Dav id
’s Rectory, N aas .
K eogh , S u rgeon-M ajor T . R .
, Cast leroe , Mageney , Co . K ildare .
K irkpatrick , W illiam ,Donacomper , Celbridge .
La Tou che, M rs . John , Harristown ,Brannoxtown .
Lentaigne, Rev. Victor , S .J .,ClongowesWood College, S allins .
Loch , J . , The Firs, N aas .
Long, M iss A . F Woodfield , K ilcavan , Geashill, K ing’s County .
McSweeny , J . G.
,18, Claremount h road, S andymou nt , Dub lin .
Magu ire, Rev . E . , D .D . , Prof essor, The College, Maynooth .
Magu ire , P. A . 2 , Oldtown-terrace , N aas .
M ahony , David , D .L . , Grange Con ,CO . W icklow .
Mahony , George Gun ,Grange Con, CO . W icklow .
MAN SFIELD,GEORGE
,D .L .
,Morristown Lattin , N aas .
Mayo, Dowager Coun tess of , 20, Eaton-squ are, London ,S .W .
MAYO, Th e EARL OF,Presi dent , Palmerstown , S traffan .
Mol loy , W illiam R .
,17, Brookfield-terrace, Donnybrook, Dubl in
Mooney, The Castle, Leixlip .
Moran,H is Eminence Cardinal, Sydne
’
y , N . S .Wales , Australia .
Morrin,Rev . Thomas, P .P .
,N aas .
Mu rphy ,fVery Rev : M ichael, P .P .
, S t . Brigid ’s , K ildare.
Mu rphy , W . A .,Osberstown Hou se
,N aas .
N olan, Rev . James, Ballitore, Co. K ildare .
N orman,George, 12 , Brock-street , Bath , England .
O’Bri en , Righ t Hon . S ir Peter
,Lord Ch ief Justi ce,Cast letown, Celbridge .
O’Byrne, Rev . Pat rick
,S S . M ichael and John ’
s , Exchange-st r-Dub lin.
O’Bea,
’
Very Rev i‘
Thomas,D .D. , V ice-“ President , The College, MaynoOth .
*0’FERRALL, AMBROSE MORE D .L . ,
Ballyna , Moyvalley ;
COUN TY K ILDAR E A R CH ZEOLOGICA L S OCIETY . 2 3 1
O’K elly , T . E . T . ,
M .D . , M aynooth .
*O’LEARY,Rev . E P .P . , Ballyna , M oyvalley .
O’Leary , Rev . Pa tri ck,The College , Maynoot h .
O’Meagh er , J . Casim ir
,4 5
,Moun tj oy-squ are, Dublm .
Owen ,Ar th ur , Shanvaghey , Ballacolla, Qu een
’s Co .
Palmer , Charles Colley , D .L . , Raban ,Edenderry .
Ponsonby, Hon . Gerald,Palm erstown , S trafi
'
an .
Pon sonby , Lady Maria,Palm erstown
,S traffan .
Prat t , M rs .
,Glenheste
,Manor-K ilb
‘
ride , CO . Dub lin .
um n, Rev . Rich ard, Ki lm eade House
,A thy .
Rynd , Major R . F . ,Blackball, N aas .
S aunders, Colonel R ., D .L. , S aunders’
Grove, S tratford-on-S laney , Co.W icklow .
(S eaton , Lord , Ber t Hou se,A thy .
SHERLOCK , Rev . Canon ,Hon . Edi t or , Sherlockstown , Sallins .
Sku se , Rev . Rich ard D . , Ballykean Rect ory , Portarlington .
S omers, M rs .,The Rectory , Dunboyne, Co . Meath .
S omervi lle-Large, Rev . W .
,Carnalw ay Rectory, K ilcu llen .
S taples, W i lliam ,N aas .
S u pple , K .,
Dun lav in , Co . W icklow .
S u tcliffe, J . R .
,H ibernian Bank
,N aas .
S weetman,E .
,Longtown, N aas .
Sw eetm an , Mrs .
,Longtown ,
N aas.
S ynnot t , N icholas , 14 , Herbert-crescen t , Hans-place, London
Taylor , Mark , Golden Fort , Baltinglass, CO . Wicklow .
Thornh ill , F . Evelyn , Rathangan Hou se,Rathangan .
TREN CH ,THOMAS COOKE D .L . , Millicent , S allins .
T rench,Mrs . Cooke M i llicent S allins .
Tynan ,Rev . Thomas
,P .P .
, N ewb ridge .
'
VICARS , S IR ARTHUR, F . s . A . , Ulster K ing -of—Arms, Hon . S ecr etary ,
44,W ellington-road, Dubl in .
V igors , Colonel P . D . , Holloden , Bagenalstown , Co . Carlow .
W all, Colonel J Knockareagh , Grange Con ,Co . W icklow .
W all , M rs .
,Knockareagh , Grange Con ,
Co . W i cklow .
W alsh , Rev . Martin,P .P .
,Castledermot , Co . K i ldare.
W arm ington, A lfred A .
,M unster and Leinster Bank, N aas .
W at t,David, S tackallan ,
N avan , Co . Meath .
2 3 2 PR OCEEDIN GS OE TH E
\Vcldon , General , Forenaugh ts , N aaS .
IVeldon ,Cap tain A . A . , K i lmorony , Athy .
W'
eldon ,Lady , K i lmorony , A thy .
“’
hcele11 , IV . I .,M .D . , 32
,Merrion-square , N .
,Dublin .
\Vhi te , “I . Grove,13, Upper Ormond-qu ay , Dublin .
W i lli s,G. de L.
,4,K ildare-street , Dub lin .
W i lson , Colonel W . F .,Th e
,V i carage , Clane .
WV i lson , Rober t M . , Coolcarrlgan ,K ilcock .
NV i lson,Mrs . R . M .
,Coolcarrigan ,
K i lcock .
W ilson,M iss R . Dupre, Coolcarr igan ,
K i lcock .
Wo lfe , George, Bi shopsland , Ballymore-Eu stace, N aas .
W oollcombe,Robert L .
,LL .D z
,14
,W aterloo-road,
*W righ t , Professor E . Perceval,M .D . , Hon . Secretary RzI .A .
,5, Trinity College ,
Du b lin .
M iss Margaret S tokes , Carrig Breae, How th,Co . Dub lin .
S T . BR IGID ’S C AT H EDRA L, K ILDA RE ,
em re 182 0,A N D BA S E OF G R A N IT E C R O S S .
(From T . C romwell’
s Excu r s ions th ro ugh I rela nd .
T he o r ig ina lW a te r-Co lo u r ( I O%X b y G eo rg e Pe t r i e , Is 111 the p o ss e ss ion o f
M i ss M a rga re t S t oke s .
S ] . BRZGZD A N D TH E CA TE E DR A L'
CH UR CH
OF R 1LDA R E .
1
BY THE VERY REV . GEORGE YOUNG COWELL, M .A .,
Dean of Ki ldare .
[Read , S eptember ,
H E Cathedral Chu rch of Kildare 1s bu i lt on one of the most
ancient and fam ou s ecclesiastical sites in Ireland , and i ssecond on ly to the Cathedra l Church of A rrriagh in
histor ical and relig iou s interest . I f A rm agh i s ind issolublyassociated w ith the work and m emory of S t . Patr ick, Kildarei s equ al ly bou nd u p w ith the work and m em ory of S t . Br ig id ;a nd so w e may add are Derry and D urrow w ith the work of
1 For the m at eria ls of this Paper , I w ish to express genera l ly my ob ligat ions to the follow ing works . A rchdall
’s Monast icon
”;Harr is ’
s W are”;
MS . notes and letters of Dr . O’Donovan ,
Ordnance S urvey R .I .A .,Dr . Comer
ford , Collect ions, Dioceses K ildare and Leighlin ;Dr . Olden ,
“ Chu rch of
Ireland ”;Dr .Whit ley S tokes
’s
“ Lives of S aints from Book o f Lismore ; .Dr
Hea ly’
s“ Ancient S chools and S cholars of Ireland ”
the Rev . F. E.
W arren’
s Rit ual and Litu rgy of the Celtic Church Dr . Fowler ’
s
“ Adamnan’s Life of S . Columba ,
”610.
V OL. PT . Iv .
2 S T . BR IGID A N D THE
S t . Columba , and these three form the Tr ias Thaumatnrga ,the wonder w orking triad , the three great patron S a ints of
I reland .
A s D11
. H ea ly says I f S t . Patr ick w as the father,S t .
Br igid w as the mother of all the S a in ts of Er in,both m onks
and nuns .
”
In the Rom an M issal , the Festiva l of S t . Patr ick i s celebrated on the 17 th of March , bu t S t . Br igid and S t . Columbaare passed over . I understand , however , that in the Rom an
Brev iary , in the supplem ent for I r ish clergy , she rece ives a
1 estri cted recogn i tion .
In the Ir ish Chu rch,owm g to the cu stom of on ly com
m em orating persons whose nam es occu r in H oly S cr iptu re , all
three are lef t ou t in the cold,u nless when som e ind ividu a l
bishop au thori ses the u se of a special col lect, as was done th isyear for S t . Patrick, when the 17th of March fel l on a S unday .
Th is was a step in the 11
1ght d irect ion ,which , i t m ay be hoped ,
w i l l som e day go fu rther , and au thor ize a specia l col lect for 1stof Febru ary .
S t . Br ig id was born In 458,and w as for som e years a con
temporary of S t . Patr ick.
S he thu s belongs to the per iod of the first order of S a intswho are ca l led m ost holy
,of whom we are told by a w r iter in
the eighth cen tu ry Then they were all bishops, fam ou s and
holy,fu l l of the H oly Ghost, 350 in number
,fou nders of
chu rches ; t hey had one H ead,Chr ist ; and one Chief
,Patr ick ;
they observed one m ass,one celebration
, one tonsu re from ear
to ear , they celebrated one Easter on the fou rteenth moon af terthe verna l equ inox , and whosoever was excommun icated by one
chu rch , all excommun icated ; they rejected not the serv ices andsociety of w om en , becau se , founded on the Rock Chr ist
,they
feared not the blast of temptat ion . A ll]
these bishops were
sprung from the Romans,
1 Franks, Br itons, and S cots .
”This
per iod“term inated in 548 A .D .
S t . Br ig id has a sent imenta l advantage over S t . Patr ick,not m erely becau se she w as a w om an
, bu t becau se she was an
Ir ish w om an,one o f pu re Ce ltic descen t , and the first w oman
who was prom inently e ngaged in Chu rch work in Ireland .
She was the daughter of a fam ou s Leinster Chief ta in namedDu ffach ,
who was descended from Felim Rectm ar, the law
g iver , a celebrated Monarch of Ireland , and from EOchad,
1 Dr . Hea ly says, The Romans were those who enj oyed the rights of
the Imperia l citizensh ip, which at th is t im e had come to be a badge'
ofs lavery .
” Ireland ’s Ancient S chools,” p . 160 n .
8 S T . BR IGID A N D THE CA THEDR A L CHUR CH,K ILDA R E .
su ffe1er , and cu red h im of h i s loathsom e d isease,God w orking
by h er hands, w hile the selfish and ungratefu l m an got h i s
m a lady back aga in .
These stories possess high m ora l teaching , and bear w itnessto another tale o f the S a int .
“ I t i s related that she one day w as l isten ing to a serm on
0 11 the Eigh t Beatitudes , and af ter i t w as over proposed to 11m
seven compan ions , that each shou ld choose one V i r tu e for specia lcu ltivation . S he w as very m odest he1 sel f and w ou ld have theother s begin bu t they insi sted that sh e shou ld lead
,whereupon
she chose the v ir tu e of M c1oy ,w hich i s
, perhaps , the m ostconsp icu ou s t1a1t in her character .
”
The stor ies of the lepers have a lso a cer ta in h istor ica lIn terest as show ing the prevalence o f that dreadf u l d isease inthis coun try in these early ages .
The great event of,
S t . Br ig id’s l ife w as the fou ndat ion o f
Kildare . Thi s w as at first “
a sm a l l “.ki l l 0 1
1
chu rch u nder
or n ea r a great oak,which she loved and blessed
,~ and which
loca l trad ition asser ts,lay between S t . Br ig id
’
s hou se and the
Round Tower n o t far f rom the p lace where a sma l l ’ ash treenow grow s ) Anim osu s
,the au thor of the Fou r th Life
,who
d ied abou t 980, s tates , tha t the stump of the oak1
rem a ined toh i s t1m e
,and wa s held in great venera tion ,
a s m any m i racleswe1e wro ught throu gh it . N O one dare cu t i t w ith a kn ife
,bu t
m ight break O ff a b i t w ith h i s fingers . From this oak and
chu rch , the place which was or ig inally ca l led Drumcree“the
r idge Of earth ,” took the name of Cil l dara
,the Chu 1ch o f
the Oak,
”a
‘
nam e which afterwards extended , not m erely to thetown , w hich grew u p around the church , bu t also to the Cou n tyand D iocese .
H ere S t . Br ig id founded .a m onastery for hersel f and her
seven V irg in compan ions . A s her fame spread , and the numbero f her converts in_ ,creased “
affi liated hou ses of both m en and
women (de u troque seem) w ere ra ised all over the country,She
bem g t he A bbess over all other A bbesses .
”
Under these circum stances , She found —i t necessary to have a
b i shOp’
a ttached to her m onastery , that all things m ight be donei n du e ecclesiastica l order . She therefore selected or nom inated
a certain holy Erem ite, from Great Connel , i t i sSa id
,and a relative of her own ,
to ‘ ‘
govern the chu rch w ith
1 A young oak tree from K ilkea ,was planted on the t radit iona l site , bythe A rchbishop of Canterbu r i (Dr . Benson ) , the Archb ishop of A 1magh
(Dr . A lexander ) , and the A rchbishop of Du b lin (Lord Plunket ) , on the dayo f the re opening of the Cathedral, 22nd S eptember , 1896.
2 4 2 S T .
"
BR IGID A N D THE
This Conlaedth w as not a d iocesan bishop in 0 1111 m odern
sense , as d iocesan episcopacy w as not at that t ime introdu cedin to I r .eland H e w as th e bishop of the m onastery and seem s
in som e degree a t least to have been subj ect to S t . Br igid’
s j u r isd ict ion .
Two inciden ts il lu strate th is . Conlaed had gone to Letha
(Rom e 0 11 Br ittany) , and brought back som e
‘tran sm arin e and
foreign vestm ents .
’
Bu t Brigid alw ays sympathising w ith di stress cu t th em up and m ad e clothes of them for the poor .
On another occasion,he expressed a des ire to v isit Rom e .
On h i s apply ing to Br ig id for perm ission ,She refu sed to
gran t it, on which he presum ed to set ou t on h i s j ou rney w ithou t leave
,bu t had on ly got as far asD un lav in
,i n the coun ty of
W icklow,when he w as devou red by w olves . Th i s was in ter
preted as a ju dgmen t for h i s d isobed ience , becau se , as a nativeau thority tells u s , he tr ied to go to Rom e in v iolat ion
'
of an
0 11 1de1 o f Br ig id
’
(Olden , p . This tale i s told by the au thorof the S chol ia 0 11 the M artyrology of ZEngu S .
In the “A nnals of the Fou r Master ,
s i t i s S tated :
519 A'
. D . Conlaedh,B ishop of Kildal1 ,
e and ar tificer to
Br ig id , d ied on the 8i d M ay .
A nd i n the Anna ls of U lster799 A .D .
1 The placing of the rel ics of Conleadh in a shr ineof gold and si lver .
The arm s of Kildare B i shopr ic are thu s descr ibed byGoodm an —A 1gen t a S a lt ire e11g1ai led gu les; on a chief azu rean open book proper w ith the in script ion ,
“ The Law was g ivenby IVIoseS , bu t grace and tru th cam e by Jesu s Chr iSt .
These arm s appear on a sea l of Char les Gobbe, B ishop of
Kildare , dated 1731 . O ther arm s on a sea l of Edmund Lane,Bishop of Kildare , 1495 , are Shown in W are
,which ‘
I Shou ldl ike to have proper ly descr ibed by U lster King
'
at A rm s .
Am ong the S u ffragan B ishops of Ireland , the B ishop of
Kildare claim ed the second p lace next a f ter the B ishop of
M eath , the rest taking their seats accord ing to the dates of theirord inat ions . A description of the chu rch o f Kildare as i t
ex i sted in hi s day i s also g iven to u s by Cogi tosu s, w hich i s ofcons iderable interest
,as it i s sa id tha t w e have no S im i lar
accoun t of any other chu rch i n I reland at that age ,and soon
af ter i t was wr itten , the chu rch and m onastery w ere sacked and
bu rned by the Danes m 835 A .D1
The Bishop of Limer ick (Dr . Graves ) g ives very conv incing reasons
f or placing the date of Cog i tosu s’death abou t 670 A .D . and not abou t 800,
as stated by Dr . Pe tr ie and other s . (See hi s Paper , Proceedings of R .I .A . ,
vol. v iii . , p .
CA THEDR A L CHUR CH OF K ILD A R E . 2 4 3
I g ive D r . Petr ie ’
s translation of the passage
N or i s the m iracle that occu rred in repair ing the chu rch ,to he passed
ov er i n. silence , i n which repose the bodies of both , th at i s i i shop Conlaeth
and this holy V irgin S t . Bridget , on the r igh t and t he lef t of the d ecora teda l tar
,deposited in m onum en t s adorned wi th v ariou s em b el lishm ent s of gold
a nd silver and gem s and preci ou s stones , w ith crowns o f gold and silverdepending from ab ove . For the number of th e faithf u l of both sexes increa si ng , the chu rch
,occu pying a spaciou s area and elevated to a m enacing height ,
and adorned w i th paint ed pict u res , hav ing w ith in three oratories la rge ,and
separated by par t itions of p lank s u nder one roof of the grea ter hou se , where
in one par tition— decorated and“pain ted w ith figures , and covered w ith
l inen h ang i ngs— ex tended a long the br ead th in the eastern par t of th e chu rch ,
f rom the one to the other par ty w a l l of the chu rch ,wh i ch par t ition h as a t
i ts extrem it ies tw o doors,and t hrough the one d oor , placed in t he r igh t side ,
the ch ief prela te ent er s th e S anct u ary (in S anct u ar ium ad a ltare ) aecom
pan ied by h i s regu lar S chool,and those w ho are depu ted to th e S acred
m inistry of offer ing S acred and dom inica l S acr ifi ces throu gh th e other door ,
placed in th e lef t par t of the par tit ion abov e-m ent ioned and ly ing t ransversely(a per ost ium in sinistr a par te par iet is su pr adict i t ran sver si) , [does no tthis m ean
,th e above-mentioned and t ran sv er se par tition] none enter b u t t he
Abbess w ith her v irgins and w idow s,am ong the faith fu l
,when going to
par t icipate (f ru ant u r) in the banqu et (conv iv io) of the body and b lood of
Jesu s Ch ris t . Bu t another par tit ion , div iding the pavem en t o f the hou se
i n to two equ a l par t s , ex tend s f rom the eastern (r ecte western ) s ide t o thet ransver se pa r t it ion lying across the breadth . Moreover
,th e chu rch has in
i t m any w indow s (f enestra s ) and one adorned doorw ay (por tam ) on the
righ t side , t hrough wh ich the priest s and th e faith f u l of t he m ale sex enter
the ch u rch . and another doorway on th e left side through wh ich t he congre
gat ien of v irgins and wom en am ong the faithfu l are u sed to en te r ( in t raresolet ) . And thu s in one v ery great t emple (basilica) , a m u l titu de of people,in di fferen t order s and rank s
,and sex ,
and S it u at ion,separa ted by par t it ion s ,
i n differ ent order s , and (bu t ) w i th onem ind,wor ship the Omnipotent Lord .
”
—Petr 1e ’
s“ Round Tower s , p . 197.
The Rev . E . E . W ar ren,au thor of The Celtic Li tu rg1es ,
in a letter which he kind ly sen t m e,S tates z— “A ccord ing to the
m ore ancient ru le,the r ight hand m eant the r igh t hand of the
celebran t,or
, the r igh t, hand looking east the sou th S ide .
A nd,aga in
“ I shou ld say tha t , u nless there w as very clearev idence to the contrary ,
the ‘r ight hand ,
’
in any docum ent
ear lier than the fi fteen th cen tu ry , m u st be in terpreted to m ean
the sou th side .
”
Con sequen tly the m en cam e ln throu gh the sou th door inthe nave ; the wom en through the north .
From this descr ip tion ,i t w ou ld appear that the chu rch of
tha t date w as a sim ple rectangu lar bu i ld ing , probably of stone ,
w ithou t any regu lar ly constru cted chancel,which w as form ed
by the wooden par ti tion a lready m en tioned,and which w as
possibly latticed .
,Wh‘
ether the presen t bu i ld ing incorporates a ny por t ion of
the ancient chu rch i s exceeding ly doub tfu l , especia l ly as the
2 461
S T . BR IGID A N D THE
A ccord ing to the presen t trad1t1on the1r r elat i ve
‘
pos ition i s h ere g1y em.
On the Fire H ou se we
have these remarks in
H olinshed’
s Chron icle ”1 '
There was in Killdare an
antien t monum en t nam ed“ M “
the tfii e hou se,wherein
Cambrensi s sa ith,w as there
con tinu all fire kep t dayand n ight , and y et the
a shes never increased . I
trave lled o f set pu rpose to the Tow ne of Kildar e to see this
p lace , where I d id see su ch a m onument l ike a vau lt,w hich to
th is da ie they cal l the fli re hou se .
” 1
A N CIEN T G RAN IT E C Ro ss , K ILDAR E C A THEDRA L.
1 Holinshed when W r i t ing the ab ove w as qu ot ing Ri chard S t anihurst , and b ei t w as
’
vVho visi ted the Fi i e Hou se abou t the th i rd qu ar ter of the 16th cen tury .
1
In the year 1220, H enry de Loundres ( i .e . Henry the Londoner) , A rchb ishopo f Du b lin , cau sed th is Fi re (wh ich had been cal efu lly preserved f 1cm a very earlyt ime by S t . Bri gi d
’s nuns ) to be ext ingu ished ; bu t i t w as short ly after rel igh ted ,
and continu ed to bm n un t i l the supp i ess ion of the Monasteries in the l6th cen
tu r .—
y“ A rchdall
’s Monast i con .
CA THEDR A L CHUR CH OF ~K ILDA R E . 2 4 7
’
Dr .
'
O’
Donovan ,i n placing
“
the'
Fire H ou se where he does ,d iffers from the present trad it ion}, which places i t to the nor tho f north door o f nave
,and ins ide the chu rchyard we ll.
H e does no t m ention the very ancient c11
oss,' bu t , as accord
ing to W are,the shaft 1
was u sed as1
a step to the'
Oomm un ion
Table , i t m ay have escaped hi s notice . The shaf t and m u ti latedcross have been placed on the ancient base , some fou r or five
years ago , at the expense o f th e late D uke o f Leinster . Qu i ter ecen t ly an ancien t g ran i te font of very r u de and pr im i t ivem ake has been d iscovered in. the chu rchyard to
'
the north of
nor th tran sept , and has been p laced insid e the nave. Dr .
O’
Donovan also sta tes,vol. i i .
, p . 232
I have no dou b t that S t . Br idget f ou nd the idea of her perpetu al fire mthat par t o t Lev it icu s wh ich comm ands that a perpetu a l fire be lighted i n
the'
l abernacle .
Be th is as i t m ay ,we hav e every au thority for stating that S t . Bridget
w as never a Vesta l Vt rym and we have no proof , nor can we assume w ithou t more evidence , tha t there were fire Dru idesses, 0 1
1 Vestal Vi 1gins , inI 1eland before the introdu ct ion of Chr ist ian i ty in the fifth cent ury
I cou ld b eliev e that th is fire w a s kept ligh ting by the nun s in honou r
and m em ory of th eir Patron ,S t . B1 idget , and , as there 1S no m ent ion in her
Lives of i t s hav ing been ligh ted by her sel f , that i t w as perhaps an i nnovat ionof modern t im es . In like m anner S t . Br idget ’ s ‘ Oak
,h aw k s
,&c .
,would
have b een r endered perpetual , i t th e pr incipal ( 3) of their l if e and du ra t ioncou ld be cont inu ed or supplied by any m eans and I cou ld a lso b elieve thatthe1e i s very lit t le reliance to be p laced on these insu lse (insipid ) stories ofCambrensi s .
lt 1s aston1sh 1ng that Com/0 3113 , who descr i bed th e ecclesiastica l estab lishmen t at K ildare so m inu tely , takes no not ice of th is perpetu al fire , &c.
It i s cu riou s that Oogi tcsu s m akes no m en tion of the tower or pe1pet ualfire of K ildare . However
,we shou ld b e very cau t ious ln ventu r ing to asser t
t ha t he does not,w ithou t exam ining h i s w ork m ost carefu l ly (p . 235 .
He m akes anoth er 11 1
efe1 ence t o the Bas i li ca of K i ldare, which I have no t ,
v iz . that i t w as an inv iolab le sanctuarv i n wh ich the R ega laa of king s werep laced , and that i t had an ornam ented roof . l he passage extremelyobscu re
,and shou ld be compared w ith all the edit ion s of Oog i tosu s .
The A nnals of Ireland have m any references to Kildareand i ts chu rch du r ing the n in th
,tenth
,and eleventh centu r ies
,
principally bu rnlngs and plunderings by the foreigners, thu swe read :
886 A .D .
“ A Dan ish fleet of 30 sai l arr i ved i n the Liffey,
and another in the Boyne ; they destroyed,amongst other
places, Kildare by fire and sword,and carr ied away the r ich
shr ines of S t . Brig id and S t . Conlaedh .
868 A .D . The Chu rch of Kildare was rebu i lt by Qu eenFlanna , w ife of A edth Finliath
,King of Ireland .
962 A .D . Kildare r ifled by the Gentiles, bu t O’
N erulo ,
th i ough mercifu l pitie, tooke pi tty 0 11. them,and redeemed all the
2 48 S T . BR IGID A ND THE
clergi alm ost for the nam e of theLoi 1 ,d v iz . the fu l l of S t . Brigid’s
hou se , and the cratera fu l l ; he redeem ed all by h i s own mon i e .
1050 A .D . K rldai e w ith i ts great stone chu rch,bu rned, and
aga in in 1067'
A .D .
1132 . A .D . S .t Lau rence O’Toole was baptized at Kildare .
1135 1 A .D . The A bbesse o f Kildare was forced and taken
ou t of her cloi sters by Dermot MacMorrogh , King of Lynster ,and compelled to m arr ie one of Dermot
’s people .
1176. The Eng l ish Ear l (S trongbow ) d ied at D ublm '
, of an
u lcer which had broken ou t on h i s foot , throu gh the m iracleso f S t . Br igid and Columbki ll
’
e'
,and
'
all the other sa ints, whose
chu rches had beendestroyed by him1228 A . Ralph of Br istol repa ired and adorned the
cathedra l , as already stated . [Th is was the bu ild ing whoseru ins have now been restored once more .J
1482 A .D . Dr . Edmu nd Lane, B ishop of Kildare,r epa1red
and beau tified the cathedra l ; he a lso bu i lt a col lege in whichthe Dean and Chapter shou ld reside .
1600 A .D . The town o f Kildare su ffered so severely thatall the hou ses we1e ln ru i ns and w ithou t a single inhabitant .
That the Ca thedra l Shared in the genera l wreck 1s shown'
firstly,
in the Rural V isit 11 tion Book o f 1615 , in wh ich it i s stated,
The church of Kildare d iocese , S itu ated in the town of Kildare , i s now wholly ru inou s ,
’
and aga in i n the Report of
Dr . Pilswor th , Bishop of Kildare ,“ The roof of the body of
the said chu rch i s a ltogether ru i nou s, being pu l led dovvn in
the late wars The par ishioners of the sam e are so poor thatthey are u nable to repair the sam e, un less hi s excellent m aj estyvou chsafe,of hi s won ted goodness , to grant som e extraord inaryhe lp and fu rtherance thereto .
”
1641 A .D . The cathedra l su ffered severely having had i tssteeple beaten down by a cannonade .
This statem ent , from Ware, 1S constan tly repeated . I am
incl ined to think, i t i s mythical , as I have been assured by a
very intel ligent res iden t in Kildare , who w as constantly at the
cathedral du r ing the w ork of restorat ion , that not a. trace“
of
su ch battering nor a S ingle cannon bal l was d iscovered ;
The sub-committee also repor ted , as follow s Cu r iouslyenough , steps of the old tu rret . and portions of the inter iorm ou ld ings of the , w indows w ere fou nd lying on the corn gravel(10 feet down ) , clear ly Show ing that from som e cau se or Otherthe foundations of the p i ers and tu rret were tu rned up from
the very bottom . A gain , it was found very d ifficu l t toobtain a proper foundat ion for the north wal l of tower .
I t seems probable, therefore, that the .nor th wal l . of the
2 50 S T . BR IGID A N D .THE
o f the par ish o f K i lda1e and the cathedral of the diocese . Bu t the choir,i n
wh ich the serv ices w e1e h eld , wa s in a r u inou s condition,i ts w al l s cracked
i n many places , and genera l ly i n so weak a condition tha t they w ere u nab let o bear a new roof , wh ich had then com e to be bad ly needed . A ' depu tat ion
o f the parish ioners”
according ly w aited 011 the Dean and Chapter to a sk thei rassistance in th e work of restor a tion . Bu t the Dean and Chapter cou ldprom ise no funds , and the depu tat ion r etu rned mu ch depressed . One of the
d epu tat ion w as the lat e Dr . Chapl in , of K i ldare , ex-l’ res iden t of the Roya lCol lege of S u rgeons , Ireland , whose earnest zea l and cons tan t labou r s inconnect ion w ith the work of restoration are now fitly commem 01 ated 111 the
handsome east w indow o f the present cathedra l,erected by su hsu 1pt lons of
h i s friends , and recent ly unveiled and dedicated by t he A rchbishop o f
Dub lin . On Dr . Chapl in m en t ioning t o h i s f am i ly th e app arent hopelessnessof effect ing any r es toration of the ca thed ra l at tha t t i me
,h i s l it tle son of
seven yea1 s old (now a clergyman in the diocese) said tliat h e wou ld'
g iv e
h i s bu l lock , v a lu e £5 towa1ds the work . Th is offering o f the lit t le ch ildw as litera l ly th e beginning of the present w ork o f 11 1
es t0 1at i on ,f01 i t led to
other and large su bscript ions b eing off ered,and to the A r chb ishop (Dr .
Trench ) , and t he Dean and Ch apter , asking Mr . S treet t o inspect t he 1n i u s,
and repor t as to what cou ld be done . In October,1871
,Mr . S treet issu ed
a repor t , of which I subj oin some extract s .
This ancient cathed1al appears to have b een bu i l t ln the ear ly part o fthe th ir teenth cen tu ry . It was a simp le cross chu rch w i thou t aisles , bu tw ith
,apparent ly , a chapel of som e kind opening ou t
,of the eastern side o f
the sou th t ransept . A tower rose'
above the in tersect ion of t he arm s of the
cross , wh ilst a nob le rou nd tower stood,and st il l stands, not f ar from t he
w estern end of the nave .
’
W ith the except ion o f the choirThe rest of the chu rch i s in ru ins . The sou th transept and the nave
hav e lost their roof s ; bu t a lmost all their other architectu ra l f eatu res st il lai n
,either in tact or in su ch a
1
state as to m ake their r estorat ion a m a t ter
of no difficu lty; The sou thern e levat ion of the sou th'
transept i s one of great
simplicity ,and of good character and propor t i on . It s w indow 1s a wel l
designed tr iplet , simple externa lly , bu t w ith shaf ts andmou ldings internal ly .
The S ide wa l ls of th e nave present a v ery remarkab le design . The w indowsare simple lancet s , separated f rom each ot her by bu t tresses . Between t hese
bu t tresses bold arches are formed,near ly on a f ace w ith the f ront of. th e
bu tt resses,and w ith a narrow space between themand the face of the wa l l
The eff ect of th is arrangem ent i s to throw a v ery ‘
bold shadow over the
w indow ,and t o produ ce a most pictu resqu e effect . Bu t the r eason of i t i s
n ot clear . It look s som ewhat as thou gh the men who were bu ilding had
more acqu aintance w ith m ilit ary th an w ith ecclesiast ica l architectu re,and
as thou gh the def ence of the chu rch f rom host i le .at tack was a chief m ot ivei n this part of the design— a par t wh ich , to m e a t least , i s The
centra l tower 1s a mere wreck . It 1s a work of fine design and proport ion ,
not very lof ty , but ln i t s complete state so large as to gi ve a good dea l of thedignity
yof a ca thedra l to what m igh t otherw ise have looked somewha t too
mu ch like a parish chu rch . There are v ar iou s other f ragment s of great
arch itectu ral and ant iqu arian in terest in this bu i lding among them I maynot ice some fine encau st ic t iles , and severa l fine monum ent s
,w ith scu lptu re
on the sides or '
slabs . . Amp le au thor ity exist s for t he whole of this work,so
that i t m ight real ly b e a work of restorat ion in the b es t sense of the
w ord .
GEORGE EDMUN D S TREET,R.A .
October 31st , 1871.
(CEXTJJIEEHi IXI . CHI IJEKCJJ. (DI? 2 55!
The cost of this restoration Mr . S treet est imated at £5000. When Mr .
S treet’s repor t was issued, sub script ions soon flowed in . A rchbishopTrench
gave £350, the Duke of Leins ter’
s family £2500,Mr . Thomas Cooke-Trench
£550 and £ 1500 ( th e interest on th is la t ter sum going t o form a repairf und for u se in the fu tu re) the Dean of K ildare £100,
and £200—col lectedby h im self per sona lly . Amongst th e su b scribers at this t ime are to be found
the names of the Du ke of W es tminster , the Dowager Marchioness of Bath,
S ir Wil liam Heathcote , the Rev . R . F. Wilson, the Du chess of Mar lborou gh ,and Mr . Gladstone . Bu t the money came in larg est m easu re f rom Chu rchmen in the diocese of K ildare .
The work w as not actu ally commenced u nt il 1875 bu t f rom that dateu n til 1882
, i t wen t on cont inu ou s ly . A v isit of inspection f rom Mr . S treetin 1878 necessitated some al terat ion of the plans , i n order to fol low ou t the
old lines ,and the w a l ls of the chancel were now commenced
,bu t lef t u n
completed . It was fou nd at th is t ime that the cost of the work s wou ld f arexceed the sum of £5000 m ent ioned at first by Mr . S treet i n h i s report . Mr .
Cooke-Trench a t th is crisis generou s ly oifere‘
d £500 h im self , and on behalf ofLady Helena Trench
, £200, i f a sum of £ 1500 w ere col lected before theend of Febr u ary in the next year . This w as accomplished , and the year1882 saw t he sum of £7072 expended on the restora tion
, leav ing the
t ower,nave , and two transept s of t he cathedra l completed . Th en cam e t he
agrarian war in Ireland ,and the work of restorat ion ceased u nti l 1890, when
a f resh appeal w asm ade for f unds,which resu l ted in £2700 being su b scribed
again m ain ly by Chu rchmen in K ildare dioceseTh is sum of £ 2700 w a s expended i n the reb u ilding of the chancel
,
filling all the windows (except the east one) with cathedra l glass , pointing all the wa l ls internal ly ( i t hav ing b een decided to leave the wal lsu nplastered) , laying down a concrete floor w ith necessary s teps to the
chancel , and providing a heat ing chamber . All the w ork has been ca rriedou t u nder the direct ion of the em inent diocesan archi tect
,Mr . J. F. Fu l ler
,
F . S .A . w ho h as reprodu ced the character of the old masonry as f ar as possib le.
A handsomely w rought Caen stone arcading cover s por tion of th e nor th and
sou th faces of the chancel wal ls,and runs across the east end to the leve l of
the w indow sil ls . This arcading ,for abou t ha lf i t s height , i s diapered , and
has a very r ich effect . On th e south side , the divisions form the sedilia,
credence tab le , and piscina . The por t ion of t he arcading immedia te ly behindth e holy tab le has a greater proj ection f rom the f ace of the wa ll and i s
divided into spaces more r ich ly t reat ed than the rem ainder of the w ork . S o
that now K ildare Cathedra l stands complet e , as far as i ts s tr uctu re i s con
c erned,in the cr uciform shape in wh ich i t exis ted pr ior to i t s demolit ion in
1641. Bu t mu ch stil l remains to be done .
H eat ing and l ighting , the tiling of the entire floor,benches
or chairs for the nave and transept , a su itable organ—all these
things have y et to be prov ided , and w ou ld requ ire the expen
d i ture of abou t £ 1750 before the whole cathedra l cou ld bethrown open for the w orship of Grodfil
1 All the requ isites here enumerated with the except ion of t iling the trans epts h ave been prov ided , and the Cathedra l was dedicated anew , and
solemn ly reopened with a magnificent S ervice, and in the presence of a grea t
congregat ion of Bishops , Clergy and Laity ,on Tu esday , 22md September ,
1896, the S ermon being preached by the late A rchbishop 0 1 Canterbu ry .
See “ A rchbishop Benson in Ireland,
”edited by Dr . Bernard (Macmil lan
and
mm. PT . i v .
2 5 2 S T . B R IGID A N D THE CA TH EDR A L CHUR CH ,K ILDA RE .
A nd now a w ord in answer to an obj ection . I t i s som etim es
sa id “ The w ork of restoration has spoi led a beau t ifu l r u in .
”
S u rely the repor t of M 11
. S treet i s a su fficient answer . A few
years m ore , and what now rem ains of this interest ing chu rch
m ay have becom e a thing of the past . Each w in ter’
s ra in and
frost help to d isintegrate the very fabr ic of the w al ls,and that
which i s possible now m ay not be possible ere long”
; and i f
this i s not su fficien t , then su rely , the d ign ity of God’
s hou se,the
needs of the d iocese , the honour of the Chu rch of Ire land,the
very m em ory of S t . Br ig id hersel f , cal l 0 11 all wh o can helpto ai d 1n the restoration of the great chu rch of Kildare
,so often
r u ined—so of ten m ay I not now say— a s of len l estored .
Let any fu rther ju stificat ion n ecessa i y be fou nd ln the w ords
of an unw i ll ing w itness, M r . J M . Fa llow,F . S
,in h i s notes on
The Cathedrals of Ireland A n tiquar ies
A
Iiiay be pardonedfor regrett ing that the attempt w as ever m ade to rebu i ld the
cathedra l from the old ru ins bu t that hav ing been done, it m u sthe confessed that the resu lt has been to produ ce , as the reconstru ct ion of the ancient church
,one of the m ost p ictu resqu e of m odern
ecclesiastical bu i ldings in Ireland .
K 1LDAR E C ATH h DRAL FROM Tm : S OU TH-EA S T m 1870 .
2 54 H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA R E .
A .D . 1130. A n A nnotated List of Oxfordshire S her iffs fromthe Conqu est w as comp i led by M 1
1
. John M . Davenpor t ; andG. F . Du ckett , Bar t .
, pu blished , in 1879, The S her i ffs o f
W estmoreland , w i th the Ear ly S her iffs of Cumberland .
”
Blakeway published The 187101777011; of S hrop shir e. These are
m en t ioned m erely as specim ens .
In the case of Ireland no accoun t of the S her iffs of anycoun ty had been pu blished as a separate book, though som e
treatises on the law a ffecting the office and on i ts du ties haveappeared . One was pu bl ished by M atthew Dutton , 8vo, Dubl in
,
1721 . The li sts'
i nclu ded in som e Ir ish cou n ty histor ies are
neither num erous,nor fu l l , nor accu rate . One of the best i s
that in S hir ley ’
s Zlf onag/zan ; perhaps the worst that in S tu ar t’
s
A rmagh .
The County S her iffs in Ireland are se lected or pr icked bythe Lord Lieu tenan t from a list o f three names , f urn ished to
the Crown Judge at the S u mm er A ssizes by the S her iff , so that
practical ly he u su ally appoints h i s su ccessor . Am ongst theIr ish Rol ls ”
in the Bod le ian Library at Oxford I saw the
List of nam es nom inated to Jam es,Duke of Ormonde, the Lord
Lieu tenant , 15th of Char les II .
,and in th e m un im en t room at
Kilkenny Cast le i s a Rol l w ith h i s prickings oppos ite the
selected nam es—o ften not the first . S ee Calendar of Carew
M S S . , i .
, p . 174 .
The S her ifl s w ere form er ly obliged to pass a Paten t of
appo in tm en t and w ere heav i ly m u lcted therefor . The fees were,
in 1725 , regu lated by an A ct of the Ir ish Par liam ent (12 Gee . I .
,
e . which i s summar ized in the Li ber M uner am,v i .
,37—8.
It enum erated abou t a dozen fees amou nt ing to £7 18. 601,in
clud ing King’
s s ilver ,”10a
,and chaff-wax, 2s . The fees
on passing accou n ts amoun ted to £5 78 . S ec. 18 g ives theOath . S ee also 3rd Geo . III .
, e . 9.
The A ct 5 6 W i lliam IV ., 0 . 55 (1885 ) fu rther regu lated
the appo intm ents , and prescribed that they were not to be as
heretofore by Pa tent, bu t“ by w arran t u nder the hand of the
Chief Governor .
”I t provides that S her iffs are no longer to be
apposed in the Cou r t of Exchequer,or to take the oath to
account 0 11 be cast ou t of cou rt .
”
The Record Office in Dubl in conta in s a vast number of
documents relating to H igh S her iff s . In order to help any
persons disposed to inqu ire fu rther I append references to the
pr incipal ones .
‘
Am ongst the Chancery (H anaper Office) records are the
Warrants for A ppointment (or rather for the issu e of Paten t ofappointment) addressed by the Lord Lieu tenant to the Lord
H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA R E . 2 55
Chancel lor . On each of these i s endorsed the Chancel lor ’
s
d irection to the Clerk of the H anaper and a receipt for fees .
The Kildare ones run from 1644 to 1813,bu t m any are wan t ing .
From 1741 they are on pr inted form s .
Am ongst the Records of the Exchequ er (Revenu e) are1
N am es retu rned o f fi t persons , 1776—85 .
List of S her iff s,l78l—l809. I .
AK . 11. 94 .
N am es of S heriff s,1714—1823. I . K . 11. 99.
S her iffs ’
accou nts,1689—1644 .
S heriffs w ho have not pa id the ir Tots , 1694 1720.
5 E , 193, 9.
S her iffs “
qu ieted , 1683—1833 . 1 . K . 11 . 95 8.
S her iffs ’
Recognizances [ l783 —54l, 1726—1832 . Index
p . 354 .
O f these I have exam ined on ly some which seemed l ike ly tofill gaps in the U lster
’
s Office Lists presently to be descr ibed .
In that grea t bu t im perfect repertory o f the Officia l H istoryof I re land the L iber fil anem m P ublicor um H ibernate
,issu ed by
the Ir ish Record Comm issioners , and for a t ime suppressed , two
Lists for l im ited per iods are pr inted . In vol. I ., part i v .
,155
60 i s g iven a list of S her i ff s (as w el l as of Comm issioners or
Ju stices of the Peace) dur ing the reign o f Charles I I .
,1663—88,
compi led from the Records of the H anaper Office in the
Chancery of Dublin . A t p . 145 o f the 3rd par t of the same
volum e there i s a fu r ther imper fect l ist of the I r ish H ighS her iff s in the r eign of George III . It extends from 1761 to
1815,w i th the om ission o f 1777—84 . The su ccession of S her iffs
i s g iven in the order of cou n t ies,arranged alphabet ical ly , f rom
An tr im to Roscomm on, w ith which the list u nfortu nately ter
m inates in the ord inary copies . In a un i qu e copy , however ,now before m e
,which the late Bi sli op Reeves obta ined from the
Treasu ry , severa l add i tional leaves in proo f are added , includ ingthose conta in ing the l ists of S her iffs for the six coun t ies fromS l igo to W exford .
A bou t the year 1858 correspondence took place in“N otes and
Quer ies ”
(2nd S er ies) as to the ava ilable m ater ia ls for the comp ilat ion of Lists of Ir ish S her iffs , and i t w as stated (vol. i i i . , 76)that the m ost p erfect known list was to b e found in
Exchequ er N o tes”
of the la te James J . Fergu son , bu t
whether these were in pr in t or M S . w as not stated , nor was i tm ade clear where these w ere to be fou nd . The Rev . Jam es Graves
of Kilkenny, reply ing to an inqu iry of m ine
,stated that the
Treasu ry pa id £700 to the representatives of Mr . Fergu son
w i th the cond it ion tha t hi s MS . collections shou ld be deposi ted
2 56 H IGH S H ER IFFS OF THE CO UNTY K ILD A R E .
in the Exchequer for the pu blic benefit . H e expressed h isbelief that the “ Exchequ er N otes w ou ld be found am ongst
the mass of docum ents in cha1ge o f Master H itchcock. H e
asked f0 1 inform a tion as to the state of the MS S . and inqu iredwhether they had been bound and arranged so as to be ava i lablefor consu ltat ion . N o reply however cam e
,nor have I been
able to find amongst the Ferguson MS S . i n the Record O ffi ceany l ist of Ir ish S her iffs such as i s he1e r e ferred to .
In M 1 . C uaves’
communication last quoted he r°
efe1 s to the
M em0 1anda Rolls o f the Exchequer and the Gn eat Rolls of the
Pipe as record ing the names of S her i ffs at Easter and M ichaelmas
every year . The la tte r are m ore particu lar ly re ferred to i n
the 2nd Report of the Keeper o f the Records , pp . 125,131
,143.
There i s a Rol l (“ de compu t . V ice o f S her i ff s ’
Tots ”from 40
°
Eliz . to 2 1° Jacob i
,and thence 0 11 f rom
1624 , tolerably regu larly , for all cou nties , possi bly down to
1739.
The most accessible 1n ode1n Lists of Ir ish H igh S her i ff swe1e two in the Office o f U lster King o f A 1 1n s, and these thelate S i r Bernard Burke , U lster
,kindly a llowed m e to
transcribe in 1880—a work occupying the greater par t o f a
month .
One of these i s i n a Manu script o f 242 fol io pages , let teredon the back “ H igh S he1 i ffs , Constables , &c .
”I t i s i n t he
beau tifu l ly clear W 1 i ting o f that great arch ivi st,John Lodge ,
K eepe1 of the B i 1m ingham Towe1 Records , &c . &c . T he
MS . commences w i th 11 pp . of cu r iou s M iscel laneous N otes ,
0 11 ten su bj ects . I t inclu des,in 32 pp . (wh ich I cop ied) ,
Lists of the Governors and Custodes Rotu lor um ,and o f
Constables, Gaole rs , and Keep ers of prisons i n the severa l
Coun t ies of I reland . The bu lk o f the book (pp . 50 t o 142 ) i soccup ied w ith the S her iffs, from the year 1600 down to 1772 .
S ubsequ ently are given particu lars of en tr ies anter ior to 1600.
Lodge probably comp i led these Lists w ith a v iew to comp let ingh i s sets of Pa tentee O fficers , which were subsequently pr in tedin the Liber M emem m . This l ist general ly g ives s im ply(1) year , (2 ) su rname , (3) Chr istian nam e
,and (4) res idence,
bu t in the case of ear ly entr ies au thorities are occasiona l ly cited ,and par ticu lars added .
The other List which w as in U lster ’
s O ffi ce belonged toS i r Bernard B urke . It was i n the w r it ing of a clerk o f hi s
down to 1858—9 : subsequ en t entr ies being i n ano ther handoccasiona l ly S ir Bernard
’
s own . I t con ta ins no ind ication as to
the sou rce from which i t was der ived , bu t i t was probablyfounded on Lodge
’
s List as far as 1772 . It d iffers from i t
2 58 H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA R E .
have been the fashion then . S O i t w ou ld appear that the lawkeepers w ere often law -breakers a t that per iod I
In the Fian ts of H enry V III . there i s no m ention of anyS her iff of Kildare bu t W ILLIAM H IGHAM
,one o f the yeom en of
the Crown , had a grant for l i fe of the office o f “ser jean t or
Ba i l iff of the Cou nty Kildare . This fiant (which i s exceptiona lf or being in Engl ish ) i s dated at. W estm inster , 20 Ju ne,and was del ivered in to Chancery , 9 S ep . fol low ing , 1540. Cou ldthis be th e officia l ancestor O f the
’
S ub-sherifl or of the ranger ofthe Curragh
The y ears entered in the lists are u sual ly those which inclu dedthe greater part of the S her iff s
’
term of office . That i s an indefin ite per iod , not exactly concu rren t w ith the calendar year . Th e
tim e of appointm ent and sw earing in has generally ranged from
N ovember to Febru ary , bu t a S her iff rema ins in office ti ll h i ssu ccessor i s sworn In .
SHERIFFS OF K ILDARE BEFORE 1592 .
N .B .— l e abbrevi a t i on S . of K .
”s tands f or S her ifi of K i ldare .
N OTICES FROM SWEETMAN ’S CALEN DARS (ABOVE QUOTED
A .D .
1286 .—R ICH ARD DE PEN K ES TON .
11292 .—HEN RY DE ROCHEFORT .
1293 .—TH O M A S MAUN S EL .
1298.—GILBERT DE S OTTON .
1299.—W I LLIAM ALEXA N DER (elsewhere spelled ALY S AUN DRE
1300.—DAV ID LE MA Z EN E (elsewhe1 e called DAV ID MA Z EN ER ) .
1301 —JOHN DE COV EN '
IRY .
—ALBERT DE K EN LEE as in another place, K EN LEY E
N OTICES DERIVED M AIN LY FROM”
LODGE AN D THEFIAN TS
1312 .— S IR JOHN DE W ELLES IE Y (Bu rke ’
s Peerage ,“ W ellington
1373.-W ILLIAM BALLYMORE .
— H e had a Liberate of 10 marks , 13 December , 1374 ,as late S heriff
,for a y ear or m ore i n 1ecompen se o f h i s ser vices and charge
in the execu ti on of that office (Rot . Clau s . 48 Ed . 111. dorso , Roll1379.
—W ILLI AM WELLES LEY , of Baron1ath ,MS S . Ulster s Office .
1385 .—W ILLIAM WELLES LEY .
— [S ame again ? see 1403 .
1386.— S IR MAUR ICE F1 1z EU S TAOE
,K u t .
, appo inted during pleasu re . Trym ,
26 JanuaI y ,1385 (9 Ric . H . , f acie Roll
1402 .—JOH N FITz M ORIC E EUS TA CE], of Blakehall [Blackb all ff ] , appointed
(19 S ept . ) du r ing pleasu i e . (3 H en . IV .
,f .
,R :
1403.—VVILLIAM W ELI ESLEY .
—[Again .
9see 1379 and
’85 . During p leasure, Conall,
4 Feb .,1402 (4 H en . IV . ,
la p . f ., R. 1) w ith a f ee o f £20 a year Ou t of
the 1ssu es and profits of the Cou n ty , i n consi derat i on of h i s g1eat services .
(T . B . B1rm 1n 0 ham'
10w er , 4 Hen . IV . ,l a p . f . N O . 123 )
1416.—S IR RICH AR D DE WELLESLEY
,K night (Bu rke ’
8 Pee1 age , W ellington .
1423 .—TH OMA S HATTE [HALLE . Esq
l e,Ju ne 18, du 1 i 11g pleasure . (T . B;,
1 Hen . VL , f . N O .
H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDAR E . 2 5g
A .D .
1424 .—S IR RICH ARD WELLE SLEY ,
Ent .,was su cceeded (T . B . 3 Hon . VI .
, f , N o .
113 b
1425 .—S IR ED
)W AftD EU S TA CE ,
Ku t . , appointed du ring pleasu re, May 11,Drogheda .
(T . B .
,3 Hen . V I .
, f . N o . The Eu staces w ere f ormerly owners of
large estates in K ildare,and st i ll have some property near Robertstown .
S ee thi s Journa l,’92 , 115 .
1502—4 .-S 1R W ILLI AM W OGAN , K u t .
, of Rathcoffey . (Pedigree by S i r W .
Betham . )15 56 .
—N ICH OLA S EU S TA CE . In the follow ing yea r he w as of CradO t-ki ston , gent ,”
and had a pardon . [Fiants , Ph il . and .Mary . ]1557.
—PA '
1R ICE S AR SFIELD,of T i steldelan [now Castled illon
,Co K i ldare] gen t .
Pardon to him and Kather ine Fitz-W i lliams,hi s w i fe
,and o th ers .
[Fiants, Ph i l . and1558.
—REDMUN D FI T Z GERALDE,of Rathangan ,
CO . K ., gent , alias Redmund oge ,
late S . of K . , has a pardon (w i th another) , 22 April, 1559. [Fian ts ,1 Eliz . , &c . S ee Index ]
1558—l 56o.— FRAN CI S CO SEY
,of Ev en [now Monasterev in] , gent ,
appointed 24 Jan . ,
1553, du ring pleasu re ( I Eli z . f . He i s m ent ioned sev e1al t im es in
th e Fian ts,and appears to hav e continu ed in office in 1560. Later on he
w as of S tradbally , Qu een’s Co.
1562 .—S 1R MAUR ICE FITz-TE OMA S [FITZ GER ALD of Lackagh , CO . K i ldare] , Kn t .
(5 Eli z . f . (S ee Lord W alter Fi tz Gerald has h i s ped igree .
N OTICES OF 16TH CEN TURY SHERIEES MAINLY FROM THE FIAN TS OF
ELIZ ABETH
1567.—JOH N EU STA CE
,of Castelma i t in
,Esq .
,S . of K .
,has a pardon . H e i s again
m ent ioned as S . of K .,20 June
,or Ju ly , 1568. S ee 1576 also .
1563.—JOHN DAV 1Es
,Esq . of K ill, ob . S . of K .
,had a Comm ission t o
execu te Mar t ial Law in the County ,30 Jan . He (w ith oth eI S ) had a
pardon as“of H arbai t i ston ”
[=Hobbardston or Herbe1t ston ? Co . late
S . of K .
,26 Jun e
,1570.
—W 1EL1AM PEP PARD , Esqu ire S . of K .,had a Comm i ssion to execu te Mar tial
Law in the CO . K Feb . 20. 111 157? h e (and 13: of “ h i s m en”) as of
Lev i tstow n,Co . K .
,late S . of K .
,had a pardon .
1571 .—ROBERT PYRR O [s ic . ? S . of K .
, and oth ers,had a Commission to
execu te Mart ial Law,28
'
S ep .
1573 .—BYER s FITz-GE RALD
,S . of K .
,w ith others,h ad a Comm i ssion of m u ster . On
Ju ly 12 , 1574 , he w as,as Peter or Pers F .
-G . ,of Ballysonan ,
CO . K .,
gen t ,late S . of K .
,i n consi derat ion of h i s services when Sher i ff , w i th
N ich . Lysaghe Of Conall, gent ,
and 29 of h i s men, gran ted a pardon .
The nam e recu rs 4 t imes to 1581 .
— S IR M ORRY S FITz-GERALD, Knt . , of Leycagh e [Lackagh S . of K . ,
has a
Comm i ss ion to execu te Mar t ial Law , 27 Feb . S ee 1562 . H e (1. 1575 .
S ee engrav ing of hi s tom b and m emoir of the fam i ly i n this Jou rnal, ’94 ,
245—64 .
1574 .—PIER S FI Tz -GARRET
, gent . (see has a Comm i ssion to execu t e Mart ialLaw in the County , Dec . 7 . On S ep .
"
20, follow ing , as PETER F 1'r z
GERALD,of Grangemollyn , CO . K Esq .
,late S . of K .
,b e
,w i th JOH N
S TO C K S , of Hawes towne, gen t ,
S ub -Sh ei i ff [fir st so styled] and severalothers
,had a pardon .
1576.—JOHN EU S '
I‘
A CE [of Castle Marten] , Esq .,S . of K . [nam ed abov e and b elow
had a Comm i ssion to execu te Mart ial Law in the Cou nty , and i n the
follow ing year , April 17, he, w i th oth ers , h ad a pa rdon .
1578.—PETER FITz -GERALD [named above and 1581 of Ballysonan , gen t , late S .
of K ., w i th JOH N S HERLOCK
,o f N aas
, gent , S u b-S hen ff‘
, and others hada pardon ,
Ju ly 22 .
l578.—GERALD FIT z-PE ILIP s GERALD
,of A llon [now Allen , Ob . 29
,Au gu st
Co . K .
,Esq .
,S . of K . , w i th 4 othe i s
,had a pardon ,
S ep . 11 . LordW alter Fitz Gerald has h i s pedigree .
2 60 H IGH S HER IEES OF THE COUN TY K ILDA RE .
A .D .
— JOHN EU S TACE,of Castle M ar ten (see appears as S . of K . in a l i st
pr icked 25 N ov .,1579, by S i r \V i lli an1 Pelham ,
Lord Ju s ti cc . [CZLI C'
W
M S S . i . Bu t he died in 1579.
1581.— PERI S [s ic] FI Tz-GER ALD [abovenamed 1573—8 of Ballcsonan , S . of K .
, had
a Commission to execu t e Ma1t ia1Law .
1583.—REDMON D BRYMGHAM [slc
”
= BERM IN GII AM , of the Grange], S . of K .
,and
others had a Commi ss ion of Mu ster .
— TH OMA S FI Tz GER ALD [o t‘
Ti rnahoe,Co . Ki ldare ;Ob . 10
, June S . of K ,had a Commission to execu te M art ial Law i n the Cou nty , Feb . 1.
—W I LLIAM EU STA CE , S . of K .
,and others had a commission of mu ster .
LI ST FROM 1592,FOUNDED ON LODGE
’S MS .
[A ddr esses , &c.
,aclclccl in braclccls arc f rom ollzcr sources . A n aslcrlslc
pr efixed to a namc r ef ers to a nolc a t curl of tllo an ]
1592 Eu stace, [Clongowes \Vood .]
1593r
Fi t zGerald ,1594 S arsfield
, [Turnings , Co . K . (Ob .
1595 S arsfi eld,
1 24 Jan . ,
1596 f Fi tz Ge rald , [Ballyshannon, CO‘
K .]Fit z Gerald
,
1597 aleDu ke,
aleAylmer , [Lyons ]1598 [
'f Fi tz -Gerald,
1599
1600
1601 [ f Hal
rberg 7 Cotsland, Cotlan
ston,Co . K . F iant s ]
Rober t,
Ballysax
1603
1604
1605“’l‘ Fi tz Gerald
,Row land .
1606 aleFi t z Gerald,
S i r James; Ku t . (aga in ? 17c [Ballyshannon ,Co . K . ,
Oh . 26 April,W i lliam
,Castle-M ar tin .
Pierce .
Lew i s .
S ir Richard, [Grangebeg (oh . 7 N ov . ,
Thom as .
Gerald [seeW i lliam .
Ri chard .
S i r H enry [seePhilip [seeS i r H enry [again
S tephen .
S teph en [aga inPhilip [agai n ] , [BS i r H enry , [CW alter
, [A thy (oh . 9Dec .
M aur ice,
S i r Ri chard , Knt .
John .
John [againS ir James [Fi t z Pierce] ,John .
S i r Henry .
Bartholom ew,
Jam es . Fi an ts : see
2 62
1689
1690
1691
1692
1693
1694
1695
1696
16971698
1699
1700
H IGH S HER IFF S OF THE COUN TY K ILDA R E .
Cooley [or Cow ley] ,H eu et son ,
S heph eI d [or Shep
S heph erd ,Ay lm er
,
Jones ,*\Vogau ,*\Vogan,Lu ttrell
,
f Sherlock,"lfA tkins,
N ev ille,f Ann esley,Barry ,
M edli cott,
Ri ckaseys,Borrowes
,
Brereton ,
Wh ite,
Burke,
1701 9“Ann esley ,1702 Annes
‘ley ,
1716
17171718
1719
1720
172 1
1722
1723
1724
1725
1726
17271728
1729
1730
1731
Borrowes_[Or Bu r :
rowes] ,7f—N u t tall
,
Borrowes ,H aynes [or Haines
,]S tr atf o
'
rd,
Arm st i ong ,Wh i te
,
Colley ,
Bu rgh [or Bou rke,WAylme1 ,M e1ed1th
S trat ford
Harman,*Garstin,
Reddy ,A i m st i ong
1732 *Digby ,1733 Bu1g , .h
elfColley ,
Ar thu r .
Arthu 1 [againJohn [again F] .
S i r A I thu 1,Knt .
John .
John [again ? Lodge has a
b lank] .Rob ert .
S ir W alter,Bar t .
Charles .
A lexander .
[Castlet arb ery]
[Rathcoffy]
[Fu rnace
[Dunmu rry
[Palm ers town ]
N arraghmOre
Osberstown .
Gi lltown .
K 1lkea , or Colverstown .]
[Oldtown (N aas) .
Carton .
[Bi shop s Cou rt ]Grangeb eg [or Gra igebeg ]
S i r Thom as,K n t .
Richard [again if ],Mau rice .
Jam es .
George,Charles .
S i r K ildare,Bart . [see 1707]
W illiam .
Jam es .
Th eobald,
Francis .
Franci s [a'
gain? W arrant says
John] .
Mau rice,
Thomas,
S tephen .
John .
S i r K ildare,Bart . [again
Jeff rey .
Rob ert ,
[Belan . ]Charles .
H enry ,Pi tchardstown . [W .]
H enry , Cast lecarbery .]John
,Palm erstowri
Char les , Ballycannon .
Richard,
Sh row land .]John , [Belan .]Robert , [M ill icent, near Clane .]Jam es
,K i lm ore .
Dan iel , Branganstown .
Edm ond [or Edward—W ] Morri stown ,
John Landenstown .
Thomas , O ldtown W . ]Du dley , Rah in
H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA RE . 2 63
A .D .
1735 Burke [or Bou rke] , Theob ald, Palm erstown .
1736 f Fi sh,
Joseph , Cast le-Fi sh [of T ub
berogan ,’\V .]
[He died in office, and was su cceeded by]Bourke, John , Palm erstown .
1737 Bou rke,
John [again] , Palmerstown .
1738 Dixon H enry , Jun . K ilkea .
1739 Browne , John , Dunany \V .]1740 Jan 17, [eWarbu i tom George] .
Feb . 19, A 1chbold , W i lh am ,Dav idstown .
1741 A she, Thomas , Moone.
[He died in office -and was su cceeded by]Ju ly 4 , M ‘Manu s, Jam es [v ice A sh e, deceased], Maynooth .
1742 Dec . 7, M‘Manu s , James [again], M aynooth .
174 3 Dalyell, Thomas , T incknevin .
1744 S teele , Lau rence, Jun .
,K ilb ride .
1745 Bagot t John , N urny .
1746 Jevers [or Ievers] , Au gu st in, Mount-Ri ce .
1747 Brow ne,
Francis,
K i ldare .
1748 W alsh,
Thomas , H allohoi ce .
1749 Medli co t t , James,
A rdscu ll1750 Ri ce
,S tephen ,
Mount-Rice .
1751 Borrowes,
S i r K i ldare Dixon , Bart .,
Gi lton .
1752 Pom eroy, A rth u1 Carb er ry .
1753 W h i te,
Thom as , Pi tcherstown
1754 Fi sh,
Rober t [see Castle-Fi sh .
1755 W ol fe,
Phi lpot , Fu rnace .
1756 Digby , S imon , Jun . , Landenstown . ]1757 Ham i lton , James
,Clane .
1758 Hort , Jos iah,
Hor tland .
1759 S t . Leger , John,
Grangem ellon .
1760 Donne llan , Jeremiah , Jnu . ,Ravensdale .
1761 Ay lmer S ir Fi tz-Gerald , Bart . , Donadea .
1762 N ev ill,
Ar thu r Jones, Fornagh ts .
1763 Carter,
Henry Boyle, Cas t le-Mar tin .
l764 S herlock,
W illiam , S herlockstown
1765 W a 1bu r ton,
Richard,
Fi rm ou nt .
1766aleS pencer , James , Ra thangan .
1767 *Bu rgh , W illiagh [rcctcW illiam], Bert .
1768 Eu stace,
W i lliam , Cradocks town .
1769 Tyrrell , George, Dun fer t .
1770 W olfe, Theobald,
Castlewarden .
1771 H enry , Joseph ,S traffan .
1772 Ki ldare, Marqu i s of W illiam Fitz [Carton] .
Gerald,common ly called
’
R ichard,Mau rice,John ,
Lau rence,Ch ri stopher ,Michael
,
John ,
Thomas ,Robert ,Robert
,
Furnace .
N arraghmore .
Corker .
Rathbri de .
N u rney .
M i llicent .
Fu rnese .
[Castlem artin ,W .]
K i llybeggs .
Powersgrove [nowtown House ]
Grange .
Fummys .
Kerdi ffstown.
2 64 H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA R E .
A .D .
1786 Ty i cll, John ,
1787 Coates , “Hi li am,
1788“f"G i i ffith ,
R i cha1d,
1789 f Browne, “T
og 111,
1790 K ea t ing, Mau I i ce Bagenal St . c c1 ,
M ar . 6,Taylor , John
,
1791 Bu rdet t , A rtl1i1r,
“r
illiam ,
Mau ri ce Bagenal S t . Leger
[again N arraghmore .
Eyre , H i llsborough .
S i r Fenton ,Ba1 t . , Donadea .
M ichael , Cour t-town .
Robert , H arristown .
Thom as Ki lreny .
A dam,
"Willi am stown .
JOhn,
O ldtown .
John , K ilkea .
Thom as , [Logstown ,1M ]
John Joseph , [ S traffan ,XV ]
M ich ael, [Enortown ,
\V .]Peter , [Blackhall,W illi am
, [Tu llylost . \V .]Joshu a , [Mount i i ce ,
”
W .]John . W hylon ) .
S i r E1asmu s D.,Bar t , Giltow n .
Jam es [see Grangebeg .
Thomas , Boleybay [or beg .
)
[Blank In Lo’
dge’
s List . N o Wan ant 1n
o
ReCOI d Office .
Cu tchley [or C1itchley ,
”James [again G1ano ebe o
Tyrrell , A dam ,Grange Cast le .
[Blank in Lodge’
s List . N O WarI ant In Record Office .
Montgom ery , S am u el, The Knocks .
Carter, W i ll iam H enry , Cast le Mart in .
Hoi t,
S i r W i lliam,Bar t . , Hor tlands .
Aylmer , John,
Courtown .
H em y, A r thu r , Lodge ParkM i lls , S amu el, Fu rness .
Roberts , S allym ount
Moore, Ponsonby , Moorefield Hou se .
Bu rdett , Capt . George, Longh town Hou se [andBella-V illa ]
Cas t letown
Landenstown .
Donadea Cast le .
Palmerstown,N aas .
Clonard .
S taplctown .
M i llicent .
Cas t le-Browne .
N arraghm orc [sec 1793]K i nnca ,v icc K eat ingflV .
Bella V i sta [Rectc
Sherlockstown .
Edward,John
,
George ,Thomas
,
S ir W alter Dixon , BaI t .
Rob ert , Davidstown .
Dom in i ck K i ldangan Cast le .
Thom as, Geraldine.
Benedict A I thu r , Moone Hou se.
Henry , Baron ,K i llestra .
John Ballintaggart .
John Hyacin th, Garri sker .
Harvey , MonasterevanHon . Edward, Lyons .
W alter Hu ssey , Donore ,
Hugh S traffan
2 66 H IGH S HER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA RE .
A .D .
1887 “T ilson
,Robert Mackay ,
1888 Sweetman , Edmund,
1889 Roberts,
M armaduke Wm .
C i am ei
John C ,
Cap t . Mark S ynnot t ,W illiam I reland
,
Major Richard Clau de,
H ans Hendrick ,Thom as ,
Major Joh n A lgernon,S u rgeon
-Major J . R . ,
N OTES .
1596 .— S 111 J . FIT Z PIERCE . S o Lodge had the name, b u t Lord
‘N alter Fitz Gerald
ident ifies h im as S i r Jam es fitz -pierce FI rz GERALD, o f Ballyshannon ,
Co . K,ob . 24 Jan . 1615 .
1597.— S IR H . DUK I§ .
—Fr0m _M0 1rin ’s Calendars of Patent and Close Rolls w e find
that Livery o f the possessions of S i r Henry Duke,late of Lecar rowlon
byo gg ,”i n the Cou nty Roscommon
, was g ranted to S i r Joseph Jeph son
and M ary Ru sh , alm s Duke,daughter and heiress of the said S i r Henry .
Chas . I . 8°
1597.—AYLMER . S ee thi s Jam a al
,
’94
,295 307.
1598 .—J. FIT Z GERALD , Esq , S . of K . h ad a commission to execute Ma1 tial law i n the
County . [Fiant s] . S ee again 1606.
1601 — J. H AR BER T of C.,la te S . of K . , w ith many others h ad a pardon ,
12 th March ,1602—3 . [Fiant s] . Perhaps,
Herb ertstmvn took name from th i s f am ily .
1605 .—ROWLAN D FITz GER ALD .
— Qu el‘ y REDMON D FlTZ GERALD ,o f T im ahoe
,Co . K . P
Fitz G . )1612 23.
—COW LEY, or COLLEY . S ir Henry died 6 Ju ly, 1637. He w as ancestor of
th e Duke of W ellington . Their property (Cast le Carbery ) w as di videdb etw een the late Lord H arber ton and h i s b rother , Hon . G . F . Colley . S ee
1627.—W . AR CHDALL . Qu ery W ILLIAM AR CH BOLD
,of Timolin ? or \VALTER A .
,of
sam e ? S ee the Journal,’93
,205-6 .
1640.—JAME S GAR ST IN G , of Sm i th stown , barony of S a lts
,i s said to have had h i s hou se
robbed , 6th December , 164 1 . H e perhaps wa‘
s the M ajor Jam es Garst in
who was appointed Provost-Marshall-General of the f orces i n Ireland by
the Commander-in -Chief , 3rd A ugust , 1660, Served as S heriff of‘
Lou th ,1668
,and died Janu ary , 1677 . Cou ld he be th i s “ John Gays ton S ee
1729 below .
1652 .—BELL1N GH AM . Perhaps th i s entry has b een m ade h ere in m i stake f or Lou th .
H . B . w as M .P . f or that coun ty . He died 1676 ,and was bu ried at
Gernonstown,renamed Castle Bellingham . W ill dated 1676, pr . 1677 .
_A descendant of h i s was created a Baronet in 1796. I cannot find that the
f am ily had property in K ildare .
1656.—J0HN H EW ET S ON .
— In K ildare Ca thedral i s a monumen t to a Joh n Hewetson ,
Esq . (there b u ried), who“
w as born at S ettrington ,i n Yorksh ire
,and died
on the 2md February ,1658, aged 4 5 . One of this family who died in 1783
lef t the lands of Be‘
taghstown to endow a char i ty School in Clane Parish ,still exi sting .
1657.—J . S ALT E .
—H e m ay have derived hi s name from the Barony , wh ich i n t u rn
der iv ed i ts f rom the S almon leap : de saltu S almon i s, whence Lach’s-leap
Le ixlip .
1665.—DUDLEY CoLLEY er COWLEY . (S ee 1612, He was M .P . for Phi lipstown .
Had a gi ant of lands in K ildare in ,1660. He was bu r ied in Carbu rywhere i s an elaborate inscr ipt ion in a chapel built by h im . H i s son H enry ,
and grandson Dudley , became S . of K . ,1681 and 1734 . S ee also 1723.
Coolcarrigan ,Donadea
,
K i lcock .
Longtow n ,Clane
,N aas .
S allym ount,Braunocks
town .
Osb erstow n,N aas .
Oakley Park , Celb ridge .
Annesborough Hou se,
Robert s town .
S t .
K erd i ffstow n , N aas .
M i llb rook,Mageny .
Cou rtown,K i lcock .
CastleroeLodge,Mageny .
H IGH SHER IFFS OF THE COUN TY K ILDA RE . 2 67A .D .
1687-8.—W 0 GAN .
-Thi s fam ily owned Clongowes, &c . There i s an interestingmonument to them i n the old chu rchyard at Clane . S ee m em oir of the
fam ily by Rev . D . Murphy .
1690.— S H ERLO CK of Sh erlocks tow n ? S ee th is Jou rna l, ’
96,33—47. S ee 1764 ,
’
92 .
1691.— S IR T . A TK IN s .
— The w arran t f or h i s appo intment bears at i ts h ead the
au tograph W I LLI AM and b ears m arks of a red wax seal (abou t thesize of a fiorin ) , being the only one sealed . It w as
“
gi ven a t ou r camp , near
Carlow,1s t Au gu st , 1690, in the second year of ou r rei gn .
”I t i s coun ter
signed Rober t S ou thw ell,” and endorsed“ The K ing ’
s WVarrant .
” I t i saddressed to the Comm i ssi oners of the Great S eal .
1693,1701.
—M . and F . A nN EsLEY .—They w ere cadets of th e h ou se of the Barons
Monntnorri s and Vi scoun ts Valent i a . In the 17th cent ury John Annesley ,2nd son of the 1st V i scount
,was seat ed at Ballysh annon ,
Co . K .
1703 .—KEATIN GE . N arraghmore was sold , and pu rchased by John La Tou che of
Harri stown
1717.-C. N U
'
rTA LL d i ed'
ou th e 11th Febru ary , 1772 , aged 50, and w as buried in the
N arraghm ore Chu rchyard , Where there i s a tab let t o h i s memory .
1729—J. GAR ST ] N .-An ancestor of the w r i ter . S ee pedigree in Bu i ke
’s
“ Landed
Gentry .
”I have the bond for £2000 given h im as indemn i ty du ring h i s
’
s‘
heriff w i ck by h i s sub -sheri ff ,“ John S cot t , of Dub lin
, gent ,”w i th
seal b earing h i s arms , also seals of h i s su ret i es Chri stopher Cu sack of
Rathaldron , Co. Meath , Esq .
,and Amy S weetman of . same , w idow . This
J . G. w as in the follow ing year H i gh S her i ff o f Meath,and I fou nd a le t ter
of h i s abou t the execu t i on of a cu lpri t at Tr im . K i lmore,whi ch i s given
as h i s residence, i s now called W oodlands, and i s near Moyvalley .
1732 .—D1GBY of Landenstown .
— The last of the f am i ly , Miss Eliza D .
,died in
1896,and the estate has now passed to Lady Henr ietta Gu inness . S ee
Peerage, &c .
1734 .—DUDLEY CoLLEY .
—S ee 1665, &c . H i s portrait i s at Rahan . A s he and h i s
brothers lef t no i ssue, the Rah in es t ate passed to th e Palmer f amily ,consequ ent on the marr iage of Charles Palmer to h i s s i ster .
1736.—J. FI SH .
—H i s grandfather , b . 1657, set t led at K i lkea i n the Co . K i ldare,and
d . 1694 . He h im self appears to have changed the nam e of h i s seat
Tu bberogan to Castle Fi sh . He died in office . W 111 proved in Dub lin .
My ancestor , Jam es Garsrin,of Leragh Castle , Co . W estmeath , wh o
appears above as S . of K .
,1729, and w as S . of M eath 1730, m . h i s only
si ster Maria . Robert F .,of Cast le Fi sh , grandson of t hi s Joseph F. , w as
S . of K . in 1754 . Adm i ra l F .
,of Cast le Fi sh
,died in France in 1834 ,
aet . 77, and I think the f am ily i s now ext inct . I have compiled a M S .
pedigree of this fam i ly and of som e connected w i th i t .
1740.—G. WARBURTON .
— H e ei th er died soon af ter appointm ent or di d not serve,as a
f resh W arrant w as i ssu ed a m onth later . N o address i s given ,b u t the
Warbu rtons— including the au thor of “ The Crescent and the Cross
owned Firmount t i ll abou t 1860.
1755 .—WOLFE .
— Th ey formerly owned Blackball as well as Forenagh ts (and Bi shop1and , under the S ee of Dub lin ) .
1759.—S T . LEGER .
—Grangem ellon i s now a r u in . S ee this Journa l,
’92 ,
’95
, and
Peerage, Donerai le .
”Of thi s f am ily w as the Colonel
,known as
Handsome Jack ,” th e compan ion of George IV .
, who gav e hi s nam e to
the famou s race . He w as M .P . for Okehampton . H i s picture, byGainsborou gh ,
i s in the gallery at Hampton Cou rt .
1766.—SPEN CER .
— S pencer Farm ,near Rathangan , where the late Lord Harberton
resided most of h i s l i fe, belonged to thi s fam i ly .
1767 —BURGH .—Bert came to the 2nd Lord S eaton by hi s marriage w ith a daugh ter of
Lord Downes .
1778.—KEA
'
1‘
1N G of M i llicent .—Representative of Cu tts Harman (see 1728) on whom
i t w as bestowed when forfei ted by the ab dicat ion of James I I . to whom i t
then belonged .
1788—R . GR IFFITH .— He was Lessee of K eat ing .
1789.—BR 0WN E , Wogan .
— S hou ld be M ICHAEL WOGAN -BROWN E . Cast le Browne i snow called Clongowes-wood, and i s the Rom an Catholic College .
V O L . PT . W . Y
m iscellanea.
The Fi tz Geralds and the Mac K enzi es — There i s at Carton a
m anu scr ipt h istory of the Clan Mac K enz ie,from th e year A .D . 1000
to th e yea1 1720. I t w as W i i tten by DI . George MacK e11z i e,1I . 11
,
Fe l low of th e Royal Coll ege of Phy sicians of Edrnbu i gh , and au th or
of “ Lives of th e S cotti sh Wr i te i s . DI . MacK enz ie w as th e son of
Colin ,2nd son of GeOI ge lMacK enz ie
,2nd Eai l of S eafm th . In th is
h istory of h i s clan h e t races th eir or igin t o Gera ld Fi tz Gera ld , son o f
John fitz Th om as“ m ore ,
”Lord of O
’Conn elloc
,cou nty Lim er ick
,
ancestor of the Ear ls of Desm ond,and b roth er to
“
th e first Baron of
Offaly . In 1261 John fitz Thomas m ore Fit z Gerald and h i s th ree
son s,Mau rice
,John ,
and Gerald,engaged in a fierce battle w ith th e
Mac Car thys , at Callan ,in th e cou nty K erry ; w ith the except ion of
Gerald th ey w ere a ll slain . Gerald eventu ally fled to S cotland,and
t ook ser vice u nder Alexander III .,K ing of S cotland . H e fou ght at
the batt le of Largs against Haco,K ing of N orway , and in rew ard for
h i s ser vices w as grant ed th e lands of K intail i n Ross-shire . Dr . Mac
K enz ie goes on t o descr ibe h ow th is Gerald Fitz Gerald w as known in
S cot land as“ Gerald of Callan ,
”or Callan Gerald
,a nam e corrupted
in a short t im e to Colin . H e h ad the good fortune on one occasion tosave th e K ing
’s life in a hu nt ing m atch
_by slay ing an infu r iated stag
w h ich had at tacked th e K ing ; for th is'
act h e was granted a stag’s
h ead for h i s coat -of-arm s . Co l in Gerald Fitz Gerald , the first'
Baron
of K’intail
,m arr ied th e Lady Margaret S t uar t , daught er of Walter
,
Lord H igh Ch amber lain of S cotland,and dying in th e year 1278, h e
w as su cceeded by h i s son K enneth,2nd Baron of K intai l . The second
Baron m ar ried Morha MacDou gall, dau gh ter of A lexander , Lord of
Lorri h i s death took place in 1304, w hen h i s son K enneth became
3rd Baron of K in tail. Th is K enneth,among th e H ighlanders, w as
called K enneth m ac K enneth (after h i s father ) , a name angl icised toMacK enny or lMacK enz ie, and thu s , f rom Gerald Fitz Gerald
’
s grand
son sprang the Mac K en zies of K intail,Gairloch
,H illtown
,Ord,
S uddie,A ch ilty, Fai 1bu rn ,
Davochmalu ach , S eafor,
th Redcastle,Ci omart ie
,etc
W . FI Tz G.
S ir Thomas Eu stace, Kt . , lst V i scount Balt inglass — A s far as I
hav e d iscovered no peerage , and no pedigree or genea logical docum ent
in U l ster ’s Office , gives th e name of th is S ir Thomas Eu s tace
’s father .
In th e Petit ion of 1839, wh erei n th e Rev . Charles Eu stace
,of
Rober tstown , proved h i s descent and claimed th e V iscounty o f Balt inglass , th is S ir Thom as i s stated t o be the '
neph ew and heir of S ir
Roland Eustace , K t .
,Baron of Portlester , who died on th e 14 th Dec.
,
1496,leav ing by h i s w ife , Maud
,daugh ter of J
’
eni co Dartas (ob . 20th
2 70
N ews
ABOUT the month of May, 1895 , the Iron Implements, figu red on th e
opposite page , w ere du g u p w h ile excav at ing the b i i ck b eds in
connexi on w ith th e w ork s of th e A thy Brick Company . The field
th ey w er e fou nd In i s called Mah e1’s m eadow
,in th e townland of
Barrow ford , and one ini le nel th of Athy . Besides th e implem ent s
m any skeletons w ere u nearth ed and r1
ebu 1 i ed . Th ese n on implem ent s
w ere, w ith the perm ission of th e owner , M r . Telford , of A thy , exh ib ited
at th e Janu ary meet ing i n N aas,in 1896.
On page 38, vol. i .,of th e
—
JOURN AL, the Latt in A lms-hou se Inscr ibed
S tones are m ent ioned , and i t i s th ere stated th at one of th em “ i s not
deciph erable .
” Th i s I s Incon ect,as th ough th e stone I S in a v ei y b ad
state, yet I w as j u st able to make ou t wh a t w as on i t . These th ree
m u i al t ab let s are small In size and squ are in sh ape . They are placed
one ab ove th e oth er in a low slated cot tage facing th e S allin s road .
The uppei one i s a light colou red sandstone , in v ery go ood preservat ion .
Th e m idd le stone i s a 1ed one,and in very bad condit ion ,
w h ile th elower one i s of lim estone in fair - cond ition
,thou gh the last line i s all
bu t ch ipped away . The in scr ipti ons read as follow s
G u l : La t t o n d e REBVILT IN WEALT H MAKETH
Mo rris tow n Anne(E
, YEAR 17 02M .A N Y FR I E N D S
Lu t t r e l d e Lu t BUT T HE POO R IS
t r e ls t o w n M e S EPERAT ED FRO M
Fi e r i F‘
e e e r u nt Pat rick Latin ’
H IS N E IG HBO U R
A n n o M O X O PROUERBS -u T H
V
The Deer Park of Maynooth Cast le .—Ou page 2 31, v ol. 1. of ou r
JOURN AL,m en t ion i s m ade of th is Deei Park In th e y ear 1618. I h av e
lately com e across an ear lier m en t ion of i t in a M S . called “ The
Calendar of Council Book,A .D . 1581 86, kept in t he Recei d Office ,
Dub lin, wh ich m ent ion s th e .
“ R ecogniz ances of John H illan of S traffan in th e County K ildare ,yeoman ; George K ing of Clon tarf in th e county of Dub lin
,Gent“ ;
N ich olas Lee of S trafi’an , yeom an ; and Rob ert Caddell of Dub lin ,
m erchant,in £20 each
,th at they do from h encefor th cont inu e to be of
h onest and good behav iou r , and do not h encef01 th kill , or con sent t o
the k i l ling of,any m e i e of th e Deare of Manoth Parke
,etc
Th is I s dated the 22nd of June , 1585 .
W . FITz G.
1Proverbs, x ix . 4 .
simmers to caust ics.“ Cawlcannon .
—In M ‘Leod and Dew ar’s Gaelic Dict ionary , I
find,
Cal-ceanann,
der ived f rom Cal kail,cabbage ; and
Ceanainn ceannfhi onn,Ole. wh ite h eaded (cean = a h ead
,and
fh i onn wh ite ) . M . Dnvrr r,S .J .
Tee or Tea lane in Celbr idge —On page 201,v ol. ii . of the
JOURN AL, th er e i s a dou b t expressed as to wh eth er the lane leading toth e Old (Kildrou ght ) chu rch yard i s Tee-lane
,or
,
“ “
Tea-lane .
” The
fol low ing extract,from a let ter w r itten by Mrs . Thorold f rom Dona
comper , set s th e m atter at rest .
“ The r igh t nam e i s Tea-lane, sh e
wr ites,
and th e origin of i t i s th at wh en M11
. S haw w as start ing th em ill, h i s partner , an Englishman nam ed Hau ghton , b rou gh t ov er a lot
of English m ill h ands , for whom h e bu ilt a row of su per ior cottages
still called ‘ English -row .
’The b acks of th ese cottages came near to
‘ Tea-lane , ’ th en cal led ‘ Chu rch -lane,
’and th e Ir ish inhab itant s of
th e latter w ere so astonish ed at the quant ity of Tea that th e w ell-to
dO English drank (as ev idenced by th e am ount of t ea leaves th rown
ou t at th e back of ‘ English -row’
) th at th e lane soon becam e known
as Tea-lane :l I have always h eard i t so called,and th e explanat ion of
the nam e h as ju st been confirm ed by Mrs . Barker,of Ardrass Hou se ,
near S trafian, wh o i s old enou gh to rem ember my great
-grandfath er
(the Very Rev . Thom as Trench,Dean of K ildare
, wh o died in0 1111 Old coachman , who came to my grandfath er , and has b een h ere
for 64 years , remembers i t too , and says Tea w as a lu xu ry unknown
to th e Irish then h e rem emb ers being sent by h i s mother to buy one
ounce of tea , the pr ice of wh ich w as then 6d.
”
Archaeologi cal Jott ings . In answer to the qu est ion in the S econdN umber
,of v ol. ii . of th e K ILDARE AROHJEOLOGmAL JOURN AL, as to th e
date on w hich a Pat tern u sed t o be held at th e w ell of Tobereendownagh(th e correct pronunciat ion as given by th e nat ives) in the townland Of
Ri cardstown ,I h ave to state that th e w ell has been practically dry for
m any years . Up to th irty years ago there w as a. good spr ing and a
f u l l stream f rom i t,bu t since th en i t contains noth ing bu t the su rface
w ater f rom an adjacent field wh ich i s on a h igh er lev el . Th is hasbeen attr ibu ted to the w ash ing in i t , by a neighbou r ing w oman; of
som e d irty linen .
1 Or “ Tay-lane as they cal l i t . The peasantry always correct ly pro
nounce a w ord spelt w ith a doub le e”or an -i e
,
” bu t a single “e
”or
an“ea
”and f ‘
ei ” they pronounce ay .
” This i s,I believe, the same in
the Celt ic langu age .
2 74 A N SW ER S r o QUER IES .
The m ent ion of th e ali ases of C'ctleer stowh rem inds m e of a story I
h eard m ore years ago than I care t o num ber . S omewh ere in 0 11
near
i t there existed long ago an inn called by th e strange nam e of Ten
of the hundred . I t w as called so from th e f act that of every hu ndred
wh o p u t u p there,on ly ten escaped robbery or death . A t length ,
a
m an liv ing som e d istance sou th of i t w as obliged t o v isit Du blin on
b u siness,qu ite an event in th ose days , and spent som e t im e in h i s
preparat ions . Before he star ted a very fine and intelligent m ast iffdog, to h i s owner
’s great regret , disappeared . On h i s arr ival at the i nn
,
and wh en prepar ing to go t o b ed , th e lost dog, to h i s ow ner’s ast onish
ment and del igh t , cam e f rom u nder i t , and by every m eans in h i s
power endeavou red to preven t h i s master from lying down . S u spect
ing someth ing w rong , the m an sat up aw ait ing ev ents,and som et ime
af ter m idnigh t saw to h i s h orror th e bed and t he floor w h ere i t rested
gradually sink and d isappear into a low er apartment . S tealing th roughthe w indow h e got h i s h orse, and defended by h i s faithf u l dog , m ade
h i s escape . N ext day a large qu ant ity of human remains in var iou sstages Of decompositi on w as
‘
found in a subter ranean apartment .
N eedless to add, the cu lpr its w ere execu ted and the i nn levelled .
1 read, w ith m u ch p leasu re ,
“ Omureth i’
s”
accou nt of the Jlf oat ofA rclseoll (the old people pronounced i t so ) , in
'
consequ ence of myfam ily having h ad ,
some years ago, an interest in the lands 011 the
western side of i t . These lands,as w el l as those on the oth er sides
,
w ere let to a number of small t enants , so that th e locality w as form erlyvery th ickly inhab ited . I rememb er th ere a boxing school
,a ball-alley ,
a dance-hou se w ith local piper , and of cou rse a sh eebeen . The m en
w ere profici ent s in all ath let ic exercises,and w ere the finest lot of
fellows I ever saw .
I incline to Father Sh earm an’s op in ion as to i ts or i g1n and u se, and
to th e idea . that there are chamb ers of som e sort in i ts in ter ior .
2
I have a d ist inct recollect ion of a dog somewhat taller , b u t lighter ,than an ordinary harr ier , follow ing a fox into h i s earth in th e m oat
,
wh ere h e rem ained fou r or five days, and eventu ally bored h i s wayou t
,qu ite emaciated ,
at a considerab le distance from th e point of
ent ry . He cou ld be h eard barking , b it ing roots, &c .
,and thou gh h i s
owner du g for h im at var iou s places, the poor animal h ad to extr icateh im self by hi s own exert ions . I th ink i t qu ite impossib le for h im to
do so i f th e m ound w as all solid earth .
In my Op inion the most probable der ivat ion of th e name bears ou t
Fath er S hearman’s th eory , as I th ink i t com es f rom Ard scal ( scau l) ,
wh ich i s as near as possib le to the pronunciat ion of th e nam e as giv enby the Old nat ives th ere over fifty year s ago . Th is m eans th e h i l l orh eigh t Of th e hero . Anoth er possible der ivat ion wou ld be Ard scumh al
( skool ) ,"
the h igh precipice .
M . DARBY.
1 In Nob le and Keenan’s map of the cou nty of K ildare, 1752, i t i s marked
down as Ten in ye hundred .
”
2 A large bou lder , sunk in the ground at the base of the Meat , on the
south-east side, i s said to cover the entrance into a cave —W . FI TZ G.
2 78 DO N A COM PER C I—IURC II.
Father Hogan says that Donacomper m u st have had a
history of i ts own,
even prior to the establishment of
S t . Wols tan’
s,becau se ,from the Book Of Armagh we learn
that every chu rch =called“Demnach was founded by S t . Patrick
him self,and there h e Spent a n ight . There i s a tradit ion that
a m arket u sed t o be held in Old t im es in front of Donacomper
Chur ;ch and Father Hogan states that the present town of Cel
bridge only really c’
omm enced i ts existence w ith t he adven t of
the Dongan fam i ly to Castletown i n 1616,and that whatever
lit tle importance the p lace had for some h iindreds y 1
ea1s beforemu st have been du e to i ts connection wi th S t . Wolstan
’
s and
Donacomper . Even so late as 1690, in one of the S tate papers ,James W arren i s described as parish pr iest of Dennycomfer t.
Donacomper seem s to have been spelt in a great numberof different ways . In the funeral entry Of Mary Flem ing,daughter of W i lliam Baron Of S lane , and w ife of S i r Thomas
A len , who died 8th N ovember , 1622, and was buried in the
church Of DonaOOmper , 3rd December, 1622, i t i s spelt“ Donna
compare while in that of S i r Thomas Alen,who died 1626, i t
i s Spelt Donnacompar .
” 1
1 The funeral entry of Ju o . A‘len ,
who died at B ishop’
s'
Cou rt ,March , 1636, s tates that he was interred in
“the Parish churche
of Downecumper,”where h i s w ife also was buried ; while a
Chancery Inqu i s1t ion of 1639 says that “ Robert A len was seisedin fee tai l Of S t . Wolstan
’
s and Donacomper1
and the wi l lof Patrick A len of S t . Wolstan
’s, als. Alenscourt
,dated Ju ly
5th ,1720, d irected that he was
“to be bu ried i n my ancestors
tomb i n the church of Donaghcomper.
”
“b u
C h a n c e l N o v c‘
D O N fi C O N / P E’
H C H U R C H
( f a / n s )S c o / e o f r e e f
1
'
On th e Ordnan ce S u rvey map s i t i s spe lt Donaghcomper .
.DO N A CO M J’ER CHU RCH . 2 79
The following descript ion of the chu rch o f Donacom per was
writ ten for m e by the late M . H . Bloxam,
in 1875 , whenhe was paying a vis it to Ireland pr
1
epa1atoi1y to the i ssu e of theeleventh and last edition O f hi s well known work on GOth i carchi tectu r 1
e
DON ACOMPER .
Th e old ch u rch ,now in ru in s
,cons is t s o f a nave
,chance l
,and
chape l adjoin ing th e chu rch on the n or th s ide . Th e who le app ear s t o
hav e b een con s tru ct ed in th e tw e lf th cen tu ry (ci rca, A .D . b u t
w indow s of th e fou r t een th cen tu ry (cir ca A . D . 1350) ha ve b een in s er t ed .
A sem icircu lar arch d iv ides th e n or th chape l from the chance l . Th isspr ings from a p lain ab acu s s tr ing cou rse
,w ith th e under part cham fered .
In th e east wa l l of th 1s chape l 1s a P i sci na,an in ser t ion o f th e fou r teen th
cen tu ry , indicat ive of an a ltar . These ru in s ar e overgrown w ith t r eesand ivy ,
wh ich probab ly concea l m any d etails b u t in th e chape l w indow s
of the fou rt een th cen t u ry have b een in ser ted .
M ATT . H . BLOXA M,
S eptem b er 4th ,1875
In a sketch wh ich I have , onan Old deed Of the year 1770,the church i s represented as roofed in ,
and with a tower at the
west end bu t Of this tower only one wal l now rem ains . Bes idethe door , On the north s ide , i s a receptacle for holy water .
“
Be
neath the s ide chapel l ies the vau lt of th e A len fam i ly . Un ti labou t three years ago, the slab which covers i t lay fallen in at
one corner, and made i t poss ible to ge t into the vau lt , which i sfu l l Of the bones and sku lls Of the A leu s . The top Of the vau ltshows the marks of the osier wat tles , which were evident ly u sed
to support i t when i t was being bu i lt . The slab, which i s very
heavy, bears the following inscript ion , partly defaced
[Th is S ]epu lchre i s Th e[Bu r i]a l P lace of Th e
[Fajm ily of A leu s OfA len scou rt .
The advowson of the chu rch was made over to S i r JohnA len in 1538, the same year in which he received the grant of
the lands Of S t . Wolstan’
s,Donacomper , and K i ldrough t ; and
Lewis ’
s Topographical D ict ionary O f Ireland,
”
published m
1837 , states that up to a few years prior to that date therewas a m onument to S i r John A len, wi th hi s effigy, i n Donacomper Church . It i s very mu ch to be regretted that this hasdisappear ,
ed as i t wou ld have been of great interest to u s now .
Donacom per was the regu lar burying place of the A len fam i ly.
S i r John A len’
s brotherand successor , Thomas A len ,was bu r ied
here and a second brother Of h i s , W i lliam A len Of Cast letown ,
K ildrough t Celbridge ) , from whom were'
descended / the
w i ll , dated October l6th ,1558, begins as follows :
In th e nam e of th e Fath er,the S on H o ly Goste . I W illm A len ,
o f Cast leton of K yldrogh t , in th e Count i e o f K yldare , hoole o f mynde
in pfect e m em ory the xv i day of octob er in th e yer e of Ch r istes incarmacyon af ter ou r compu tacyon a thow sande fyv e hundred w ith fift ie and
e igh t , doo m ake my wylle dz. t estam en t a s folow eth n r s te I com ende
my sow le to almygh tee God'
th e creator of m e,&5 my b ody to b e b u ryede
in th e chu rch e of Donaghcomper , wh ere i t shal l p lese my b roder S r JohnA len to the reparacyon of the sayd chu rche I give t en sh il l ings s ter
l inge a fter Ir land rat e,
to my parysh e chu rch e o f K ildrogh t o th er t en
sh il lings . And I ordeyne Sc con st it u t e o f th is my last wylle t estam en t
my b roder S r John A len ,K nygh t , lat e lord chance l lor o f Ir land , my
b roder Th omas A len,clerke of the naper th e “hanaper j , my
execu tors ,”& c . , 850 .
John A len of S t.Wolstan’
s,who su cceeded h i s father , Thom as
A len ,by h i s wi ll , dated Febru ary 24th , 1609, says I wil l my
body to be buried in the chu rch of Donnacomper, where myfather was buried.
”H i s son , S ir Thomas A len,
m arr ied, first ,
Mary Flem ing, daughter of W i lliam Baron o f S lane, and the fol
lowing extract from the Funeral Ent ries relates to her funeral
M ary daugh ter o f F lem ing Lorde o f S lane ( sister to Chr i stofer
Lorde o f S lane) , w ife t o S ir Thom as A l len , o f S . W olstan’
s or A l len ’
s
Cour t , K n igh t Baronet , deceased the 8th of N ovemb er , 1622 , wa s
b ur ied in the chu rch o f Donacompare the 3rd of Decemb er , 1622 ,
V IZ .
The poore .
S i r Thomas A l len ’
s m en .
The Penonne byM r . N icho las A l len .
M r . F lem ing o f Gla‘
nkey and h i s b ro th er .
M r . F lem ing of Creavagh M r . Rob t . A l len .
M r . A l len of Pa lm erston and M r . W 111 . Al len .
A lbon Leveret , A th lone Pu rsu ivant of Arm es .
Dan ie l M o lyneux , U ls ter K ing of A rm es .
M r . Barnewall
The Corpes of Cryckston
suppor ting th epaall.
at tend ing the ch i efe m ou rner
Th e Lord o f M rs . K ath er ineS lan e . F lem ing .
Foure Gent lewom en 2 and 2 at tend ingthe ch i efe mou rner
one Of S ir Thomas A l len ’
s m en
o ther Gen t lewom en 2 and 2
Wayt inge Wom en .
”
When the present road fromCelbridge to Dublin was made,i t was cu t right through Donacomper chu rchyard . The Old
DON ACOM PER ( ll-1URC ll.[
0(73
lo
inscript ion On another stone r im s thu s 1
M em ento M O 11
1 K
Th is s ton‘
e was erected‘ ’
by Laugh l in Dignam o f Ce lbr idgem em ory Of h i s b e loved son Mr . M ichae l Dignam T imb er M erchan t lat eof Br idgefoot S t in the , City of 'Dub lin who -depar ted th is l ife M ay th e
l 6th eigh t een hundred and twen ty-;th ree aged 30 years .
S ilence alas b eneath th is stOne d ecayed
V irtu e ’
s dar ling th e poor m an’
s fr iend i s laid "
H i s generou s hear t a l ive t o oth er s’
g r i ef
S t il l u rged h i s hand to m in ister re liefH e who dr ied th e orphan and w idow ’
s t ears
Was snat ched away by death in b loom of years
H i s paren t s and h is lov ing/
fr i ends that h ear h i s nam es
In m ou rn lng s train s you r earnest p ity claim s
Too good to .s tay in a fleet ing wor ld like th ism ay h i s sou l en joy et erna l b liss . Am en .
S T . V/ OLS TA N’
S .
1
BY w . T . K IRKPATRICK ,J .P .
THE pr iory O f S t . Wolstan
’
s was fou nded in the vear 1202
(1
0 1,according t o W are
,1205 ) for canons of the order of
S t . Victor , by Richard ,first pr ior of the place ,
and Adam de
Hereford , in m em ory O f S t .
'
Wolstan ,B i shop O f W orcester
,then
newly canonized by Pope Innocent I II ; and the firs t part of
the bu i lding there was commonly called sca le melt,th e steps Of
heaven. De H ereford granted to Ri chard, the first pr ior , thelands on the River Liffey and the chu rch of Donacomper , whichexisted before the foundat ion Of the m onastery. There i s a
tradit ion that the chu rch was connected w ith the monas tery byan underground passage , bu t there i s no trace Of i t to be seen .
In 1271 W i lliam de Mandesham , 0 11 K avesham
,seneschal to
Fu lk,Archbishop of Dublin , granted to the pr iory the lands of
Tr i st i ldelane , now Castledillon ,w i th the appu r tenances there to
belonging ,in Franckalmoigne . He increased the number of the
canons,and obliged them to celebrate du ly hi s and hi s w ife ’
s
ann iversary, on which day they were to feed thirty poor m en, 0 1
1
to give them in lieu thereof one penny each,under the penalty of
100 shillings , to be paid to the Archbishop 0 11 every such fai lu re ,and a further penalty Of 100 shillings to be expended on the
cathedral church O f S t . Patrick. In 1310,when S tephen was
prior , N icholas Taaffe gave for ever to this pr iory the m anor of
Donacomper , which was valued at £3 6s . 8d . yearly . Having,however , been granted withou t licence , i t was subsequent lyseized into the king
’s hands , bu t was restored to the pr iory in
1380.
In 1314 the chu rches O f S tacumney and Donaghm ore were
granted to the sole and separate u se of the prior . The chu rchO f K illadonnan , now known as K i lladoon ,
also at one t ime
belonged to the priory.
Th e m at er ia ls on wh ich th is Paper i s based are ch iefly d rawn f i om
th e M onast icum H ib ern icum,W ar e
’
s A n t iqu it ies of Ire land”
(pu bli sh ed O
’
F lanagan s Liv es of th e Lord Chancel lors of Ire land ,
and an i n terest ing Paper by th e R ev . M . F . H ogan ,form er ly Roman
Ca tho lic Cu rat e of Ce lb r idge , pub lish ed in The Ecclesh'
a sti cal Record for
M arch , 1892 .
2 86 S T . WOLS TA N’
S .
While A len was Chance llor , a step towards legal educat ionwas taken,
and the monastery of the Friar Preachers was tu rnedinto an Inn of Chancery anci llary to the Inns O f Court in
England . He was depr ived of the Great S eal through the new
V iceroy ,S t . Leger who was appointed In 154 1; bu t by a let ter
from the Lord P111
0 tect0 1 S om erset and the Lords Of the Counci lin England , when King Edward ascended the thr
,one addressed
to the Lord Depu ty and Counci l In Ir ,eland “ Master A lan was
to have the 1estorat ion of all h i s leases , Offices, goods , and
chattels , notwith standing the surrender O f h i s Office O f Chancellor , wi th l iberty to convey h i s goods w ithou t search or seizu reinto England ; also the constableship O f Maynooth , with th e
arrear of the fee, and the res t of h i s offices , the farm of Kyle ,and all h i s farms , leases , and things , notwi thstanding h i s
absence .
Queen Mary appears to have held h im in much esteem,and
in 1553 addressed a letter to the Lord Depu ty and Chancellor ,referring to h im in the fol lowing term s
H av ing licen sed ou r tru s ty servan t,S ir John A l len
,late Chance l lor
of that ou r rea lm ,to repair th ith er and d em ire 0 1
1
ret u rn at h i s p leasu re ,and con sider ing th e t ru sty funct ion s wh ich h e had for a gr eat t im e th er e
,
b oth u nder o ur fath er and b ro th er,and h i s long experience and t ravail
in pu b lic affaIrs , w e ju dge h im w or thy o f s uch t ru st , as he i s m eet a lwaysto r emain one of th e Pr ivy Council , and In respect of h i s lu hrm i t i es and
age , w e m ind not that h e shou ld b e compel led to go to any host ing or
j ou rn i es bu t when he conven ient ly may .
”
He was Of the sam e fam i ly as John A len,Archbishop O f
Dublin ,!who assisted H enry VIII in the suppress ion of the
religiou s hou ses , and who,when flying from Thomas Fi tzGerald ,then in rebellion against King Henry, took boat from Dublin ,
bu t was driven on shore near Clontarf, sought shelter in Artane ,where h e was discovered , dragged from hi s bed
,and mu rdered .
When’
S t . Wolstan’
s passed to the Alens, i t becam e known
as Alen’s Cour t . S i r John A len died between 1583-91 wi th ou t
issue, being succeeded by h i s brother Thomas A len Of K ilkeele
(O11 Kilteel ) , clerk of the Hanaper .
~ They were followed by a longl ine of A leu s
,who intermarried w ith (among others) the
fam i lies of Lord Gormanston,Lord Dunsany, the Lu ttrells , the
S arsfields , &c.
The last Of the Alens1 connected with S t . Wolstan’
s -spent a
good deal of h i s t ime in France , where he was called the Countde S t . W olstan . He was an Officer in the regiment of Berwick,and fought with the Irish Br igade in the
‘
batt le of Fontenoy in
1 Vi de vol. i , p . 341, of the Jou rna l.
S T . W OLS TA N’
S . 2 87
1745 . In consequence of the act ive part he had taken with the
French in their wars with the Engl ish , both in Eu rope ancb
I1'
1di a,he lost
‘
all r ights to h i s Irish possessions , and they were
sold in 1752 by the Court of Exchequer to DI . Rober t Clayton ,
Bishop O f Clogher, who b equ eathed them to h i s niece, Anne ,w ife Of DI
1 Thomas B ‘
er1
,na1d B ishop of Killaloe. Father HoganStates that the hou se of S t . Wolstan
’
s was bu i lt fi om the 1u i ns
of the abbey , after the des ign of MI1
. Joshua A llen , ,WllO was no
relat ion O f the S t . Wolstan Alens, bu t was wel l
’
known for h i s
skill i n architecture , and planned the unfinished hou se at
Jiggins toWn for the Earl Of S tratford . Du ring the rebellion,and
for about the firs t twenty years O f this centu ry, S t . Wols tan’
s ,
was a school kept by MI1
. John Coyne, and i t was pu rchased bythe grandfather Of the present owner in 1822. Donacomper
was pu rchased in the sam e way by my grandfather , W illiamKirkpatr ick, in 1815 , pr ior to which he had l ived there for som e
few years .
The remains of S t . Wolstan’
s priory cons ist Of two gateways ,a tower, and two fragments , and there are steps by which th e
t ower and gateways can be ascended .
By the r iver below the weir i s a well called the S cholar ’
s
Well , and near i t are what are said to be the longest stone, thelargest bone , and the deepest hole ( in the Liffey) in all Ireland .
Close by i s a m onument to Robert Clayton , B ishop Of Clogher ,and hi s wi fe . It consists Of an u rn on a granite pedestal, whichbears the following inscriptions
On theP . M . S .
Rob ert i Clay tonClogh erens i s Ep iscop i
Cath er inae Donn el lanConj ugi s Op tim ac.
On the backS u rsum Corda .
one s ide 1
Renascen t e ir (’
l renascen tu r )Qu ae j am ceci d ere
Cadentqu e
Qu ae nunc sun t .
On the other s ide 1
2 88 S T . W OLS T A N’
S .
S t .Wolstan’
s was u sed as a summ er residence by the Marqu isO f Buckingham ,
who was Lord Lieu tenant Of Ireland fromDecember 16th ,
1787 , to January 5 th , 1790, having previou slyas Earl Temple held the same Ofli ce in 1782 and he bu i lt thegarden wall at S t . Wolstan
’
s, which i s a rem arkably fine one,
and was bu i lt with flues for the pu rpose Of heat ing i t .Ju st below the demesne of S t . Wolstan
’
s the Lifl'
ey i s spanned
by a bridge, consist ing of three irregu lar arches,called N ew
bridge , and which was bu i lt in 1308 by John le Decer , Mayor
of Dublin. There was a preposal in the early part Of this cen
tury to pu ll down this br idge, as being too narrow,and to bu i ld
another ; bu t i t was s trongly res isted by M r . Richard Cane,
Maj or Cane ’
s grandfather, who Offered to bu i ld another bridgelewer down at h i s own expense, i f he was allowed to d iver t theroad and enclose the Old bridge In h i s dem esne : bu t though theGrand Ju ry wou ld not consent to this
,the m atter dropped.
T HE N EW BRIDGE A T S 1
I1
. WOLS T A N’S .
Built a n te 1 30 8.
2 90 K ILI ) A RE : IT S H IS T O RY A N D A N T IQU IT IICS .
of b oth sexes had increased , th e chu rch w as en larged and ra is ed t o‘a m enacing h eigh t ,
’
and decorated w ith paint ings . It had w ith in i t
th ree amp le orat or ies,wh ich w ere d iv id ed f rom one ano th er by b oarded
par t it ions u nder one roof o f th e larger h ou se , in wh ich on e par t it ionwas decorated and pain ted w ith images and covered w ith linen clo th
,
extended the wh o le b read th of th e ch urch from w al l t o th e o th er in th e
eastern par t of th e chu rch . Th e wa l l ha s a t i t s two ext r em it ies two
doorways . By th e door on th e r ight -hand s ide th e ch ief b ish op ,t ogeth er
w ith -h i s r egu lar schoo l , and w ith those wh o are depu ted for th e sacr ed
ofli ces to imm o lat e th e h o ly sacr ifice o f th e Lord ; and by th e oth er
door,on th e left of th e aforesa id cro ss
,w il l ent er on ly th e abb es s
,w ith
h er nu ns and fa ithfu l w idows , to en j oy the banqu et o f th e body and
b lood of Ch r ist ; and then by anoth er wa l l d iv id ing th e pav em en t of
the hou se int o two equa l part s , and ext end ing from th e east S ide as far
as the wa l l r unn ing across in b r .eadth A nd th is chu rch h as m anyw indow s
,and one ornam ent a l door on the righ t s ide , by wh ich th e pr iest ,
and th e fa ithfu l of th e m a le sex en t er,and another door -ou th e left S ide ,
by wh ich th e congregat ion of v irgins and of th e faith fu l w om en are
accu stom ed t o enter ;C,
and thu s i n one v ery great b a silica a great peop le ,d iff erent in order and degrees and sex
,separat ed by wa l ls , pray t o th e
Omnipot ent Lord In d ifferen t order , b u t w ith one m ind .
”
The same au thor says i t was a sanctuary In which th e
regalia of kings were placed . A r ight of sanctu ary was attachedto i t also
, giving to accu sed persons protect ion from imm ediate
punishment , which wou ld be Of ten infl icted w ith undu e hasteand sever ity .
And worthy Br igid , so licitou s ab ou t the chu rches in m any prov inces ,and reso lv ing in h er m ind that no th ing cou ld b e m anaged w ithou t a h ighpr ies t , who w ould con secra t e chu rches and inst itu te ecclesiast ica l gradesin th em , ca l led an il lu st riou s so litary adorned w ith all V ir tu es f rom h er
lon e ly life in the desert,and hav ing g
c one t o m eet h im h er se lf,b rough t
him that he m igh t ru le th e chu rch In ep iscopa l dign ity t ogether w ith her .
A nd the so ano in ted head and pr incipa l of all th e b ishop s and th e m ost
b lessed m oth er ru ler of th e nuns , by a happy associat ion and by th e
pract ice of all V irtu es,aft erward s erect ed their pr incipal chu rch . And
through th e m er it s of b oth,th eir cathedra l
,like a fru ct ify ing v ine
,w ith
b ranches spread In all d irect ions,ext ended i ts influ ence throughod t th e
who le land of H ib ern ia .
”
In the Telere of Eughey the Cu ldee, Brigid i s styled the
chaste head of the nuns of E ire. S t . Columkille calls her them aiden of everlast ing goodness , the golden torch
,the
'
tree thatbears flowers , the p i llar of the kingdom after Patrick, the
favou rite of the royal Queen . Jean de Bruxelles says she was
superioress of thirteen thou sand monks , and Porter adds thatthe hou ses o f canonesses , not
1
only throughou t all Ireland , b u teven in England and Belgium ,
derive their origin from her .
And an ancient writer speaks of her as the abbess to whom all
the abbesses of S cot ia pay venerat ion .
K ILDARE : IT S H IS TO RY A N D A N T IQU IT IES . 29 1
From The Li fe of S t . Brigid, by Cogi tosus , written abou tthe year 800, we learn that the chu rch of Kildare containedthen her rel ics and those of S t. Conlaeth
,the first B ishop of
Kildare . In 835 the Danes plundered K i ldare, and carriedaway the shrines in which the relics were placed . The relicswere probably saved from desecrat ion, and part , 01
1
perhaps thewhole, of them taken to Down ,
for i t wou ld seem that he1 wasanxious to make Down a place of great importance , the capitalof the northern part of Ireland ; and he supposed the trans fer of
the relics of the three patron saints of Ireland would aid h im
very much in h i s desi gns . Cardinal V ivian was sent from Rome
by Pope Urban III as Legate to ass ist at their transfer . The
day on wh ich i t took place, June 9th , was celebrated as a festival ,and had a special Office in the Breviary. The transfer was
looked on as the fu lfilment of an ancient prophecy of S t .
Columki lle 1
My prosperity in gu ilt less Hy ,And my sou l in Derry ;And my body under the flag,Beneath wh ich are Patrick and Brigid .
A Special privilege attaches to the church of Kildare, viz .,
that the bishop has precedence of all the other bishops of Ireland except the Bishop of Meath he ranks first because Tara
,
the seat of the Ardrigh , was in h i s ju risdiction . I called theattent ion Of our late lamented V ice-President to this ancientr ight , and he told me he was aware of i t , and that in the I r i sh
E ccles iasti cal Di rectory Of that year he had the diocese of
Kildare inserted before that Of any other diocese Of the provinceof Dubl in .
De Burgo, au thor of“ H ibernia Dom inicana, a history of
the Dom inican Order in Ireland, says that in 1770 he saw the
head of S t . Brigid in a chapel dedicated to her in the Priory of
S t . John the Baptist at Lumear , three m iles from Lisbon . The
clergy Of the church say the Office and Mass Of the saint on
the 1st Of February each year, at which the members of a
sodal ity erected in honour of S t . Brigid ass ist . Cattle and sheepare brought at that same t ime to the church to be blessed. A
stone set i n the wall near the entrance to the church says thatnear i t are buried the three Irish knights who brought there thehead Of the blessed S t . Brigid, in memory of whom the
sodality Of the saint erected this monument in the month of
Janu ary , 1283 .
1The wr iter O f th e art icle gives no nam e —ED .
292 K ILDARE : IT S H IS TORY A N D A N T IQU IT IES .
There i s in the Museum Of the Royal Irish Academy a brassShoe or sl ipper , gilt and richly ornamented
,which was popu larly
known as S t . Brigid’
s S lipper , and,no doubt
,encased a real
shoe . It bears an inscript ion showing the u se to which i t wasapplied
HOC ES T JURAMEN TVM NATVRALE.
Another inscription on i t shows that i t was preserved in
Loughrea , CO . Galway, where there are st ill,at a Short d istance
from the Carmelite convent , the remains Of a sm all chu rchdedicated to S t . Brigid , in wh ich , no doubt , i t was preserved . It
runs thu s“ loch Re ich AN N O DOM IN O 1410.
S . Br iglda V irgo ,K ildar iens i s , H ib ern iae Patrona .
S t . John Bapt ist .
”
At Glastonbury some rel ics of S t . Brigid were preserved w ith
great venerat ion . It i s a common cu stom of the Irish , says
S pelman,
“to come and venerate the relics Of their patron
Brigid , who left here some tokens [insigni las], a necklace , a bag ,and some implements for weaving. They are stil l exhib ited inmemory of her holiness , and they cure different diseases .
”
A good deal Of what we know abou t Kildare in somewhatlater t imes comes down to u s in the works of Gi ra ldu s Cam
brensi s, Gerald of Wales, a half-brother of Maur ice Fi tzGerald,who pa id two visits to Ireland with Prince John , one in 1183,
the other with the same pr ince in 1185 . H i s works have beenlately issued in the Rolls S eries , in seven volumes
,edited by
Dymock. He was a keen Observer Of men and things , thoughas a historian he i s not reckoned worthy of much cred it . He
was , says Dymock, replete with the exact qual it ies the veryreverse of what are needed to form an impart ial historian a man
Of strong, impetuous feelings and violent preju dices , w ith a
marvellou sly elast ic self-confidence that nothing cou ld pu t down .
”
Of h i s relat ives he i s always the encom iast , while of those of the
Anglo-N ormans who were not related to h im he speaks invariably with a sneer 01
1
a gibe . Indeed,the main Obj ect of one
of h i s -works seems to be the glorificati on of him self and h i s
relat ives . He speaks here as an eye-witness , as i s Obviou s from
the detai led account which he gives . Among the m i rabi li a 011
wonders Of Kildare he sets down the falcon which u sed to perchon the top of the lofty tower, the Fire-house, and the Book of
Kildare
In K ildare , wh ich th e glor iou s S t . Br igid rendered il lustr iou s , manym iracles are worthy of record . First
,th ere i s th e inext ingu ishab le fire
not b ecause i t cannot b e pu t ou t , bu t b ecau se the nuns and holy women
2 94 R ILI) A RE : IT S H IS T O RY A N D A N T IQU IT IES .
Chu rch Of the Fire ; and the monastery was som etimes calledthe Monastery Of the Fire.
This i s the very vivid descript ion which he gives of th e
Book Of Kildare
Am ong all the m iracu lou s th ings at K ildare , noth ing su rpr ised m e
so m u ch as that wonder fu l b ook , said t o have b een wr it ten from th e d ietat iorr of an ange l . Th e b ook con tain s th e fou r Gospe ls accord ing t o S t .
Jerom e’
s vers ion ,and i s adorned . w ith alrrrost as nrany il lum inat ed
figu res as i t has pages . H ere you s ee the m aj esty of th e Div ine co un
t enance,ther e th e m yst ic figu res of the Evange list s , togeth er w ith o ther
d esigns w ithou t nunrb er , wh ich , i f careless ly su r veyed , seem rather b lo t sthan in t ertw ined ornam en t s
,and appeared to b e p lain work where
there was,in t ru th
,noth ing bu t int ricacy . Bu t on close exam ina t ion
th e secret s of th e ar t were ev ident ; and so delicate and sub t le , so
lab oured and m inu te,so inter tw ined and knot ted
,so intr icat e ly and
b ril liant ly co lou red d id you perceive th em ,that you w ere ready to say
they w ere th e work of an ange l , and not of man . The m ore in ten t lyI exam in ed them
,the m ore was I fil led w ith fresh wonder and am aze
m en t . N eith er cou ld Apel les do th e l ike . Ind eed , m ortal hand seem ed
incapab le of form ing or paint ing th em .
”
He goes on to tel l of the manner in which the book was
writ ten
The first n igh t preced ing the m orning on wh ich the w r iter was tocomm ence th e b ook an ange l stood by h im in h i s s leep , sh ow ing h ima p ictu re pain ted on a tab let
,wh ich he he ld in h i s hand
,and said :
Th in k you that you can dep ict th is representat ion on the firs t page of
th e b ook wh ich you are ab ou t to Wr ite ? ’
The scrib e,d istrust ing h i s
skil l to comp let e a work so ar t ist ic and unu sual , answered that he cou ldno t . The ange l th en said On t o-morrow morning ask you r m istresst o offer prayers to th e Lord for you ,
that He may assist you both in
m ind and body , so that you m ay b e ab le to see and appreh end the taskpreposed to you ,
and be ab le to execu te i t .
’
A f ter th is th e ange l againapp eared to h im on th e n ext n igh t , shovVing the same p ictu re and a lsom any oth ers
,all of wh ich the scribe , appreh end ing through th e a id o f
D iv in e grace , fixed fa ithfu l ly in h i s m em ory , and carefu l ly reprodu ced in
th eir prop er p laces th roughou t th e vo lum e . In th is way was the b ookw r it t en
,th e angel show ing the pat tern ,
S t . Br igid pray ing , and the
scr ibe copy ing .
”
Whether this book was , as some think, the Book Of Kells ,now preserved in the Library of Trinity College , 0 1
1
some other ,we can
’
t say . I Shou ld think i t was one of the many booksthen in the Irish m onasteries , for i t i s highly probable that insuch a famou s place as Kildare— famou s not only for the
reverence paid to i ts patron saint , bu t also as a great schoolthere wou ld be such books , r ival ling in beau ty the Books of
Kells , S t . Moling’
s, or of Dimma..
He then goes on to speak of“the very beaut ifu l plains which
are called S t . Brigid’
s pastures”— in these no one has ever dared
K ILDARE : IT S H IST ORY A N D A N T IQU IT IES . 295
to set a plough—Of the falcon , which from S t . Brigid’
s t im e
u sed to frequent this place, and perch on the top of the loftytower , and was called S t . Brigid
’
s bird . I t was ki lled by a
peasant with a st ick as i t was eat ing a' bird which i t had
seized,and being S O tame i t did not take flight at the m an
’
s
approach . The references to Kildare w ill be found in chaptersxxxvi i to xxxix
‘
of the 2nd Distinct ion, at pp. 120 to 124 of
volume v, Dymock’
s edit ion .
THE TOWN OF KILDARE .
It i s not easy to say with certainty when and why the town
and district Of Kildare came into the hands of the Fi tzGeralds .
The town was first the habitat Of Richard Earl Of Pembroke,
su rnamed S trongbow,who married Eva
,daughter Of Dermot
M’
Murrough . W i lliam Marshal , Earl of Pembroke, married thedaughter and heiress of S trongbow ,
and,being lord of allLeinster ,
had jurisdiction throughou t the whole province . He had five sons
and five daughters. H i s sons in success ion held the seigniory , bu tall died withou t issue . The daughters m arried into fam i lies of theEngl ish nobility, and the lordship was d ivided between them .
W i lliam de Vesci , in r ight Of h i s mother Agnes , one Of the
daughters of S ibilla Countess of Ferrers , to whom ,as one Of the
sisters of W i lliam Marshall the younger, the County of Kildarewas assigned, was ent itled to a part Of Kildare . N ow
, thisW i lliam , then Justiciary , had a qu arrel w ith John Fi tzThomas
,
Lord Of Offaly, later first Earl of Kildare. Offelan was originallyMaurice Fi tzGerald ’
S grant . S O says Maurice Regan,Dermot
Murrough’
s Latemer :
The sam e Richard (S trongbow) then gaveTo M au r ice Fi tzGeraldN aas gave the good Ear lTo Fi tzGerald all the honou r
That i s the land of Ofielan
Wh ich b elonged to M cK elan the traitor .
Holinshed, or rather S tanihu rst, thu s describes the quarrel
De V esci was a st ern man,and fu l l of cou rage . H e cal led John Ear l
o f K ildare b efore h im,charging h im with fou l r iot s and m i sdenrearrou rs
for that he ranged ab road,and sough t rev enge upon priva t e d isp leasu re
ou t of all order,and not for any advancem en t of th e pub lic w ea lth or ser
v ice of h i s sovereign . The Ear l,impat ien t to have h im self tou ched by th e
Ju st ice as t o evil-do ing , answered thu s By you r honou r and m ine , mylord , and by K ing Edward
’
s hand [for tha t was con sidered no sm al l oathin those days among th e Irish], you w ou ld , i f you du rst , impeach m e in
p lain t erm s of t reason fe lony , for wh ere I have th e t it les you have thefleece of K ildare . I wot wel l how great an eyesore I am in you r sigh t , so
296 R ILDARE : IT S H IS T ORY A ND AN T IQUIT IES .
that i f I m igh t b e handsom ely t ru ssed up for a fe lon ,then m igh t my
m aster , you r son , b ecom e a gentlenran .
’ ‘A gen tlenrarr,
’
quoth th e J ust ice ,‘thou proud Ear l . I te l l th ee the V esci es w ere gen tlenren b efore K ildar ewas an ear ldom , and b efore that W e lsh b ankrup t , thy cou sin ,
feathered h i s
nest in Leinster . Bu t seeing thou darest m e,I wil l s u re ly b reak thy
h ear t .
’And th erew ith h e cal led the Ear l a notor iou s th ief and a nru rderer .
Th en fo l lowed facing and b racing am ong the so ld iers,and h igh w ords and
t err ib le swear ing on b oth s ides , un t il either par t app eased h i s own . Th e
Lord Ju st ice hot ly , af ter leav ing h i s depu ty , W illiam H owe,took th e sea
and hast ed over to the K ing . K ildare imm ediat ely fol lowed,and as
lreinously as th e Lord Ju st ice accu sed h im of in ju st ice , K ildare no lessappea led h im o f treason . For t r ia l thereof the Ear l asked the combat ,
and V esci e refused not . Bu t yet wh en the list s w ere p rov i ded , V escie was
s lipt away u nto France,and so di slrer i ted of all h i s lands in the County of
K ildare , wh ich were b estowed upon the Ear l and hi s heirs for ever .
”
Another account says
,
“ In Open cou rt Fi tzGerald accu sed De V esci of hav ing so licited h im to
enter in to a t reasonab le consp iracy , and offered to m a in tain the charge bywager of b a tt le . The cha l lenge was accepted by De V esci b u t Edward I
interposed , and summ oned b o th part ies b efore h im a t W estm inster . On
the appoin t ed day De V esci appeared in arm s,and o ffered to engage
Fi tzGerald ; b u t the latter , though summoned,d id not appear . The con
t roversy was by m u tua l consent subm it ted to the K ing . De V esci t ran s
ferred h i s land s to the K ing, by whom som e of them w ere gran ted t o
W il liam de W e l les ley for life , and sub sequent ly to John Fi tzThomas , who
ob tained the t it le of Ear l of K ildare .
S O Grace’s A nnals . On t he other hand, Dowl ing, in h i s
Annals, says
M eyler Fi tzH enry exchanged K ildare for Leix to subdue the O’
Mores,
whom H ervey cou ld not b ring to any manner of peace , b ecau se he was a
b ruta l and b loodth irsty man .
”
In 1247 W i lliam de Vescr surrendered the castle and manor
and County of Kildare to King Edward, and the King directedh i s Justiciary , JohnWogan , to take possess ion Of them . In 1316
Edward II , by letters patent , declared that he had granted to
John FitzThomas the castle and town Of Kildare , w ith i ts appurtenances, under the t itle of Earl of Kildare, and set h im over i tas Earl thereof .
I have seen i t stated that Kildare was given to John Fi tzThomas for h i s services to the English Crown during Bruce
’
s
invas ion Of Ireland ( 1314 to Indeed,historians are not
at all agreed as to how Offaly, the territory of the O’
Connors, and
later of the De Berm ingham s,came into the possession of the
Fi tzGeralds . Offaly, so called from Ross-a Failghe, eldest son Of
Cathair Mor, supreme King Of Ireland in the beginning of the
second century, included ori ginally the present baronres of East
298 K ILDARE : IT S H ISTORY A N D A N T IQUIT IES .
fort upon the Bog of A llen and taken Castlem artin ,and placing
a garrison therein, I marched w ith a party of horseand foot into the Island of A llen , and surrounded K i lmaog
therein ; bu t , finding i t not feasi ble to storm w ithou t guns , Imarched to Rathbride and Ponser
’
s Grange , and took them ,and
placed two strong garr isons there, which did give m e good
footing in the Co . Kildare. Then sent a party and tookKildare ,Hertwell, and Collingstown .
Then he goes on to describe the s iege of Ballysonan . A copyof a contemporaneou s pr int w i ll be found in the first volum e
of the Kilkenny Archaeological S ociety’
s Journal. Lord Edward
Fi tzGerald and h i s wife Pamela l ived here for some t ime.
T HE CA RMELIT E CO N VEN T A T K ILDA RE IN 1790 .
D rawn by Au s t in Cooper .
THE CARMELITE CONVENT was founded for Carmel i te monks
in 1260 by W i lliam de Vesey.
One of the monks of this convent was David O ’
Bugey, who,says Ware
,became em inent for an uncommon share of
learning, first at Oxford, and afterwards at Treves, in Germany.
K ILI) ARE : ITS H ISTORY A N D A N T IQUIT IES . 299
He was Provincial of h i s Order , and held chapters of the Order
at Ardee and Dublin . He was a philosopher , rhetorician ,and
divine, and the most learned in all that country in both civil andcanon law,
and as such was by m any called the lamp, them irror , and the ornament of all the I rish nation . S o Baleou t of John Bloxam
’s
‘ Epistles .
’
And S tanihurst , in h i s‘ Descript ion of Ireland ,
’
says‘that the nobility and s tates
in cau ses of weight wou ld have recourse to h im as to an oracle ;that he was in philosophy an Ar istotle, in eloquence a Tu l ly ,in divinity an Augustin,
and in canon law a Panorm i tan .
He wrote ( 1) S ermones ad Clerum ,
’
(2 ) Epi stolas 12
ad diversos ,’
(3)‘PrOposi tiones d i spu tates ,
’
(4 )‘Lectiones
Trarrenses ,’
(5 ) Regu las quasdam Juris ,’
(6) Intra Gerardum
Bonomensem ,
’
and (7)‘
Commentarios in B iblia S acra .
’
He
l ived in 1820, and afterwards died at a very advanced age at
Kildare,in the monastery of h i s Order , and was buried there.
”
Ralph Kelly later , A rchbishop of Cashel from 1345 to 1361,learned in Kildare a knowledge of the Lat in tongue , and profitedin i t so well that he was sent to Pope Clement VI as advocate
of h i s whole Order . A t the dissolu t ion of the monastery the
hou se was sold for £1. I t included then a church and bel fry , adorm itory
,hall
, and two chambers , a messuage, a garden,and a
close of one acre .
There are certain figu res here which are said to have beenbrough t from the Grey Abbey, to preserve them .
1 . The upper port ion of a figure under a Gothic canopy, witha double or archiepiscopal cross .
2 . Figure of ou r Lord crowned wi th thorns,with words
Ecce Homo at the side of the head, also under canopy.
3. The Crucifixion . On one s ide the RV . On the otherS t . John. Glories at their heads .
THE FRANCIS CAN CONVEN T , called at t imes the Grey Abbey,was fou nded in 1260 by W illiam de Vesci . The bu i lding wascompleted by Gerald Fitzmau rice, first Lord Offaley .
A famou s monk of this monastery was Brother M ichael,
surnamed of Kildare , who l ived abou t 1308. I cannot give youany detai ls abou t h im ,
for neither Ware, in hi s“ Writers,
”nor
O’Rei lly makes ment ion of h im . We have two works of h i s
extant , a sat irical poem against the secu lar clergy, a small partof which i s given i n facsim i le in Mr . Gi lbert’s Facs imi les ofIrish N at ional M S S . The original i s in the Brit ish Museum .
Another work of h i s i s De Factura N ovae V i llae de RossPonte
,
”or the Welding of N ew Ross the obj ect being to pre
serve the town and i ts contents from the greedy snatching ofthe Irish enem ies .
”Holinshed tells how this bu i lding was
K ILDARE : IT S H ISTORY A N D A N T IQUIT IES .
brought abou t One of the Irish cam e to the town,
and
Spying a p iece of cloth on a m erchant ’s stall,he and the
m erchant stood dodging one w ith the other in cheapen ing the
ware ; the horseman m ade w ise as though he wou ld have drawnto h i s pu rse to defray the money. The cloth in th e m eant ime
being tucked up and placed before h im ,he gave spurs to h i s
horse and ranne away with i t. The townsm en being pinched at
the heart that the rascal shou ld in such scornfu l w ise give themthe stam paigne, not so much weighing the slenderness of the
loss as the shamefu lness of the foyle, pu t their heads togetherand bu i lt the wal l .”
TH E FRA N C IS CA N A BBEY A T K ILDA RE IN 1 784 .
Drawn by Au s t in Cooper.
It has been translated by L. E . L. (Letitia Landon) ,M acLean ,
and i t i s given in Crofton Croker’
s“S ongs of
IrelandI have a wh im to speak in verse,
If you wil l list What I_reh ear se
For an unh eeded ta le,I w isse ,
N ot wor th a clove of gar lic i s .
30 2 K ILDARE : IT S H ISTORY A N D A N T IQU IT IES .
5 . Gera ld , the fifth Earl,who d ied in 1410.
6. Gerald, the eleventh Earl , who died at London in 1588.
7 . H enry , the twelfth Earl , who died at Drogheda in 1597 .
8 . Gerald, the fou rteenth Earl , who died in 1611 .
9. Gerald,the fifteenth ,
Earl , who died at Maynooth in 1620.
H enry, the last of the Earls of Kildare, who was buried in
the Franciscan Abbey.
Here,too, was buried in 1359 the Lady Joan de Burgh ,
Countess of Kildare, and w ife of Thomas Fi tzJohn, second
Earl of Kildare, and .mother of Richard , the third Earl .In 1308 Lord Peter de Berm ingham was buried here . One
writer says he w as a victorious leader against the Irish,and
Holinshed speaks of h im as one that hath been no smal lscourge to the Irish .
In 1310 a Provincial Chapte1 of the Order was held he1e .
In 1885 Friar And i ew Leynagh , guardian Of this house of FI iars
M ino1s a t Kildare, was sent as the King’
s ambassador to the
is lands of S cotland to treat w ith John Lord of the Isles abou tvarious matters concerning hi s estate.
A t the d issolution of the monasteries this hou se was givento David S u tton, at an annu al rent of 2s . 3d .
A plate at p . 88, vol. i i , of“Grose
’
s Ant i qu i ti es gives a
north-east View of the Grey Abbey very much as i t i s now ; and
the following epi taph on a gravestone in the churchyard
H ere lies Jean Hay ,
W ho , n igh t and day ,
Was honest , good , and ju st .H er hope and loveWas firm ab ove ,In wh ich p lace was h er trust .
H er sp ir it lef t h er t errene par tW ith j oy to God , where was h er hear t ,On _the 4th day o f January , 1706
There IS anothe1 print at page 25 of the first vol. of Grose,said to be of the Grey Abbey bu t i n 1eali ty i t i s a print of thecathedral the view being taken from the south s ide .
T HE RUIN S OF GREAT CON N ELL A BBEY IN 1 781 .
Drawn by Au st in COOper.
GREA T CON N ELL A BBE Y, CO. K ILDARE .
BY LORD WALTER FITZ GERALD .
HE remains of this Abbey are si tuated 1%m i le to the northof the town of N ewbridge . According to Dr . Joyce the
name m eans a habi tat ion, and was o ften applied to an
ecclesiast ical establishment . The present name i s an anglicizedform of the Irish word Congalai th ,
”or Congbhai l,
”which
in other parts of Ireland appears now as Conwal
The Connell district i s now spl it up into several townlands ;and amongst others may be m ent ioned Connellmore
, GreatConnell , Little Connell , and Old Connell , at which lat ter placei s an ancient churchyard, lying close to a finely preserved moat ,or pagan tumu lu s .
A fter the suppress ion of the O’
Byrne S ept, in whose territoryConnel l lay , the first Norman proprietor of the place was
Mei ler Fi tzHenry, who was so named from h i s father havingbeen the i llegit imate son of King Henry I of England ; he
GREAT CO N N ELL A BBEY,co . K ILDARE . 30 7
near the mearing ditch on the west s ide o f“the Reliceen
chu rchyard (which i s oppos ite to the entrance gate of Connel lmore
’
Hou se , and a few perches to the east o f Great ConnellAbbey) the E ffigy of a B ishop. It i s not improbable that thism ay be the Thomas in question . The E ffigy occupies the ful lbreadth of the stone, leaving no Space for an inscript ion ; the
lower end i s broken off and lost,and the remaining portion i s
broken in two across the neck. The head recl ines under a
canopy ornamented on the r ight front S ide w i th oak leaves and
acorns,and on the other wi th trefoils ; on either s ide of the
head i s an angel bearing in both hands an incense-burner ( likethe B ishop
’
s E ffigy in Kildare Cathedral) ; the S ides of the
canopy are ornamented w ith a large, handsome fol iage design .
The left hand holds a fleu r-de-lyS -headed croz ier, and the rightrests on the chest in the benedict ion-giving postu re . The
temporary platform on which the Effi gy rests i s partly built up
l‘w ’“E li
—J
f a“
w ith a slab , bearing an eigh t-armed floreated cross cu t in low
relief. This , the Bishop’
s Effigy, and two portions of an altartomb (apparently belonging to theWellesley Monument at Great
Connell Abbey) , were probably brought here from the Abbey.
In 1380 this Pr iory was included in the number of Rel igiou sHou ses into which , by the Act of Richard II, i t was forbiddento adm it any nat ive Irishm en to profession . In 1824
,Dean
Butler writes, Edward II complained to the Pope that the
Irish refused to adm it Engl ishmen into their Monas teries ;and in 1837 Edward III says that h i s father had ordered thatno Irishmen shou ld be adm i tted into any English Monastery,bu t had afterwards revoked the order , and he now orders thatall loyal Irish be adm it ted in the same way as Englishmen .
In the famou s Parliament of Kilkenny in 1366, the exclus ionof Irishm en from English Monas teries was again enacted and
in 1380 a writ was sent,among others , to the Abbots of Bal
t inglass and Dowysk (now Graigue-na-managh ) and the Pr iorsof Conal l that the above order was to be strictly adhered to.
1
1 V ide the M ost Rev . Dr . Com er ford’
s“ Dioceses o f K ildare and Le ighlin .
13B
39 8 GREA T CO N N ELL A BBEY, CO . RILIn RE .
In 1395 a Patent Roll , dated the 26th of May, mentionsRobert Greves as Prior of the Abbey Beatae Mariae de Conalc .
”
In 1406 the Pr ior of Connell i s recorded in Marlborough’
s
Chronicles as having fought val iantly and vanqu ished 200 of
the Irish that were well arm ed,slaying som e of them and
chasing others ; and the Pryor had not w ith h im bu t twentyEnglishmen .
”This occu rred on the Curragh .
In 14 12 Philip S toyll was elected Pr ior , and cont inued so
t i l l 1418. (King and Ware . )The Annals of the Fou r Masters, under the year 1447,
record that
In th e summ er and au tumn o f th is year th ere raged a great P lagu e ,of wh ich th e Prior of Ba l lyb oggan (Co . M eath ) , th e Pr ior of Connala ( i . e .
Great Conne l l) and a great numb er of others in M eath,Lein ster , and
M unster , d ied .
This Plague , according to Duald Mac Firb i s,followed a
terrible fam ine which took place in the previou s spring .
In 1458 an enrolment of the thirty-sixth year of Henry VI’
S
reign describes this Priory as ent irely wasted by the Irish enemy,and grants to the Prior the rectory and towns of Morristown and
Ladytown .
In 1476 this Priory was in a decree styled one of the pr incipal keys of the County of Kildare ; , and i t sets forth thatseveral grants of the late
'
Abbot to various of the Irishry hadimpoverished the Priory. These ,
”i t goes on to say , con
sidering the good, true heart of E smond, the new Pr ior,
are
accordingly m ade void, with the proviso that that act was not to
prejudice any man _of the English nat ion .
In 1486 a N icholas was Pr ior he was amongst those whotook part with Lambert S imnel
,the false claimant to the throne .
Two years later he received the royal pardon.
In 1519 Wal ter Wellesley was Prior , and at this t ime the
King endeavou red unsu ccessfu l ly to have him prom oted to the
S ee of Limerick in the fol lowing year the Earl of S u rreyrecommended h i m for the S ee of Cork bu t the appointment did
not take place. In 1529 he was promoted to the Bishopric of
Kildare, sti ll retaining by dispensat ion h i s Priory, which he con
t inued to hold up to the period of h i s death . He was for som e
t ime Master of the Rolls . The Act of Parl iament in 1587 ,which confiscated the Abbeys of the
‘
Pale, did not touch Connel l ; Bishop Wel lesley, st i ll Prior , by h i s influence warded off
the blow . Later on he wrote from Conall to the Duke of
N orfolk, on the 15th May, 1539, by the bearer , Canon N imeas of
Conall, begging for the protect ion of h i s monastery, which he
now hears i s to be suppressed after all. He goes on to say that
3 10 GREAT CO N N ELL A BBEY,CO . R ILI )A RE .
yerelie payment b oth of sub sid ie,also the twent ieth par te o f th er sma le
revenu e , W i the a lso th er first f ru tes at every change o f hcdc ru ler s .
”
In Spite of this recommendation ,thi s Monas terv was sup
pressed two years afterwards .
Bishop Wellesley’
s death took place in the year 1589, andhe was buried in h i s Monastery of Connel l . H i s m onum ent
took the form of an altar tomb,the s ides of which are now badly
shattered, and many pieces are m issing. On the covering slabof the tomb lies the Ef figy of the Bishop, wel l and boldly cut .
A Lat in inscript ion, incised and in the black letter , runs downthe two longer sides ;
'
i t commences near the left s ide of the
bishop’
s head, and i s cont inued from the top of the Oppositeside downwards the date was never fini shed the scu lptor
completed the M and one C ; then follow the outlines of two
other CS and so i t remains. The head of the Effigy rests under
a canopy, wh ich i s supported on either S ide by an angel , eachholding a shield bearing the B ishop
’
s coat of arms,viz . Argent ,
on a cross sable,five escallops of the first .
”The feet rest on a
bracket, ornamented with a foliage design, and near the left foot
are two paws of some animal that i s now chipped off.
The inscript ion (which has the u sual contract ions,and i s in
one or two places deficient of letters , owing to breaks i n the
stone) , when perfect , ran as follows
H ic j acet frat er Walteru s W ellysley qu ondam ep i scopu s Daren s i s ac
hu j u s dom u s Com endatar i us , cu j u s an im i e prOp i t ietu r Deu s, Qu i ob iit
Anno Dom in i M CCC
That i sH ere lies Fr iar Wa lter W ellysley ,
form er ly Bishop o f K ildare and
Comm endatory Pr ior O f th is H ou se , on whose sou l m ay God hav e m ercy ,wh o d ied in th e year of th e Lord
1 S tate Papers of H enry V III , Ire .
, vol. i i i . p . 130.
GREAT CO N N ELL A BBEY,CO . K ILDA RE. 31 1
The length of the slab i s 6 fee t 3 inches , and the breadth3 feet 2 inches the material i s l imestone. Its present positioni s on the left-hand S ide of the entrance gate t o the burialground ; other port ions of the tomb are also bu i l t over and on
the other s ide of the gateway. The panel over the gate
represents the Crucifixion , w ith the V irgin Mary on our Lord’
s
right , and S t . John on the left . Another large panel containsthe Ecce Homo ; our Lord, clothed in the purple robe and
crown of thorns , i s shown seated , bound hand and foot , with a
hammer, pincers , and rope near h im . Below the Ecce Homo”
a double panel i s bu i lt into the wall , measuring 275 inches inheight ; i t contains two niches of different shapes , both elaborately ornamented with birds and floral devices. In one n ichei s a Bishop , and at hi s feet a toad and a snake
,represent ing
S t . Patrick ; in the other i s a saint , holding in both hands a
chalice, representing S t . John .
Small portions of other panels are bu i lt here and there intothe gateway on the inside and ou ts ide , and another piece i sserving as a headstone to a modern grave half-way down the
bu rial-ground while in the neighbouring burial-ground , called“the Reli ceen
,
”l bu i lt into a low wall , are two portions of panels ,probably belonging to this tomb , as one bears a shield w ith theB ishop
’
s arms (described above) , and the other represent s a
saint with a battle-axe in h i s righ t hand, and a long carpenter’
s
saw in h i s left, the u sual emblems of the brothers S t . S imon and
S t . Jude.
In the possession of Dr . J . M . Neale, of Newington Hou se,
near Feighcullen ,five m i les off as the crow flies, i s a panel
belonging to the Wellesley monument, which was several yearsago carried off, and i s now u sed as an ornament in the garden .
In this case the panel contains a saint representing S t . James
the Less , as the figure holds a long club .
It i s more than l ikely that other portions of this tomb are
scattered abou t the neighbourhood .
On the 23rd of Apri l , 1541, Robert Wesley, the last Pr iorof Connell , surrendered hi s Monastery to the Crown .
”2 Thishe did
“voluntarily and with the consent of the commu
nity,”
as the phrase ran ; because when the surrender was
voluntary, the Prior and the Friars cou ld come to term s,and
get pensions ; i f they resisted,they were forcibly evicted ;
consequently almost all the su rrenders of the Monasteries inIreland were
,so called
, voluntary. Robert Wesley’
s yearly
pension was £13 6s . 8d .
1 A Re lick means a b uria l-ground , and r eliceen, or religeen ,
i s
a d im i nu t i ve of i t .
M orr i n’
s Calendar of Paten t and Close Ro l ls , Ire land .
3 I 2 GREA T CO N N ELL ABBEY, CO . K ILIJA RE.
The Priory and i ts possess ions were now leased to GeraldS utton , who i s styled of Cast leton of K ildrough t , now Castletown beside Celbridge . On August the l6th
,1541, h i s nam e
appears as one of the arbitrators in a quarrel between BrianO
’
Connor of Offaly, chief of h i s nat ion,and h i s brother Cahir .
The arbitrators ’
names in this case are given as—S i r W i lliamB irm ingham ,
Baron of Carbury,David S u tton of Connall,
Co . Kildare,Gent . , James Fi tzGerald of Osberstown in the same
County,Gent .
,and Richard M cK enegan .
1
In 1551 a lease ‘ in revers ion for twenty-one years was m ade
to Edward Randolfe, of the demesne and possess ions of the
Abbey of Connall, then in the possess ion of Gerald S utton .
2Ten
years later the Queen wrote to the Lord Ch ief Ju st ice of Irelandordering a new grant of a lease in revers ion for twenty -one
years to be made out for Edward Randolfe ,3who appears to
have been a colonel in the English army in Ireland at thistime.
Abou t the year 1567 S i r Edmond But ler,Knt .
,of C10
grennan ,obtained a lease for S ix years , to commence on the
expirat ion of Edward Randolfe’
s lease , of this Abbey and i ts
possess ions . He afterwards conveyed the same to S ir N icholasWhite of Leixlip, Master of the Rolls
,who surrendered them
to the Crown ,and was
, _in 1579, regranted them during h i s
interest ther ein . Ten years later the Privy Counci l recommended to the Queen that S i r N icholas shou ld be granted thefee-farm of the Priory of Connall, with other lands in the county,as he had civil ized the country thereabou ts by h i s res idence ;and , they said , i t was he who had cau sed Teige mac Gillapatrick
O’
Connor and Connor mac Corm ac O’
Connor to do battle in theinner court of Dublin Cast le on the 12th of S eptember, 1583,whereby the former was slain .
4 This was in consequence of
each accu s ing the other of treason . The h istorian Hooker
remarks“that the combat was fought with such valour and
resolu t ion on both s ides (wi th sword and target ) that the
spectators wi shed that i t had fallen on the whole S ept of the
O’
Connors than on those two gent lemen .
”5
According to an Inqu isit ion taken at Kilmainham on the
20th December , 1606, the possessions of this Abbey in the Co .
Kildare were the townlands of Connall,Ballymone, Clonyngs ,
Lowi ston,Old Connall, Walsheston
,Oldtown
,Kildare, Rosberie ,
S kavelston , Moreton ,Richardston,
Balli sax, Kilcu llen, Grange
Brewer’
s Ca lendar of S tate Papers , Ire land .
M orr in’
s Ca lendars .
” 3 Ham ilton ’
s Ca lendar .
4 Ham ilton ’
s Ca lendar .
V ide O’
Connor-M orr is ’
s“ Dub l in Cast le
, p . 18.
3 I4 GREAT CO N N ELL A BBEY, CO . K ILDA RE.
cau singo
gi eat inconvenience, and this lasted unti l the Holy Wellwas agai n m ade fl ee to the public .
The barracks of N ewb1 i dge , I have s ince heard, were not the
only bu ildings erected ou t of the material taken from the ru insof the Abbey
,as some thirty years ago a Colonel Grey, then
tenant of the place, rebu i lt the old res idence of the Powel ls, andlargely u sed stones drawn from the Abbey bu i ldings , which werethrown down for the purpose.
' In consequence, i t i s said,no
tenant of Connellmore rem ains for any length of t ime there .
BIS HO P WE LLES LEV’S COA T O F A RM S
On a s tone in th e Reliceen chu rchyard .
( 3 15 )
A N CIEN T N A A S : OUTP OS TS’
A JVD LON GS TON E S .
BY T . J . DE BURGH,D .L.
INTRODUCTION .
IN my former articles on Ancient N aas I have referred to the
castles , raths , walls, &c.,which formed the actual defences
of the town . Many of these have ent irely d isappeared , and of
the rest bu t little remains to rem ind u s that Naas in oldent imes was one of the m ost form idable st rongholds of Leinster ,and the scene of numerous sieges, battles , cruel ou trages, andsangu inary reprisals . During the s ixteenth century i t was them ain defence of the sou th-western front ier of the Pale, whichextended from old Kilcu llen on the west , by Rathmore , Rathcoole
, and Tallaght , to the sea at Dalkey.
LINE S OF OUTPOS T S .
Bu t we may probably go back to a m uch earlier period i f wewish to trace the origin of the line of castles and raths which
,
commanding practically every sou thern slope from Old K ilcu llento Furness H i ll , form a
-
eont inuou s line of m ilitary ou tposts,
erected apparent ly to guard the fort ified towns , such as Bally?sonnan and N aas
,from sudden inroads of an enemy advancing
from the southward . Between Ballyshannon and Killasheethere were to be seen,
100 years ago , and probably are now ,
remains of at least four castles and fou rteen raths , bes ides thesmall artificial mounds
‘
which may have been u sed for ou tlyingpickets , and the positions where the form at ion of the ground
m ade an artificial structu re unnecessary . From Rathasker to
Fu rness H ill we can see to this day the remains of at least S ix
castles (Rathasker , Killashee, Mullacash , Black Hall , A thgarrett ,and Haynestown ) , and at least ten raths ( two near the WatchHou se cross-roads , two at Punchestown ,
one each at Blackhall,T ipper , A thgarrett , W olfestown ,
Rathmore,and Fu rness ) .
Thu s we have, on a line some nine m iles in length , at leastthirty-four fairly defens ible positions , and probably a carefu lsearch wou ld reveal many more.
318 A N CIEN T N AA S : OUT POS T S A N I ) LO N GSTO N ES .
with stonework. S ome few raths are square,like the one at
T ipper .
The shape of the raths , and the fact that few of them haveany apparent entrance
-way , wou ld suggest that these structures
were not merely intended as posts of observat ion or stat ions forou tlying pickets in the m odern sense of the word , whose du tywou ld be to fall back on their supports in case of attack; bu t thatthey were meant to offer a seriou s resistance to an advancingenemy, so as , i f i t were not possible to repu lse them ,
to delaythem su fficiently to enable the main body to mu ster and form in
their rear .
For we must rem ember that , in deal ing with the ancienttuaths or clans, and septs or fam i lies , no m i l itary leadercou ld absolu tely command the presence for any length of t ime of
the component parts of h i s army . Even the septs , and muchm ore so the tuaths , which were gatherings of septs , had separa te
respons ibilit ies and powers, and cou ld at any t ime, although theyhad agreed upon a war , w ithdraw w ithou t dishonour from a battlefrom pique or any other reason .
These raths are, as a rule, erected on the brow of a hill,with
steep s lopes to the front , and command a good stretch of ground
before them . For example , take the raths on the slope to thenorthward of Punchestown stand-hou se. They command the
valley in which lies the race-course, and on the Opposi te hills wesee what were , perhaps , the raths “
of the Irish enemy,the
O’
Tooles,”now called the Ring,
”and the Danish rath, which
are evidently only erected to resist attack from the north-westward.
Who knows what sangu inary scenes this now peacefu l valley mayhave w itnessed , horseshoe-shaped , and commanded
,as i t was,
011 three S ides by raths and castles from Mullacash , on the westby Watch Hou se, Punchestown,
and round to t he Danish fortabove S illiott Bog
Even now,w ithou t turn ing a sod
,i t wou ld be no child ’
s playto dislodge a smal l and determ ined party from some of theseraths . Look at the Ring,
”once a circu lar , bu t now only a sem i
circu lar, entrenchment , thrown up on the summ it of a commandingem inence, abou t half an Irish m i le north-east of S illiott Bog. Its
diameter i s abou t 300 yards, and i t has but one‘
rampart and ditch .
It slopes steeply towards the north-west . Abou t a quarter m i le toi ts sou th-west can be seen the high rath known as the Danishfort . It occupies a commanding pos it ion ,
and i ts north-westernslope i s almost precipitou s . It i s em inently calcu lated for defence ,and there i s nothing to impede a retreat into the hills beyondhills probably covered in ancient days w ith dense wood. Evennow, were modern troops cal led upon to defend Naas from an
A N C IEN T N AA S : O UT POST S A N D LO N GS TO N ES . 319
enemy advancing from the sou th , they wou ld assuredly select fortheir first line of defence much the same posit ions where the old
castles and raths , extending from Mullacash to Furness H ill , bearS i lent witness to the troubles and warlike procl ivit ies of
“the good
old t imes,
”when we worked on the s imple plan , that he m ight
take who had the power , and he m ight keep who can .
S uch was the continual warfare between the variou s tribesamong them selves , occas ionally varied by joint action againsta common enemy, that i t i s hopeless to try to ass ign these rathsto any particu lar epoch in ou r nat ional history . Most of themcou ld , in case of necess ity, be thrown up by 100 m en in a
day with proper intrenching tools ; bu t does not thei r shape ,their position , the fact of their having, as a ru le
, no entrance ,
exclude the supposition that they have been erected s ince thedays of even the rudest arti llery ? Nor wou ld comparat ivelymodern history have been absolutely s i lent on the subject ,which
, so far as I know ,i s the case
,i f they only dated from the
fourteenth to the eighteenth centu ries . S om e of these rathsmay , of cou rse
, date from the firs t N orwegian invas ion,abou t
795 A .D ., or from that of the Danes in 851. S ome histor ians
attr ibu te the north m eat in N aas,and what i s now called the
Danish rath,to the Danes
,who held Dublin even after the
Battle of Clontarf,in 1014
,unt i l the Norman invas ion .
LONGSTONES .
A pecu liar feature of the raised plateau , which i s partlydefended by what we may cal l the fou r Punchestown raths , i sthe presence of those extraordinary relics of ant iqu ity known as
the longstones or menhirs . Two of these are close to the
Watch Hou se,Beggar
’
s End Road a third i s on Mrs . Mel ia’s
far
pi at N ewtown ; and another in the centre of the Fu rness
rat i .
The more westerly longstone i s 15 feet high , and leanswestward at an angle of 15 degrees from the perpendicu lar.
A t 2 feet from the ground the circumference i s 10 feet 9 inchesthe east and west faces are roughly 3 feet 3 inches , and thenorth and sou th faces 2 feet 4 inches broad at the same level . Ittapers to a diam eter of abou t 18 inches at top, and has theappearance of having had originally fou r smooth S ides
,of which
the angles have been worn off by the action of the weather .
The more easterly Punchestown stone, 720 yards nearly dueeast of the other
,i s 185 feet above ground , and leans eastward
at an angle of 35 degrees from the perpendicu lar . At 2 feet aboveground level the circumference i s 10 feet 7%inches ; and i ts
A N C IEN T N AA S : O UT rO S T s A N D LO N O S TO N ES .
he i i zontal sect ion wou ld be a rough oblong 3 feet by 2 feet
9 inches . It tapers to a diam eter of 2 feet abo
ou t 1 foot fi om the
top , where i t has evidently been broken off .
Owing to the fact o f s im i lar seam s of som e conglomerate
running through each of these stones in the sam e plane and
bearing the sam e m arks , one wou ld think that they had bothbeen originally cu t f i om or broken off the one l ook . However
the matei ial of which the seam i s composed i s hai dei thanand p i ot i udes beyond the gi anite in the west s tone
,while in
the east stone the cont i ai y i s the case.
What i s known as the N ewtown Cross i s evidently also a
longstone , of which the top has in m odern t imes been shapedinto a rough cross . I t i s mu ch smaller in every way than the
Punch estown longstones . I t i s shown on the 1783 m aps as a
longstone , and as a cross on the Ordnance S u rvey m ap of 1837 .
. The longstone in the centre of Fu rness rath bears a greatresemblance to the East Punches town stone, s tands 17 feet
above ground, and i s of the same breadth at 2 feet above groundlevel , bu t i s in a vert ical pos it ion .
A t Kilgowan ,Mu llamast, and Harristown are also to be seen
smaller granite stones , varying from 6 to 8 feet i n height . I
prOpose, however , to direct y our attent ion chiefly to the four
largest which I have described .
Now,what are these longstones, as they are generally called ,
and why are they found on posit ions both su ited for determ ineddefence and actually defended by raths They are all of
pract ically s im i lar dimens ions , in s im ilar upright pos itions , andof ponderou s weight . They mu st extend a long way down intoth e ground in order to retain the ir pos it ions . There i s a localtradit ion that a Lord A len
,after underm ining the east stone to
a cons iderable depth , unsuccessfu l ly endeavoured to drag i t downby yoking to i t a team of seventeen oxen.
Lastly , why are they all of granite, a stone foreign to the
neighbou rhood , and not , as I understand , to be found nearer thanthe Ballyknocken quarries in Co . W icklow
I t seem s to m e that they mu st have been e ither of religiousorigin, or landmarks
,or commemorat ive monuments .
Bu t I think the two latter hypo theses are incompat ible w ithancient local history. Where we find these longs tones therewas no boundary that we know of, nor do we read of terr itorialmagnates adju sting their m earings at the cost of drawing hugerocks weigh i ng Scores of tons from far distant hills . N or . was
there at hand any lack of the materials of which the ordinaryIrish cairns were form ed over the graves of their heroes , thatthe popu lace shou ld be impelled to honou r their memory in
such an unaccountable way.
A N C IEN T N AA S : O UT rO S T S A N D LO N O S T O N ES .
monum ental memorials , and landmarks . There i s the Taniststone, or kingly m emorial , l ike that set up in Shechem at the
coronat ion of Abimelech the Hoar,or boundary stone
,l ike the
stone of Behan ,son of Reuben ; then we read of the stone set
up as evidence of a treaty, l ike Laban and Jacob ’
s pi llar of
w itness in Galeed .
Then there were also the sepu lchral monuments, such as
crom lechs , cairns , and chambered barrows .
The m egali thic art attained i ts highest excellence in Egypt,where the monoliths, or menhirs, becam e obelisks ; the cairns
,
pyram ids ; and the stone circles , as seen at S tonehenge , Carnac,&c .
,became colonnaded avenues and temples .
A m enhir ( from mam ,a stone, and lai r , long) , or longstone ,
or m onolith , i s a pillar of unhewn stone raised on end . Whena number of them are arranged in lines , we have what i s calledan a lignment ; when grouped so as to form an enclosu re , wehave a crom lech . A dolm en i s formed by two or more monoliths
placed near each other and covered by a cup stone .
On the introduct ion of Christ ianity, many menhirs were
u sed, as in France , to support crosses . We see that the Newtownlongstone has been cu t into a rude semblance of a cross.
Occas ionally menhirs seemed to have been used as landmarks,though that was apparently only a secondary object . S omet imesthey overtop a tumu lus, - l ike the Bau ta
,or battlestones, of
S candinavia .
A S for dolmens , Professor Wi lson’
s researches Show thatthey are to be found all over Western Eu rope as far as S axony.
They reappear in the Crimea and Circassia, and have been
traced through Central As ia to India, where they are widelydistribu ted. They are to be found in Palestine , Arabia, Pers ia,Au stralia, the Penryhn Islands , Madagascar , and other places .
There are more than 200 of these dolmens in Li'
i neburg,Osnabruck, and S tade, and over fifty in the province of Drenthe
,in
Holland . In France there are dolmens , and many in S painand Portugal , Morocco, Alger ia, and Tunis . Their primary objectwas
,wi thou t doubt , sepu lchral , and many appear to have been
originally surm ounted by tumu l i of earth, which has, in the
cou rse of ages, crumbled away,leaving the stone exposed. Bu t to
what form of worship are we to attribu te the longstones It has
been suggested that they were erected by the worshippers of
Baal ; and I bel ieve that i s the ir tru e origin . The Baal of thePhoenicians , Syr ians , Tyrians, &c.
, was worshipped as the m aleprinciple of life
,and was represented by obelisks and pi llars ;
while A shera, who was worshipped as the female principleOf nature, was represented by groves and trees. She was com
A N CIEN T N AA S : O UT PO S T S A N I) LO N GS TO N ES . 32 3
blued with the pu rer deity Astarte in much the same m anner as
Venus, when a morning star , was worshipped as a pure deity,and as an evening star had qu ite different attribu tes. Astar te
came later to be looked upon as the m oon-goddess, the Queen of
Heaven,as Baal had formerly been worshipped as the sun-god,
the central principle of m ost pagan adoration,the dei ty that
engendered all the fru itfu lness of the earth .
N ow,according to Irish legendary history, the first invaders
of Ireland came, as the Phoenicians m igh t have come,from the
Levant . Parthalon and h i s followers came from Greece . The
last of their race, after 300 years’
ru le in Ireland, are said to havedied of the plague at Tamlech t Parthalon , which i s Tallaght ,near Dublin . Next came, we are told , the N emedians
,from
S cythia . Then the Fomorians, from Northern Africa. Thesewere ousted by the northern invaders , the Firbolgs , who ,
in
their turn , gave place to the Tuatha de Danaan . Then came the
M i lesians or S cots .
Whatever we may choose to believe of those ancient legends ,we have l ittle or nothing else to work on
, and we cannot afford
to ignore them contemptuou sly when we find them so often
corroborated.
However much the ancient his tor ian may have had to drawupon h i s imaginat ion to fill in h i s blanks in m inor m atters , h i s
credibility am ong h i s contemporaries mu st have depended on
the probability of hi s narrat ive and on i ts derivat ion from what wasat the t ime accepted tradit ion handed down from generation to
generat ion . Au thent ic history does not go back further thanthe Iron Age ; bu t these m ega l ithic structu res are in all countr iesattribu ted to the S tone period , ages and ages before . Tru ly, insuch con templations , we m ay
‘
well get lost in what S hakespearecalls the “
dark backward and abysm of t ime .
”To u s these
relics of a forgotten age are bu t pu zz les for the antiquary,objects to which we barely give a thought , and pass on on ou r
way bu t who can fathom the power of a devotion which placedthem where they are Who can tell what hold these venerablestones had upon the m inds and affections of the old-t im e
barbarians who l ived in the gloomy forests and swamps of
ancient Ireland Who knows what ghastly rites,what horrid
orgies , what reckless heroism , what awfu l sacrifices , whatreligiou s , i f m isguided , zeal they may have looked down upon
One of their chief claims to great ant iqu ity rest s, to my m ind ,on the fact , that though for fourteen centu ries s ince S t . Patrick’
s
t im e,whose m iss ion ended in 409 A .D .
,there have been som e
kinds of historical records or tradit ions , no explanat ion of the
origin of these longstones has been given u s , and thereforewe may assume that even then i t was clouded in oblivion .
C C
gfii s cellanea .
S t . M O -C h u a o f C e lb r id g e — On page 205 , vol. 11, of the
JOURNAL , the Rev . C . Graham suggests that a S t . Mo-chu a of Glen
dalkin , County Dublin , was the saint to whom the original chu rchof K ildrough t was dedicated (and . Father S h earman ,
in h i s Loca
Patriciana , expresses the sam e opin ion) ; this idea i s , I think,
proved from the follow ing two sou rces :
First .
— There i s the stone trough , dated 1783, bearing thissaint ’
s name , at the pump in the street beside Celbridge M ill . It
possibly s tands over th e very Tober Mo-chua,
or S t . MO-chua’
s
Well , wh ich was u sed by the saint for baptiz ing h i s converts , and
which the grow th of th e town h as encroached upon .
S econd — There i s an entry in a Coun ty K ildare ChanceryInqu isition
,
-which was taken at K ilcock on the 22nd of October,
1604 , which , when transla ted,states that Th ere i s one m es
su age (or farm stead ) w ith a close , and two cottages w ith their closes,
and eigh teen acres of land in the townland of Kildrough t calledS t. M agho h i s land , which were granted in m ortm ain to the chu rchof Ki ldrough t withou t licence from the Crown
,and for that reason
they are now in the king’
s h ands .
”
In th e seventh century two famou s sain ts nam ed Mo-chu a diedFirst .
—One was the patron sa int of Tim ahoe , in the Queen ’
s
County (Tech MO-chua , i .e . S t . MO-chua’
s hou se or chu rch) , whosefes tival was h eld on the 24th of December . He died in th e
year 657 . Lonan was h i s father , and Tineach t ny Loich in h i s
mother .
S econd .
— The other S t . MO chua was of Clondalkin ( i .e. ,Dolcan ’
s
m eadow ) , in the County Dubl i n another nam e for h im was Cronan .
H i s festival was on the 6th of Augu st. H i s father ’
s name was
Lughaidh , and h i s mother ’
s Cainer of Clondasallagh .
To th is latter S t . Mo-chu a the foundat ion of the Kildrough t
church , now known as th e Tea-lane Churchyard , i s a ttr ibu ted . He
i s also probably the patron sa int of the County K ildare Timahoe ,
which lies twelve English m iles as the crow flies du e west of Cel
bridge Fath er O’Hanlon ,
in the eigh th volum e of h i s “ Lives Of
th e Ir ish S aints , under the 6th of Augu st , gives all that i s knownof S t . Mo-chu a of Celbr idge and Clondalkin .
W . FITzG.
K no c k p a t r ic k .— Knockpatrick (i .e . , S t . Patrick
’s hill) i s th e
nam e Of a rou nd topped hill , 560 feet i n lieigh t , which stands 111 th e
County Kildare , two m iles to the east of Castledermot . On the
summ it i s a bu rial ground , s till in u se, in wh ich all trace Of the
ancient chu rch bu ilding has di sappeai ed Am ong the graves i s a
large sunken granite rock, 011 which are the impressions Of two feet
(near which a
tD
plain cross has been carved) , and a little further Off a
M IS CELLAN EA . 32 7
tha t t ime a gravel-pi t was being worked on i t by a m an nam ed Tom
Bryan , employed u nder a m ason Of the nam e of Michael O ’
S haugh
nessy , of Garryholden , near Moone . While Bryan was Shovellingou t som e sand , a por tion of the gravel-pi t slid down in front of h im ,
exposing to view the side of a bur ial u rn . Being fearfu l of distu rbinga crock h e thought belonged to the good
-people , or fairies , Bryan
wen t Off to consu lt wi th O ’
Shaughnessy . Together they returned
to th e spot , and brough t the u rn to the su rface , bu t un for tuna telybroke i t in doing so . To their disappoin tment they found i t con
ta ined no treasu re, bu t , rest ing on a flag-stone , i t covered a heap of
hum an , bu rnt bones . These bones , when first removed , sparkled at
their ends like diamonds ; and Bryan was convinced that , i f he hadonly known the proper incantation to recite , i t wou ld have cau sed
the bones to again becom e the preciou s m etal h e expected to find
under th e u rn . The u rn was abou t 2 feet under the surface of the
ground , and there was nothing overground to indicate i ts presencebelow . It stands a little over 13 inch es in heigh t , i s 39 inches inexternal circum ference, and 12 inches wide across the top . One
rather cu riou s circum stance in connection w ith the locality i t wasfound in was related to me in 1889 by an Old m an named PatrickTravers
,of Ballynamona , near Belan . He said tha t h e rem embered ,
wh en a gossoon, twice dream ing that at the very spot where the u rn
was afterwards found a crock of gold was h id ; th is he related to a
fr iend , who told h im he sh ou ld not h ave m en tioned i t until he hadhad a third dream to th e like effect and , as he did not dream abou ti t a third time , he never went to dig the place .
T h e B ro nz e S k i l le t was discovered in a strange way in
Febru ary, 1868. During that mon th a big w ind blew down a largeelm in the cow-
pastu re at Kilkea Castle , where form erly th e publicroad to Moone ran . A poor m an named M ick Byrne , the father ofa large fam ily then living in Castlederm ot , was employ ed to dig upthe elm stump by the roots . One day shortly after , h e cam e up to
the castle carrying the bronze skillet,which he said he had found
under the Old elm , whose roots had grown completely round i t . He
was rewarded with a gu inea , and was asked what i t had conta ined .
He replied that a s tone flag covered i ts m ou th , bu t there was nothingin i t bu t bones and rubbish . However , not long after
,h e went up
to Dublin for a few days , retu rned to Castlederm ot , and thenem igrated to Amer ica w ith h is w ife and ch ildren . There i s not a
m an , woman , or child in the district bu t wish that they were th efinders Of the bronze pot . Though M ickByrne never told a sou l whatreally was in the skillet , yet i t i s certain that i t held someth ingworth hiding . The pot weigh s 21 lb .
,and stands 10 inches in
height ; judging by th e shape and m a terial , i t i s between two and
three hundred years old . As in those days th ere were no banks ,when troubles ” broke ou t , valu ables were bu r ied for safety ; and int
l
i
l
h i s case the owner was probably killed , and SO the secret died with1m .
\V. FITzG.
FRON T B ACK
ARCH IEPI S COPAL CROS S AND AN CIEN T RELIQUARY .
Drawn by Colonel D . C . V igors .
330 N OT ES .
THE RELIQUARY .
This ornament i s 33 inches in length by abou t 13; inches in
w idth . Its weight i s abou t 1g ounces silver . Like the cross first
described , i t i s also m ade in two plates , secu red by two r ivets , oneat the top , and one at the bottom , as shown in the drawing .
The Shaded parts , no doubt , held enamel and j ewels where thesmall circu lar holes are shown . Th e three black holes go throughth e double plates , and m ay have held an ornam ent show ing f i ontand back. Rem ains of chasing still exis t in th e silver edgings .
Th e on ly jewel rem aining i s an amethyst , near th e centre of the
ob ect .JThe front i s w ithou t ornamenta tion of any kind . The engraved
lines are ac;y rudely cu t . The coffin opens at the head by a hinge ,and closes at the foot by a stu d . Wi thin i t i s a rudely execu tedfigure in silver (2) of ou r S aviour , represented mu ch as on th e cross
,
only th e waist-cloth i s more dist inct . In the figu re on th e cross
the rem ains of i t are to be seen at the proper left of the figu re .
Of this reliqu ary Mr . Buckley wr ites Looking at the shap e
only , especially the back, i t appears to belong to the same school Ofdesign as the early golden bu ttoe ,
’
or am u lets , both of Frankish ,S lavonic, and Celt ic or igin . The pecu liar setting of i ts jewels(garnets and tu rquoises most probably) , m inu s the
‘ torsades’
of
the Celtic period, Show the trace Of Iberian influ ence. It was m ade
either in S pain or Por tugal, most probably in the latter country , inLisbon ,
ci rca 1675 , and contained some du st or a b i t of stone from
the Holy S epu lchre .
The coffin , which i s of the clebased’
form of the seventeenth
century , i s not common , especially as i t contains the figu re of ou r
S aviour . It belongs to the sensational class of S panish objets dep iété ,
’
such as th e jewelled crucifixes , w ith the wounds Of the bodyof Ch ri st enam elled in red ‘
paste ,’
and set with rubies and garnetslike drops Of blood .
Th is religiou s‘ jewel ’ belonged, I have no doubt , to a Kn ight
Companion of the Order of the Holy S epu lchre, or of Chr ist of
Portugal .”
S h e e la h -na-G ig .— Thi S term i s applied to those undraped
fem ale figures grotesqu ely cu t in stone , which are generally foundbu ilt into the walls Of pr im itive church ru ins , and somet im es in Old
castles . Th eir m ean ing i s still a mys tery, though they are asso
ciated w ith the belief in the E vil Eye . There i s one in the old
Fi tzEus tace castle Of Blackb all , near Calverstown (though not in
i ts original posit ion) . It°
i s , I believe, th e only S heelah na Gig i n the
County K ildare.
A list of them i s given in th e Jou rnal of the Royal S oci ety ofI i e. for the year 1894 .
W. FITZG.
J O U R N A L
OF THE
Hrtlgatltgical S udan of tlge C ounty of KillianAND
S urrounding D istri t ls.
gf’roceeOings .
THE Annual General Meet ing Of the S ociety was held on
Monday, the 24th Of January, 1898,in the Cou rt Hou se
, Naas ,kindly lent by the H igh S heriff of County Kildare .
The Hon . S ecretary read a let ter from the Earl of Mayo,President , regretting h i s inability to attend owing to illness
,
and the Chair was taken by the V ice-President of the S ociety,the Rev . Matthew Devitt .
The following M embers of the Counci l were present
Mr. George Mansfield Canon S herlock, H on . Edi tor ; Rev. E .
O’
Leary , Mr . T . J . de Burgh , Mr . H . Hendrick-Aylmer, H on .
Treasu rer ; S i r Arthu r V icars , Ulster, and L ord WalterFi tzGerald, H on. S ecretar ies .
In addition ,the following Members and V isitors were
present
M r . and M rs . N . J . S ynnot t , the Dean of K ildare and M rs . Cowel l,
M r . and M rs . Edmu nd S w eetm an,M iss D . S . Jam eson , the R t . R ev .
th e Presiden t o f M aynooth Co l lege , th e V ery Rev . Thomas O’
Dea,D .D . ,
th e Rev . Patr ick O ’
Leary , D .D . ; th e Re v. J . F . M . Ire .
M r . P . A . M agu ire , M r ; and M r s . A . Ay lmer , Rev . V . Lenta igne , M r .
and M rs . S . J . Brown e,Rev . T . M orrin
,Rev . J . Dunne , M r .W . S tap les ,
M r . J . R . S u t cliff e,R ev . Wm . E l lio tt , M iss Rynd , the M isses O
’
Br i en
M rs . Biddu lph ,Re v . T . Ryan ,
& c .
The M inu tes Of the previou s Meeting of February, 1897having been read and confirmed
,were signed by the Chairman.
S i r Arthu r V icars, Uls ter, H on . S ecreta ry, then read the
Report of Counci l for the year 1897 , which was adopted
vOL. I I PT . v i .
Ix.) PROCEEDIN GS OF THE
be
The Hon . Treasu rer then read h i s Report for the year
1897 , wh ich was also adopted , and a vote of thanks passed toh im .
The following Resolu tion, proposed by M I . N . Synnott, and
seconded by M1 . A . Aylmer, was unanimou sly passed
That the thanks of the S ociety arehereby t endered t o M r . J . R .
S u tcliffe for kind ly au d it ing th e accoun t s of th e S ociety for th e past
year and th e S ociety earnest ly h ope that h e w il l cont inue h i s serv ices .
”
The Repor t of the S ub-Comm it tee
,cons isting of Mr . Thomas
Cooke-Trench and the Hon . S ecretaries , appointed last year tocons ider the best course to adopt w i th a view to reducing the
expenditure of the S ociety in the product ion of THE JOURNAL,
was then b i ough t fO i wai d and,aftei some discuss ion ,
i ts 1ecom
mendat ion tO appoint Messrs . Cha i les Gibbs S on p i intei s
to the S ociety ,was adopted on the m otion of M I . Edmund
Sweetman .
The fol lowing Resolu tion was proposed by M r . T J . de
Bu rgh , seconded by Mr . George Mansfield, and passed
That the H on . S ecretar ies b e requ ested t o suggest to the M emb er s
som e sub j ects for Papers wh ich wou ld b e of in teres t to th e S ociety .
”
Mons ignor Gargan preposed , and S i r Arthur V icars seconded
the following Resolu tion“ That the Ear l of Drogheda b e -e lected a m emb er of theCouncil of
the S ociety”
which was unanimously passed .
The Rev . E . O’Leary and Mr . T . J . de Burgh , being the
Members Of Counci l reti ring by rotat ion, were re-elected .
Th e election O f the following Members at the ExcursionMeet ing, S ep tember, 1897 , was confirmed —Rev . John Cu llen
,
M r . Garrett C . Tyrrell , Mr . Charles J . Engledow, M .P Mrs.
Engledow ,Mr . W . N . S trangeway , M r . Thos . J . WestrOpp , C .E .
Mr . Charles E . A . Roper , B .L . Mr . Francis Cru ise , M .D. ; M r.
T . R . MacDonald , M .D . Mr. A . S . Manni ng, Mrs . Mark Taylor ,and M i s . Hopkins .
The following we1e elected Members Of the S ociety —M .i
Robert O’
K elly , M UD ; Very Rev . W . J . By i ne, Rev. John C.
Ryan ,Mr . John Kilkelly , LL.D. Hon . Algernon Bou i ke, Hon .
Mrs . Swinton ,and M r. John Robinson
,M .D .
It was decided tO hold the Excursion Meet ing fO i the ensu ingsess ion of the S ociety at Old Kilcu llen and di st i ict
,i n S ep
tembei .
334 PROCEED IN GS O F THE
February, in the Court Hou se , N aas, kindly lent by the H ighS heriff, S urgeon-Major K eogh , at wh ich Papers were read , and
m uch important bus iness in connect ion w ith the working of the
S ociety was transacted .
In deference to the w ishes Of the Hon . Treasurer , who
desired to see the expenses in connection with the publicationOf THE JOURNAL reduced , and more i n accordance with the i i i
come Of the S ociety, a S ub-Comm ittee, cons isting of Mr . T .
Cooke-Trench and the Hon . S ecretaries , was appointed , to report
as to the best m eans by which a reduction in the expenses Of
the produ ct ion of THE JOURNAL cou ld be arrived at,and to take
all necessary steps to that end .
This S ub-Comm ittee has gone into the question very fu lly,and the principal resu lt Of i ts del iberations has been the changeof printers .
The Excursion Meet ing was fixed this past year for GrangeCon ,
Moone, and distr ict , i t being thought des irable to explorenew ground as much as possible each year . Our last Excu rsionmeet ing was in every way worthy Of the Jubilee year
,for our
Members mustered in strength , and the at tendance was the
largest s ince the memorable one in 1893 ; the only cause for
regret being the absence of ou r leader the President .Mr. D. Mahony kindly invited the Members Of the S ociety
and their friends to tea at Grange Con.
As u sual , a fu l l account Of this Meet ing, and the Papers
read thereat , wi l l appear in THE JOURNAL.
The Hon . Treasu rer wi l l present h i s Repor t, and he states in
conjunct ion w ith M r . S u tcliffe, Our Hon. Auditor, that the
fi nances of the S ociety have shown improvement s ince our
Meet ing last February.
When Canon S herlock, in response to the earnest request Ofth e S ociety, kindly undertook to resume the Office of Hon .
Editor , the Members prom ised to support him by l iterary efforts
on their part, and in connection therewith the Counci l take thisopportunity to urge Members to assist the Editor by contribu t ing Papers at the Meetings or for publicat ion in THE JOURNAL .
The mass Of records in connection with the history Of the
county i s practically inexhaust ible , and there are many subjectsand Obj ects Of interest as yet untouched and await ing to bedealt w ith .
In reference thereto many branches m ight be enumerated .
Genealogy and Heraldry have S O far formed bu t a small port ionof our JOURNAL ,
and we must not forget that in the history Of
the Older fam ilies Of the county i s really embodied the history ofthe county itself.
CO UN TY K ILDA RE A RC II/EOLOG ICAL S OC IET Y.
Pape1s such as that contribu ted by 0 111 Member Mr J .
Ribton Garstin,F . S .A .
, on the H igh S heriffs of Kildare,a i e of the
u tmost impOI tance in an historical point of view.
Then there i s Lord Walter Fi tzGerald ’
s forthcom ing list Ofthe Rangers of the Curragh . In short , we wou ld beg of all ou r
Members to second ou r efforts and endeavour to contribu te Papersto THE JOURNAL . Poss ibly they m ay possess fam i ly manuscriptdiaries , and the l ike, the publicat ion of which wou ld give a great
insight into the social condit ion of the county in the past .
And we m ight also m ent ion—for this i s p ar excellence a hunt ingcounty
—that the Kildare Hunt i s wai ting for an historian for i s
i t not one Of the Oldest , i f not the O ldest Hunt in the Un itedKingdom ,
records of which extend back well into the m iddle Of
the last centuryIt has struck the Counci l to suggest that those of u s who
have Bath s and Tumu li on their property Shou ld make arrange
ments , w ith the ass istance Of the S ociety, to carry ou t carefu lexcavations
,with a view to learning more of their nature and
contents .
The ass istance of those of u s who have a knowledge of suchearth-mounds wi ll be su rely forthcom ing to aid any who may be
willing to engage in such an explorat ion ; and in proper cases
financial assistance, to a lim ited extent , wi ll be forthcom ing fromthe coffers Of the S ociety when requ ired.
Two Members of the Council , the Rev. Edward O’
Leary and
Mr . Thomas J . De Burgh , retire by rotat ion,and being eligible,
offer themselves for re-elect ion .
As the Earl Of Drogheda has taken an active interest in theS ociety s ince he has come to live am ongs t u s , the Counci lwou ld ask you to elect h im to their number , feeling su re thatthey will profit by h i s ass istance and archaeological learninggathered in extensive travel .
S igned on behalf O f the Counci l,
M . DEVITT,Vi ce-Pr es ident .
ARTHUR VICARS , ULS TER ,
W . FITZ GERALD
Dated this 24 th day Of January ,1898.
336 PROCEED IN GS O I"T l—IE
EXCURS ION MEETING,1897 .
The S eventh Annu al Excurs ion Meeting took place on
Thu rsday, the l6th S eptember, 1897 , at Grange Con,Moone
,
and district.The g1eatei number of the members and their f i iends
j ou i neyed to the meet ing by the morning train ,l eaching
Colbinstown S tat ion at 10 O’
clock— though a cons idei able con
t ingent found their way to the rendezvou s by l ead . By way of
further adding to the“
convenience of the m embers,the S ociety
had arranged to have the vehicles chartered for the conveyance
o f m embers numbered and labelled , thereby avoiding m uchconfu s ion in finding carr iages at the variou s steppages .
A short drive brought the company to Killeen Cormac BurialGround, lying close to the road, where a brief Paper was read byLord Walter Fi tzGerald, deal ing with the Ogham stones , whichform the chief featu re of interest in the locali ty.
A drive of nearly five m i les brought the company to Timolin ,
where the sun shone ou t, and the weather , which had hithertolooked doubtfu l , took a change for the better .
On the way, the pictu resque vi llage of Ballytore, the earlyhome of Edmund Bu rke , m ight be not iced in the val ley beneaththe road .
At T imolin ,S i r Arthu r V icars, Ulster, read a Paper by Mr .
A . Hartshorne, on the cu riou s Recumbent Effigy,dat ing from abou t the year 1180, and one of the earliest Of i tskind in Ireland .
This Paper , by one of the first au thor ities O i i RecumbentEffigies , 1ead beside the monument itsel f, afforded great instruct ion and interest to those assembled .
Lord Waltei Fi tzGe iald then l ead a Paper deal ing wi ththe history of the whole immediate di st1 ict
, emb i acinb
g the
Chu 1ch ,N unnei y , and Castle, all except the fO i mei being new
non-existent , and of the chu rch only those portions Of the wallsremaining which are embodied in the presen t comparat ivelymodern structu re. After an inspection of the chu rch plate (whichbore an inscr ipt ion recording that i t had been recovered from the
rebels in a move was m ade for Moone Abbey, a m ile and
a half distant, where the S ociety was received by Mrs. Carrol l,in
the absence of Mr. F. M . Carroll .Here much Of interest was found grouped in a lim ited area
,
including the fine Celtic Cross , recently restored by the S ociety;the ru ins Of an old abbey, with several cu riou s monuments the
fine Tower Of the old Castle in a good state Of preservat ion and
338 PROCEEDINGS o r T HE
Mr .
,
Wm . R . J. Molloy, Mr. and Mrs . Edm und S weetman,
S u rgeon-Major J . R. Keogh , H igh S heriff of Kildare , and Mrs .
Keogh, M r . W . Grove White , O . s . ; M i ss DupreW i lson ,Rev . M .
Devitt , Vi ce-P resi den t ; Rev. V . Lentaigne , Dr. Francis J .
Cru ise,Dr . John A . MacDonald
,Mr . J . R . Blake , Rev . Jam es
N olan,M iss E . H . Johnson ,
Mr . J . R . Garst in,
Lord
HenryFi tzGerald,Lady M abel Fi tzGerald
,Mrs . Wall
,Rev . B . C .
and Mrs. Davidson -Houston,Mr . H . H endrick-Aylm er
,H on.
T reasurer ; Mrs. Mark Taylor , M rs . Hopkins , M r. and Mrs .
Engledow ,Major and Mrs. Rynd , Mr . J Loch
,C.I .
,Mr .
Thomas Greene , The Dean of Ki ldare,Mr . A . S . Manning,
Lord Frederick Fi tzGerald , Lo'
rd George Fi tzGerald, _
Rev.
J . F. M . ffrench ,Mr . Robert Cochrane, Hon .
S ecretary R. Ire. Mrs . and M iss Carrol l , S ir A lexander and Lady Taylor , Dr . and Mrs . W . R . Rice
,Rev. J .
N olan ,Rev. Thomas Carberry, C anon S herlock,
H on . E di tor ,and the M isses S herlock, Mrs . and M iss Greene
,M iss Robinson ,
Mr. A . S aunders,Rev. T . Whitty, M iss A . Walsh
,Mr . G. M .
Roche , M iss Greene , M iss Mu rphy, M iss M . Walsh , M rs . George
Heathcote , Mr . and M rs . V ipond Barry,M iss Hallowes , Mr .
A . G . W olseley‘
,the M isses Sm i th ,
M iss Owen,M iss Cornwall ,
M iss Rynd , M iss Mansfield , M iss Bradshaw,Rev. T . Twamley,
Mr . Twamley, Rev. S . Radcl iffe, the M isses S tacey, Mrs . and
M iss Hegel, &c .
REPORT OF COMMITTEE app o inted to cons ider the bes t way to
br ing the cos t of p r int-ing THE JOURNAL wi thi n the mea ns of
the S oci ety , w i th p ower to act .
Your Comm ittee started w ith an earnes t des ire to continuethe print ing of THE JOURNAL in the same capable hands thathave hi therto produced i t w ith so mu ch sat isfaction to the
Members and credit to them selves . It qu ickly became evident ,however , that this cou ld only be done either by reducingTHE JOURNAL to one i ssue i n the year
,or by great ly curtai ling
the s ize of the numbers . Your Comm i ttee,therefore
, sough ttenders from var iou s pr int ing firms both in England and Ireland ,all based on the last number Of THE JOURNAL and on ident icalspecificat ions and by a carefu l comparison of these they arr ivedat the conclus ion that the interests of the S ociety wi l l be '
hest
served by entrust ing their work to Messrs . C . W . Gibbs S on,Of
W icklow S t .,Dublin . From personal exper ience they feel sat isfied
that this firm will be able sat isfactori ly to perform the work
COUN TY K ILDARE ARCHAiOLOGICAL S O CIETY. 339
requ ired of them . Messrs . Gi bbs pre ferred to have'
noth ing to
do with S upplying'
blocks for i llustrat ions,bu t this gave rise
to no difficu lty . On the contrary , Lord Walter Fi tzGerald , whohas hi therto kindly m anaged the illustrat ing department Of
THE JOURNAL,also preferred this cou rse. They have therefore
placed the pr i nt i ng O f the January number Of THE JOURNAL inthe hands Of Messrs . Gibbs
,and trus t that their action w il l m eet
the approval Of the S ociety.
21s t January , 1898 .
TH e s . COOKE-TRENOH .
ARTH UR VIOARs , Uls ter .
W . FITZ GERALD .
PROCEEDIN GS OF THE0)
ix)
weat ber5
[O fficers are ind icated by h eavy type Li fe Mem bers by an
Adam s , Rev . Jam es , K il l Rectory , S traffan.
Archbold , Miss, Davidstown , Castlederm ot.
Aylm er , Miss , Denadea C astle, Co. Ki ldare .
Aylm er , A lgernon , Rathm ore , N aas .
AYLMER, H. HENDRICK H en . Trea surer , Kerdi ffstewn , S allins .
>“Barton, Hen . Mrs ., S traffan House, S traffan .
>I‘Barten,Major H . L. ,
D .L. , S traffan Hou se, S traff an .
Beard , T .,M .D ., Glebe Crescent , S tirling.
Bird , Rev. JOhn T . , Curragh Camp .
Blake , J . R. , 22 MerehamptOn-read , Dublin.
Bonham , Colonel J Ballintaggart , Colbin stown , Co. Kildare .
Bou rke , Th e Hon . A lgernon , Wh i te’s fiClub , London , S W .
Brooke, J. T Dungannon , Co. Tyrone.
Brown, S tephen J N aas.
Burke , Very Rev. E . , P .P . , Bagnalstewn , Co . Carlow .
>“Burtchaell, G. D .,M .A. , 7 S t . S teph en
’s-green , Dub lin .
Byrne , Very Rev. M . J. , 0 .P. , College of S t . Thomas of Aqu in, Newbridge,Co. Ki ldare .
Cane, Major Claude, S t . Welstan’s, Celbridge .
Carberry , Rev . Thom as,P .P . , The Presbytery, Ballitore .
Carroll , Frederick , Moone Abbey , M oone .
Carroll, Rev . Jam es , c .c ., Howth , Co. Dublin .
Clarke, M rs. , Athgee Park , Hazlehatch , Co . Dublin .
*C lem ents, Colonel, Killadoon , Celbridge .
Clem ents,M rs . , K illadoon , Celbridge .
*Clem ents , Henry J. B . ,D .L. , K illadoon, Celbridge .
Coady , D . P., M .D . , Naas.
Coch rane , Robert, Hen . S ecretary 17 H ighfield-read ,
Rathgar .
Cole, Rev . J. F., Th e Rectory, Portarlington .
Colley, G . P . A . ,Mount Temple, Clontarf , Co . Dub lin .
Conm ee , Rev. J. F S .J . , S t . Franci s Xavier ’
s , Upper Gard iner-s treet , Dubl in.
Cooper , Au stin Damer , Drumni gh Hou se, Portmarnock , CO . Dublin .
Coote, S tan ley , The Orchard House , Wargrave , Berks.
Cowell,Very Rev . G. Y. , Dean of Kildare , Th e Deanery , Kildare .
Cru ise, Francis , M .D. , Ba ltingla ss , Co . Wicklow .
Cu llen , Rev . John , Adm . , Carlow .
COUN TY I< ILDARE A RC IL EOLOGICAL S OC IETY . 343
Daly , C 25 Westmoreland-street , Dublin .
Dam es , R . S . Longworth , 21 Herbert-street , Dublin .
Dane , J. Wh i teside, Abbeyfield, Naas.
Darby , M . ,M .D . , Monasterevan .
Davidson-Hou ston,Rev . B . C . , S t . John
’s Vicarage , Sydney-parade, Dublin .
Day , Robert , 3 Sydney-place , Cork .
Dease, Colonel S i r Gerald , Celbridge Abbey , Celbridge.
DE BURGH, THOMAS J.,D .L. , Oldtown , N aas.
DEVITT, Rev. MATTHEW,S .J .
, Vi ce-P residen t , Rector of Clongowes Wood
College , S allins .
Doyle , Rev. J . J P .P .,Derrycappagh , Mountm ellick , Queen ’
s County.
Doyle, Rev . Laurence , C .C ., Moone.
Doyle , Rev. M ark , C.C . , Woodstock Cottage, Athy .
Doyle, Rev . Thomas,C .C. , Caragh , Naas.
DROGHEDA, THE EARL OF, Moore Abbey , Monasterevin .
Drogh eda ,Th e Coun tess of , Moore Abbey , Monasterevin .
Duggan , Rev . Wi ll iam,C .C.
, Athy.
Dunne , Rev . John , C .C . , Clane .
Dunne , Laurence, J .P .,Dollardstown House , Athy .
Elliott , Rev . Wi lliam , The Manse,N aas .
Engledow ,Mrs .
,Burton Ha ll , Carlow .
Engledow , C . J .
,M .P .
,Burton Hall , Carlow .
Falkiner , F . J. ,M .D. , Spring Gardens , N aas .
ffrench ,Rev . J. F. M ., Ballyredm ond House , Clenegal, Ce . Carlow .
>“Fi tzGerald, Lady Eva , K i lkea Castle, Maganey , Co . Kildare .
Fi tzGerald,Lady Mabel , K i lkea Cast le , Maganey, Co . Kildare.
*Fi tzGerald , Lady N esta , K i lkea Castle, Maganey , Co . Ki ldare .
*Fi tzGerald ,Lord Frederick , Carton , Maynooth , CO . K i ldare .
*Fi tzGerald , Lord George , Ki lkea Castle, Maganey , Co . Kildare .
Fi tzGerald . Lord Henry , 36 Ash ley Gardens , V i ctor ia-street , London , S .W .
FITZGERALD, LORDWALTER, H on . S ecreta ry , Ki lkea Castle, Maganey ,Co . K i ldare .
Fogarty , Rev . M . , Professor , The College, Maynooth .
Foley , Most Rev . Patr ick , D . D ., Bishop of K i ldare and Leighlin , Bragan
za;
Carlow.
C anly, Rev . C . W . ,Th e Rectory, Cast ledermot , Co . Ki ldare.
Gargan ,Righ t Rev . Mon s ignor Den i s , D .D ., President of S t . Patri ck ’
s College ,Maynooth .
Garst in ,J. Ribton
,D .L .
, Braganstewn , CastlebellinghamCe . Lou th .
Glover , Edward , 19 Pr ince Patrick-terrace , N orth Ci rcu lar -read , Dubl in .
Grah am ,Rev. C. I . , K ildrough t Parsonage , Celbr idge .
Greene, Thom as,LL .D . , M i llbrook , Maganey .
Hade , Arthu r , C.E . , Carlow
344 PRO CEEDIN GS OF T IIE
H igginson, Lady , Connellm ore, N ewbr idge .
Hegu et, Madam e H enry L . , 48 West Twenty-eigh th-street , N ew York .
Hopk ins, Mrs .,Blackb al l Castle, K i lcu llen , Co . Kildare .
Jameson , Miss S oph ia , Glenm ona , Moone.
Jessen , Rev. J. L.,The Rectory , Ki lkea ,
CO . K i ldare .
Johnson , M i ss , Lancaster H ou se , Ba ll inasloe .
Jeyee , Patrick Weston , Lyre na Grena,Leinster-read , Rathm ines , Dub lin .
Kennedy, Rev . H . , S t . David ’s Rectory , N aas .
K eogh ,S urgeon
-Major T . R . , Castleroe , Maganey, Co . Kildare .
K ilkelly , Jehn ,LL .D ., 46Upper Moun t-street , Dub lin .
K i rkpatrick , W i lliam , Donacomper, Celbridge .
La Touch e, Mrs . John , Harristown , Brannoxtown .
Lenta i gne, Rev. V i ctor , S .J. , Clongowes Wood College, S allins .
Lech,J. , Th e Fi rs , N aas .
Long, Miss A . F ., We edfield , Ki lcavan , Geash i ll , King
’
s County.
Longfield, Robert , 19 Harcou rt-street , Dubl in .
MacDonald, J. R.,M .D . , Ba ltinglass , CO . Wicklow .
M ‘Gee, Rev . S . R .
,Th e Rectory , Dun lav in .
M ‘ Sweeny , J. G .,18 Clarem ount-read , S andym ount
,Dub lin.
Magu i re, P . A . , 2 O ldtown -terrace, N aas
Mah ony , David , D .L. , Grange Con , CO . Wicklow .
Mahony , George Gun , Grange Con , CO. W icklow.
Mann ing, C . S . , Rank Hou se,Balt ingla ss , Co. W i cklow .
MANSFIELD, GEORGE, Lat tin , N aas.
Mayo ,Dowager Countess of , 20 Eaton
-square , London , S .W .
MAYO, The EARL OF, P resi dent , Palm erstown,S traffan.
Molley , William R .,17 Broekfield-terrace , Donnybrook , Dub lin .
Mooney, Willi am ,J .P .
, Th e Ca st le , Leixl i p .
*Meran ,H i s Em inence Cardina l
,S ydney , N . S . Wales , Aus tral ia.
Merrin,Rev . Th om as, P .P ., N aas .
Mu rphy , Th e Righ t Rev . Monsignor M i chael , P .P . , S t . Brigid ’s , Kildare .
Mu rphy, W . A . , ( ) sberstewn Hou se , N aas .
N olan , Rev . Jam es,C .C .
,K i lm eade, Athy .
N orm an,George , 12 Brock -s treet , Bath ,
England .
O’Br i en ,
Righ t Hon . S i r Peter , Bart . , Lord Chi ef Ju stice, Castletown , Celbridge .
O’Byrne, Rev . Patr i ck, C .C . , S S . M ich ael and Jehn ’
s, Exch ange-s treet Dublin .
O’Dea , Very Rev . Thom as
,D .E . , Th e Col lege, Maynooth .
AMBROSE MORE D .L .
,Ballyna ,
Moyvally .
O’Hanlon
,Very
‘
Rev . Jehn Canon , P .P . , 3 Leahy’
s-ter ., S andym ount
,Dub lin .
O’Kelly , Robert , M .D . , Landenstown , S a llin s ,
346 PRO CEEDIN GS O F T IIE
Weldon , General , Forenaugh ts , N aas .
IVeldon,Capta in A . A . , Ki lm orony ,
A thy .
Weldon , Lady ,K ilm orony , Athy.
Westrepp , T . J C.E ., 77 Lower Leesen-street, Dub lin .
Wh eeler ,W . I ., M .D .
,32 Merr i on-squ are , N . , Dubl in.
Wh ite , W . Grove , 13 Upper Ormond-quay ,Dub l in .
W illis , G . de L. 4 Kildare-street , Dub lin .
W i lson , Colonel W . F . , Th e V icarage , Clan e .
Wilson , Mrs . R . M . , Coolcarrigan ,K i lcock .
W i lson,M i ss R . Dupre, Coolcarr igan ,
-K i lceck .
Wolfe, George , B i sh opsland , Ballym ore-Eustace , N aas .
Woollcom be, Robert L .,LL.D . , M .R .I .A 14 Water loo-read
,Dub lin .
*Wr igh t , E . Perci val M .A .,M .D . , S ecretary 5 Tr inity College ,-Da—b l in .
215011. filembrr
M i ss Margaret S tokes , Carri g Breac , Howth,Co . Dubl in .
COUN TY K ILDA RE A RC II/EOLOG ICA I. S OC IET Y. 347
R U L E S .
I . Th at th isS ociety be called “ Th e Coun ty K i ldare Arch aeological S ociety .
11. Th at th e purpose of th e S ociety be th e promo tion of th e study and
knowledge of th e antiqu it ies and objects of interest in the county and sur
round ing distr icts .
III . That th e S ociety con s i st of a Pres iden t,Vice-Pres ident , Counci l,
Hen . Treasu rer , two Hon . S ecretar i es , and Mem bers. Lad ies are el igible forMem bersh ip .
IV . Th at the nam es Of ladi es and gentlem en des i ring to becom e Members
of th e S oci ety shal l be subm i tted , togeth er w i th the nam es of th ei r proposers
and seconders , to th e Counci l , and , i f approved by th em , sh all th en be sub
m i tted to the next Meeting of th e S oci ety for E lection .
V . Th at th e aff ai rs Of th e S oci ety be m anaged by th e Pres ident , V i ce
Pres iden t , Hon . T reasurer , and Hon . S ecretar i es , togeth er w i th a Counci l ofs ix Members . That for ordinary bu siness two sh all form a qu orum ; bu t any
m atter upon wh i ch a d i fference of opin ion ar i ses shall be reserved for anoth er
m eeting , in wh ich three shall form a quorum .
VI . Th at two Members of th e Council shall retire by rotation each year ,
bu t shall be eligib le for re-election.
VII . That Mem bers pay an Annual S ubscription of Ten S h i llings (dueon th e l st o f January) , and th at th e paym ent of £5 shall constitu te a Li fe
Member .
VIII . That Meet ings of th e S ociety be h eld not less than twice in each
year , one Meet ing being an excursion to som e place of archaeologica l in terestin th e di str i ct .
IX. That at th e first Meeting of th e S ociety in each year th e Hon . Trea
su rer sh all furnish a balance-sh eet .
X. Th at a JOURN AL of th e S ociety be publ i sh ed annually, conta in ing th e
Proceedings and a column for loca l N otes and Quer i es , wh i ch sha ll be sub
m i tted to the Council for th eir approval .
XI . That th e Meetings of the year be fixed by th e Counci l , due notice Of
th e dates of th e Meetings being given to Mem bers .
XII . That Mem bers be at l i berty to in troduce vi si tors at the Meetings of
th e S ociety .
XIII . That no Member.
sha ll recei ve THE JOURNAL whose S ubscri ption for
th e previous year h as not been pa id .
350 A N A CCO UN T O I“ T IIE
days wou ld answer .
’
I assented, and indeed w ith reluctance .
However , I made no ment ion of that . In a few days previou sto Lord Edward
’
s com ing the Governm ent had offered One
Thou sand Pounds Reward for h i s apprehension . I certainly feltvery uneasy at this circumstance, and I w ished verymuch to see
Lord Edward’
s friend , and where to see h im I did not know .
A s a man of honour I wished to keep my word, and I cou ld not
think of refu sing him adm ittance when he came. Unfortunatelyfor h im and myself, I did so . I expected h im on Thu rsday
, bu t
he did not come t il l Friday, 18th May,’
98. I perceived he lookedvery had from what he appeared when I saw h im before . The
lady that cam e with h im did not stay long, and I m ade a tender
of my services to go home with her as She l ived in the neighbourhood. There was a person we m et on ou r way that I believewas wait ing for her . I had some knowledge of h im myself, soI returned to the hou se with a t i oubled m ind .
LordEdward told me he was very bad w ith a cold, and i t was
easy to perceive i t . I had procured for h im some whey, and pu t
some sherry w ine in i t . A t this t ime he appeared qu ite tranqu il ,and went up to the room intended for h im the back room in the
att ic story. In the morning he came down to breakfast,and
appeared better than the night before . The friend that’
spoke
to me concerning h im came,I bel ieve, abou t eleven o
’
clockthen i t came ou t for the first t ime an account of the rencontre
that took place the night before between Lord Edward’
s partyand Major S i rr ’
s .
1 It’
s perfectly clear in my humble judgment
that Major S irr had known of h i s removal and the direct ion thathe intended to take ; for h i s party and Lord Edward
’
s partycame in contact in a place called Island S treet , the lower end of
Wat ling S treet ; they there met, and a Skirm ish took place, andi n the confus ion Lord Edward got off. However, one of the
party"was taken , bu t cou ld not , I bel ieve , be ident ified. I
found my situat ion now very painfu l , bu t nothing to what i t wasafterwards
In the cou rse of the day ( S aturday, 19th) a guard of soldiers ,and I bel ieve Major Swan ,
Maj or S irr, a M r . Medlicot
, and
another , were making a search at a Mr . Moore , Yellow Lion, in
Thomas S treet . A friend came and ment ioned the circumstance
to me . I immediately m ent ioned i t to Lord E .
,and had h im
conveyed ou t of the hou se in a val ley of one of the warehou ses .
While I was doing this , Mr . N .
3cam e and inqu ired of the
girl i f I was at home. I believe she said not .‘
Bid h im be
1Th e Town M aj or .
2 W il liam M ‘Cab e . I . e .,S am u e l N eilsen ,
ARRES T O I” LORD EDWA RD FIT Z GERALD. 35 1
cau t iou s,
’
I think, was what she told m e he said. I cons idere dthat conduct very il l-t imed however , I am led to bel ieve i t waswell-intended . On S atu rday m orning, the day of the arrest, therecame a s ingle rap of the door . I Opened i t myself, and a woman
with a bundle appeared , and inqu ired i f that was Mr . M .
1
I said i t was she in formed m e she came from Mrs . M .,
and was des ired to leave that bundle there . I knew not what i tcontained, bu t to my surprise when I Opened i t , I found i t to be auniform of a very beau t ifu l green colou r, gimpt or braided downthe front, with crimson or rose-colou r cu ffs and a cape . Therewere two dresses— one a long skirted coat , vest and pantaleons ;the other a short jacket that cam e round qu ite close , and braidedin front ; there was also a pair of overalls that bu ttoned fromthe h i p to the ankle , with , I think, black S panish leather ins ideI suppose they were intended for r iding. The bundle containeda cap of a very fancifu l description , extremely attract ive, form ed
exactly like a sugar-loaf, or , as Mr. Moore says, conically that
part that went round the forehead green,the upper par t crimson
,
with a large s ilk tassel , and wou ld incline one s ide or the otheroccas ionally when on the head . A fter placing Lord E . in the
valley of the warehouse , I came down in a l it tle t ime, and s tood
at the gate ; the soldiers st i ll at Mr . M .
3I perceived four persons
walking in the m iddle of the street , some of them in uniform I
bel ieve Yeomen. I believe Major Swan , Captain Medlicot ,’
&c. , was of the party . Toward four o’
clock Lord E . came down
to dinner . Everything was supposed to be still new at this t ime.
S . N t’
came to see us dinner nearly ready ; I asked S . N . to
stay and dine, which he accepted . N othing particu lar occurredexcept Speaking on a variety of subjects
,when M r. N .
, as i f
something struck h im ,immediately leaving u s together. There
was very little wine taken ; Lord E . was very abstem iou s ; in a
short t im e I went ou t . N ow the tragedy commenced . I wishedto leave Lord E . to himself. I was absent , I suppose, abou t anhour ; I came to the room where we d ined, being the back drawing
-room . He was not there . I went to the sleeping-room .
He was in bed. I t was at this t ime abou t seven o clock . I asked
h im to come down to tea . I was not in the room three m inu teswhen in came Major S wan and a person following h im wi th a
soldier’
s jacket, and a sword in h i s hand he were a round cap .
When I saw Major Swan,I was thunderstruck. I pu t myself
before h im,and asked h i s bu siness. He looked over me and saw
M u rphy .
2 M oore . M oore’
s .
4 Of th e City of Dub lin M ilit ia . S amu el N eilsen .
352 A N ACCOUN T O I? T I IE
Lord E . in the bed . He pu shed by m e qu ickly,and Lord E . ,
seeing h im ,sprang up instant ly ,
and drew a dagger which he
carried abou t h im,and wounded Maj or Swan sligh tly, I bel ieve .
Major Swan had a pis tol which he fired withou t effect he imm e
diately tu rned to me and gave me a severe thru st of the pistolunder the left eye , at the same t ime desiring the person thatcam e in with h im to take me into cu stody. I was immediatelytaken away to the yard ; there I saw Major S irr and abou t sixsoldiers of the Dumbarton Fencibles . Major Swan thought properto run as fast as he
'
cou ld to the street , and I think he never
looked behind h im t i ll he got ou t of danger , and he was then
parading the flags , exhibit ing h i s linen ,which was stained wi th
blood . Mr . Ryan supplied Major Swan ’
s place , and cam e in
contact with Lord E .,and was wounded seriou sly. Major S irr
at that t ime came upstairs, and , keeping a respect fu l distance,fired a pistol shot at Lord E . in a very deliberate manner, and
wounded h im in the upper part of the shou lder . Reinforcem ent s
com ing in, Lord E . surrendered after a very hard struggle. Lord
Edward was imprisoned in Newgate.
Two surgeons1
attended daily on Lord E . Fi tzGerald . I t
was supposed, the eveni ng of the day before he died, he was
del iriou s , as we cou ld hear h im w ith a very streng voice cry ou t .
Come on ! com e on damn you ! come on H e spoke so loud
that the people in the street gathered to listen to h im . H e
d ied the next day early in the morning, on the 3rd of June .
The surgeon attended and Opened the body, Then he was seen
for the first t ime by the prisoners . He had abou t h i s neck a goldchain suspending a locket with hair in i t . Thu s d ied one of the
bravest of men,from a conviction ,
I believe, that he wished toameliorate the condit ion of h i s country . I Shall endeavou r to
describe h i s person . I believe he was about 5 feet 7 inches inheight , and a very interest ing countenance ; beau t ifu l archedeyebrows , fine grey eyes, a beau t ifu l nose and high forehead ,thick dark-coloured hair, brown,
or'
inclining to black. I thinkhe was very like the late LadyLou isa Connolly abou t the nose
and eyes . Any person he addressed mu st adm ire h i s manner, - i t
was so candid , so good-natu red, and so impregnated wi th goodfeel ing ; as playfu l and humble as a chi ld, as m i ld and t im id as
1 Th e at tendan ts on Lord Edward w ere a M r . Garnet t , a M r . K ins ley ,and S urgeon Leake .
j OHN L YE,OF CLON A UGH , CO . K ILDA RE .
BY REV . E . O’
LEARY,P .P .
,Balyna , M oyva l ly , Co . K ildare .
PART'
II .
1
[From the death o f John Leigh in 1612 , to Anno Dom in i 169] wh en th e
proper ty was forfeit ed to th e Crown .]
OHN LEIGH,the Interpreter , died on the 7 th May, 1612 ,
having l ived an event fu l l ife . He was a clever , astute,
unscrupu lou s diplomat ist , and he was successfu l . If he never
read Horace, he certainly fol lowed h i s maxim s i n all h i s
schemes of aggrandizement : Recte S i pessi s, s i non, quo
cunque mode , REM —words which have been translated by Pepeas follows
Get wea lth and power , i f possib le , w ith grace .
If not, by any m eans get wea lth and place .
”
In h i s wi ll the Interp re ter d irected that he shou ld be buriedin the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral , Kildare . A t present h i s
tomb stands ou ts ide the restored bu i lding in the external anglebetween the chancel and the north transept , i .e.
,to the left of
the chancel as you look towards i t from the nave. The site of
the tomb , and the inscription thereon, present some knotty
problem s for our cons iderat ion ,and though we may not solve
them to ou r sat is faction,they are too interes ting to pass over
unnot iced . It i s worthy of remark that the late restorat ions at
the cathedral do not include t he Lady Chapel , neither Is
i t recorded that any foundat ions of such a chapel were found inthe neighbourhood of the tomb. Probably, therefore, the LadyChapel at Kildare occupied the place which i t u su ally did in theold cathedrals , vi z . , behind the high altar, at the extrem ity of
the chancel , and under the eastern window. If so, were Leigh’
s
remains and tomb ever placed ins ide ; and i f they were , whywere they subsequently removed ? These are questions fOI
which we have no sat isfactory answer and the inscript ion on the
tomb presents another problem . The epitaph contains no
eu logy, bu t only a prayer for the repose of the sou ls of him selfand h i s wife, and the date of h i s death . This date runs in
1For first Paper see V ol. i i , page 133, of th is JOURN AL.
356 JOHN LYE . OF CLO N A UG II, CO . K ILDARE.
enough , though she was the m other o f n ine children , includings ix unmarried daugh ters , most of them in their teens . H er
second hu sband was Philip Pilsworth , Gent . ,of Bert , Co .
Kildare,eldest son of W illiam , Bishop of Kildare .
The com edy i s complete when we im agine the br idegroombringing hi s ancient bride to the Cathedral of Ki ldare after theirm arriage , to pay a v isit to that tomb which was erected to her
and the Interpreter’
s m emory. John Leigh m ade her one of
the execu tors of h i s wi ll; he gave her an ample annu i ty ; h e
gave her a remainder in h i s proper ty and for a home he gave
her a choice of any of the residences on h i s different estates ;
and she repaid h im for all h i s trust and all h i s love b y unlawfu l ly making away wi th some of the fam i ly property the very
year he died , and by inveigling h i s son and heir , who was'
st i lla m inor , to be an accompl ice w i th her in this malfeasance .
How Soon she went to work to make a pi le for the second
marr iage. We may draw our own cenclusi orrs whether i t wasfor love or money that Philip Pi lsworth married the w idow .
I think i t likely that she changed her religion as readi ly as she
changed her name, and, therefore, very unlikely that her
remains were ever brought back from Bert to rest with her first
hu sband in Kildare.
As has been said , the Interpreter died May 7th , 1612 , and
was succeeded by h i s son John Leigh . He was a m inor at. h i s
father’
s death , and we have seen how h i s mother u sed h im as an
accompl ice to lay violent hands on the fam i ly property, antecedent to her second marriage . For this alienat ion they were
both called to account, bu t received pardon the year following
vi Z,December 14 th
, 1613 . H i s w ife’
s name was Dowdall , andthe issue of the marriage were tWO_
sons and one daughterFrancis, the heir ; Robert , who gained property afterwards in
Co . Wexford, as shall be “referred to further on ; and Mabel ,who married James Barnwall In 1675 .
Like their grandfather, the Interpreter these young m en
lived In troubled t im es , and took part in the stormy pol it ics of
the day. The career of one brought h im wealth and posit i on ;the career of the other ended in ru in. The unlucky man wasFrancis , the elder , who espou sed the cau se of James II ; the
lucky fellow was Robert,the younger, who followed the fortunes
of Charles II . And we wi ll direct our attent ion to the younger
first, as the events of h i s career come first in the order of t ime .
Both he and h i s father were ardent supporters of Charles I and
Charles II, and they had to fly to the Cont inent dur ing the
protectora te of Cromwell , l ike so m any other followers of Charles .
Mr . Hoare, to whom I have made reference in my former Paper ,
j OH N LYE,O F CLO N AUGI—I
,CO . K ILDARE . 357
quotes a docum ent wr i tten by this young man a fter he had
gone to live in the‘
Co . W exford , which gives u s interestinginformation . It i s headed “
A Chronographical Account of theS ou thern Part of the Co . W exford , wri tten anno 1684 , by RobertLeigh of Rosegarland , Esq .
,in that Co .
”I t runs as follows
Rose Garlande , togeth er w ithe nroste parte of that peece , d id
ancien t ly b elo rrge to Dav id N ev il l , common ly ca l led Barron o f Rose
Garlande (for in those dayes , ye cheefe learde o f th is p lace , as w e l l asoth er s of th e sam e kinde in Englarrde and Irelande , w ere summoned to
Parlianren t e by ye n am e o f Barron ) . Ye said N ev i ll was execu ted in y ereign o f ye Qu een Elizab eth e for t reason ,
and th ose landes are now great e
par te of th e inh eritance o f Rob er t Leigh ,of Ro se Garlande
,2ud son t o
John Leigh ,o f Rathb r id e
,i n ye Coun tye of K ildare
,Esq .
,w ho for h i s
loyaltye t o h i s sovera igne , K inge Char les y e 2nd,was b an ish ed in to
fora igne cen tr ies by th e u surp ed powers , and th ere d ied leav inge ye saideRob ert (Being th e on ly ch ild h e had abroad w ith h im ) very younge , and a
par ticipant (as we l l as many m ore) of h i s Pr ince’
s calanri t i es , t il l u pon
h i s M aj esty’
s happy R estoracon h e ret u rned in to England , and in som e
year s aft er in to th is K ingdom e aga ine w ith m arkes o f h i s M aj estye’
s
favou r and sence of h i s services .
”
From this we see that John Leigh and h i s second son Robertwere banished during the protectorate of Cromwell , and thatJohn died in exile abroad.
1The following i s an extract to the
point from Burke’
s Landed Gentry
Rob er t,2u d son of John Leigh ,
who was ab road w ith Char les IIdu r ing Crorrrwell
’
s t ime,and after the Restorat ion ,
as a reward for h i s
fa ithf u l and loya l serv ices , go t a gran t of th e M anor of Rosgarland ,
Co . W exford,by gen eral let t ers paten t da ted 18th M ay 1688, &7 S ep t .
9th 1669 ; and by oth er let ter s pat ent , th e M anor of Co lpe , a lias N ew
bawri , Lengraige , Garry R ichard 3 344 acres,and other lands in the
Cou nt ies of Wexford and K ildare .
Mr . Hoare gives a quotat ion from the above patent as
follows
Th e K ing, b eing v ery sensib le of th e rrrany serv ices perfornred toh im at all t im es by Rob er t Leigh , Esq . ,
b othe in foreign coun tries in thet inre of h i s exile
,and at home S ince h i s restorat ion ,
in reconrpense wh ereof
b estow ed on h im,
”& c .
Thu s he obtained the CO . W exford property, which i s in thehands of h i s descendants to the present day .
Immediately he had settled there he looked abou t h im for a
w i fe,and from Burke
’
s Landed Gentry”we learn that in
October , 1673, he m arried Margaret , daughter of Caesar Col
1The orthography of th e ab ov e Chronograph ica l i s evidence that
th e land of th eir exile was France .
JOHN LYE, OF CLO N AUGII
,CO . K ILDA RE.
clough , second Baronet , of T intern Abbey, Co . W exford , and
s is ter and heir of S ir Caesar Colclough, third and last Baronet .
There was no issue of this marriage , and by h i s wi ll , dated 4 thof May, 1694 , and proved the 1l th of June, 1695 , he bequeathedh i s estates to h i s nephew Robert
,who was then l iving in
Rathangan ,and was the son of h i s unfortunate elder brother ,
Francis Leigh , of Rathbride .
On the occasion of h i s m arrrage he assumed the addi tionalname and arm s of Colclough , and he died on the 27th day of
May, 1695 . He was bu ried at S t . Brigid’
s Cathedral,Kildare
,
and the following i s the inscript ion on h i s tomb
HERE LYEs THE BODY OF ROBERT LEIGH OOLOLOVGH ESQE’
S ECON D S ON
OF IOHN LEIGH OF RA THBRIDE IN THE COV N TY OF K ILDARE ES QE
H E WA S_MARI ED To M ARGARETT DA VGHTER AN D HEIRES or
S R OAES AR OOLcLOVGH or TIN TERN BARON ETT IN THE
COUN TY OF WAXFORD HE DEPARTED TH I S LIFE
THE 27 DAY OF MAY,1695 .
Thu s disappeared from this mortal scene the second grand
son of the Interpreter , and we now return to hi s elder brother .
A s has been said , their father, Jehn Leigh , son and heir of theInterpreter , died in France during the Protectorate of Crenrwell.
He d ied intestate ; and years afterwards , on the 5 th May, 1680,
adm inistrat ion was granted to hi s eldest son Francrs . Francishad been living all along at Rathbride, and had married as earlyas 1662 . H i s wife was Judith , daughter of Henry Spenser , andthe issue of the marr iage were fou r sons and one daughter .
Robert d ied unmarried in 1724 ; John , of Dublin , died in 1700;Arthu r , of Friarstown, died unmarried in 1706; Francis became
heir to hi s uncle Robert , of Co Wexford, as has been said ;Judith died unmarried in 1700. During Cromwel l
’
s time FrancisLeigh seem s to have escaped embroil ing himself in the troublesof the per iod, and even to have held an important office under
the Crown,being appointed Escheator-General of Leinster by
letters patent , dated 22nd Ju ly , 1663 . He was also, duringsom e of these years, M .P. for Kildare. Thu s h i s l ife sped on
t i ll the W i lliam ite wars broke ou t, when, taking up the cau se of
James II , he was at tainted of high treason in 1691, and all h i s
lands were forfeited to the Crown . By an inqu isit ion,held at
N aas on the 2nd of May, 1692 , i t was found that Francis Leighwas attainted of high treason on the 20th of Apri l , 1691, at
which t ime Ire was in possess ion of the town and lands of
Rathbride—744 acres in the barony of Offaly, of Morr istown
biller , Little Morristown,and Ballycrotan , ali as Croatenstowne
265 acres in the barony of Connel l of Tacknaven, 313 acres
CA S TLETOWN A N D I TS OWN ER S .
BY LORD WALTER FITZ GERALD .
S most of ou r readers know,the demesne of Castletown l ies
at the northern end of the town Of Celbridge ; in former
t im es rt was known as Cas tleton of K ildrough t .
Ages ago ,by whom rs unknown ,
a castle was bu i lt, probably
near where the present hou se stands ; in t im e,the hou ses of the
retainers and tenants accum u lated near i t for the sake of the
protection i t afforded in thosse wild t imes , hence the‘ ‘
castletown
’
arose,and was so called In distinction to the unprotected
street towris ,’ ’
or s tradballies , as they were called In Irish . In
order to furtlier distingu ish i t from other “cas tle towns
, the
name of the religiou s es tablishment near i t was attached,hence
Castletown of K i ldrough t ;”in the same way as at the present
t ime there are a Castletown Geoghegan , Castletewn rMoylagh ,Castletown Arra, and many others .
When the necessi ty for the thick walled, fortified pi les or
castles no longer existed , a m ore spaciou s , healthier , and betterlighted m ans ion took the place of the damp , dark, and uncom
fortable dwell ings of former centu ries and thu s, abou t 173 year
ago , Castletown Hou se was bu ilt by the Righ t Hon . W i ll iamConolly, and S peaker of th e Ir ish Hou se of Commons
,
which retained in name alone i ts connect ion w ith the pas t .
The earliest m ention of this place , so far as I have been ableto discover , occurs in a work published in 1828, ent i tled Rotu
lorum Patentium et Clau sorum Cancellariae H iberniae Calendarium ,
” by which i t appears that the Earls of K ildare were
in possession here in the fou rteenth centu ry. The followingextract i s a translation from the contracted Lat in
Th e sanre Marqu is [i . e Rober t d e V ere,Ear l o f Bed ford and
M arqu is of Dub lin], at th e requ es t O f M au r ice fit Z Thomas [Fi tzGerald ,
There are fif ty town lands in Ire land ca l led so le ly Cast letown,
362 CA S T LET OW N A N D IT S OW N ERS .
4 th Ear l of K ildare], and for serv ice,a l low s R ich ard A rblos te r , vicar o f
Laraghb run e , and John Ren t, parsorr of the chu rch o f Crom i th
, that th eymay en feeoff th e said Mau r ice and h i s h eirs , of th e nranor s of K yl
drogh t , Li eucan ,and K ylmacr i doc
,wh ich th ey h e ld of th e sa id M arqu is
in cap i te ,”& c .
Dated , Dunb oyne , 6th M ay , 1386.
From this per iod, to the m iddle of the s ixteenth centu ry, very
l i ttle ment ion i s m ade of Castletown in the S tate Papers . How
ever, i t s t i ll remained in the possess ion of the Earls of Kildare,unt i l i t was forfeited to the Crown by the rebell ion of the S i lkenThomas ( the l0th Earl of Kildare) , along with h i s other estates
,
in 1535 .
By an (unpublished Exchequer) Inqu is ition,
’taken at N aas
in the year 1535 , we are informed that a S i r John Fi tzGerald ,formerly of Castletown of K ildrough t , d ied seised in fee of the
Manor of K i ldrought , which on h i s death descended to h i s son
and heir Gerald , lately dead ; and that then Gerald’s brother
and heir , Edward, inherited i t bu t new the manor had reverted
to the Crown on account of Edward’
s j oining in the rebellion of
the S i lken Thomas , for which he was out lawed .
In a letter2 dated the 12 th of March ,1535 , this same Edward
i s thu s ment ioned among other i tem s of news
Edward Fi tzGerald , son and h e ire to S i r John'
F i tzGerald , and
b roth er by the m o ther to that arran t traitor John Bu rne l l of Ba l lygriffen[in th e CO . Du b lin], i s in prison , ind ict ed for h igh treason .
”
[For wh ichhe was pu t to death .]
1 V i de Exchequ er Inqu isit ion o f th e Co . K ildare , No . 3 , Of H enryV III , in the Record Office .
Th is S ir John Fi t zGerald,K nt .
,d ied ab ou t th e commencem ent of the
sixt eenth century ; h e i s s ty led of th e Gera ldines of Cloncu rry ,Coun ty
K ildare ( in M orr in’
s Ca lendar of Ro l ls) , and was marr ied to Jean,
daugh ter of John Ta lbot of Dardestown,in the Coun ty M eath . S h e
aft erward s marr ied Rob er t Bu rne l l of Balgr i ffin ,Co . Dub lin
, whose son
(by her ) John was imp lica ted in the S ilken Thom as Reb e l lion .
Th is S ir John m u st not b e confu sed w ith another S ir John Fit zGera ld , a lso living abou t th e sam e t im e the lat ter was unmarried
, was a
K n igh t of S t . John,an u ncle of th e S ilken Thomas
,and was hanged at
Tyb u rn on th e 3rd of Feb ru ary , 1537.
Lodge m ak es ou t the form er S ir John to have b een an il legit imate
son of Thomas,the 7th Ear l of K i ldare , by Dorothy O
’
M ere,and t o
hav e b een the ancestor of severa l of th e County K ildare fam ilies of Fit zGera ld ou t lawed in 1641.
2 Vide p. 228, vol. i i i , of the S tat e Papers of Henry V III ,
364 CA S TLETOW N A N D IT S OW N ERS .
my body t o b e buryede in the chu rch e of Donagh comper wh ere
i t Shal l p lese m y b roder S’
J01111 A len ,and to th e reparacyon of
th e sayd church e I give t en Sh il lings st i rlinge af t er Ir land rat e ,
and t o my paryslre chu rch e of K yldregh t oth er t en Sh il lings .
A nd I ordeyne and const itu t e of th is my last e wyll and t estam en t myb roder S
r John A len K nygh t , lat e lord chance l lor of Ir land ,
and my b roder Thomas A len clerke o f thanrrap er my ex
ecu tors , and wyll that af ter my decesse my goodes and cat talls
b e by th em dyvyd in to th ree par t s wh ero f won par t e I wyllthat Margret m y wyffe sha l l hav e as du e to h er for h er
portyon . Annoth er par te t o m y chylderne John A len ,Thoma
A len ,M ath ewe A len
,Sym one A len , and Cry stofer A len , and
my deglrters K at eryn e and Ann e A len ,And th e thyrd part e
af ter my bu ryall and funeral] doon ,deb tes
,and legacyes payed , t o
b e dyvyd by my sayde b ret lrerne in two part es wh ero f
w on p ar te I do give t o my sayd wy ffe and tlrother par te t o
my sayd chylderne to b e equ a l ly d ist ribu t e am ongst th em
by m y sayd execu t or s . And I wyll i f_ any of m y sayd
chylderne decesse b efor m ar iage tha t hi s or h er porcyen and legacy of my goods not spen t b efore u pon
hym or h er so dyenge or as m och e as shal l rem ayne
th en un spen t , b e by my sayd execu tor s , or th e longestlyvd of th em
,or th e execu t or s or assign s of th e
lyvd of th em,equ al ly d istri b u ted arnongs th e
And lyk e order I‘
wyll to b e
so sha l l dy e before m ar iagethage of xv iii or the w orn
[Page
I wylle that my sayd wyfe as longe as Sh e kepe hersylfsoo le and unm aryed Upon secu ry tye a t my execu tors dyscratyon sh
all lrav e as we l l th e cu stodye of m y sayd chylderne as th occupynge of th eyr por tyone of my goedes and cat talls . And i f sh e kepe no tt
h erself soo le,or a s some as sh e m ary I wyllmy sayd brederne
m y execu tor s and th e longer lyvd of th em or th er ass ign es sha l l have th e kepyng b oth of m y sayd chyldern and th er por tyon s of
goodes and cat talls . I gyve my wy te all my nap ery ,
l
p ew terfi and
candelst ickes . I b equ eth and gyve t o Mr
. M eyler H osey ,
3st eward
to my lord o f K yldare my b est e gowne . To m y b roder Th e ?
mas my secerrde gown e . The reste of m y apparell I gy ve to mysonne John . I b equ eth t o m y b r oder Th om as clryldern x larn st o b e dyvyd am onges th em at ther fath ers dyscretyone . I b equ e th
lI . e .
,lrou seheld linen 2
T. e ., pew ter p lates , d ishes , & c.
3 The fel lowing entry occu rs in the Anna ls of Lough Cé
A .D. 1582 . The Ear l of Cill-dara ’
s S t eward,
’
M eiler Hu se,d ied in the
b eginning of th is year .
”
(M eyler H u ssey was of M ullru ssy , Co . M eath .)
CA S TLETOW N A N D IT S OWN ERS . 365
allso to my b roder S r John A len K rryglrt my and my
payre of Andyernes1 w ith a chafynge dysh
2and to my
n eese h is dogh ter Anne A len an incalfe cowe . Iterrr. I wyll tha t Anne
A r ter,that noryshyth
3 my sonn crystofer A len an incalfe
cow e,th e ecreese of the sam e t o b e r eservyd from tym e to tyrrre
as sh e ca lve th to my sayd sonn crys to fer . Iterrr. I b equ eth rrranys
Smy the of Lu can ,that norysheth m y sonn S ymone A len an incalfe
cowe and a h eyfer , th e increase of th enr reserved t o my sayd sonn
S ym one as b efore O f tho th er . I tem . I b equ etlr to davy b rown e that
norysh eth my sonn m atlrewe A len an incalfe cow e,the increase
th er of lykewyse reser ved to my sayd sonn math ewe . I tem . I gyve
to b e l le 4 newe ll a sewe . A lso I gyve the v icar e o f K yldroglrt tlrre
shyllyngs that h e ow th e m e . And to o lde Joharolde a peake o f Wh
ete that h e ow th e m e . And a fryese cote fu rd er I bequ etlr
to my base sonn Jaeke A len . Present at th e de
claratyon of th is my last e wyll and t estam en t S Ir S ym one
harry V icar of K yldregh t , Wyllyanr Omu lmoy , GeffryWa lshe and oth ers .
th e inv en torie of h i s goodes foloweth . fl’
yrste . In redy m o
ohn S h el ton owth iiii li styrlynge , It em . Olyver
Sh een of S t Mary Abb aye v i li i i s v iiidof K ylmacredoke xlv
s
xdob"styrlynge
[Page
T he ch iefe ren t o f K yldroglrt the same t erm e xv is
s tyrlynge
ffor the chiefe ren t o f th e M oreton the sanre term e v i i is
xdstyrlynge . M aster M eyler H osey ow eth xxx fyve li
styrlynge . Upon piers W es ly lxv is
v iiid s tyrlynge . Rychard
Cowlocke of Dub lin iii i li v“s tyrlynge . I tem . Wynt er of Dub lin
caste l l oweth for x peck es of dreye m alte lx"sterlingeWyllyam ffyarr o f lexlyp owe th iiii p eckes wh ete . Thomas
Relyke late myller o f K yldregh t mylle in arere for the sayd
nrylle in wh eet e xxxvi peckes , h e allso in we e te m alte‘iand
cru slagh7 xl peck es . The corri e in the hagarde by estynracyon
lx cop le whyclr wyth th e haye pryced a t clxxx li s tyrlynge .
wyn t er cor ri e in ground s by es tym acyon lxx acres va lu edat x1 li s tyrlynge . ffowre score and ix kyrre b u l les oxen h eyfer s and ca lves pryced w on w ith anne th er at xv i
’
s tyr . lxv li p er bast en
xxiii garrans8 w ith an Irakrrey pryced at lv i li str . ffou re score
and v swyne va lu ed a t xx li s tr . tfy f ten score and x S h ep e va lued at xxx li st r . I tem . an b roken hacbu t of crocke9 xi i i s i i i i d
l I . e dogs and other fire-irons .
2 I .e .
,a warm ing-pan .
3I . e . ,
that fos ters .
4 Isab e l .5I . e . , obo lu s , a halfpenrry . I .e . , eaten ma lt .
7 Probably th e Ir ish nam e for grain in some form of the malt ingprocess .
8 Cart-horses .
9 A hacbu t was an arqu ebus , the fire-arm of the period ; what “of
crocke m eans rs pu zzl i ng.
“66 CA S T LETOW N A N D IT S
Brasse pe t ts , parrrres , bar rresse tryppets'and ky tclrerr s tu ff s va lu ed
at xxii li s tr . A Pann e in gage? for xls s tr . A r tyllery and i h
strum en t s t o th e p lowe and hu sb and ry est em ed a t v i i li v i ‘ s t r .
Car tes car te wh ols w ith ther n ecessaryes wor th ev i”s tyrlynge
A cart and s ix qu i sherrs3wor th lxv i
S
v iiid cub b ordesand tab les w or th x li i i i 8 i i i i d ffowrm es and clrayrs xxi i i
S
i i i id
. Th e Beddys and b eddynge cv iS
v iiid s tyrlynge . A sy lvercup e and fyve sm a l l sy lver spones va lu ed a t iiii li s tr . hy s appar ell
w as b equeth ed to h i s sonn e and fronds . hys naperye , pew t er ,candelstycks b equ eth ed t o h i s wy ffe . Det t es owynge byhym . ffy rst for th e r en t of the manor of K yld roglrt
Cas telltorr for th e las te m ich elm as term e xv iii li xv ’
i i i i ‘l
ffor th e ren t of Tyr ells’
freholde in K yldr .
Twe lve slryles v iiid ffor th e rent
-o lde th e sam e fin e xS i i i i
dlif
ren t of S”John A leu ’
s lrou
xi i i S i i i idstyrlynge .
[Page 4 i s a con t inuat ion of the ab ove,and m ost ly il legib le ow ing t o stain s
on t h e paper . ]
The above wil l appears to be a,
very old copy of the original ,as the signatu res are not on i t . The writ ing i s good, bu t
faint , and some of the letters— such as the S’
s,
”
o’
s,
”&c.
,are of an obsolete form . The paper i s of a bad
qual ity, written on both s ides , much stained, and has the right
hand bottom corner of each page torn off ; hence the dotted
portion in the copy given above . My thanks are due to Mr .
M . J . M ‘Enery, of the Record Office for h i s ass istance to me in
deciphering the writing .
In the year 1554 , Queen Mary restored to Gerald, the 11thEarl of Kildare, h i s t it les and estates which had been forfeitedtwenty years previou sly by the rebell ion of h i s half-brother theS i lken Thomas . Wr it ing from Maynooth , on the 7th of May ,
1557 , to the Lord Depu ty, the 11th Earl reques ted a confirma
t ion by Parliament of an A ssu rance,”which he had passed to
h i s servant Gerald S u tton,and h i s ass igns for ever, of the Manor
of Castleton K i ldrough t , Bralysshan, Ballecrotan ,Mori s town
lBarnesse b randretlr, a sor t of gri d iron . Tryppet s t r ipods . Th isinstrum ent was therefore prob ab ly som e k i t chen u t en sil consist ing of an
iron grat ing suppor ted on Iron legs o ver the fire .
I . e .
,in pawn .
3 I . e . , cu sh ions . My than k s are due to M r . Jam es M il ls of theRecord Ofli ce for the above explanat ions .
CA S TLETOWN A N D IT S OW N ERS . 367
Byller , and certain other lands also i n the Co . K ildare .
1A
l i ttle further 0 11 i t will be seen that the Earl was not j u st ifiedin what he did.
In 1587 a letter was wri tten by Queen E lizabeth to the
Lord Depu ty , direct ing the re stora tion of the Manor of Kildrought to Thomas Fi tzGerald of Lackagh
2
( son of S ir Mau ri ce
Fi tzGerald,K u t .
,deceased in who claim ed
“as lawful
heir thereunto , had no t the Earl of K ildare , Gerald Fi tzGerald ,then Depu ty of Ireland , who d ied in the Tower of London ( onthe 12 th December , wrongfu lly disseised h i s grand
father Thomas Fi tzGerald of Lackagh ,who died on the
14th Augu st , and Lord Thomas Fi tzGerald,son of the
Earl,having been attainted of treason , their possessions came to
the Crown ,and so rem ained unt il res ti tu tion o f the Earldom
was m ade ( in 1554 ) to the father (Gerald , the l 1th Earl ) of the
present Earl (Henry, the 12 th Earl ) , who sold the M anor to
Garrett S u tton . The latter dy ing ( in 1574 ) left i t to DavidS u tton, h i s son , which David
,in the t im e of Lord Gre y (Lord
Depu ty of Ireland ) , was attainted of tre ason (having in 1580
joined in Ballinglass’
s rebellion) , where by the prem ises againcam e into the possess ion of Her Maj esty. Dated 14 th A ugu st ,
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centu ries a port ion of the
lands and tenements of the Manor of K i ldrough t were known
as S i r Mau rice fitZ ThomaS h i s ffarm e , after that memberof the Lackagh fam i ly.
The S u ttonfam i ly, m ent ioned in the above extract , was one ofthe chief fam i lies in the county at this t im e ; one branch wasseated at Richardstown , and the other at T ipper ; from the latterthe Castletown S u ttons were Sprung. A s the arm s o f thesefam i lies are the same
,they had a common ancestor ; and j udging
by a wi ll of a T ipper S u tton ,in which the proper ty i s left in
re mainder to the S u t tons of“Ballykeroke
”in the Coun ty
Wexford , they originally belonged to the latter county .
The annexed pedigree shows the principal m embers of the
S uttons of Castletown,and their re lat ionship wi th those of
T ipper.
1 “ M orr in’
s Calendar , p . 500, vol. i .
V ide pp . 245 to 264 , vol. i , o f THE JOURN AL for an account o f th isfam ily .
3 Vi de p . 154,vol. i i , of M orr in
’
s Ca lendar .
4 Ib . , p . 527, vol. i i , and in S ir Wa lt er Deh gan’
s w il l,dated 14th
Decemb er , 1626.
368 CA ST LET OWN AN D ITS OwN ERs.
For the next few years the hi s tory of Cas tletown i s given i n
an Exchequer Inqu is it ion,
ltaken in N aas in 1594 i t i s to the
following effect
Tha t Queen E lizabeth was , in righ t of her crown,
seised of the Manor of K ildrough t , al ias Cas tleton-K i ldrought , K ilmacre dock
,and one water-m i ll i n K ildrough t ,
all in the County Kildare .
Tha t by letters patent , dated the 23rd Augu st , 1582,she granted to Edward Byrne , of Cloughran
-S words,in
the County Dublin,the aforesaid town of Cast leton ,
near K ildrought , to hold to h i m and h i s assigns for a
term of thirty-one years .
Tha t by other letters patent , dated the 5 th July,
1583,she granted the said town of Cast leton to S i r
Henry Warren and h i s assigns for a term of forty years ,to commence at the end of Edward Byrne
’
s lease .
2
(This S i r Henry Warre n ,K u t .
, was the son of H um fre yWarynge, or Warre n he m arr ied A l ice
, daughter of
Adam Loftu s, the Lord Chancellor . )
T ha t by other letters patent , dated 16th Ju ly, 1583,she granted to John Cu sack, of Eli stown-Read , gent ,
the
water—m i ll , water-course , and other portions within the
Manor of K ildrough t, for a term of thirty years .
Tha t by other letters patent dated 25th Ju ly, 1585 ,she granted to Galfre y Fenton all the messuages , lands ,and t enements in the town of the aforesaid K ilmacre
dock,for a term of twenty-one years .
Tha t afterwards , by letters patent , dated at Dublinthe28th of June, 1587 , the Queen granted to Edward Fitz
Co . K ildare Exch equ er Inqu isit ion ,N o . 35 of E lizab eth .
2 Fi an t N o . 4181 of Elizab eth s tat es that a lease in 1582 was gran ted toH enry Warren
,of Ballyb r i t ten , gen t ,
of th e Cast le (th e precinct con
tain ing three acres , and includ ing a ha l l b u ilt af ter th e Ir ish or coun tryrrranner
,cov ered w ith st raw ) and land s of Cast letons of K ild rogh t , S i r
M or ish fitz Thomas’
s farm , parce l of the M anor of K ildrogh t , posses
s ion s of Dav id S u t ton at tain t ed . To ho ld for for ty years ) at a r en t o f
£17 6s . 8d . ,m ain ta in ing one English horseman . In con siderat ion of h im
and h i s fath er Humplrry . H enry TVarren’
S lease to comm ence on th e
expirat ion o f Eady Bu r’
ne S lease , wh ich was for thir ty year s , and corn
m enced In 1582 °
,tlrat h e S hou ld not a l ien any port ion ,
except t o Englishm en ,
and that he Shal l not charge coyne or livery , or other un law fu limposit ion s .
370 A N D IT S OW N ERS .
S i r W i lliam Talbot , Bar t . , of Car ton,
1 which he had 0 11 leasefrom the 14th Earl of Kildare , then l iving in M aynooth Castle .
S i r John’s wi ll was proved in 1663 . H i s eldest son
,S ir Walter ,
was one of the Confederate Cathol ics of Kilkenny ,bu t, dying
w ithou t issue , h i s brother S ir W i lliam becam e the 4th baronet .
0 11 the 14 th of February ,1661, S i rW i lliam Dongan was cre ated
V iscou nt Dongan of Clane , and 011 the 2nd January , 1685 ,Earl of Lim erick ? The Dengan s were Jacobites , and at the
Battle of the Boyne , i n 1690, the Earl of Lim erick fough t , aswel l as h i s only son, Walter , who was ki lled in the battle .
A fter the treaty of Limerick, s igned in October,1691, the Earl
and h i s wife , Euphem ia (a French lady) , left Ire land and re t ire dto France
,thereby forfeit ing h i s gre at estates . H i s death took
place in 1698, when h i s bretlrer , Colonel Thomas Dongan ,
su cceeded to the Earldom , which becam e ext inct on h i s death ,
on the 14th of December, 1715 .
The su ccessors of the Dongan fam i ly,abou t the end of the
seventeenth centu ry, were th e Conollys .
The first of the name in the place was the Right H onourableW illiam Correlly, who pu rchased the property, and bu i lt the
1 Ge ra ld , the 14thEar l ofK ildare , ab ou t the b eginn ing of th e seven teenthcen tu ry , gran t ed a lease o f Carton t o S ir W il liam Ta lb ot
,son of Rob er t
,
th ird son of S ir Thom as Ta lb ot of M a lah ide,Bar t .
,by whom a h ou se
was b u ilt at Car ten ,wh ich i s the nu cleus of the pr esent mansion . Th e
Funera l En try (cop ied f rom vol . v i, p . 29) given b elow d ea ls w ith th is
S ir W illiam :
“ S”. W il l iam Ta lbot t of Car tonn e
,in th e Coun ty o f K ildare ,
Barone t,deceased the xv i . of M arch ,
1633 ; h e h ad to w ife , A lson ,
daugh t er of John N et terv i ell of Casteltoun e,in th e County of
M eath ,Esqu ire , by whom h e lef t iss ue , S i r R ob er t Ta lb o t t ,
Baronet , and hath t o w ife, Grace , daugh ter o f y”righ t H o
me
S”
George Calv er t , K t Lord Calver t , Baron of Ba lt im ore ; John
Ta lb ott , Garret Ta lbo tt , who had to w ife , M argaret , daugh ter of
H enry Gaiden of Dubliri,Gen t . ; Jam es Ta lbo tt
,Thom as Ta lbot t
,
Pet er Ta lb ott , Gilb er t Ta lbot t , R ichard Ta lb ot t (afterwards createdDu ke of Tyrconnell) M ary , mar i ed t o S i r John Dongan ,
Baronet
Br iget , m ar i ed to John Gaiden of Ir i sh towne,in the County of
K ildare , Esqu ire M argaret , marr ied to H enry Ta lb ot ofTempleoge ,in th e Coun ty of Du b lin
,Esqu ire ; Frances , E lizab eth , Jane ,
K ath er ine , and Eleanor .
”
H e was b u r ied in th e Chu rch of M aynooth , in the Par ish of Laragh
b rene , th e l st o f Apr il , 1633 .
2 It Is a cur iou s coincidence tha t,at th e t im e th e Kildare A rchaeo logica l
S ociety v isited Cas t letown in S ep temb er , 1896, they , passed a hou se
b etween“th e n ew Br idge
”and Cast letown dem esne in wh ich was
r es iding an Ear l of Lim erick , though in no way connected w ith th e
Dongan s— form er Ear ls of Lim erick .
CA S TLETOWN A N D IT S OWN ERS . 37 1
present house in He was S peaker o f the I rish Hou se o f
Commons from the year 1715 to 1729, when he res igned h i s
post through illness , and died on the 29th of October in that
year . H e had been sworn in ten t imes as Lord Ju stice of
Ireland .
H i s wife was Catherine , eldest daughter of S ir A lbertConyngham ,
a W illiam ite general of Ordnance in Ireland ,ancestor of the present Marquess Conyngham of S lane Castle,in the CO . Meath . A t hi s funeral
,i t i s said
,the custom of
wearing whi te l inen scarves was first adopted , in order to
encou rage the Irish Linen Manu facture ?
H i s w ife, who survived h i m for twenty-thre e years, ere cted
a magnificent monument over hi s vau l t in the old chu rchyard of
K ildrough t, which i s situated at the sou thern end of the town
of Celbridge, and i s locally known as“the Tea-lane chu rch
yard .
”
This monument i s of great s ize, and cons ists of a handsome
pediment supported on four pi llars. Under i t , 011 the base , recl inetwo life-size figures in the costume of the period they re present
W ill iam Conolly and Catherine Conyngham the scu lptu ring i salmost ent ire ly in white marble . In the front of the pediment
i s a coat of arm s— the Conolly impaled wi th the Conyngham ,
Argent , on a saltire engra i led sable, five escallops of
the field ; for Conolly.
A rgent , a shake-fork, between thre e nrullets , sable ;for Conyngham .
On the slab in the back of the monument i s a long inscript ion in Lat in, of which the following i s a translat ion3 :
H . S . TVilliam Conno l ly , who a t tained as a reward of h i s rrrer i t s
th e h igh es t honours , wa s for ab ou t tw en ty years a Comm iss ion er o f the
R even ue i n th e reigns o f Queen A nne and George I , and wa s a Pr ivyCouncil lor in th e re i gn of George II . H e wa s tw i ce u n rn im ou sly e lect edS p eaker of t he H ou se o f Common s 111 th e Pa rliarrren t of th is R ea lm
,and
t en t im es h e ld the o ffice of Lord Ju st ice of Ire land , b eing th e firs t t o whom
b oth the sovereign and the peop le en t ru st ed at th e sam e t im e th e pro
t ect ion of th eir pr ivileges w ith the happ iest resu lt . A S a sub j ect h e wasloya l as a cit izen
, patr io t ic .
“ In perilous t imes he not once or tw ice proved that he served h i s
1 Th is date i s to b e seen on the leaden heads of the gu t ter wat er
pipes on the S .-
.W s ide of the hou se .
2 A rchdall’
s Lodge’
S Peerage ,”vol. vrr, p . 184 .
3Vi de Col. V igors
’
s Report on the M emoria ls of the Dead,Ire .
vol. i , p . 415 .
THE RIGHT HON . THOMAS ,CONOLLY,
d. 27th April , 1803.
From a crayon , 9 in . b y 73, b y H ugh Ham i lton , in th e Duke of Leinster’
s
p ossessron at Car ton .
CA S T LETOW N A N I) IT S O \VN ERS . 375
du ring the run after dinner , when the punch was being circu
lated,S qu ire Tom had occasion to steep down to pick up h i s
table-napkin ,which had S lipped under the table ; he then per
ceived to h i s amazement that h i s friend the s tranger , who was in
a chair next to h im ,had one of h i s shoes off
,and that a cloven
hoof was vis ible ; the evict ion of the s tranger was only carriedou t after much t im e and trouble , when , as a last resou rce
,the
P R of K i ldrough t was sent for and pu t in an appearance .
This tradit ion i s introduced into a ser ies of bal lads by a brothof a boy
”Russel l) , cal led “
the K i shogue Papers ;the one in qu estion i s called “
The Devi l and Tom Conol ly ,and appeared at p . 677 , vol. xxii , for the year 1843, of The
Dubli n Universi ty M agazine .
Thomas Conolly’
s wife was Lady Lou isa Lennox , thirddaughter of Charles , 2nd Duke of Richmond
,by whom he had no
childre n. By a cu riou s co incidence Lady Lou isa had two si stersmarried to men l iving close by ; the elder , Lady Em ilia Mary
,
was l iving at Carton , having m arried Jam es,l st Duke of
Leinster,and the younger , Lady S arah , resided at Oakley Park,
at the Oppos ite end of the town of Celbridge, having in 1781
married (her second hu sband) Colonel the Hon . George Napier ,eldest son by hi s second wife of Francis
,5 th Baron N apier , of
Merch i stown ,near Edinburgh .
Thomas Conolly died on the 27th of Apri l, 1803 h i s will i sdated the 14th of June , 1802 . By i t Castletown was left to h i swife du ring her life ; in i t
,too
,he ins ists that h i s heir Shou ld
assume the name and arm s of Conolly alone . H i s heir was h i sgrandnephew ,
Edward M ichael Pakenham, son of Adm iral theHon . S i r Thomas Pakenham ,
who had married Lou isa S taples,eldest daugh ter o f Thomas Conolly
’
s s ister, Harriet , wife of the
Rt . Hon . John S taples , of Li ssan , Co . Tyrone, a Privy Council lor .
This Edward M ichael Conolly was the grandfather of the
present owner of Castletown .
One very sensible and sound piece of advice i s contained inThomas Conolly
’
s w ill I hope and re commend ,”he writes
,
to the persons who wi ll be ent itled to my estate,that they wi ll
be re sident in Ireland , and wi ll always prove steady friends toIre land , as their ancestor , Mr . S peaker Conolly, the originaland honest maker of my fortune, was .
”
A few years ago Castletown cou ld boas t of the biggestcedar in Ire land , and the largest vine (with the except ion of
1 “ The K i shogu e Papers were repub lished in b ook fornr in 1877, byGill
,of Upper S ackvil le S treet .
AN D IT S
that in Hampton Court ) in the United Kingdom . The cedarwas blown down in a gale, and the vine was maliciously destroyed by an under-gardener under not ice of dism issal .
There i s a drive leading through the woods from Castletownto K ilmacre dock which i s sti l l called “
Dongan’
s Walk,
after
the fam i ly who last lived there over two hundre d years ago.
K ilmacredock l ies ou ts ide that portion of Castletown demesne
known as“the Deer Park i t long ago contained a burial-ground,
bu t all traces of the old chu rch and interm en ts have enti relydisappeared. A t the present t ime there are the ru ins of a
m odern bu i lding (m uch resembling a small dwell ing-hou se)s tanding on the s ite of the old church ; below i t i s an arched
,
br ick vau lt , u sed by the Bellingham fam i ly,late of Ravensdale
(near Carton) , and new of Howth no m onument of any sort i serected here to their memory . K ilmacre dock gives i ts name to
the parish .
THE WONDERFUL BARN , BUILT BY THE CONOLLY FAM ILY IN 1743 .
From t he _windows on the north-east side of CastletownHouse, at the end of an open ing in the trees , i s seen a m ile off
an uns ightly bu i ld ing,known as
“the °Wonderfu l Barn
,
”which
was probably at one t ime the Home Farm , as i t was bu i lt by theConolly fam ily. A conical tower
,s im i lar to the one in the i l lu s
tre tien,stands at each corner of the haggard
-enclosure wall.
CA S TLET O \VN A N D IT S
bu ilt in the year 1740 by Mrs . Conolly,w idow of W i lliam
Conol ly, the S peaker , who d ied in her ninet ietlr year in 1752 .
The Obeli sk stands on the townland of Barrogestown ,and
,
as the crow fl ies , i t i s two m i les from Castletown H ou se . It i s
said Mrs . Conol ly bu i lt i t to .give employm ent during a year of
great scarcity . In the m onth of March,1740,
M rs . Conolly’
s
s ister,Mrs . Jones , wrote to another s i ster
,a Mrs . Bound :
My sister i s bu i lding an obleix to answer a vi stow from the
bake of Casteltown Hou se ; i t w i ll cost her thre e or fou r
hundre d pounds at least , bu t I believe m ore . I re ally wonder
how she can dew so much , and l ive as she duse .
The height of the obelisk,to the tOp of the central spire , i s
140 feet the date 1740 appears on the keystones of the lowerarches a fl ight of steps enables one to re ach the level above thecentral arch , over which , and from other parts , all the cu t-stene
balu strading has disappeared . If for no other pu rpose, thisunsrghtly structu re acts as a good landmark to those ou t hunting. On Noble and Keenan
’
s m ap of the County Kildare ,1752,
there rs a fairly accu rate drawrng of this bu i lding .
‘
gl'
tts celtanea .
T h e S k e le t o n T om b s t o ne in t h e Fra nc is c a n A b b e y
a t C a s t le d e rm o t .—~Lying in one of the side chapels , off the
Lady Chapel attached to these abbey ru ins , i s a th ick slab , 6 feet4 inches in length , and 2 feet 5 inches in breadth , h aving on i t ,
cu t in“
low relief, a h andsom e eight-arm ed cross ; wh ile on one
side of the shaft i s a m ale skeleton , and on th e oth er the skeletonof a wom an in a shroud .
This slab i s broken in to four pieces , and (except for three pert ions of different cross-inscribed flags belonging to ecclesiastics) i ti s the on ly tombstone now visible in the precincts of th is abbey .
As i s shown in the accom panying illu stration ,th ere are traces
of an incised inscription , bu t i t i s very doubtful i f they are contem
porary w ith th e scu lptu ring on the slab all that i s legible are the
names IAME S TALLON and IONAE Joan ) S KELTON .
A cu r iou s feature in connection w ith the m ale skeleton i s thatalongside of i t i s a fou r legged reptile of the dartlooclrer
”
(orlizard) type , wh ich has th e Skeleton ’
s left feet In i ts mou th .
In the Shrouded figure , a portion of the grave-clothes are open ,
revealing the r ibs of th e skeleton with in , intertwined between whichare apparently worm s . The probable d ate of th is slab i s the first
half of the sixteenth century . The m eaning of th is ghastly piece ofcarving i s incom prehensible, unless i t was cu t with the sam e obj ectthat tradition relates in connection w ith a very sim ilar tomb in thecity of Waterford . It i s to th is effect
In th e year 1469, a cer tain Jam es Rice was m ayor of th i s ci ty h e , th irteenyears later , bu i lt on to th e nave of th e Ch u rch of th e Holy Trin i ty, in Waterf ord ,
a chapel ded ica ted to S t . Jam es and S t . Cath erine , and h ence known as Ri ce’s
ch apel . Th i s ch apel contained two m onum en ts . one th e effigy of a m an in
arm our, and th e other th at of a skinny skeleton In a sh r,
ou d wh ich rs par tiallyopen , and so d i scloses worm s crawling abou t the body, on th e top of which a
frog i s seated. Both th ese effigi es represent the one indiv idual , Jam es R ice,wh o left instruction s i n h i s w i l l th at two m onum ents were to be ere cted to h im ,
represen t ing h im as h e was in l i fe , and also as h e appeare d a year after h i s
bu rial . In con sequence, h i s body was carefu lly exhumed a year af terwards, and
th e condi tion i t th en was i n was fai th fu lly copied in stone , even down to th e
worm s th em selves , as well as a frog wh ich apparently h ad flopped on to th e
body during th e exhunring operati on s . Jam es Rice’s object in having th i s done
was th at i t shou ld act as a rem inder to th e va in or though tless of wh at th eywou ld com e to , and so br ing th em to a steady and re spectable m ode of l i fe .
Th is tom b i s to be seen at th e present day in the Protes tan t Cath edral inWaterford .
”
Quer i es .
Po rt ra it s o f Lo rd a nd Lad y Ed w a rd F it zGe ra ld .
I WOULD be urneh obliged to any of ou r Members i f th ey cou ld add
to the list of paintings, given below , of Lord Edward , or of h i s wife“ Pamela.
ea Pa int ings of Lord Edwa rd (b . 1768, d .
1 . A three-quar ter length by Hugh Ham ilton ,in the National
Por trait Gallery , Dublin , to which i t ,was presented by the
4th Duke of Leinster in“
1884 . Moore’
s L ife of Lord Edwardi s i llu strated by an engraving of th is picture .
2 . A head and shou lders by Hugh Ham ilton ,in the possession of
Lord Cloncu rry , at Lyons .
3 . A head and shou lders by Hugh Ham ilton , in"
the possession of
the Duke of Leinster , a t Carton .
4 . A head and shou lders by Hugh Hanrilton ,in the possession of
the Duke of Leinster , at K ilkea Castle .
5. A head and shoulders by Hugh Ham ilton , belonging to MajorG. H . C . Ham ilton , 14th Hu ssars . This picture Is at presenthung in Ba llintemple, County Carlow .
These last four pictures are replicas.
Crayons and Wa ter Colonrs of Lord Edward .
(a ) An oval crayon by Hugh Ham ilton , belonging to the Duke ofLeinster , at Carton . (This i s an incorrect likeness . )
(b) A small water colour , head and shou lders, by Dr . George
Petrie’
s father , in the possession of Miss Margaret S tokes, at
Carrig Breac, Howth .
(c) A small water colou r , half-length , by Horace Hone, belongingto the Dukeo f Leinster , at Carton .
(d) A small water colou r , half-length , by Horace Hone , in the
National Por trait, Gallery , Dublin , to which i t was presentedby Colonel William Fi tzGerald .
These last two are very sim ilar
Oil Pa intings of Lady Edward (b. 13772 ,'
d .
1. An oval of the head by George Romney,belonging to S ir Guy
Campbell, Bart . (A copy, by S lattery, of th is p icture i s atCarton .)
2 . A seated full-length of Pamela , with two children,by Romney.
A N SWER TO QUERIES . 383
3 . A seated fu ll-leng th of Pam ela with one ch ild , by Rom ney.
This picture was last in the possession o f Mrs . M ‘Corquodale ,
of Richm ond , in S u rrey, who was a daugh ter of Pam ela ’
s,
by Mr . Pitcairn ,h er second hu sband . On Mrs . M ‘Corquo
dale ’
s death , on the 17th of April , 1896, aged 96, th ispicture was sold by auction .
4 . A h ead and shou lders , by Romnev belonging to H . L.
Bischoffsheim ,Esq . Th is pictu re was exh ibited a t the
Exh ibition of Fair Women , at th e Grafton Galleries , London ,
in 1894 .
5 . In a p ictu re by Mau zaise (after Girou st) , called La Lecon
d’
Ha i pe,”th ree fu ll length figures a i e introdu ced (1) Pam ela
(before she becam e engaged to Lord Edward) ; (2 ) her
guardian ,Madam e de Genlis ; (3) Mdlle . d
’
Orleans . Th e
latter two are seated playing 011 harps , whi le Pam ela , stand
ing , turns over the leaves of the mu sic .
6. A t a sale 111 S otheby’
s in London ,in March , 1898, a m iniatu re
of Pam ela changed hands . According to Tjw l’
i uws i t was
painted on ivory in a gold m ou nt . On being ordered to
leave Ireland after her h u sband ’
s death , Lady Edward was
escorted to Paris by the Rev . John Mu rphy , on par ting wi thwhom Lady Edward presented to h im th is m in iatu re of
h erself as a token of her gratitude. Un til i ts sale in March
last , i t had never been ou t of the possession of the Rev. JohnMurphy
’
s descendants ; the price i t then fetched was £75 .
I am not aware who the purchaser was .
W. FITZ G .
glim mer to (Quer ies .
T h e ra ce , o r ro a d , o f t h e B la c k P ig , a c ro s s t h e
C u r ra g h—Oh p . 158 of the 2nd volume of THE JOURNAL ,
infor
m at ion was asked for as to the origin of the nam e of th is ancienttrack across the Cu rragh . An ar ticle in The Ulster Journa l ofA rchaeology ,
1on
“ The Great Wall of Ulidia, perhaps gives a clu e .
Th is great rampart formed the ancient m earim between the territories of Ulidia (wh ich compr ised the present counties of Antrim and
Down) and Oriel (Lou th ,Arm agh , and Monaghan ) ; i t was som e
twenty m iles in length , and in some localities was known as“ the
Dane’
s Cast,
”and in others as the Glen of the Black Pig .
”The
article goes on to relate a tradition given by O’
Donovan in h i s
Ordnance S u rvey Letters , which i s to th is effect
The tradi t ion abou t Gleann na m u ice du ibh e’
the Glen of the BlackPig
’
) i s th e w i ldest I ever h eard . A schoolmaster lived in Drogh eda a long t im e
ago , who u sed to work th e m agic art, and so tu rn h i s scholars into pigs . One
Vi de, Parts 1 and 2 of vol. i i i , by th e Rev . H . W . Lett .
384 A N SW ER TO QUERIES .
day as they were playing in the field adjo in ing th e schoolhouse , in th is shape ,O
’N eill
,who was hun ting in th at neighbou rhood with a pack of hounds ,
observing th e swine in th e field , set th e pack a t them . Th e p igs imm ed ia telyfled in var iou s direction s th rough th e country , and form ed th ose dykes ca l ledglen na m uck duv, ’
wh ich are to be seen in variou s parts of th e sou th of
U lster . One p ig m ade i ts way towards Lough N eagh , another faced west, and
a third , wh ich was being very closely pursu ed, swam across Lough Mucshnam ba
at Castle Blayney, and gave i t nam e , and then proceeded in the d irect ion of
Meath .
Not long ago , I myself heard from the lips of an aged man ,
named John Lynch (a nat ive of the County Wexford ) , who was
begging along the road , _ah enchanted story
”very sim ilar to th e
one given by O’
Donovan ; h i s version of i t was as follows
“ In th e old anci ent times
'
there dwelt i n a castle down in th e north of
Ireland a k ing , wh o employed a schoolmaster for th e education of h i s two sons .
Th is sam e k ing was notor iou s for h i s knowledge in wi tchcraft,wh ereby h e
possessed supernatura l power . On one occasion , du ring th e king ’s absence at a
hu rling-m atch , th e sch oolm aster and h i s two pupi ls entered th e king’
s privateroom , though they h ad been forbidden to enter i t on any pretext. On a tab lein i t lay a great book : th i s th e schoolm aster opened and comm enced to read
aloud from i ts pages, though h e cou ld not understand the m ean ing of what h e
read ,after a short t im e h e happened to look up f i om th e book , and was amazed
to see that , in place of h i s two pup i ls, two great shaggy h ounds were present ,in terror h e fled from th e room . On the k ing’
s return h om e i n th e even i ng, he
was met near th e cast le by two strange h ounds, wh ich fawned on h im , and
bayed w ith deligh t at h i s arr ival . In perp lexi ty the k ing proceeded hot-footto h i s room , and on seeing th e open book guessed wh at h ad occu rred . In a
rage h e sent for th e schoolm aster , transform ed h im in to a b ig b lack boar, and
driving h im from th e cast le wi th th e ass i stance of h i s camaun (or hur ly) , set
the two h ounds a t h im . Th e boar fled for i ts life ; crossing th e Boyne i t ranth rough Meath to Maynooth , on past K i ldare into th e County Carlow , th en
away th rough the country lying between the Barrow and th e S laney , unt i l i treached Priests haggard i n th e County Wexford , where th e two hounds even
tually killed i t . Th ey th en returned hom e th e sam e way th ey cam e , and were
transformed by th e king back again into their human form .
From this , or a sim ilar legend in which the scene 1s localizedelsewhere, certain ancient dykes , roads , and vales in variou s partsof Ireland are known as the race, walk, road , or glen of the BlackPig.
W . FITZ G.
386 N OT ES .
bones ou tside the presen t lim its . The oldest tomb i s dated 1745i t consists Of a box-tomb w ith sides 8 feet in height , bu t what w ithth e sinking of th e tomb and th e accum u lation of clay around i t , the
top slab i s new level with th e ground . The inscription , wh ich i snear ly illegible, runs
Here Lyeth the Body of
Rich ard Hovenden who departed
Th i s Li fe th e,Fi rst day of
May 1745 ,age 80 years .
A lso th e Body of John
Wolfenden wh o DepartedTh i s Li fe 17th Day of August
1733, age 32 years .
”
The upper end side i s formed of a single slab of lim estone , 3 feet
in h eight , 2 feet in bread th , and 10 inches in thickness ; on -i t , in
bold relief , i s carved th e crest a nd coat of arms of th e Hovenden
The crest i s— a dragon’
s head vert , issu ing ou t of flam es proper .
The arm s are— chequy sable and argen t , on a bend gu les , threel ions ’ heads erased or .
On either side of the shield falls the ornam ental accessory knownby th e heraldic term s of Lambrequ in or Mantling
0 11 the lower par t Of the stone i s the incised inscr ipt ion
The Hovendens Coat of Arm es .
The Hovendens were a Queen’s County fam ily , who ,
i n the
seventeenth centu ry , owned the distr ict abou t K illabban on th e
opposi te side of the Barrow .
W. FIT Z G .
A lexa nd e r T a y lo r’
s M a p o f C o . K i lda re .“ Alexander
Taylor’
s Map o f the County K i ldare from an actual survey , 69%les (Br itish ) to a degree , engraved by Downes,
in six sheets , was
pr in ted in London , 1783 . Th ere i s a copy of i t in the K ing’
s Inns’
Library , Dublin ,in compar tm ent , C.
JOH N CANON O’
HANLON .
J ig g in s t ow n .— There i s an Old Coun ty Kildare saying which
runs thu s “ There i s nothing to equal the bu ilding of Jigginstown,
the Wells of T ipp‘
er , and the Bells of Blessing ton .
A t the first excursion this S ociety ever held,Mr . Arthur
‘
V icars
(now S i r Arthu r , and Ulster K ing-of—Arm s) read a paper on Jig
g instown ,Thursday , S eptember 8rd , 1891 . Lord S trafford , Lord
Depu ty of Ireland, erected th is bu ilding, now a ru in . In fact,we
N OT ES . 387
have strong reason to believe th is palace in Ireland was never
completed by S trafford . It i s Often mentioned in S trafl'
ord’
s corre
spondence to Archbishop Laud and others.
S ir Ar thur V icars ’
s paper (published in N o . 1 , vol. 1, of our
JOURNAL ) deals so su fficiently w ith th is subject that I need not enlargeupon these bu ildings .
I mu st,however , quote a letter of Lord S tratford to hi s wife .
He writes from Naas , S eptember 12th , 1637 :
‘ Sweeth eart, I sh all desire you not to com e h i th er at th i s t im e , f01 beingwrangling and bu sy w i th m y workm en , 1 am ext1em e ill in wom en
’s com pany ;
but wh en the hou se 1s ready to recei ve, I sh all In no p lace see you m OI e gladly .
My business h ere despatch ed , I w i ll go w i th all speed to you .
”
Whoever has looked on S trafford’
s p ictu re by Vandyke , wh ichnow hangs at Wentworth
,Yorkshire , w ill fu lly realize that the
Lord Depu ty was a m an who wou ld brook no in terruption in
bu si ness,even from a w ife , whom , tyrant as h e was , h e dearly loved .
Jigginstown i s a m onum en t to S trafford’
s gen ius and S trafford’
s
organization ,for
,notwith standing h i s strong m easures in dealing
with Ireland, this country prospered under th e hand of steel thatno velvet glove covered . A Parliam ent , servile to h is w ishes , carr iedou t w ithou t a m u rm ur measu res that were for '
th e good of the
people and th e country .
We can hardly realize now that in S tratford ’
s t ime the Barbaryp irates u sed to ravage the coasts of Ireland . He , ou t of h i s own
private resources,
fitted ou t a ship for the protection Of Dublinfrom these pirates .
S trafford was beheaded on Tower H ill .The English people feared and hated h im they rejoiced at h i s
downfall . “ Hi s head i s off , h i s h ead i s off ,”were the cries that rang
ou t as m essengers galloped far and wide with the news of h is
execu tion .
THE BELLS OF BLE S S INGTON .
They hang in the chu rch at Blessington ,a neat edifice with a
square tower . The chu rch was erected by M ichael Boyle , Archbishop of Dublin and Chancellor of Ireland , in the reign of
Charles II .
Archbishop Boyle also bu ilt th e town of Blessington , and gave
the r ing-
O f bells to the chu rch . Th e date on these bells i s 1682 .
The chu rch plate was also presented by Pr im ate Boyle.
The inhabitants of Blessington were incorporated by char ter ofCharles II , 1669.
A monum ent to the m emory of the founder of the church recordshi s benefactions to th e town
,and the inscription concludes w ith the
motto, Abi et fac tu sim iliter .
”
THE WELLS OF TIPPER .
Through the kindness of our County S urveyor , Mr . Edward
Glover , M .A .,M . IN S T . CE
,I am enabled to give an account of the
H H
388 N O TES .
spr i ngs of Tipper . I n ow quote from Mr . Glover ’
s letter 0 11 th issubject
Dublin ,February
Th e T i pper S prings , p10pe1ly so called , a1e f ou r in num ber . They are
s ituate in Town land of T ipper S ou th ,abou t two m i les f1om N aas, on the edge
of th e Blessington road, and close to B eggar ’s End . In O1dnance S h eet
N o . 19, th ey are shown,and a1e cal led th e Agh een W ells. Th e Ordnance
Map Sh ows on ly th ree springs .
Th e Grand Cana l Com pany set grea t valu e on th ese spr ings , and su ccess
fu lly Opposed th eir being diverted in to N aas for a wa ter supp ly .
Yours &c .,
EDWARD GLOVER .
N OTE — S ite occup ied by th e spr ings i s abou t 3 roods s tatu te .
N OTES ON A HORNBOOK IN POS SE S S ION OF RICHARD WE S T MANDERS ,
OF CAS TLE S IZ E,NAAS .
Hornbooks were very common in almost every h ou seholdwhere there were children du r ing the last century and at the
begi nn ing of this .
They were u sed by the children to learn them alphabet and
the Lord’
s Prayer from . There i s not m uch archaeologica l interestin this little Hornbook bu t i t i s one of those articles that entered
i nto th e everyday l ife o f ou r ancestors, the rem embrance and u ses
of which are soon lost am idst the rush and progress of m odern life .
Hornbooks have been thought worthy of being fu lly wr itten abou tand illu strated . M I . Tuer has published a volum inou s work on
the subject , and they now comm and the very highest pr ice amongst
collectors .
I m ight h ere m ent ion that our Coun ty Archaeological S ocietywou ld no doubt find in m any hou ses in this par t of Ireland smallObj ects long forgo tten and neglected , wh ich Show m ore clearly , andbr ing h ome to one th e social life of those ear ly days better , thananything th at can be wr itten . If any of our m embers havesuch Obj ects , I h ope they w ill treasu re them , and bring thembefore the notice of our S ociety . In less than two years thecen tu ry will have closed . Ou r condit ions of life are changingevery day , and i t i s of the greatest interest for fu tu re histor iansth at these little side lights on form er social life i n the past shou ldnot be forgotten .
MAYO ,
T h e Bu lb y s , o r M a o Bu lb y s , o f t h e C o u nty K i ld a re .
Th is fam ily has been long extinct and long forgotten as very lit tlem ention i s m ade of them in the Irish Anna ls or h istory , they must
have been of small impor tance. “ The Annals of the Fou r Masters ,
u nder th e year 1489, record the death of only one m ember of thefam ily, thu s
MacBulby, Lord of Crioch-Bhulbach , a long the Barrow, died .
390 N OT ICE o r EOOR S .
and van ished into th e depth s below . In corroboration of Maloney’
s
account, the net was discovered to have a hole torn in i t largeenough for a tu rf-kish to pass through . Maloney fu rther stated
th at the fu ll of an ass’
s car of gold wou ld not temp t h im to
again face what he considered to be th e enchanted guardian of a
great treasure deposited at the foot of th e fl igh t of steps h e h ad
stood 0 11 . S ince that t im e th e mystery has never been solved .
The above tale was told m e by three different m en , liv ing far apar t .
One was . Larry Moore,Of Moone ,
anoth er Math ew Gaffney, of
Castleroe , and the third was John Kelly , of Athy the form er two
died recently at long ages .
W FITzG
A t h g o e C a s t le , C o . D u b l in — Three m iles to the sou th of
Hazelha tch Railway S tat ion stands the ancient castle of Athgoe in
very good preservation . The m odern hou se at tach ed to i t i s occu
p ied by one of ou r members,Mrs . Clarke . Over th e original
en trance to the castle 1s a small red sands tone tablet , 14 inches inlength , and 12 inch es in heigh t , in two p ieces . On th e upper
I F’i s 15 7 9
and on the lower half W L K A
These letters and figures are in relief,though m uch worn . The
in itials W L probably stand for a m an’
s nam e , and th e K A for h i s
It i s possible that the followm g extract from Dan iel Molyneux’
s
V isitat ion Of th e County Dublin in 1610 (a manu scr ipt in U lster’
s
Office) gives u s the nam es of the owners of the in itialsW i lliam A llen , second broth er of S i r John A llen of Coteshall in
N orfolke , h ad i ssu e th ree sonnes and two drs . John i ssules , th ough e
h e h ad to h i s first wife Margt . si ster to Ch r i stofer Linch Of th e Knocke ,and to h i s second Mary Caru s new w i fe to Jam es Janes of Dublin
,
a lderm an ; Math ew Allen Of Palm erston (CO . Dub lin ) had to wi fe
Amab le dr . of W i l liam Martin of Eaton by W indesore, new wife toPatr i cke Browne of Ir i sh towne ; Ch ri stofer dead Wi th ou t i ssu e ; Annew i fe to Th eoba ld Walsh of Ki llencarge ; and K a t h e r in w i f e t o
W i ll iam Lo c k e o f C o lm a n s t o nf’
As the townlands of Cohnanstown and Athgoe adjoin one another ,i t m ay be concluded that th e W and L stand for William Locke,and the K and A for Kather ine Allen .
W FITzG
glioti ce of QBooRs .
Th e Royal Ir ish Academy has ju st brough t ou t the first part ofM iss Margai et S tokes
’
s great work on the H igh Crosses of Ireland .
This par t contains illu strat ions of the fou r sides of the two Castledermot Crosses
,and also the Durrow Abbey Cross in th e K ing
’
s
Coun ty . Th is m agnificent work i s being issu ed in folio S ize ; i tscost i s a gu inea , and i t can be Obtained from Hodges , Figgis, 85 Co. ,
Of Grafton S treet , Dublin .
394 LEIXLIP CA STLE .
Dr . Joyce, in hi s Irish Names of Places explained , writesthat
Leixlip i s wholly a Danish name , old Norse ,‘Lax-hlaup ,
’
i .e S almon Leap . This name (which i s probably a translat ionfrom the Irish) i s derived from the wel l-known cataract on the
Liffey,a l ittle above the town . Giraldu s Cambrensi s ( in the
twelfth century) , after speaking of these fish leaping up the
cataract , says :‘ Hence the
'
place derives i ts nam e of S altu sS almoni s (or S almon From this word S altus ,
’
a Leap ,
the Baronies of ' S alt , in the County Kildare, have taken theirname .
”
This Lat in form was the one u sed for centu ries in legaland other documents . Before the invent ion and general u se of
print ing, the scribes who prepared or Oopied documents , in
order to shorten their work, abbreviated almost every word ; so
that having written S altus S almoni s once in fu ll , they onlywrote the first syllable of each word afterwards , thus S alt .S alm .
,and by a further abbreviation
,effected by om itting
S alm .,
all that u lt imately remained was“S alt .” Hence
the names of the Baronies of North and S ou th S alt .Under the year A .D. 915 the Annals of the Four Masters
record the battle of Ceann-fuai t , which O’
Donovan i dent ifieswith Confey,
1a place a m i le to the north of Leixl ip. Here i t i s
stated that S i tric, grandson of Ivar (and b rother Of Ragnal l of
Waterford) , arr ived w ith h i s hosti le fleet , and sett led at
Ceannfuai t Fuat’
s Head) , in the east of Leinster.
”
The Leinstermen attacked the Danes, but were defeated with a
loss of 600. 1nen , including Ugai re mac A ilell, King of Leinster ;
Maelmaedhog mac Diarm id , Abbot of Killeshin ; and severalother petty kings and chieftains . O
’
Donovan,in a note, adds
1 In th e sixt een th century (and probab ly ear lier st il l) a b ranch of the
Eu stace fam ily was seat ed at Confey . A sma l l port ion Of their cast les t il l exist s th ere , a fie ld or two away from the Con fey churchyard in
wh ich they bu r ied , though no m onum ent to them i s now v isib le in i t .
Jam es Eu stace , of Con fey , was ou t lawed abou t 1650 for reb el lion ; hewas th e son o f N icho las Eu stace , of Confey , who died abou t the year
1648, and who was m arr ied t o (1) Margaret , daugh ter Of John S arsfield of
Lu can ; (2) to M argaret Bath . Th is N icho las was the son O f John Eu stace,
o f Confey ( Ob . 2nd Ju ly ,by hi s w ife , Mary , daugh ter Of R ichard
Fagan ,A lderman Of Dub lin who was th e son of N icho las Eu stace
,of
Con fey (Ob . 10th Oct,
by h i s W ife , M aud,daughter Of Thomas
Lu t t re l l who was the son Of Jam es Eustace (Ob . v . by h i s w ife, JoanPeppard ;wh o was the son Of John Eustace
,of Confey (Ob . 4th Feb . ,
by hi s w ife , Elizab eth , daugh t er Of Chr istoph er Ch ivers , of Macetown ,
Coun ty M eath ; who was th e son of Jam es Eustace , of Confey , who
m arr ied Elizab e th Fi tzLeon S . ( Vi de the CO . K ildare Exch equer Inqu i si t ions and W il ls . )
LEIXLIP CA STLE. 395
that i t i s highly probable that i t was the Danes of Conn thatgave i ts name to Leixlip.
Beyond the battle given above , the Annals of Ireland donot aga in m ake any ment ion of Leixlip .
A fter the arrival of the Anglo—Normans under S trongbow i nIreland , abou t 1170, Leixlip , Cloncurry , Oughterard , Kill , andDownings , were granted to Adam de Hereford ; part of theselands he gave to hi s brothers John and Richard. Adam de
Hereford’
s death took place abou t the year 1216, as the wardship and marriage of h i s son and heir was at that date grantedto Geoffrey de Marisco, the Justiciary of Ireland, for the sum
Of 100 m arks .
1
A t the close Of the thirteenth century the de Herefords
appear to have been succeeded at Leixlip by a fam i ly named
Pypard as on the death of S ir W i lliam de Vesci , Lord of
Kildare , in 1297 , i t was found by an Inqu isition that he hadthe homage and service of Ralph Pypard, who owned the
Manors Of S altu s S almoni s, Cloncu rry, and Castle W arning ,
holding them by the service of 23 knights’
fees. In 1302
Ralph Pypard su rrendered to the king all h i s cast les, manors,
and tenements in Ireland, except the manor of Cloncurry , thenin the possess ion of h i s son John Pypard , and Mat ilda h i s wife .
In consequence Richard de Bakepu tz , Constable of the Castle of
the S almon Leap , received a mandate to del iver up that Cast leto the king or h i s at torney.
In the year 1317 Robert Bruce, du ring h i s invas ion of
Ireland, proceeded from Cast leknock to N aas,and
, according to
Camden’
s Chronicles,
encamped at Leixlip for four days ,during which t ime they burnt part of the towne
,brake downe
the chu rch and Spoi led i t , -and afterwards marched on toward
the N as .
”
1463 . In this year i t was enacted by Parliament that theChurch of S t. Columb
,in this county
, Shou ld be annexed to
the Monastery of the Blessed V irgin near Leixlip ; no otherment ion has been found of this religious house.
2 On the town
land cal led Newtown ,between the town of Leixl ip and the
rai lway, there i s a holy well dedicated to S t . Columbkill ; the
Church of S t. Columb may formerly have stood in i ts vicinity .
By a S tatute of Henry V II, passed i n the year 1494 , i t was
enacted that only Englishmen shou ld be appointed to the office
of Constable of the King’
s Castles of A thlone, Carlingford ,Carrickfergus, Dublin,
Greencastle, Leixlip , Trim ,and W icklow.
Ca lendar Of Papers , Ireland .
M onast icon H ib ern icum .
396 LEIXLIP CA S TLE.
Between the years 1485 and 1509 the m anor , castle,and
lands of Leixl ip were granted by H enry VII to Gerald,the
8th Ear l of Kildare ; they rem ained in the possess ion of h i s
sons unt i l the breaking ou t of the rebell ion of h i s grandson ,
“the si lken Thomas
,l0th Earl of K i ldare
,in 1534 , in
which the then possessor of Leixlip , S i r Jam es Mei rgach”
the wrinkled) Fi tzGerald, was implicated . In consequ ence,the following Act was passed in 1536, by which the m anor
reverted to the King Henry VIII :
Whereas , K ing H enry V II , of m ost famou s m emory , Father t o ou r
S overeign Lord the K ing tha t now i s , in considerat ion O f a m arr iage hadb etw ixt Gerald Fi tzGerald , th en (8th ) Ear l O f K ildare
,and Dam e
E lizab eth S aint John ,by h i s let ters pa ten t , d id giv e and gran t un to th e
said Ear l and Dam e Elizab eth ,and the h eirs ma le o f th eir bod ies law
fu lly to b e b ego tt en ,the M anor and Lord sh ip of Leixl ip , w ith th e
appu rt enances , s ituate w ithin the Coun ty of K ildare , in th is th e K ing’
S
land O f Ire land , by force of wh ich gran t th e Ear l and h i s w ife w ere
th ereof seized acco1d ingly . A fter th e Ear l d ied (31d and
th e aforesaid Elizab eth su rv ived,and was seized and d ied seized ( 28th
June , 1516) Of the aforesaid manor and lord sh ip in h er dem esn e as of
f ee“
tail . A ft er wh ose d eath the sam e descended t o one H enry Fi tzGerald ,son and heir to th e said Elizab eth ,
by the said Ear l b egot t en by force
wh ereof th e said H enry was thereof se ized af t er wh ose d ea th (2nd Ju ly ,1516) the said manor and lordsh ip d escended t o one Thom as Fi tzGerald ,as brother and h eir m a le t o th e said H enry ; by force wh ereof th e saidThom as was thereof seized in h i s dem esne as o f fee ta il by the gift aforesaid , af ter whose death ( in 1530) t he said m anor and lordsh ip descendedto one James Fi tzGera ld , as br oth er and heir m a le t o the said Thom as
,
by th e gift , aforesaid , by v irtu e wh ereof th e sa id Jam es was and i s
th ereo f seized in h i s d em esne as of fee tail by the gif t aforesaid . Foras
m u ch as the manor and lordsh ip of Le ixlip with the appu r tenances , was
b efore the sa id gift O f the K ing’
s‘
ant ient inh eritance, and for that the
b lood Of the Gera ld ines i s corrupt ed towards th e Crown O f England Be
i t estab lish ed and enact ed by the au thority O f th is presen t Par liam ent,
that th e said gift , grant , and th e lett ers pat en t the1 eupon ,and every th ing
therein contained , from th e first day Of th is session O f th is presen t Parliam ent , b e revoked , repea led , annu l led ,
and deem ed void i n law ; and
that ou r sovereign Lord,K ing H enry V III , by the grace Of God K ing
O f England and Of France, and Lord Of Ire land,sha ll ,
b
from th is first dayof the session O f th is present Par l iam ent
,have and en joy the sam e
manor and lordsh ip , to h im ,h i s heirs and su ccessors , in th e r igh t of the
Crown Of England for ever . The said let t ers paten t , or anyth ing con
ta ined in the sam e,or any other A ct or A ct s had, -made
, or done , t o th e
cont rary thereof notw ith stand ing ; sav ing ,to every person and persons ,th eir h eirs and su ccessors , other than th e said S ir Jam es
,h is heirs and
su ccessors,and su ch per son and persons as claim to any other u ses , all
such r igh t , t it le , int erest , possession ,. leases
,rents
, Offices,or other
profits , wh ich they had at th e said first day of the session o f th is presen tPar liament , or at any t im e b efore , in
‘
as large and amp le manner as i fth is A ct had never b een had or mad e .
“ M ay l st , 28°H enry V I II
M orr in’
s Calendar Of Paten t Ro l ls , Ireland .
LEIXLIP CA STLE. 397
In 1538 the Manor and Castle of Leixlip were su rrendered
by Matthew King, Of Dublin,on which John A len , the Chan
cellor , Obtained a lease of them for twenty-one years ; in 1561
they passed to W i lliam Vernon , gent , for a like period and in
1569 they were granted to S ir N icholas Whyte , Master of the
Rolls,in Whose fam i ly they remained t i ll about the beginning
of the eighteenth centu ry .
S i r N icholas Whyte, Knt ., was the son of James Whyte , of
King’
s Meadows,in the County Waterford . He was in 1564
Recorder of Waterford in 1569 he was appointed S eneschal ofthe County of Wexford and Constable of the Cast le of Wexford ;and in 1572 he was made Master of the Rolls— an Office whichhe held t i ll h i s death on the 20th March
,1593 . In 1569 he
was granted the lands Of S t . Catherine ’
s , on the Oppos ite bankof the Liffey
,in the County Dublin, and in the following year
he obtained a grant of the Manor of Leixlip , two cast les , a
water-m i ll , a salmon-weir,two fish ing
-places, called the S almon
Leap, on the r iver Anali ffey , Pr iortown Meade,
and otherdemesne lands of the manor , 6d . rent for licence to have a rightof way from Confey to Leixlip, the right of pasture on the great
common of Moncronock, and rents ou t of several townlands,to
hold for ever in capite by the service of a fort ieth part of a
kn igh t’
s fee, at a rent of £36 13s . 4d . Irish (or £27 10s .
sterling) .S i r N icholas
’
s son and heir was AndrewWhyte , who married ,according to a Funeral Entry, Margaret , daughter of PatrickFinglass , son of Thomas , sonne to the Chief Baron ;after Andrew
’s death , on the 3l st Ju ly , 1599, she re-married
W ith John Finglass, of Westpalstown ,County Dublin . S trange
to say,Andrew Whyte, in h i s will , which i s dated the 30th Oct.,
1596, names as one of the overseers to i t h i s father-in-law ,
Richarde Neu terfilde, of Corballies , Esqu i er , and yet the wi llwas proved on the l0th Augu st , 1599, by hi s W idow Margaret
ffinglas , als . Whit .Andrew Wbyte
’
s son and heir was S i r N icholasWhyte, Ku t .,
Who married Lady Ursu la , daughter of S ir Garrett Moore, Ku t .,
of Melli font , Co. Lou th , created V iscount Drogheda in 1621.
S ir N icholas died on the 24th of Febru ary, 1654 , and, l ike h i sfather, was bu ried at Leixlip ; h i s Wi fe erected a mu ral monu
m ent to h i s memory,which i s now inserted in the wall on the
north s ide of the chancel arch . This m onument cons ists of two
portions : the upper stone (24 in . high X 18 in . broad) bears twocoats of arm s impaled and in relief, vi z .
On the d exter S ide , Argent , a chevron between three roses
gu les, barbed and seeded or, for Whyte .
4oo LEIXLIP CA S T LE .
S ir N icholas Whyte’
s s ucce ssor a t Leixlip was h i s fou rthson ,
Charles , who had served in S pain ,and in 1689 was
Governor of the County Kildare ; he d ied abou t th e year 1697 ,was bur ied at Leixlip , and was l
succeeded by h i s son John,from
whom ,I bel ieve
,the Conollys of Castletown pu rchased Leixlip ,
which remains at present in the possess ion of that fam i ly.
We mu st now hark back to the 1641 period.
A fter the breaking ou t of the Rebell ion on the 23rd October ,1641, S i r N icholas Whyte , of Leixl ip , Lord Dunsany, PatrickBarnewall, of K i lbrew ,
S i r Andrew Aylmer , and several otherleading men in the Pale, in obedience to the king
’
s proclam ation,
surrendered them selves to the Lords Ju stices Parsons and
Borlace , in order - to S how they neither took part in the r is ing,nor sympath ized wi th i t . These men, though their loyalty wasbeyond doubt , were Impr i soned in Dublin Cas tle , withou t havingbeen granted so much as an interview wi th the Lords Ju st ices .
They were exam ined by insolent subord inates, threatened , insulted, and ,
in som e ins tances , as in the case of Patrick Barnewall , pu t upon the rack. W ithou t be ing perm itted to cal lwitnesses , they were charged with high t reason, and kept for a
long t ime in prison . It may seem passing s trange that .the
Lords Just ices , who were the king’
s represen tat ives in Ireland,shou ld treat h i s loyal subj ects in such a manner ; bu t the ex
planat ion i s Parsons yearned to get hold of confiscated lands,and as the lands of
,
the Pale Were far richer than those possessedby the native Ir ish , hi s Wish was to dr ive the men of the Paleinto rebellion ,
in order that the ir lands shou ld be forfei ted , inwhich case he wou ld be sure to get the lion
’
s share.
A contemporary H istory of affairs1 in Ireland in 1641 statesthat the au thorities in Dublin appointed three capta ins in theCounty Kildare to raise forces and hold garrisons for the
Government on the breaking ou t of the Rebellion : one was
Maurice Fi tzGerald,of A llen, who was given the command in
Naas ; the second was PieI'ce Fi tzGerald (also known as
M acThomas) , Of Ballyshannon ,who had charge ,of Castle
dermot and the third was yonge N icholas Whyte ,”who was
respons ible for Leixlip . The account goes on to describe how
One O liver D ungan ,then a yonge slippe , came by n igh t w ith s ix or
seven in h i s compan ie to the courte o f th e guard e of th is Captain VVh i t e’
S
companie , takes the lieu t enant , seized on th e m en and
to pu t t th em all to th e sworde , un less they four thw i th march w ith h im ,
as w ith their captain ,t o th e Catholicke campe ( th e Iris h campe at
‘ Vt’
de S ir J . Gilber t ’
s A n Aphor ism ica l Discovery of Treasonab leFact ion ,
”vol. 1. p . 18.
LEIXLIP CA S TLE . 4O I
Droh eda was th en soe cal led ) , whoe in a fu l l bod ie ob eyed , and m arched
w ith this new cap tain to Droh eda a fore sa id, wh ere he was we l lcom e and
app oin ted cap ta in Of that compan ie .
”
The fol lowing extract i s taken from a j ou rnal1 kept by CaptainW ill iam Tucker , an agent for English Adventu rers for Irishlands
Th e 8th Decem b er,1642 . W e set forward a j orney from Dub lin for
the N asse in com pany w it h the Lord M arqu ess o f Orm onde . W e had
ab ou t one hundred and s ixty h orse . The firs t n igh t w e lodged a t Leixlip ,
a cas t le b e longing t o S ir N ich o las W h ite , now a pr ison er i n th e Cast lea t Dub lin ; th is and m any o th ers th e Lord Lis le hath in cu stod ium to th e
va lew of two thou sand pound s per annum . Th e n ext day we rode t o th e
N asse,Where w e w ere en t er tained by S i r Ar thu r Lof tu s . W e stayd th ere
one n igh t , and S O r e tu rn ed t o Dub lin in th is j orney w e m et t w ith non e
o f the reb ells , as w e d esired .
”
In the month of November, 1646, the Confederate Catholicsmarched upon Dublin ,
under two Generals,Preston2 and Owen
roe O’
N eill.3 They took up their pos ition in the neighbourhoodof Lucan and Leixlip on the Liffey . Unfortunately they wereon term s the reverse of fri endly , so that any plan of operat ionssuggested by the one was su re to be Opposed by the otherThere was no commander-in-chief— a fatal error
, bu t one whichcou ld not be rem edied , on account of the j ealou sies exist ingbetween the generals . S ome historians S peak Of the N uncio as
commander-in-chief ; bu t from a m i litary point of view he wasnothing of the kind. Ormonde was in Dublin ; Digby, theking
’s secretary and tru sted m in ister , was wi th Preston in
Leixlip Castle , where that commander had fixed h i s headquarters ; and Clanrickarde was cons tant ly pass ing and re
passing between th e two places , carrying on a correspondence ,Of which the Nuncio and Owen roe O
’
N eill were kept in almostcomplete ignorance . S ome proposals were m ade to the Con
federates , whilst Digby endeavou red to detach Preston from
them altogether . TO create d ivi sion vand promote delay were
the two great objects Orm onde had in view,as he was at the
same t ime In treaty with Comm issioners from the Engl ishParliament abou t the su rrender to them of Dublin
,which he
very soon after carr ied into effect . A black treason i t was to
IVi de Gilb er t ’
s“ H istory of th e Con federat ion and War in Ire land
,
1641 vol. i i . p . 176.
2 Genera l Thom as Preston was the second son Of Chr istoph er , 4thV iscount Gorman ston . In 1650 h e was creat ed V iscount Tara .
3 Owen“roe
”
( th e r ed) O’
N eillwas the second son of A rt O’
N eill,bro ther to H ugh , lst Ear l Of Tyrone . H i s death t ook p lace in 1649.
LEIXLIl’ CA S T LE . 40 5
The years 1740 and 1741 were years Of great distress inIreland . A t this t im e W i l liam Conolly , of Castletown ,
nephewand heir of the Right Hon . W illiam Conolly, S peaker of th e
Irish Hou se Of Commons , occupied Leixlip Cas tle, which had
previously been pu rchased by h i s uncle, as Castletown Hou se
had been left to h i s aunt for her lifetime ( she died inThis may account for the quaint old O il-painting of LeixlipCastle and i ts neighbourhood, which i s inserted in a panelover the fireplace i n the hal l at Cast letown .
Lewis, in h i s Topographical Dictionary of Ireland , Speak
ing of Leixlip Cas tle , says : This venerable m ans ion was the
favou rite retreat of several Of the Viceroys , o f whom Lord
Townsend1 u sually Spent the summ er here ; i t i s at present
( 1837) the residence Of the Hon . George Cavendish , by whom i t
has been modernized and greatly improved .
”
In the au tumn o f 1856, John M ichael Henry ,Baron de
Robeck, then a tenant of the Castle , was drowned i n the Liffeyduring a great flood . He was H igh S heriff for th e CountyKildare in 1834 , for the County Dublin i n 1838
,and for the
County W icklow in 1839. H i s rem ains were deposited in the
vau lt in the Maynooth Chu rch tower .
In 1878 Captain the Honourable Cornwallis Maude,son and
heir to the Earl of Montalt,took up h i s res idence in the Castle
after h i s m arriage in this year . When the Boer war broke ou t,
he volunteered for service , and was numbered w ith the dead
after the disastrou s Majuba H i ll affair 011 the 27th Febru ary,1881.
The present res ident in the Castle i s W illiam Mooney ,Esq .
,J .P . ,
who so kindly adm itted the members of the CountyKildare A rchaeological S ociety into hi s demesne to v isi t the
S almon Leap, and showed them over the old Cas tle in 1896.
The date of the erection of Leixl ip Cas tle i s not recorded,
bu t the Oldest portion i s supposed to have been erected by thede Hereford fam i ly at the end of the twelfth centu ry . There i sone room in i t called King John
’s room , from the tradition
that that monarch occupied i t occasionally during h i s short stayin Ireland .
The eastern end of the Castle front i s flanked by a squaretower, and the western end by a ci rcu lar one , in both of which ,for the sake of modern com fort
,the Old narrow Ioopholes and
arrow-sl its have been replaced by large windows .
1 He was Lord Lieu tenan t from 1767 to 1772 . Pr imate S tone a lsomade u se of Leixlip Cast le as h i s coun try residence .
406 LEIXLIP CA S T LE.
By the side of the canal , Opposite to the Leixlip rai lwaystat ion ,
i s a Spa well . It was first discovered by the workmenemployed in excavating the Grand Canal in 1793 ; the CanalCompany secured the flow of the spring by d irecting i ts course
to the neighbouring bank , under which i t was conveyed into a
cu t-stone basin . A t the beginning of this century i t was much1eso1ted to by Dubliners , and fo1 a t ime rivalled the S pa in
Captain Vesey’
s dem esne at Lucan. The following ext i act,
taken f10m The I r i sh T imes of the 12th S eptembe1 , 1898, givesan idea of the vast numbe1s who had fai th In the cu1at ive powe1
of the Lucan Spa watch ,The Ir ish T i mes quotes as follows
from an Irish paper Of 1794 :
A gent leman confined - to h i s room under took last S unday , for h i samu sem ent , to make an est imate of the number Of persons who on that
day passed through Leixlip on their way to the new Lucan S pa ,for
wh ich purpose he p laced h im self in h i s w indow at s ix O’
clock in the
m orn ing , w ith pen ,ink
,and paper ; and b etween that hou r and five
O’
clock in the afternoon he reckoned 55 coaches , 29 post-chaises , 25
nodd ies , 2 jaunt ing-cars , 20 gigs , 6 open landau s , 221 common cars,
w ith company , and 450 horsemen ,in addit ion to pedestr ians .
”
WHYTE AND MOORE COATS OF ARMS ,
On th e Whyte Monument in Leixli p Church .
40 8 THE O’
CON N OR IIEN CHV S o r S TO N EBROOK .
fam i ly. This wi ll proved to be the subject of endless l it igation ;for whilst the Henchys alleged that John H ickie was onlysimu lat ing Protestant ism ,
and died a Catholic,the H ickies con
tended that h i s conversion was genu ine , and that he did not
claim as a tru stee, bu t as legally entitled to the ownership of
the propei ty unde1 the provisions of the Act for the Preven
tion of the Gi owth of Pope1yPeter Henchy, of Cappagh Castle and. Feenagh , made a wi ll
on the 4th Augu st , 1732 , which was pl oved on the 11th
December, 1736, by which i t wou ld seem that he had threesons : h i s eldest son, Peter , who predeceased h im ; h i s second
son,Loghler, who married Mary Macnamara, and left th ree
children,George, M ichael , and Mary ; and Thomas Henchy,
who d ied in h i s father ’
s l ifet ime, leaving Thomas
,M ichael ,
and E lizabeth Henchy as hi s children and several daughters ,including Teresa, who marr ied John White
,Esq ; Elizabeth ,
married Thomas Amory, Esq . ;-W inifred , married to one of
the O’Briens ; S arah , married Qu in ; a daughter, marr ied to
Hanraghan and another , who married Trant,Esq.
,and
had issue, Edward and Peter. Peter Henchy , the grandson
of Peter B enchy (b . never came into possession of
Cappagh Castle, which was left to the H ickies . He also professed to become a Protestant ; he i s indeed registered as a
convert on 22nd November , 1735 . In a Chancery bill filedagalnst h i s grandfather he complains that having been edu
os ted in the P'
opish religion,he abj u red i t at fourteen years of
age ; that hi s grandfather had u sed every form of coercion to
induce h im to return to the fai th of h i s father, even to the
extent Of inducing h im to man y, in 1729, h i s cou sin,Mai garet ,
daughte1 of Florence Henchy or Hensey , of Ballycumeen . He
alleged that s ince then h i s grandfather had thI eatened to
di sinhei it him ,and he consequent ly appealed to the protection
of the Act“for the Pi evention of the Gi owth of Pope1y. It
i s,however, most probable that this action was fict it ious
,as i t
never came into Court , and Peter Henchy was made h i s grandfather’
s heir under h i s will .Peter Henchy the younge1 got soon into difficu l ties
, and
on S eptember 5th , 1763, sold h i s interest in the p10pe1 tyto h is eldest son Donogh 01 Dennis . Pete i B enchy had
also a youngei b1othe1 John (b . the fathe1 of DavidHenchy, of Rockfield , County Dublin , and the great
-g1and
father of the present Captain H ugh O’
Connor Henchy,of S tonebrook, CO . Kildare . Peter Henchy had also a
younger son, John,and a daughter, Hannah
, who marriedthree t imes : first
,one of the Vandeleurs then
,on the 2oth
T I—IE O’
CO N N OR H EN CHV S o r S TO N EERO O R . 409
October,1763, Mr . S t . John Di llon , of Carlow , and finally
Captain M ichael O’
Brien,R .N .
,by whom she left Donat Henchy
O’
Brien,also in the Roy al N avy . Donogh or Dennis Henchy ,
of Feenagh , married , first,Mary , the eldest daughter of John
H ickie,Esq . ,
of Cappagh Castle,nephew and heir to John
H ickie,the discoverer . In order to bring the fam i ly dispu te to
an end,John H ickie suggested , i t i s alleged, in a fit of intoxica
t ion, a marriage between h i s daughter , then eleven years old
,
and Dennis Henchy, on the understanding that they were not to
cohabit for three years . On h i s death Anne H ickie ’
s fam i lyconcealed her bu t she was discovered by Dennis Henchy , who
abducted her , and also took possess ion o f her property. The
m arriage was , however, final ly dissolved by the Prerogat iveCourt
, and Dennis Henchy m arried Dorothy, the daughter of
Patrick Fi tzGibbon ,of N ewcastle , CO . Limerick
,an uncle of
the celebrated Lord Clare, Lord Chancellor of Ireland ; whilstAnne H ickie marr ied Henry Faircloth . Feenagh was alreadyheavi ly mOI tgaged . Pete1 Henchy had made a fi1st m O1tgage
of the sou th m oiety of Feenagh to Fi anci s Dillon, on Ju ly
2nd, 1768. Dennis made a second m OI tgage to John Fi tzGibbon ,
Lord Clare ’
s fathe1 , on December 2nd, 1773 . Dennis Henchydied the 5 th February, 1777 , leaving three sons : Peter Fi tzGibbonHenchy, K .G. , LL .D . ,
h i s heir ;Donat Henchy , of Ballinvarassig,Coun ty Cork, who married, first
,Rose
,daughter of Peter Carey ,
of Blackwater , and had issue by her four daughters : Anne;E liza
,married Robe1t S cott , Esq . Rose, marI i ed
and Em i ly . Donogh Henchy then ma11 i ed, on h i s
first w ife ’
s death , Agnes , daugh te1 of Robe1t Camer,
on Esq .
of Edinbu 1gh ,and had 1ssue, Donat , Robe1t , and S t . John .
Peter Fi tzGibbon Henchy, the eldest son , underwent manyviciss itudes . On Ju ly 14th ,
1777 Mr. Francis D il lon and Mr .
John Fi tzGibbon , being anxiou s to foreclose their mortgages , and
to sel l the Henchy property, thu s proceeded to at tain their end .
They feared that h i s t itle m ight yet be impeached by a Protes
tant discoverer , S O they consequently assigned their m ortgage to
John Lindsay , Of Lisburn ,coachman , who was acting O1I their
behalf to obtain possess ion of the property as the first genu ineProtestant discoverer . The final resu lt of these proceedingswas that John Lindsay obtained a decree on Janu ary 16th ,1786, on the allegat ion that John H ickie
’
s discovery was fraudulent , and was consequently adjudged to be ent it led to the landsin d ispu te , which were sold to sat isfy the claims of FrancisD illon and John Fi tzGibbon . Peter Fi tzGibbon Henchy, how
ever , proved himself to be most successfu l as a Chancery barrister. Richard Lalor S heil , in hi s S ketches of the Irish Bar
,
”
THE O’
CON N OR HEN CHYS OF S TO N EBROOK .
descr ibes h im in som ewhat scath ing term s . He married— first,
Elinor Atkinson ,by whom he had four chi ldren. H i s only son,
Fi tzGibbon, was born in 1801 matr icu lated at Trinity College,Dublin
,May 3rd, 1819 ; B .A .
,1822 ; was an inval id and de
formed , and died at Moynoe , CO . Clare , in 1875 , w ithou t i ssue .
H i s eldest daughter , E leanor Marv died unmarr ied . H i s second
daughter , Georgina Frederica, married , 12th January, 1835 , the2nd V iscount Frankfort de Montmorency, and died, l6th April ,1875 , leaving, with other issue , Major-General V iscount Frankfort de Montmorency. H i s third daughter , Caroline, marriedMajor-General Edward Bas i l Brooke , the fifth son of S i r Edward
Brooke, of Colebrooke, Co . Fermanagh . Peter Fi tzGibbon
Henchy m arried,as h i s second wife
, Clara, the daughter of
Benj am in Jones, E sq . , and th e widow Of the 2nd Lord Ventry,a lady who at the t ime was repu ted to be in the enjoyment of
considerable wealth , bu t who , unfortunately , had nothing bu t
gambling and other debts . Mr . Fi tzGibbon H enchy consequentlybecame liable for her engagements to an enormous extent
,
although he had not the remotest idea when he m arr ied her thatshe was so heavi ly involved . He was
, consequent ly, forced not
only to leave the country, bu t to ,
throw up a profess ion in whichhe was earning a subs tan tial income . Lady Ven try died at her
Dublin lodgings on January 17 th , 1837 , and the matter i s
alluded to in The D ubli n E veni ng M a i l Of January 18th , in thefollowing words
Th e dem ise of th is unfort unate lady w il l , we tru st , enab le a respect
ab le cit izen and a barr is ter o f great s tand ing and pract ice to resum e
hi s stat ion in society , and ent it le h im again to take hi s p lace in h is
profession .
”
Mr . Henchy , however, settled at the Bower , near Epping, inEssex
,and d ied on Janu ary 1l th ,
1849, at S t . Pierre-les-Calais,in the department of the
“Pas de Calais.
”
S O much for the elder branch of the Henchy fam i ly.
W e come now to the second and third branches .
James Henchy , of Ballycaseybeg, Co . Clare,left only one son
,
Matthias, to whom we find no further reference beyond h i s wi ll,
dated the 1st May, 1698.
Florence Henchy, of Ballycumeen,nephew to Peter B enchy
,
of Cappagh Castle , was born in 1670, and died on the 17 th
Janu ary, 1757 . H i s wife , Mary, was born in 1683 , and died on
March 10th , 1748, leaving , w ith Donagh ,who was born in 1703,
and drowned on June 6th ,1730, and Margaret, the wife of Peter
Henchy , of Feenagh , b . 1709, d . Ju ly 4 th,1760, Flagh or
Florence Henchy, or Henzey , b . 1714 , M .D . of Leyden Univers ity .
Many particu lars of h i s l ife m ay be gleaned from the Genu ine
4 1 2 TH E O’
CO N N OR HEN C IIYS o r S TO N EBROOK .
Juli ai Valent ine O’
Bri en O’
Connor,third son o f Valent ine
O’
Connor and Mary Henchy , m ar . Mon ica,daugh ter of W i lliam
Errington ,of H igh W arden
, Co . N orthumberland,
and had
issu e— Valentine , b . December 12 th,1844 , d . 7th February,
1865 ; John ( twin) , 11 . December 12 th,1844
,d . 4 th May , 1862 ;
David, b. Janu ary 13th , 1848, (1. 6th Julv, 1848 ; W ill iam , b .
December 27th , 1850, d . Apri l 5 th ,1898,
m ar . Rose , daugh ter
of Edmund Lawless, Q.C . Ellen,m ar . W al ter Hu ssey Walsh ,Esq . , of Mulhu ssey, Co . Roscommon ; Mary, mar . Major Wm .
Blount, eldest son of Wm . Blount,Esq.
,of Osleton ,
Hereford
shire ; Eliza , mar . John Browne, E sq ; and Margaret , mar .
S i r Percy Grace, Bart . Valent ine O’
Connor also left severaldaughters : E llen ,
mar . Percy Magan ,Esq.
,of K ildeagh ,
CO.
Carlow ; Mary,m ar . Baron de Curni en : Monica, m ar . Peter
Purcell, of H alverstown, Co. Kildare ; and Honoria, mar . Captain
Peter S lingsby Fi tzGerald .
TJM OLHV.
[Read a t th e Excu rsion M eet ing on the l6th S eptemb er ,
BY LORD WALTER FITZ GERALD .
TIMOLIN ( Teach-M oling, i .e . , Moling
’
s1 hou se or chu rch
i s a vi llage lying between Moone and Ballitore,in the
Barony of N arragh and Rheban East .
This place came into existence in the seventh century , whena religiou s establishment was founded here by S t . Moling,Bishop of Ferns , the patron saint of the Clan Kavanagh .
S t . Moling was a native of Hy-K insellagh ,
a d istrict whichincluded the present County W exford, the Barony of S hillelagh ,in the County W icklow , and the northern extrem i ty of the
County Carlow. A fter the establishment of surnames the principal fam i ly of this territory took the name of MacMorrough
a name now obsolete, though the race sti ll exists under the
adopted names of Kavanagh and Kinsella , which are bothnumerou s .
S t . Moling’
s father was named O ilean,or Faolan, and h i s
mother , N emhnat,“of Kerry .
”H i s first nam e was Dairkell.
In after-life he was known as“ Moling Luachra
”of
Luachai r) , becau se (according to the Martyrology of Donegal )i t was he that sprang over Luachai r Deadhaidh2 in three leaps ,
when the Spectres were in pu rsu it of h im .
”Lingeadh i s the
Ir ish for a leaping or bounding, and with the endearing prefixmo my) before i t , the name became Moling .
It was during the reign of Finnach ta the Festive, King of
Ireland from A .D . 674 to 694 , through the intercess ion of
S t . Mol ing, that the oppress ive biennial Boromean tribu te was
forgiven to the Leinstermen . This great tax was imposed on
Leinster in the year A .D . 82,by Toole the Legit imate, King of
Ireland, in revenge for the death of h i s two daughters, Dai rine
and Fi thir . The former was marr ied to Achy A inkenn , King of
Leinster, who during her life gave out that she was dead, and
took King Toole’
s other daughter , Fi th i r , to wife . N ot long
Pronounced MOlin .
A p lace located by Father S hearm an in h i s“ Loca Pa tr iciana
(p . on th e r iver Bu rren , in th e County Car low .
4 14 T IMOLIN .
afterwards the two s isters accidentally m et in the King of
Leinster’
s palace ; and , learning the tru th , they were so overwhelmed with grief and shame that they died in consequence .
King Toole, on hearing of this tragedy, invaded Achy’s terr itory ,
bu rned h i s strongholds , and imposed the heavy cow-tax,wh ich ,
according to Keat ing’
s H istory of Ireland ,1cons isted of six score
hundred of cows, of swine,of sheep, of copper chaldrons , of
ounces of S i lver, and of embroidered mant les . The levying Of
this tribu te every second year was invariably Opposed by theLeinstermen
,and led to great loss of life . Even i ts abolish
m ent i s related to have been due to a verbal sleight of hand ,”
as S t . Moling obtained the rem iss ion of this tax by a s ingu laru se of the Irish word “ luan ,
”which m eans Monday
,and also
Doom sday. The king understood i t in the former sense ; bu t
when expostu lated with by S t . Mol ing, he gave way , not wishingto Offend the saint nor to appear to break h i s word .
S t . Moling’
s most famous eccles iastical foundation was at
S t . Mu llin ’
s (at that t ime cal led Ros-broc,'
or the wood of the
Badger) , which i s situated on the east bank of the Barrow, in
the sou thern extrem ity of the County Carlow ; the saint ’s“Pattern ”
i s sti ll celebrated there on the anniversary O f h i s
death , the 17th of June,and on the 25 th of Julv the feast of
the dedicat ion of h i s chu rch .
2
Both S t . Mu llin ’
s and Timolin were formerly called Teach
Moling ; so that , to dist ingu ish them ,the Irish Annals and
H istories m ention the latter as Teach-Mol ing-begg (T imolinbeg) , or the lesser T imolin .
The death of S t . Mol ing took place 011 the 17th of June, inthe year and he i s Said to have been buried at S t . Mu llin
’
s .
From this early period nothing remarkable i s recorded as
having occurred at T imolin unt i l after the com ing of the AngloN ormans into Ireland . Mention i s then made of the foundat ionof a nunnery, under the invocat ion of the Blessed V irgin Mary
,
for nuns of the Order of Aroas ia, abou t the year 1200, by Robertfitz Richard4 De Valle (al. Le Veel
,al. Calfe) , who placed
therein h i s granddaugh ter Lacelina.
5
Apropos of this Anglo-Norman knight’
s surname, the lateRev. James Graves of Kilkenny wrote6
The nam es of severa l fam ilies have undergone var iou s transformat ionsln the lapse of centu rles bu t there i s none that we are aware O f W t h
1P . 220 Of the 1723 ed it ion .
2 Loca Patr iciana, p . 94 n .
3 “ Anna ls of th e Fou r M asters .
4 Vi de Harr is ’
s Ware .
5Vi de Archdall
’
s Monast icon .
”
6P . 158 of Graves and Prim ’
s H ist ory of K ilkenny Cathedral .
4 16 T IMOLIN .
Th ey at th e sam e t im e adop t ed var iou s Op inions , and , am ong o thers,the
Old law of M oses,in im ita tion of th e Jewish peop le , and they s ty led th e
king the ch ief head o f the Chu rch of God in h i s Own kingdom . N ew
laws and statu t es w ere enact ed by th e king and council accord ing to
their own w il l . Th ey des troyed th e orders t o Whom wor ld ly posses sionsw er e a l lowed , name ly , th e m onks , canon s
,n un s
,Brethren o f th e Cross
(Crou ch ed Fr iar s) , and the fou r poor order s— th e orders of th e M inors ,Preach ers , Carm e lit es
,and Augu st in ian s ; and th e lordsh ips and liv ings
of all th ese were taken up for th e king . They b roke down th e m onas
t er i es , and sold th eir roofs and b e l ls'
,so that from Arran o f th e S aint s
( the is lands Off the m ou th o f Ga lway Bay) t o th e Iccian S ea ( th eEnglish Channe l) there was not one m onast ery that was no t b roken and
shat t ered , w ith th e except ion of a few in Ireland ,
1Of wh ich th e English
took 110 n ot ice or h eed . Th ey aft erward s b u rned th e images , shr ines ,and re l ics of th e sain t s of Ireland and England .
”
Among the su fferers was the nunnery of T imol in.
According to an inqu is ition2 held at Naas,in the year 15 41,
i t was found that the abbess ofThe monastery of Tem olingbege , in the County of Kildare ,
commonly called the N unnery Of Tem olingbege , at the t ime of
i ts S uppress ion , was seised , in right of the said m onastery,of the s ite and precincts of the abbey there , of the walls of a
chu rch , a belfry, a dorm itory , a cou rtyard (anla ) , and. threeroom s within the precincts there . A lso of 9 messuages, 5 cot
tages , 132 ac1es of le i ge measu i e,
and a watei m i ll i n
Temolingbege ; 29 ac1es of lai ge m easu i e in Inchmacodde i ,3
called S t . John ’
s Land , and of 65 ac1es laIge measu i e in Old
g1ange in the af01esaid county, which lie was te .
”
By other inqu is it ions i t was foundThat the Prioress of Temolingbege , in right of her
monastery, was seised of the Rectory of Dollards ton”in the
County of Kildare , and a parcell of land in Grangemellon, called‘Drumgyrroke,
’
and of an acre of land in Dollards ton, calledthe
‘Church land .
’ 5 That she was also seised of the Rectory of
N orragh , which extends itself to the towns of Norragh , Glasshele ,Blackrath , Incheneguyer, Ballecross , Mollaghmast, Skerries ,Ballebrane , Kylmide, Ballegruge, Old Grange, Balledrummen,
and Balleni sprott .”6
1 It appears from variou s inqu is it ion s that severa l O f them w e1 e in the
ou t Of th e-way par t s concea led for a long t im e af te i th is pei iod , and con
t inned t o exist for many years .
2 County K ildare Exch equ er Inqu isit ion ,N O . 24 O f H enry V III.
3 N ow Inchaqu ire .
4 N ow known a s th e Rosetown Chu rchyard .
5 Co un ty K ildare Exch equ er Inqu isit ion ,N O . 3 o f Edward V I .
6 County K ildare Exch equ er Inqu isit ion ,N O . 7 of Edward V I .
T IMOLIN . 4 17
A fter the dissolu tion of the religiou s hou ses , the s i te and
possessions of this nunnery passed through d ifferent hands,generally for a lease of twenty-one years , at a rent of abou t £10and a fine of £10, always on conditions that no alienation of the
lands shou ld take place ; that in case of sub-lett ing the personwho took them mu st be of Engl ish parents and that there shou ldbe no charge of coyne and livery.
1
In 1581 S ir Henry Harrington ,Knt , was granted the s ite
of the house of nuns of Tymolynbegge , the m i ll there , the landsOf Tymolynbegge, Old Grange , 40 acres of land in Inchmacudder
(Inchaqu ire) , called S t. John’
s Lands,and the cu stom s of all
the prem ises . S ir Henry died on the l st of May , 1612 , and was
succeeded by h i s son and heir , S i r John Harrington,Knt.2
In 1603, on the 23rd of May, a John Mu rphy, S urgeon ,of
Dublin,d ied. He at that t ime was in possess ion of the Castle ,
10 m essuages (or farm steads ) , and 60 acres Of land in Tym olin ;h i s heir was h i s nephew,
John S eagerson ( son of Thomas
S eagerson ,of Ashtown , by h i s wife Joan, s ister of the above
m ent ioned John Mu rphy) . 3
In 1628, W i lliam Archbold rece ived from the Crown letterspatent of the s ite and possess ions of the late Hospital of
S t . John of Tri stledermot t (now Cast ledermot) , and of the
religiou s hou se of Tim olinbegg, w ith all their lands,
fish ings ,rents
, services , and other posses sions , to be held in capite bythe twent ieth part of a Knight
’
s fee . The lands were erected
into a m anor to be called the Manor Of T imolinbegg, w ith a
cou rt leet,cou rt baron ,
and a fair to be held on the 17th of
June ( the patron saint ’
s day)"
Besides the Church of S t . Moling and the nunnery , T imol inat one period cou ld boast of a cast le ; bu t the date of i ts
erection , and by whom i t was bu ilt , I am unable to say . It was
probably a N orm an cas tle , l ike many others whose_remains are
dotted over the country, which as a ru le were bu i lt at a veryearly period .
A s wil l be described further on, i t was bes ieged in the
Rebell ion of 1641, which left i t in a dism antled and ru inou scondit ion . A t the present t ime there i s not a trace of the
foundat ions even of either the castle or nunnery,and i t i s more
than likely that the ru ins of these bu i ldings were thrown down
1 Fiant s .
2 F iant s of Elizab eth , and Coun ty K ildare Chancery Inqu isit ion ,
N o . 36 of Jam es I .
Coun ty K ildare Chancery Inqu isit ion , N O . 23 of Char les I .
M orr in’
s Calendar,
”vol. i i i . p . 354 .
4 18 T IMOLIN .
and the mater ial u t i l ized for erect ing t he hou ses in t he vi llage— a practice which , unfortunately for archaeology, has been of
too common occurrence in Ireland generally , even in recent
yeai s .
The1e a1e two accounts of the siege of T imolin in 1643
g1ven i n contempOI ary documents ; one by an unknown Ir ishl oyalist ; and the other by a Gove1nment AImy Chaplain ; both ,for the sake of compar i son ,
are given below WOId fO1 word
(except that the spell ing has been corrected to m ake the readingeasier) .The account by the royalis t i s as fol lows
Orm ond 2and my Lord Lyell 3 march ed ( in 1643 on them way to
N ew Ross from Dub lin ) as cau t iou s as cou ld b e,so that th ey w ere n o t so
mu ch as heard Of unt il they arr iv ed at T imo lin in th e County of K ildare,
b e longing t o W il liam Archb o ld,though in ancien t t im e a nunnery .
S evera l of th e gen try and inhab itant s of the neighb ou rhood ret ired th ithermore for th eir own proper safety
’
s defence than in any way to O ffend ;on the enemy arr iv ing th ither
,th ey d i d leagu er the sam e
,and p lant ing
th eir ordnance b egan to bat t er the sam e W ithou t in term ission for twentyfou r hou rs . M eanwh ile the Ir ish d efendan ts sounded for par ley from the
Cast le , b esid es whom were oth ers of the sam e par ty in an Old a lmost
ru in ed s teep le , s tand ing in the ru in s of th e said nunn ery church . The
par ley was for b oth th ese part ies , and so under stood by th e enemy ,
quarter agreed for , and sign ed by Ormond and Lyel l pu rsu an t th ereto .
“ Those in the Cast le,as ch ief
,cam e for th first
,and were all pu t to
the sword and s laugh t ered , W ithou t either m ercy or Ob servance of any law .
Th e st eep le defendan t s , assu red of their qu ar ter a s comprehended in that
o f th e Cast le party , w ere ready to com e for th,wh en
,ob serving how
inhum an ly the ir comrades w ere dea lt w ith , they wou ld not tru st to th e
form er capitu lat ion W ithou t fu rth er secur ity , wh ich b eing den ied,the
enemy b egan their bat tery afresh again st th e said steep le .
Th e defendan t s b ehaved th em se lves most cou rageou s , bu t the work ,an ancient w ithered wa l l , was easily sun k down by th e ordnance . All the
p it ifu l cr ies for quar ter w er e of n o avail ; the assau lt fo l lowed th e b reach ;many Of th e enemy perish ed : b u t all the defendants
,m an
,woman ,
and
ch ild,not on ly such as were in the Cast le and steep le , b u t a lso those in
all th e t own , were crue l ly m assacred . Thus from thenceforth i t was a
common say ing—‘not to hope for b et ter quar ter at the English hands
other than that of T imo lin .
’
The other account of the s iege i s from a j ou rnal kept by theRev. George Creich ton, Chaplain to the Marqu is of Ormonde
’
s
regiment , which left Dublin on the l st of March , 1643 . On
the 2nd they reached N aas on the 3rd they crossed the Liffeytwo m i les below Castlemartin
,and lodged that n ight in Kildare ;
1 Vi de S ir John Gilb ert ’
s (a )“ H istory of A ffa irs in Ire land , 1641
1652 ; (b) H istory o f th e Confederat ion and \4 ar in Ireland , 1641 1644 .
2Jam es Bu t ler , M arqu is of Orm onde .
3 Ph ilip S ydney , V iscount Lisle , son o f Rob ert Ear l of Leicester .
4 2 0 T IMOLIN .
roborates the account given by the royalist , though naturally i ti s not ment ioned by the army chaplain .
A few months later the Castle of T imol in , then in the handso f the Parliamentarians
,was summoned by the Confederate
Catholics under two noted leaders— a Capta in Gerald Crone
swarthy) Fi tzGerald, who had served in Flanders under OwenRoe O
’
Neill: though a Kildare man,he spoke broken English ,
owing to the length of h i s service abroad he was ki lled at the
batt le of Lynch’
s Knock, County Meath , in 1647. The otherleader was known as McThomas , an assumed name
,as h i s real
name was Pierce Fi tzGerald ( the son of Garret t Fi tzGerald,by
h i s wife Cicely, daughter of James Fi tzGerald , of Drynanstown) ,whose fam i ly had for ages been seated at Ballyshannon in theCounty Kildare , bu t which was now forfeited, owing to Piercebeing ou tlawed for treason in 1641 . The Parliamentary force inT imol in su rrendered withou t a blow, and was allowed to marchaway with i ts arm s and baggage. On i ts departure, Pierce FitzGerald res tored the Castle to h i s brother-in-law, ChristopherArchbold, i ts righ tfu l owner .
1
From this period nothing worthy of note occurred at Timol int i ll the Rebell ion of
’
98, when i t suffered great ly from both
part ies .
In 1741 the great orator Edmund Burke was in this neighbourhood, as he and h i s two brothers, Garrett and Richard, wereall together at a school in Balli tore , kept by Abraham S hackleton,
a member of the S ociety of Friends . He remained here t il l heentered Trinity College , Dublin ,
in 1744 .
In the T imol in Churchyard there are two objects of ant i
quarian interest the Knight’s Effigy ; and (2 ) the Kehoe
S lab .
1 . THE KnIGHT’
s EFFIGY.
’
Its present pos it ion i s under a yew-tree on the north s ide of
the church , whither i t was probably removed when the church wasrebu i lt or restored .
A descrip tion and an il lustration of th is effigy are given at
page 132 , vol. 1, o f THE JOURNAL. The form er was wri tten by Mr.
A . Hartshorne, and the latter drawn by the Rev. W i ll iam FitzGerald. The date of the monument , judging by the detai ls inthe armour , i s stated to be the end of the twelfth centur y , and,
1 P . 68, vol. i , of Gilb ert’
s“ H is tory o f A ffairs in Ire land . A ccord ing to
a Cou nty K ildare Chancery Inqu isit ion , th is Ch r is toph er o f T im o lin,and
W il liam A rchb old , a lso of Tim o lin ,w ere out lawed for h igh treason on
the 23rd of Octob er , 1641
T IMOLIN . 4 2 1
as far as i t i s at present known ,i t i s the earliest effigy of a
knight now exist ing in Ireland. Though there are heraldic
devices on the shield—vi z ., a large crescent above a bar—yet at
this period fam i ly coats of arm s had not been permanentlyadopted, and so the knight
’s shield affords no clue as to hi s
ident ity, though , as before stated, i t .i s surm ised that i t repre
sents Robert fitz Richard Le Valle, Lord of Norragh ,the founder
of the N unnery of T imolin ,ci rca 1200. Judging by the shape
of the monument , which i s broader at the head end than at the
foot ,1 i t originally formed the lid of a s tone coffin,
as at that early
period the cu stom of pavement burial was in u se .
The fol lowing descript ion of the armour in which the effigyi s clad may add to i ts interest
A complete su it consisted of a hauberk ( including as wel lthe coif and gauntlets) , the chausses , the surcoat , spu rs , sword ,
and shield, each of which in turn wi ll be described.
The H auberk was the tunic-like garment to which the metalrings were stitched on edge, one row tu rning to the r ig
-h t, and the
next to the left beneath the hauberkwas worn an under-garment
padded with wool , which was called a gaubeson,
”or wambsai s.
”
The sleeves of the hauberk fitted close to the arm s,and the
gauntlets or gloves, which were not divided at the fingers , were
attached to them . The hauberk re ached down to the knees,and
was close-fitting . The co if or hood of the hauberk covered thehead completely, with , of cou rse, the except ion of the face
, whichwas left unprotected one edge of i t descended along one check,and the other edge, after doing the same along the other cheek,projected so as to wrap over the throat , and then ran up the
former, to which i t was secu red by a leather s trap . A padded
cap was worn under the coi f, so as to deaden a blow.
The Chausses were the protective garment for the legs and
feet ; they were each in one piece, and were secured under the
soles with a strap in make they resembled the hauberk.
The S urcoa t was a robe worn over the mai l armour ; i t wasa loose, sleeveless garment , which reached half-way down the
legs . It varied in colour , and on i t the knight’
s arms were
emblazoned. The origin of the su rcoat dates from the
Crusades , when i t was worn to keep off the heat of the sun
from the armour , as well as to prevent i t getting begrimed withdu st , or rusty from rain. The sword-belt round the waist kepti t closed in front . (On the T imolin monument the sword does
not appear . )
1 The b read th at the h ead end i s 2 feet , narrowing down t o 1 foot
2 inches a t th e f oot
4 2 2 T IMOLIN .
The Sp a rs worn at this period were known as the Pryck
spur , which ended in a sharp point the rowelled spur was
an invent ion of a later date . These spu rs were fastened to the
feet by means of straps nai led to the shanks , and secured w ithbuckles above the instep, after pass ing under the sole . In a
paper on a goad-
‘
spur found in the County W icklow ,wr itten by
the Rev. J . F. M . ffrench ,
1the following reference to the pryck
Spurs on this effigy i s made
I think,”he writes, the m ost important evidence we can
obtain as to whether our N orman invaders wore the prick 01°
rowelled spur i s that supplied by a recumbent monumental effigylately brought to notice in the churchyard of T imol in , in the
County Kildare , by that Archaeologica l S ociety’
s Jou rnal. 2
I think this T im ol in effigy affords convincing proof that some,i f
not all, the N orman knights who invaded Ireland wore prickSpu
'
rs , al though in this , as in countless other instances,the two
periods m ay have overlapped one another. The“
T imol in effigydoes m ore for u s than even this , for i t disproves a statement
which I quote from a good au thority, who says that‘
the ancientequest1 ians wm e the spu r on one heel only. N o instance appears
to be known of N orman spu rs occurri ng in pa11°
;s and the
reason Hume gives for this habit i s , that the N o1man knigh tsfelt qu ite sat isfied that i f one side of the horse went on , the
other was sure to follow . Now ,the T imolin figure shows a
pa ir of prick-spu rs, and that ought to provide a very conclu s iveden ial to that assert ion .
The S hi eld was kite-shaped ; i t was s lung over the back, 01°
at the left h ip when not requ ired ; i t was hung by a“
gu ige01
° belt, which passed over the right shou lder and under the leftarm ; i t was cu rved, and on i t were pa inted the armorial bearingsof the knight .
THE KEHOE SLAB.
This S lab lies sunk in the ground near the east'
end of the
church ; i t measures 5 feet 4 inches in length , i ts breadth at
the top i s 1 foot 7 inches , and at the bot tom 1 foot 4 inches ;in thickness i t i s 9 inches . A plain cross on a stepped baseruns down the centre ; on either s ide of
,and parallel to the
shaft i s a narrow panel , while above and below the arms are two
sm al l round and two almond-shaped objects— what they represent
1 V i de p . 214 , vol . xxv ( for of The Jou rnal of the Royal S oci ety ofAn ti qu a r i es, I r eland .
2 V ol. i . p . 132 .
4 2 4 T IMOLIN .
i s hard to say . Round the upper end, down one s ide, and alonga portion of the lower end, i s the following inscript ion
DO N A GH K lGHOW A LIS O N N E v RGH BO LD
FA RREL K IC H OW
The date, 1683, i s cut on th e base of the cross. The letteringand ornaments are all in rel ief, and much worn ; the slab i s of
l imestone.
On a modern pedestal , near the porch of the chu rch , i s thebowl port ion of a small old font i t i s shaped like a handlelesscup , qu i te plain,
and with the apertu re in the centre ; the
material i s sandstone .
Except one small mural slab (described on page 205 , vol. i ,of THE JOURNAL) , the village of T imolin
[
contains nothing of
archaeological interest . For seventeen years this interest ingl ittle slab was h id under a coat of dashing in the house now
occupied by Mr. S hannon“ W ith the perm ission of the landlord ,Mr . Deane-Drake, a search was made for i t in Ju l y , 1898, s incewhen i t has been exposed to view. The shield at the top of
THE ARCHBOLD TABLET IN T IMOLIN V ILLAGE ,1630.
the stone‘
bears the Archbold coat of arm s, and the lettersW and A on either s ide of i t stand for W i lliam Archbold of
T imolin, who was outlawed for complicity in the 1641 rebellion .
A sma ll stream called “the Bothoge
”runs past T imolin,
close to which i t j oins the Greese. Its name, according to Dr.
T IMOLIN . 4 2 5
Joyce, means the s tream of the watery land, being derivedfrom the Irish word bawtha, signi fying drowned .
”
Formerly Easter Monday was the great Pattern and Fair Dayin T imolin. It was notorious for i ts faction-figh ts between theT immons faction of Bumbo Hall (now the Grange, CountyW icklow) , and the O
’
Byrne faction of Moone. This fight u sed
to be eagerly looked forward to, and not a m an attended bu t had
a well-seasoned shillelagh . In those days there were no peelersto spoi l the sport , and no prosecu tions followed any deaths thatresu lted from the fights . The wake and funeral wou ld be wellat tended by both parties , who u nt i l the next Easter Mondaywou ld m eet as the best of friends , and discu ss the merits of the
late fight . T imes have changed sadly s ince, so my in formant
(old W illiam Whelan of Ballyvass ) told m e,as now-a-days i f one
man hits another a box, as l ikely as not he will get summoned
for assau lt— an unheard-of proceeding in the good old t ime s.
Before the chapel of Moone was bu i lt i ts predecessor stood i na field close to the vi llage of T imol in, on the oppos ite s ide of
the Bothoge . The field s till goes by the name of“the Chapel
Field,”though no trace of ei ther chapel 0 1
° i ts bu rial-ground i snow to be seen ; the latter i s said to have been levelled by a
farmer named Kavanagh .
N O TE S ON A “ BOOK OF H OUR S OF THE
BLES S ED VIRGIN M A R Y.
BY THE HON . MRS . SWINTON .
IHAVE lately been favoured by the sight of a very beau tifu lilluminated MS . Book of Hours of the the property
of Mrs. Fetherstonhaugh Frampton, which was given to LadyHarriet Frampton ,
her grandmother , abou t the year 1840, bysome one who p icked i t upin an old farm-hou se near Dorchester .
Its great interest , to me,was that i t contains var iou s
r°
e001ds of bi 1th s and deaths of the Fi tzGerald fami ly. The
entries occur principally in the calendar , rather on the principle of a modern
“b i 1 thday book,
”bu t also on fly
-leavesand at the t0p or bottom of the pages . The book i s bound ln
boards of wood —the cover i s now a rough calf, bu t evidently
there had been velvet over i t. The clasps are gone . It
contains 256 pages in vellum , of 104 inches by 75, and seventythree m iniatures , very beau t ifu l ly painted, of various saints. The
initial letters are also very lovely. The entries are not all written in the same hand. A fter one o f them i s written Symon
Barnewallwrote theis . The first record appears on fly-leaf No . 3,
bu t i t i s not the earl iest in date which occurs in the calendar. I
give them in chronological order, beginning with May 28, 1254,the death of Mau rice filiu s Geraldi , qu i pr imu s induxi t fré s
ordinis predicatorum et mor et edificavi t castm de S lygagh .
”
This evidently i s Maurice, 2nd Baron of Offaley, who in 1215
introduced into Ireland the order of the Franciscans, and the
next year that of the Dom inicans ; and who in 1243 bu i lt a castleat S ligo. Here there i s a slight discrepancy. What looks like“8
”may represent and i t i s easy to m istake “
4”and
7 —for in“The Earls of Kildare ”
i t appears this Mauricedied May 20, 1257 .
2 . The next date 1s Ju ly Obiit Geraldu s filiu s
Maurice du s de Offaley apud Rathmore 20 J11111 1286, et sepeleturin men m i o r de Kyld . This mu st re fer to Gerald Fi ts am ice ,4 th Baron of Offaly (grandson of the last ment ioned baron ) ,who d ied at Rathmor
,e and was bu i ied at Kildare in 1287
This d iscrepancy i s easi ly accounted for , being only one year
4 2 8 N OT ES O N A BOO K o r nouns o r
Com i t i s de Kyld hl : Thome et sepu li tu s in novo m onasteriojuxta pont : de K i lcullene qu od dictu s Rolandu s ed ificavi t et
fundavi t .
”A lison , Countess of Kildare , was daugh ter and co
heiress Of Rowland Eu stace,Baron of Portlester
,County Meath .
S he died 22nd N ovember,1495 ,
and was buried i n the new
Abbey o f Kilcu llen,which her father had founded .
9. The ninth entry i s very puzz ling° Obiit Geraldus
filius sexti Comi ti s de Kyld : ret sepel in m onast omn ium san .
de Dublin,Oct. 17, 1527 . According to The Earls of Kildare”
the 6th Earl had an only son ,Thomas, 7th Earl
,who
died 1477 , and i s bu ried in the Monastery of All Hallows ,Dublin ; and there i s no m ent ion Of any Gerald to correspond
with this date.
I now come to the fly-leaf entries .
10.
“ N atu s est Geraldu s filiu s Geraldi Com it i s K ildarie,A O D0 This wou ld be Gerald, second son of Gerald , 9thEarl , who afterwards became the 11th Earl
,and was born 25 th
Febru ary, 1525 .
11. This i s followed by N atu s Edwardu s filiu s GeraldiComi t i s K i ldarie fili i Geraldi . January 17 , 1528. This agrees
w ith the date of birth of Edward , third son Of the 9th Earl,
father of Gerald , 14th Earl
12 . The next entry i s The 13th day o f S eptember , 1555 ,was Mary, dochter to Geralde , the restored Erl o f Kyldare , borneat Maynooth .
”Poss ibly the last figu re may be a as that
i s the date (13th S eptember) of the birth of Lady Mary FitzGerald , daughter of Gerald , the 11th Earl , and afterwards wifeof Chris topher Lord Delvin .
The next i s of the birth of her brother Gerald, Lord Offaly,who died before hi s father, and was buried at S t . A lban ’
s Abbey,Herts . He was m arried to Catherine, daughter of S ir FrancisKnollys , K .G .
,and left an only child, Lett ice , wife of S ir Robert
Digby .
“The 28 day of December 1559, was Geralde
,son and
here at Maynooth .
There i s also a very illegible entry of E lizabeth Z ouche,uxor Kildare sep : mon This was the
w i fe of the 9th Earl, who died 1540, and was buried in the
Abbey of Kilcu llen .
There ai e other records in different pa1 ts of the book. A
motto on a scrol l Aultre ne veul mes —often occurs A lsoa shield bearing
“S able 3 bells argen t , impal ing S able per bend s inister , a lion
rampant or , counterchanged
probably Norton and Francis,as I find i n Papworth
’
s Heraldry
THE BLES S ED V IRGIN MARY.
”
4 29
that three bells were on S tephen Norton’
s”seal
,and the name
Of Thomas N orton , of Norton ,occurs in the book. The lion
counterchanged was borne by the Francis 01° Franncys fam i ly ,
one of whom was Lord Mayor of London in the fourteenthcentury .
There i s an entry as follows
Juln 13,1469. Is to d ie natus erat Edwardu s filiu s JOh is com i t i s
Wigorne circa horam ter tiam post m erid ian .
After the Calendar, with i ts lovely delicate borders , come the
hours illustrated by m iniatu res , and then the Litany and
Prayers for the Dead , with a quaint i llustrat ion of a burial ,where an angel and a demon are contesting for the sou l ! The
Psalter of S t . Jerome follows , with a m iniature of that saint . In
the Memoria of the saInts there are several of S axon nam es.
This i s bu t a meagre descript ion of this very beau tifu l andcuriou s book, bu t , such as i t i s, I hope i t m ay interest some of
the readers of our JOURNAL. One wou ld like to know how i t
happened that this book, after being so many years in Irelandprobably in a m onastery
— shou ld now be found in Dorsetshire.
OLD K ILCULLEN .
Germanu s , where a rem arkable group of m en m et in theiryou th , and played no smal l part afterwards in the eccles iastica lhis tory of Ireland . This school at Auxerre was that of
S S . Patrick, S ecundinu s , Auxi lius, and the Bishop of Kilcu llen ,
Isserninu s, 0 1° Fi th
,as he was called in Ireland ; and when
at Auxerre they appear to have met w ith S t . Brioc,
1 M ichomer ,
and Lupu s of Troyes .
S t . Brioc i s said t o have been a nat ive of Kerry, whose
mother was converted from pagan ism to Christ ian i ty by the
apparit ion of an angel, who prophesied the birth of her son
Brioc, and directed that the boy shou ld be sen t to Auxerre to a
blessed man named Germanu s , Bishop Of the sam e ci ty, whowou ld educate h im in l iberal discipline , and inform h im in
good morals and a holy li fe .
In after years , the mother, seeing her son’
s gifts , and
remembering her vis ion ,sent the boy to the m an of God
at Auxerre and , as he entered the schoolhou se whereGermanns abode, a litt le bi rd, in the form of a dove,
“flew
before h i m and flu ttered down on h i s head . Then Brioc
bowed down humbly at the knee of the holy m an ; and whenGermanns and hi s d isciples beheld the you th filled with the
grace of God , they received h im with honou r and blessingand great joy. But there were two others present —Patrick2 andIltud—who embraced h im with warm affect ion
, and surpassed
the rest in their loving welcome .
It was with those two friends that Brioc afterwards was wont
to spend most of hi s t ime.
When he was twenty-five years of age, he was warned by an
angel to return to hi s nat ive land , that he m ight convert h i s
people there from paganism ; and Germanus sent h im forth inobedience to this mandate, bless ing h im , and sending with h imone d isciple, and the necessaries for the Mass , along with one
horse and one day ’
s food . When he reached the sea-coast, he
gave h i s horse to a beggar , and sai led forth til l he reached themou th of the S hannon . After labouring at home for some yearshe returned to the Cont inent , leading with h im 168 followers ,and they stopped at Ploquerneau in Brittany. He ended h i s
days at S t . Brieuc, nea‘
i° S t . Malo.
The history of the other members of this group was as
follows —M i'
chomer, also of Irish birth , went to the S ou th of
1 S ee “ Life of S t . Br ieu c, from a h ither to unpub lish ed M S . Lat in .
Bib l . de Rou en , ed . by Dom . Franco is P laine . S t . Br ieuc . 1883/2Patrick b ecam e the Apost le of Ire land . Iltud , Bishop of Bangor ,
was said to have been at one t ime a so ld ier of K ing A rthur .
OLD K ILCULLEN . 4 33
France. S t . Lupus, or S t . Loup , i s said to have first gone intoW ales , w ith Germanu s and Isserninu s (afterwards Bishop of
Kilcullen) , and then to have returned to Gau l , and founded thechu rch at Troyes .
S echnall was a nephew of S t . Patrick ; he had come from
Lombardy, where he was styled S ecundinu s son o f Rest i tu tus,
”
and he was son of Darer ,ca Patrick’
s s ister . We read of
h im as present with the Apostle at Ui snech ,Much o
’
s W ell,
Loch T1ena i n U lster . When S t . Patrick 1eturned to the
Cont inen t , he left h im In chaIge , and S echnall i s said to havebeen the first Bishop that died in Ireland .
Auxi liu s , who with his companion Isserninu s was con
secrated with S t . Patrick, fol lowed the Apostle to Ireland in the
year 438, and was placed by h im over the chu rch ofKillashee (Cel lAuxille) In the County of Kildare , where the 1em ains of an old
chu rch and of a round tower attached to i t may st il l be seen .
Isserninu s , afterwards B ishop of Kilcu l len ,was first with the
Apost le at Auxerre and Ivrea, and cam e into I1eland i n 438.
A t first he appears to have objected to the m iss ion to I1eland,
and wou ld have chosen to be sent to any other country ratherthan this , as the s tory i s told in the add i t ions to Ti rechan ’
s
Collect ions ln The Book of Ar .maghPat1 ick and Isserninu s
, that i s Bishop F1thwere w ith Germanu s in the city Olsiodra (Auxer .1e) Bu t
Germanu s said to Isserninu s that he shou ld come hither intoIreland to preach . And he was ready to obey to whatsoever part heshou ld be sent except to Ireland. Germ anu s said to Patrick :And thou , wi lt thou. be obedient ? Patrick said : Be i t so i f
thou wi shest .
”Germanus said :
“This shall be between you ,
and Isserninu s wi ll not be able to avoid pass ing into Ireland.
”
Patrick came into Ireland ; howbeit Isserninu s was sent intoanother region ; bu t a contrary wind brought h im to the southern
part of Ireland .
”1
It i s probable that Issern inus was driven ashore on the sou theastern coast Of Wexford
,and he seem s to have followed the
course of the River S laney tlllhe reached the sou th of Magh Fea .
“Thereafter he went to h i s province, a small tribe In Cli u
, named
Catrige . This district l ies on the northern slopes of Mount
Leinster. He then passed on to Toicu ile and other places nearClonmore, in the County of Carlow, where he made many con
verts and here he was joined by S t . Patrick, who finally establi shed h im and h i s converts , the sons of Cathbad
, at Aghade, or
S ee “ Tripar tite Life of S t . Patr ick , p . 343 (Ro l ls S er ies) .
434 OLD K ILCULLEN .
A th Fi thot , having first temporari ly placed h im over the chu rchat Kilcullen, in the County Kildare, as we read in the TripartiteLi fe of S t . Patrick, p . 187 .
Thereafter he w ent into M ag'
Liph i ( the p lain of the Liff ey ) . He
founded chu rches and clois ters th erein,and he lef t Auxili us in Cel l Usaili ,and Issern inus and M accTail in Ce l la Culind
, and other saints .
”
How long he remained i n the Abbey O f Kilcu llen i s unknown;bu t he appears to have ret ired to d ie among h i s first converts in
Aghade abou t the year . 469.
This Isserninus , or Fi th , may be identified wi th Id , who i scommemorated on Ju ly 14th in the “ Martyrology of Donegal
”
Id , Bishop of Ath-Fhadhat , i n Leinster. And, again, i n the“ Martyrology of German — July 14th—! B ishop Id, whom I wi llentreat , who was not puny, bu t a m ighty m an .
’
When S t. Patrick placed Id, 01° Fi th Isserninu s—over
the church of Kilcu llen ,he associated MacTail w ith h im . I t
appears that when Issei ‘h inus returned to Agb ade , MacTai l
succeeded him in the government of the monastery , s ince h e i salways styled MacTa11of Cil l-Cu i lenn . H i s name occurs in the
l ist of Patrick’
s hou sehold given in the“TripartiteLife ,
”
p. 251
The sm iths making the b e l ls—namely, M acc-cech t and Cuana and
Mace-tail.
In the Genealogy of S aint s”in the Book of Lecan,
fol. 196,and in M ‘
Fi rbi s,we find i t stated that MacTail of Cillcullen
was one of the sai nts of the HyBai rrche , a tribe whose terr itorieswere on the banks of the Barrow and S laney . H i s fatherwas Bogan,
a carpenter, and he was named S on of Adze,”in
allus ion to one of the symbols of hi s father ’
s profess ion . The
daughter of the King of Leins ter, Coningen , the fair pi llar, of
whom many mythical stories are told , appears to have been first
hi s pupi l and then hi s fellow-worker . S he was the fOundress of
the church of Ci ll Coagh , at Donard, and of some churches inLeinster .
The death of MacTall i s recorded in the“Annals of Ulster,
and Of the Four Masters ,”as occurring in the year 548, while
the“ Annals of Clonmacnoi s
”
give i t at A .D . 550. He seems to
have been regarded in the tenth century as patron saint of Kilcu llen, to the exclus ion of Isserninu s, from the fol lowing entryin the Genealogy of the S candinavian Chieftains
,
” Wars
of the Gaidhelwith the Gaill, App. D, p. 283, where the del iver
Bishop Id , from A th Adat [leg . Fadhat l] , in Leinster .
4 36 OLD K ILCULLEN .
w ,o lf sucking w ith i ts cub s t he m ilk from i t s dugs , and she i s Conach, of
Ce l l Finnmai ge , in Ui En echla i s In For thuatha o f Leinst er, i s she that 1s
m ent ioned here °
and i t i s sh e that was pu pil t o M acTail of Ce l l Cu ilindand on account of h er th e clergy of Leinster rev iled MacTail .
We have found no further informat ion as to the his tory ofK ilcu llen until we come down to the eighth centu 1y Then weread In the Annals of the Four Masters
D . 780.
“Maeloctraigh , son of Conall , Abbot of Ci llCu ilinn and S cribe of Cillnamanach
,died .
”The same event i s
recorded In the year 782 Annals of Clonmacnoi s
A. .D 898. A ilell, son of Aenghu s , Abbot of Ci ll Cui l inn,
d ied.
”
A .D . 932 . K ilcolyn was preyed by the Danes , who ledcapt ives from thence (
‘Annals of This was
probably when Godfrey was on h i s way from Dublin to Ossory,
where the Limerick foreigners , to whom he was host i le,were
assembled. (S ee Wars of the Gaill,”
p .
A .D . 935 . Diarmaid, son Of Ailell, Abbot of Ci ll-Cu i l inn,
d ied at an advanced age .
A .D. 936. Amlaff , son of Godfrey, came to Dubhn again ,
and plundered Ci ll-Cu i linn,and carried off ten hundred prisoners
from thence. Amlaff’
s return to Dublin after h i s defeat byAthelstan and Edmund, h i s brother, at Brumby, i s celebratedin the following l ines in the Anglo-S axon Chronicle
”
The N orthm en departed
In their nailed bark sB loody re lic of dart s
On the roar ing ocean .
O’
er the deep water
Dub lin to seek ,Again in Ireland ,
S hamed in m ind .
Th is Amlaff was Amlaff Lagman son of Godfrey—Goffrai th
ment ioned in “ Wars of the Gaill,
ch . xciv, p . 165 , as one of
the four crown princes of the foreigners .
A .D . 937 . The foreigners deserted Athcliath by the help of
God and MacTail.
A .D . 944 . The plundering of Cill-Cu ilinn by the foreignersby Amlaff Cuaran and h i s followers;
A .D . 948. Cormac Ua h-Ailella, airch inneach of Cil lCu i linn ,
d ied .
2
1Ci llnamanach Chu rch of the Monks
,now K ilnamanagh , in
Barony of Crannagh ,County o f K ilkenny .
2The sam e ob it . i s recorded in the Anna ls of Clonmacno is , where
Cormac i s sty led A rch-Deane .
OLD K ILCULLEN . 437
A .D . 962 . S uibhne, son of S egonan,Bishop and Ru ler of
Ci ll Cu ilinn ,died .
A .D . 1030. Tuathal O’
Garbhain ,Bishop of Cill-Cu il inn ,
died .
A .D. 1037. Ruaidhri , son of Tadhg Ua Lorcain ,Tan ist of
Ui Cennsealaigh , was taken prisoner in the stone chu rch of
Kilcu llen by Donnchadh MacGi llapatrick.
A .D . 1114 . Cill-Chu ilinn was bu rned white this year .
I have to thank Lord Walter Fi tzGerald for the followingnotes on the m ediaeval history of this place .
In 1319 a bridge was bu i lt over the Liffey at Kilcu llen It
i s thu s referred to in Holinshed’s Chronicles of Ireland ”
There hath b eene a worthi e Prelat , Canon in the Cathedrall Chu rch
o f K ildare , nam ed Mau rice Jake , l wh o , among the res t O f h is charitab ledeeds
, bu ilded th e Chu rch o f K ilcoollen ,to the great and da ili e comm o
d i t ie of all such as are occasioned to t rav ill in those par ts .
’
In ThadyDowl ing’
s S hort Annals of Ireland i t i s partienlarly stated that i t was bu ilt at the canon
’
s own proper cos t .
The gradual decline of Old Kilcu llen , so des ignated to d ist ingui sh i t from Kilcu llen Bridge, i s attribu ted to the bu i ldingof this bridge. A t the present t ime, judging from exist ingremains, i t i s hard to imagine that Old K ilcu llen was once
a town of importance, yet , according to Rev . Mervyn Archdall,such was the case . He vis ited Old Kilcu l len on the l0th
August , 1781, and describes i t thus
Tradition t e l ls u s that Old K ilcu l len was a large wa l led town withseven gates one on ly now remains , wh ich i s ab ou t 10 feet w ide , w ith a
handsome Roman arch , under wh ich the presen t turnp ike road run s .
S om e smal l remains of a second gat e appear to the sou th-west , and the
old sites o f severa l of the others were poin ted ou t to m e . Th is town,
though p laced so h igh ,was we l l supp lied w ith water by means of draw
wel ls , all at presen t fil led up save one . In the churchyard ,lean ing against th e sou th w est corner of the chu rch , i s the top of a tom b
of a b lackish lim estone, there i s carved on i t in m ezzo re lievo,a man at
fu l l length in arm ou r m ade l ike fish -scales i t comes over the h ead like a
capu ch in cloak,and reaches down near to the e lbow s , th e r igh t hand 0 11
h i s breast , a sword gir t to hi s side , w ith a remarkab le narrow b e lt, and a
dog at h i s feet . C lose to th e top of h i s forehead i s the figu re of a stagcou chant
,as wel l as we cou ld make i t ou t . To the sou th -west of th e
chu rch i s an ancien t Round Tower not exceeding 40 or 50 feet in heigh tfrom the fou r window s i t never appears to have b een h igher . The door
look s towards th e church door , and i s ab ou t 7 feet from the ground i t i s
narrow and low , th e jamb s and arch are of f reestone . The tower i s in a
very ru inous state,and w il l probab ly b e soon added to the prostrate
1A lso
,in o th er sou rces , writ ten Jack , Jaokis ,
4 38 OLD K ILCULLEN .
ruins of K ilcu l len—a p ity , as i t i s a fine landm ark . To the eas t of thetow er i s the shaft of a cross of a s ingle stone 10 feet h igh . In a gard en
b ound ing the n or th of the ch u rchyard i s th e p edesta l of another cross .
To th e sou th -east and near the t ower i s a very ancien t . bass-relieve o f
coars e freeston e , near 4 fee t long and ab ou t 14 inches b road ; i t i sd ivided in to compartm en ts (con tain ing S cr ip t u ra l sub j ects) . Th e presen tchurch i s ra ther m odern
,b u ilt in the b eginn ing of th is cen tury [excep t
the chancel , wh ich Open s w ith a b eau t ifu l arch,
fin ely ornam ented w iththe old crene l lated corn ice , and
,wh at
'
i s w or thy o f ob servat ion,the
cap itals of the side p il ast ers are th e very same as at Timahoe in the
Queen’
s
Fortunately Mr. Archdall’
s prophecy abou t the Round
Tower was not fu lfilled . In recent years i t has become a
Nat ional m onument,
”and was re-pointed by the Board of
Works to save i t from further decay . This tower has beeni llustra ted and described in ou r JOURNAL, on pages 81 to 83 of
the First Volume. The scu lptured shaft of the H igh Cross wasat the same t ime set up on i ts ancient base , though a portionhad to be ch iselled away to make i t fit the socket , the lowerpart apparent ly having been broken off and lost .
The effigy of the knight in armour l ike fish-scales,i s shown
as leaning against the exter ior of the church (which was thenin u se) in the i l lu strat ion in Grose
’
s“Ant iqu it ies of Ireland
,
”
vol. i i , 1792. S ome t ime previou s to the year 1858 the lateS ir Erasmu s Borrowes had this effigy removed to hi s res idence,Barretstown Castle, to preserve i t from destruction
, as at one
t ime i t had been u sed as a flag under a pump , and, on anotheroccas ion,
i t was being defaced wi th stones. There i s an i llus trat ion of i t at page 129, vol. i , of ou r JOURNAL, taken after i t had
,
unfortunately, undergone some renovat ion. By the country
people the effigy was known as Rowley Eustace bu t , in the
Opinion of an expert; i t represented S i r Ol iver Eu stace , who wassummoned to Parliament in 1374 . It has been described byS ir S amuel Meyrick in the following-words —2
In Old K ilcu l len Chu rch ,i s a specim en of th e armour worn in
Ireland during th e re ign of R ichard II . It i s a m onum ent of a kn igh to f th e Eu stace fam ily . H e wears a haub ergeon ,
in shape like those worn
llBrewer in hi s Beau t ies of Ire land pub lished in 1826, says of OldK ilcu l len Church Between th e chance l and th e nave there was unt ilrecent ly a very fine circu lar arch
, b u t we regret to s tat e that th is cur iou svest ige of an t iqu ity i s now destroyed . In th e chu rch i s st il l preservedth e e ffigy of a kn igh t in mail represen t ed at f u l l length ,
h i s r igh t hand orr
h i s h eart;h i s left hand on th e guard o f h is sword,and th e he lm et open .
2 Vide p . vol. v (1858 o f The Jou rna l of the K i lkenny A rehceoto
gi ca l S oci ety.
440 OLD K ILCULLEN .
heads , the Irish having broken the bridge during the religiou swars . All this country was laid waste , and we found none bu t
poor unfortunates on the roads who sold bu tterm i lk and a l ittleoaten bread . After having passed this r iver we came to sleepat Cas tle Dai rmOn (Cast lederm ot) , a l itt le village under the
dom in ion of the Catholics .
” 1
On the 2 4th of May , 1798, the chu rchyard of Old Kilcu llenwas the scene of a fierce encou nter between a port ion of GeneralDundas
’s force and a large body of United Irishm en . The rebels
were entrenched behind a wall and a d itch which enclosed thebu rial-ground . Their on ly arm s were pikes . General Dundas
seems to have under-estim ated their valour , as , instead of waiting for h i s infantry to com e up , he ordered some forty 01
° fifty of
h i s cavalry,which consisted of the Romneys and 9th Dragoons ,
to charge the place . Thi s they plucki ly did three t imes, bu t
were at last forced to retire before the determ ined p ikemen,
leaving twenty-two of their number dead behind them . Am ongthe slain were two officers —a Cap tain Cooke and a CaptainErskine. The latter belonged to the 9th Dragoons . H i s horsestumbled over a headstone
,throwing h im and breaking h i s leg
in . the fall , where he lay , half stunned,t i ll an old woman
,
Who was searching the dead , recogn ised h im ,and
,in reveng
for some former act of cruelty, pu t an end to h im by repeated
thru sts of h i s own sword. The rebels followed up theirsuccess along the Green Of Old Kilcu llen to Kilcu llen Bridge ,bu t broke
'
before the infantry fire, and lost large numbers
in the pu rsu it . General Dundas at this t ime had h i s headquarters at Castlemartin ,
from whence a few days later he
issued h i s proclamation Of a free pardon to those who deliveredup their arm s, and which resu lted , though he him self wasblameless , in the terrible cold-blooded massacre of the rebels
,
by the troops under S i r James Duff,at the Gibbet Rath on the
Curragh , on the 31s t of May .4
One of the‘
obj ects of interest in the chu rchyard i s the RoundTower ( already illu strated and described on pages 81
-83 of the
first volume of the JOURNAL) , close bes ide which i s a richlyscu lptu red H igh Cross-shaft , now erect on a plain base . It i s
5 ft . 3 in. in height in i ts present condit ion , and wi th s ides 18inches in w idth . W hen placed on the base a few years ago by theBoard Of Works , a port ion of the panels at the s ides was
chisel led awayto enable i t to fit into the socket , as the dowel wasgone .
\
1Page 8 of “ M . De la Bou l laye le Gou z’
s Tour In Ire land,
ed itedby Crof ton Croker .
442 OLD K ILCULLEN .
A short distance to the east of the Round Tower, standing011 a base deep sunk in the ground, i s the shaft of a rude granitecross 9%ft . in height , 1 ft . 10 in . in breadth , and 18 in . thick ;a socket i s visible at the top . The faces of this shaft are dividedinto four panels , bu t contain no other scu lpturing.
All trace of the ancient church has d isappeared, though i twas in existence in the beginning Of this centu ry. I t containeda beau ti fu l H iberno-Romanesque western doorway of fou r con
centric arches , as i s shown at p . 4 , vol. i i i , of Cromwel l ’sExcurs ions through Ireland ,
”from a drawing by Petrie . A
view of the Round Tower , and the church i n a roofed condi t ion,
i s given at p. 27 , vol. i i , of Grose’
s“ Ant iqu ities of Ireland .
”
This i l lu stration was sketched abou t the year 1790.
, [After the foregoing historical notice by Lord WalterFi tzGerald, M iss S tokes resumes.
—ED.]
44
’
s S UV ) TI (3. of 19 0 5 9"D EA D) '
b DIET!
(’
n 4 f FIIJCD
FROM VOL. III OF THOMAs CROMWELL’s
“ EXCURS ION S THROUGH IRELAND .
Drawn b y Petr i e.
The cross, of which only a fragment now remains, appearsto have been a H igh Cross of the sam e type as those of Monaster
boice. Nothing now remains but the pl inth and a portion Of theshaft. The pl inth i s Of one step and withou t ornament; Thecross i s made of grani te . The fragment of this monument now
rem aining measures 5 ft. 3 in. in height , 18 in. in width, and
the same in thickness. There are four panels and‘
a‘
half on the
OLD K ILCULLEN . 44 5
The subject i s treated in much the same manner in this
panel on Kilcu llen Cross as in the i llustrat ion given in the old
block book of the Specu lum .
”
In panel 3, on the west face, we have in S am son and the
lion another of the Wonders of the Ancient Law,
”the treat
ment of which i s thus prescribed in the“Byzant ine Painters
’
Gu ide,”and which agrees with the has-rel ief in question
S amson kills a li on.
S am son,stand ing up , t ramp les a l ion at hi s feet . He tu rns i ts h ead
backwards and tears i t open .
”
The subject of S am son slaying the l ien i s given in M r.
Boxall’
s“Specu lum
”as one of t he types o f Christ’ s descent
into hell .1
This subject i s also given in the“Biblia Pauperum w ith
the inscript ion
The descent in to he l l . A nd as S am son’
s strength that destroyed the
l ion ’
s m onth , so th e de ath of Christ destroyed th e gat es of h e l l .“ We read in th e fir st b ook of Judges , chap ter xiv ,
concern ing S am son ,
that wh en a lion roared against h im ,h e seized the l ion and slew h im .
S am son i s a type O f Chr is t , who s lew th e l ion— that i s , the devil —wh en hefreed man from hi s power .
In panel 1 , on the north s ide,we have in the subj ect of David
and the l ion,one of the types o f the temptat ion o f Chr ist , given
in the“S pecu lum .
”This subj ect i s not introduced in the Biblia
Pauperum ,
”nor i s i t included among the Wonders of the
Ancient Law ”in the Byzant ine Painters
’
Gu ide.
”
The text that accompanies the pict ure in the block book i s asfollows
Dav id au tern pastor qu i hunc superbum gigan t em prostrav i t
Chr ist us est qu i t emptacionem superb ie hum ili ter superavit .
In panel 3, 011 the north side , we have, the figu re of a bishoprobed, wi th h i s book, bell , and cros ier
, and hi s axe. The introduction of the bell and the axe suggests that the subj ect i s taken
1 Lady East lake , in the “ H istory of o ur Lord in A r t, p . 195
,speak s of
th is sub j ect as a type of th e Temp tat ion o f our Lord ; b u t this i s an
oversigh t on h er par t . The three typ es of the D escen t in to H e l l areB
f
er
firial
g
s laying the lion S amson a lso and Ehud s lay ing Eglon , K ing0 ea
446 OLD K ILCULLEN .
from the life of the patron sa int , MacTail, who , as we have seen,
was so named becau se he was the son of a carpenter , who took
one of h i s father’
s tools,and was one Of S t . Patrick’
s sm i ths , whom ade h i s bells. The bishop lays h i s cros ier on a prostrate
figure, and thi s i s probably m eant to i l lu strate a not uncommon
m iracle in t he Lives of the S aints ”— that of rais ing the deadby the touch of the holy m an
’
s cros ier . But as no legend of the
l ife Of MacTail i s extant,i t i s imposs ible to decide as to the
exact meanm g of this bas-rel ie f.
448 M IS CELLA N EA .
and ,‘
moreover , pu lled down variou s improvem ents that h e had
m ade. In fact , h er period Of occupat ion ended in the ru in of the
old m ans ion and offices , which stood i n the level fields between thepresent hou se of Little Rath and Blackhall. Annesley was now in
a sad case . He had appealed to the English Lords ; bu t Hester
S herlock took no notice of their orders , and th ere was no au thorityable or willing to enforce them . TO add to h i s dis tress , h i s deedswere in possession of the Irish Peers wh o wou ld not give them up .
National feeling ran so high against h im that he had to leave thecou ntry , for fear of arrest , and no Irish lawyer dared to take up hi s
case.
“
Bu t , as Hester had foreseen , the contest was an u nequal one ,and though i t was bravely fough t , the final issue was bound to goagainst her . I t i s to be hoped that while fortune favoured her sh e
was able to secu re the substance of what she struggled for , andcou ld thu s w ith some equan im ity receive the fatal decree by whichthe English Lords allowed the appeal m ade by Annesley , and
ordered possession to be res tored to him .
S uch in br ief i s the story of the grea t constitu tional strugglebetween: the Peers of Ireland and the Peers Of England .
THE EDITOR .
T h e O’
K e lly S la b in t h e C a d am s t o w n C h u rc h y a rd ,
C O . K i ld a re .— Cadam s town
,form erly called Bally-m ac-Adam ,
”
or the son of Adam’
s town , i s situa ted in the Barony of Carburythe chu rchyard lies by the side of the road a m ile to the sou th of
Balyna (or Ballina) in the Meylerstown direction .
Th e slab in question i s now bu ilt into the wes t end of the
church ru ins,on the inside . It was placed there by the late
Richard More-O’
Ferrall, a fter i t had been dug up du r ing the erec
tion of the More-O’
Ferrall vau l t . It m easu res 4 ft . in height , and2 f t . 2 in . in breadth . An incised inscription in Latin occupiesthe upper portion Of the slab ; then comes a coat of arm s in low
THE FIRsT THREE LINES ON THE O’KELLY SLAB IN CADAM S TOWN CHURCHYARD .
‘
relief.
w ith a two-lined m otto ; then follows a Continuation Of theInscrrptron, which finishes up w ith five lines in English . The
M IS CELLA N EA . 449
inscript ion i s in rude small capi tals , and many Of the letters areconj oined , particu larly th e “ Is
,
”wh ich , wh en form ing a limb of
another let ter , can only be detected by a small stroke they have in
the m iddle .
1
The wording of the inscription i s
H iC . lA C ET .BE RN A BA S . O K ELLY . D E C A D A M
S T OW N N EPO S . FERD IN A N D I . O K ELLY . D O M IN I
ERR EE . O K ELLY . ET . K E
’
RR IG DV N EM A S . 1N . LA 0 EN 1A
O V I ELLEA N O RA M FILIA M RO GER! O M O RE . D E
BA LLEN A . A RM IG ERI IN V X O REM . D VX ERA T
EX . Q V A . S EX . N AT O S . GE N V IT . O V I IN BELLO
O CC IS I FVERV N T . GERRALD O O K ELLY . LEGA T O
A GM IN IS C O RRO LO O M O RE EX C EPT O O V I ELI
Z A BET HA M FILIA M IA
C O B I BA G G O T T . ET .
C ELIE o PO O R o
T V RRIS . ET . F.0 RT 1T V D O E S T . M IH I . D h V S
ax C V M . M A N IBV S . E1°
. C1LA D | Es2
z—s
D E . RA T H IO RD A N . IN . C O M IT A T V . LIM E
R IC I . DV X IT . N EPT IS . C O M IT IS . M V S GREF+
ET . GV ELIELM I POWER . D E . K ILBLA N EQ V IT IS
T H E A N T IEN T . A T C H E IV M EN T S IN IRELA N D O F
T H E FA M ILY IN LE IN S T ER O F . FERD IN A N D I O
K ELLY BY IO H N S IN G EO RG E K IN G A T . A RM S . 16 0 3 .
b r th
01 16 8 4
The Latin portion of this inscr iption has been translated thu s :
H ere li es Barnaby (or Br ian ) O’
Kelly , of Cadam stown , grandson of
Ferdinand O ’Kelly, Lord of Irry
-O’K elly and Carr ig
-Dunam ase , in Lein
s ter , who led in m arr i age Ellenor , daugh ter of Roger (01° Rory ) O
’More ,
of Ballina , E squ i re , by wh om h e h ad s ix sons ,-' wh o were ki lled in bat tle ,
except Gerald O’
K elly , a l ieu tenan t of Ch arles O’More
’s regim ent .
Gerald m arr i ed E li zabeth , daugh ter of Jam es Bagot , Of Rath jordan ,in
the Coun ty Lim erick,by h i s w i fe, S h eelah Poer ; sh e was th e grand
?{augpl
ter of th e Earl of Mu skerry , and of S i r W i lliam Power , of Ki lbolan ,
n i g t .
”
1 As , for instance, the words“IN ,
” & c . , appear on the stone as N
and MR ,
”850 .
2 Gladi i s .
4 50 M ISCELLAN EA .
The annexed Pedigree1 explains the relat ionship of the personsm entioned above .
The motto in English i s
God i s to me a tower and strength with h ands and swords) .
THE O’KELLY or CADAM STOWN COAT OF ARMS , 1603.
The O’
Kelly crest and coat of arms scu lptured on the stone
The crest—A11 Enfreld vert.
The arms- Azure, a tower supported by two lionsrampant argent ; as many chains descending from the
battlements between the lions ’ legs or .
As to the grant of arm s to Ferdinand O ’
Kelly in 1603 byJohn S in George , as quoted on the stone , S ir Arthur Vicars ,
Ulster King of Arms,informs m e that neither in h i s office nor
d
inthe Herald ’
s offi ce in London , have they a record of this grant, andhe also tells me that there was no John S t . George ever a King of
Arms , but that i t‘
may be a m istake for S ir Richard S t . George ,
1 My thanks are due to Mr . G . D. Burtchaell, of Uls ter ’
s Office , for h i s
assistance to m e in compiling th e Ped igree.
M IS CELLA N EA . 4 51
En t . , who was Clarenceux King of Arm s from 1603 till h i s deathin 1635 .
The coat of arm s shown on the slab i s the ancient coat belonging to the Connaught sept of O
’
Kellys , who were chiefs of Hy-Many
(a district formerly partly in th e County Galway and partly in the
County Roscomm on) . They were in ,no wag
°
connected w ith theLeinster septs of O
’Kelly, so that one wou ld have expected to find
a differen t coat Of arm s in connection with the lat ter ; the EnglishOffice may, in ignorance , have gran ted th is coat to the O
’
Kellys of
th e Queen ’
s County, thinking they were of Connaugh t descent .
The two place nam es— Irry and CarrigaDunamase— m entionedabove are both in the Queen
’
s County ; th e former lay between theO
’
Dunne territory of I Regan and the O’
Dempsy territory of Clanmaliere ; the lat ter , Carrig-Dunam ase , i s now called the Rock of
Dunamase , the well-known castellated rock which overlooks theHeath of ivlaryborough .
There were three or four septs of O’
Kellys of Leinster
1 . The O’
Kellys of Breagh (in Meath) , who were known as one
of the four tribes of Tara .
2 . The O’
Kellys of Lea (or Leghe) , a terr itory which comprisedthe northern part of the Barony Of Portnahinch , in the Queen
’
s
County, and the Barony of Western Offaly , in the County Kildare .
They were a sub-tribe of the O’
Dempsys of Clanmaliere .
3 . The O’
Kellys of Magh Druch tain , Gai line (now Dysart
Gallen) , and Cr ioch O’
Mu ighe, all dis tricts in the Queen’
s County ,situated abou t Luggacurren , and collectively called Feran
O’
Kelly (or O’
Kelly’
s land) , in a map of Leix and Offaly drawn inQueen Mary
’
s reign2
4. The O’
Kellys of Ibercon , County Kilkenny .
W . FIT Z G.
2 Vi de vol. v i i . p . 345 , of th e K i lkenny Archa elogi ca l Journal.
motes .
ON A S TAINED-GLASS WINDOW IN FuRNEss HOU SE .
BY THE LATE REV . DEN I S MURPHY, S .J .
There i s in the house of Miss Beauman ,
1at Fu rness , a pretty
piece of stained glass , to which I beg to call the attent ion of
our m embers . It i s . a fanlight over th e door at the back of the
hou se . I t represents the Blessed V irgin Mary holding in h er handa piece Of brown cloth , which she i s h anding to som e one kneelingat her feet . Th e inscription i s B Francu s Ord Carm
The pictu re represents the Blessed Virgin giving the habit of the
S TAINED-GLAss WINDOW IN FURN Ess HOUSE .
Now the property of N icholas Synnott , Esq,
gt entem.
MIS S S TOKE S’
S“ HIGH CRO S S E S OF IRELAND .
AS our readers were informed in the last number of our JOURNAL,
the First Part of Miss Margaret S tokes’
s great work on the HighCrosses Of Ireland was issued by the Royal Irish Academy in th e
m onth of Ju ly last .S ince the Royal S ociety of Antiquar ies of Ireland published
George Petrie’
s“ Christian Inscriptions in the Ir ish Language
one . volum e in 1872 , and the other in 1878— and the late LordDunraven brought out h i s two large volumes of “ Notes on IrishArchitecture,
”in 1875 and 1877 (both of which works were edited
by Miss S tokes) , no publication of h igher impor tance to Irelandthan this has seen the light O f day.
The Part in question “
deals with the Cross of Durrow in the
King’
s County, and with our own two Crosses at Castledermot .
A separate illu stration i s given Of each of the fou r s ides Of theseCrosses , and as the work Is issued In folio S ize (l7in . by 12in . the
m inutest existing details In each panel , most carefu lly drawn , are
clearly shown In the illu strations . The amount Of labour expendedin making the drawings accurate mu st have been very great , as
Miss S tokes ’
s m ethod of setting to work was , first of all, to take
quarter plate photographs of the S ides of the Cross ; these were
afterwards enlarged, and then , with the aid of a “rubbing
”of each
panel , as well as a close personal inspection ,the subjects and
interlaced patterns were filled i n on the photographs, with touchesof white paint in the high lights and of black in
'
the Shadows, theresu lt being a faith fu l and clear likeness of the or iginal.
In the Introduction to this work, which i s by no means the
least interesting part of i t, Miss S tokes inform s u s that the HighCrosses are of a design which may be held to have originatedIreland , where the eastern form of the Cross within a circle waschanged to a Latin Cross w i th a circle , by lengthening the central
line so as to form a shaft or pillar, and by extending the arm s and
head beyond the circle.
”
These H igh Crosses were not erected as sepu lchral monuments,
bu t were dedicatory or commemorat iv ;e others again were erected
as term inal Crosses , and m arked ou t the lim its Of the sanctuary ,or the boundaries of the chu rch land. On a few of them ,
1 S old by Hodges, Figgi s , Co. , Grafton S treet , Dub l in , pr ice £ 1 1s . and to
Members of th e Roya l Irish Academy for 14s , at NO. 19 Dawson S treet .
REV IEW . 4 55
such as those at Tuam,Clonmacnoise , Monasterboice, Durrow
(King’
s County) , and one or two others,inscriptions in Irish are still
legible , in each case asking a prayer for th e King of the distr ict ,the Abbot of the place , and the scu lptor of the Cross . By reference to
the “ Irish Annals ”where some of the names of these individuals
occur , almost the exact da te of the erection of these Crosses can beascertained . A s a general ru le their erection may be said to
extend from the n inth to the twelfth centuries .
The scu lpture on the H igh Crosses i s of two kinds : (1) intricateinterlaced work ; and (2) S criptu ral scenes and events in the lifeof the Patron S aint . Many Of the subj ects are still unexplained,and
,as Miss S tokes writes , they can only be unravelled by
compar ison wi th the carvings in the catacombs , and with the
scu lptures , frescoes , and m osaics in the foreign cathedrals . Whenthe subj ect Of the panel i s taken from the Old Testament , i t was
prOphetic of Christ ; and when from the New Testament , i t was
symbolic . The grammar of this ar t language ,”she adds ,
“can
only be learned by the study of such works as‘ The Byzantine
Pa inters ’
Gu ide ,’ ‘ The S pecu lum Hu rnanae S alvationi s ,
’ ‘ Th e
Biblia Pauperum ,
’
and the early‘ Bestiaries .
’
The letterpress in connection with each Cross gives fu ll infermat ion of i ts mater ial
,size, situation , &c.
,as well as a description
of each panel and the subject i t contains , SO far as i t can be
identified by Miss S tokes .
When th is unique work i s complete, i t will be invaluable (so faras the m ore elaborately carved Crosses go) for the study of the
arms , mu sical instruments , and dress of the ancient Irish in the preNorman t imes .
We shall anxiou sly look forward to the next Part of this trulynational work.
OMURETHI .
C. W . GIBBS S ON , Pr int ers , 18W icklow S treet , Dub lin ,
I NDEX.
AGHADE , 433,A lba , H ill of , 89, 155 .
Aldborough , Ear l of , 21, 24 .
Alee, Alei , Aley. S ee Lye .
Alen , of S t . Wolstan’s, fam ily of
Anne , 364 , 390; Chri stoph er , 364,390 ; Jasper, 363 ; John,
278, 279,280, 285 , 286, 363, 390, 397Katherine
,364, 390 ; Matth ew, 364 ,
390 ; Mellsh er , 363° N icholas , 280;
Patrick , 278 ;Richard, 363 ;Robert,Symon , 364 ;Thom as ,
364 ; Willi am ,
Alen’s Court . S ee S t . Wolstan
’s .
A llan,Bog of, 62 , 298.
Hil l of, 7 , 90, 96, 98, 190, 192,
216.
Island of , 298, 400.
A llen,fam ily of -S ir Joshua, 287 ;
Viscount , 317,Almhain . S ee H ill of Allen .
A lm shouses , N aas, 270.
T imolin , 424 .
Anali ff ey , 51, 369, 397.
Annesley , fam ily of —Francis,262 ;
Maur ice, 262, 447, 448.
Antrah ,
”a rem ark , 132 .
Arch bold , fam i ly of . (S ee H i gh
S heriff s) — Ali sonne , 424 ; Chr i stoph er , 420 ;Walter , 175 ° Willi am,
Ardglass , Manor of , 125
Ardnacu tch ,195 .
Ardnu rcher, 305 .
Ardscu ll , Moat of , 186-196, 274Arm our , descr ipt ion of , 421, 438.
Aroasian Order,th e , 162 , 414 .
Artane , 286.
Athboy , 36.
Ath enry , Baron of , 54 .
Athgoe Cast le, 390.
Athy , 10, 14 , 18, 128, 170, 187 , 210,270.
AvOn Righ . S ee”
th e Rye Water.
Aylmer, fam ily of . (S ee H ighS her i ff s) — S ir Andrew , 400
° Bartholomew, 260 , Char les , 262; S i rFen ton, 264 ; S i r Fi tzGerald , 263 ;George , 264 ; Gerald , 265 ; John ,
261, 262 , 264 ; Michael, 262 , 264 .
Bachal Jesu ,
°
a crozier , 165 .
Bagpiper, 193.
Bagpipes , Lord Edward ’
s, 155 .
Balablagh t , 53.
Ba ldwinstown , 33, 38, 47 .
Balgri ffin , 362 .
Ballad on Ki lkea Cast le, 29.
N ew Ross , 300.
Ballagh ,151.
Ballicu tlane . S ee Coghlanstown .
Ballinacor , 389.
Ballinoulart,153.
Ballinrah in , 154.
Ballitore , 25 , 420.
Ballyadam s (Queen’s 12 .
Bal lyboggan, 108.
Ballybough ,39.
Ballybrittas , 17 .
Ballylinan ,173.
Ba llylynan , Moat of , 157 .
Bal lym ore Eustace , 50, 158.
Ballynabach lach , 389.
Ballynua , 389.
Ballysh annon (Co. Kildare) , 18, 298,400, 419, 420.
Ballyshawn , 154.
Ballysonan . S ee Ba llyshannon .
Ballytore. S ee Ball i tore.
Balrath ,119.
Q
Balroth ery, -7 , 102 .
Balt imore , Baron of , 370.
Baltinglass , Earls of [Eustace , Roper ,and Talbot], 64 .
Abbey of , 64 .
Balyna , 60, 135, 40.
BarneWall,John d . , Trimleston ,
285 .
Barrow,r i ver , 389.
Bauteogue, r iver,-172 ,
IN DEX.
Bawn,a , 53.
Bect ive Abbey , 124, 126.
Beerdys Castle . S ee Bert.
Belan,21, 192 .
Bells , 434 .
of Bless ington , 386, 387.
S t . Evin ,152 .
Bellew , John,Lord , 110.
Berm ingham , de , Baron of Carbu ry ,108, 109 ; Ear l of Lou th , 101, 102
Andrew ,110 ; Anne, 110 ; Edward ,
109 Gera ld , 109, 110 ; James , 103
John,100, 101, 102 , 104,
171 La ke, 109 M ary , 110 M ei ler ,104 ; P i erce, 99, 100, 109, 110, 302
Redmond , 260 ; R i chard , 102, 109 ;Rober t , 97 , 99 ; Thomas , 109, 110 ;Wa lter , 103, 109, 110, 261 ;Wi lli am ,
97, 104, 105 , 106, 107 , 312 ;fam ily of —92 , 97-110, 147. S ee
H igh S her i ffs .
Bert,10, 173, 356.
Birtown, 7 , 8, 157 .
Bi shop of Cash el , 125 , 126.
of Clogh er , 287 .
of K i ldare, 9, 132 , 241-249,291, 308, 310, 356.
of Leighlin, 305 .
of Lim er ick , 293 .
of Meath,36, 117 , 125 , 126,
291.
of Waterford , 35 .
Bishop ’s Court, 278.
Blackhall Castle,near Calverstown
,
330; near Naas, 317.
B lackrath , 211, 416.
Blackwater , river (CO . Kildare) , 134,135 .
B lessed Wells . S eeWells.
Bless ington , 386.
Bean , Queen, 89.
Bodenstown,46, 447.
Bog-bu tter , 152 .
Boh ernash ,old road , 32 .
Boi ce, Jam es , 132 .
Bolton H i ll , 18.
Book of Armagh , 278.
of Hours of the Blessed V i rginMary , 426
-429.
of Howth , 125 .
of K ells, 294 .
of K i ldare , 292 , 294 .
of The O’Byrnes , 175 , 389.
of th e Rental Book, and th e RedBook of the Earls of Ki ldare ,127 .
Col. Wood-Martin ’s,Pagan Ire
land , 66Miss S tokes ’
s,H igh Crosses of
Ireland , 454 .
4 59
Books— conti nu ed .
Canon Sherlock ’s , S t. Br ig id and
K ildare Cath edra l , 217 .
Col. V i gors’s,Mem or ia ls of th e
Dead,Ireland ,
218.
Born or Cow-tribu te , th e , 159, 4 14 .
Bothoge River , the , 424 .
Boundary between Meath and Kildare ,59-63 .
Bourke. S ee Burke.
Boyne , th e , 87 , 89, 135 , 370.
Brabazon , W i lliam , Lord , 19.
Bragganstown , 102 .
Brefn i , 91.
Breh on law , th e, 5 , 6.
Bremingh am . S ee Berm ingham .
Brewel H ill , 158.
Brian Born , 91 , 160, 161.
Br idges , Co . Ki ldare, 214 , 288, 437 .
Brittas, 161, 162 .
Brooch , a Celtic, 269.
Browne , fam ily of —S i r Anthony , 14George, 20 ; John ,
20 ; Mabel,14
,
Robert , 19 Wi ll iam , 20.
Bruce, Edward , 100, 101, 171, 187 .
Robert , 171, 395 .
Bum bo Hall , 425 .
Bu rgh , de , fam i ly of . (S ee H igh
S h eri ffs ) —Adelm,54 ; S i r E dwa rd ,
55 ;Jean, 302 ;M aud, 54 Wi lli am, 54 .
Burial , Pagan , 113 .
Burke,fam i ly of , 54 , 55 . ( S ee H igh
S heriffs) —Edm und , 420 U l ickM cwi lliam , 128 S ir W i ll iam(Mcwi lliam ) , 55 .
Burnell , John , 362 .
Robert,362 .
Burnt Church , 9,Bu tlers, fam i ly of, 106 ; S i r Edm ond,
Lord Jam es , 11 .
E ar ls of Ormonde— Jam es ,
l st Earl , 57 ; Jam es , 5th
Earl, 120, 121.
Earls of Ossory—Pi erce , 8th
Earl , 9, 10, 172 .
Bu tlerstown Castle , 33, 43 .
Cadam stown , 124 , 448.
Cah ir mor , King , 296.
Ca i rbre, son O f N iall of the N ineHostages , 89.
Ca lse or Cass , th e r iver , 89, 155 .
Ca lfe. S ee D e Valle.
Ca lverstown,214 , 274.
Carbury ,Baron of . S ee Berm ingham .
H ill and Castle of, 7, 85-110,155
,192 .
Toch er of , 59, 61.
Carlow , 10, 11, 19, 123 .
Carm ecanstown ,102 .
460 IN DEX .
Carnalway ,453.
Carr i ck , or Carrig , 99, 100.
Carrick Oris , 100.
Carton ,14
,156
,370.
Cash el, Rock of , 125, 126, 202.
Castledermot , 7 , 8, 10, 11, 14 , 18, 19,65
,128, 129, 161 ,
400, 417, 419, 427 , 440.
Castled illon , 259, 283 .
Castlejordan , 99, 108.
Castlem artin ,14
,172 , 299, 418, 440.
Castletown (Celbr idge ) , 140, 202 , 281,361-378.
Cath ae i r m or,K ing, 160, 205 .
Cath erlagh . S ee Carlow.
Cawlcannon ,214 272 .
Celbr idge , 198 324 . (S ee also Ki l
drough t . )Chapter
-h ou se Door of S t . Patrick ’s
Cath edral , 121 .
Ch im ney-p i ece at Ki lkea Castle,
'
13.
14 , 124 .
Ch r i st Church Cath edral , Dub lin ,9,
132 , 427 .
Ch u rch p late , 203 , 218, 249, 387 .
Chu rch town (Rh eban ) , 177 .
Ci ll Cua igh . S ee Ki lcock .
Ci ll Coagh ,434 .
Clane , 50, 51, 158, 370. Corrigenda .
Clanm ali ere,d i strict of , 17 .
Clare, Richard de . S ee S trongbow.
Clayton , Bish op Robert , 237 .
Cloch ain-na-Monia , 152 .
Cloch -an-chomm a igh ,65 .
Clogrennan ,174 , 312 .
Clonard, 60, 62 , 108.
Clonaugh ,133, 134 , 140, 141,
359.
Cloncu rry , 183, 325 .
Clondalk in ,205 , 324 .
Clongowes Wood , 51 .
Clontarf , Batt le of, 91, 92 , 161 .
Coats-oi—Arm s scu lptured on stone
Archbold,424 ; Bi sh op of K i ldare,
241,242 ;Conolly , 371 ;Conyngh am ,
371 ; Delahyde , 215 Fi tzGerald ,13 , 14, 47 , 116, 118, 124 , 139 ;Hovenden , 385 Lye , 136, 138 ;Moore , 399, 406 ; O
’Kelly, 450 ;
S h er lock , 47 ; S ydney , 148, 149
W a lsh ,215 ;Wel lesley , 314 ;Whyte,
Cogadh-an-cai
’
m in ,105 .
Cogh lanstown ,453.
Coins,117, 210.
Colclough ,- S i r Caesar , 357 , 358.
Margaret , 357 .
Colley or Cowley ,fam i ly of . ( S ee
H igh Sh eriff s ) —Dudley, 261, 262 ;Gerald
,260 ;
’
S ir H enry , 109, 260 .
Colm ans town , 390.
Com erford , Th e Most Rev . Dr .,1.
Com yn , Archb i sh op ,100.
Jordan , 100.
Cona l l . S ee Connel l .Con fey ,
Connell,Great , 238, 304-314 .
Old, 157.
Connellm ore,313 , 314 .
Conolly , fam ily of . (S ee H i gh
S h er i ff s ) —Edward M . , 264 , 375 ;Lady Lou i sa , 352 , 375 ; Thom as ,
203 , 373, 375 ;W i ll iam ,204 .
Con stab les of Cast les z—Athy , 174
Carbu ry , 95 , 103 , 104 ; Carlow ,11 ;
Castlern a ine , 64 ; Dublin , 35 ; K il
dare , 45 , 297 ; Ki lkea ,11 ; Leixli p ,
395 Maynooth ,132 , 286 Pem
broke , 305 ; Wexford , 397 .
Conyngh am,Cath er ine
, 371 .
S i r A lbert , 371.
Cooke , Capta in , 440, 453.
Cook ing-places , ancient , 43 .
Coolestown , 98, 99.
Coolnafera , 51 .
Cooper , Au stin,“
ant iquar ian drawingsby , 3 , 245 , 284, 298, 300, 304 , 313
Cosby , Franci s , 259.
Cotlands town . S ee Cogh lanstown .
Counci l Hou se of Maynooth Cast le,
Coyne and Livery, tax of , 106.
Cran ly , Archb i sh op ThOm as , 8.
rannoge , a ,157 .
Cr ioch Bhu lbach , 388, 389.
Crogh an , 88.
Crosses , an Archi ep i scoyaa l, 328 ; H igh
Cross of K ilcu llen,441-446 of
Ireland; 454-455 M onumental,Clonaugh ,
138, 139, 141 Tipper ,215 ; Unsculp tu red ,
K ilcu llen , 441
K i ldare, 246 ; Cogh lanstown , 453 .
Cross-inscribed slabs , Castlederm ot ,
380 th e Reliceen (Connell) , 30Cross-legged Effigy of a Kn i gh t , 157 .
Curragh , th e, 158,273 , 294, 308,
383,440.
Cu shaling river , 89.
Daars , 81 , 447 .
Danes , th e , 39, 194 , 242 , 247, 297, 436.
Daph ill, a lap-dog , 89.
D’Artqi s or Bar tas
— Jen i co , 125 , 268
Marfgaret or Maud , 125, 268.
Dean of K i ldare,a , 45 .
Decer , John le, 214, 288.
Deer Park at Maynooth ,
elahyde , fam ily of , 61, 215 ; Jam es,
Walter , 104 ,
Delvin, Baron of . S ee Nugent .
462 IN DEX .
Fi tzGerald, fam ily of—conti nued .
E a rls of Desmond,Gera ld of Callan,
268 ; John ,268 ; Maurice , 268 ;
Thom as More,268 l st Earl ,
Maur i ce,57 ; 7th Earl , Jam es
,
104 ; 8th Ear l , Th omas , 53.
Anne,wife of Christoph er S h er lock ,
47 ; Edward , Lord, 20, 22 , 298, 349353
, 382 ; Edward, son of 9th Ear l ,428 ; Eustacia , d . of 8th Earl , 128 ;Gera ld , fath er of Mau ri ce of Maynooth , 305 ; Gerald “ Crone , 174
420 Gerald , son of 11th Ear l , 428Jam es , son of 7th Earl , .123 ; S i r
Jam es, son of 8th Ear l , 11, 65 , 396 ;S ir John , son of 8th Earl , 362 ;Lettice
,Baroness of Offaly , 428 ;
Mary , (1. of 11th Earl, 428 ; Mauriceof Maynooth , 98, 187, 295 , 305
Pamela , 353, 382 , 383 ; W illiam ,
broth er of Mauriceof Maynooth , 187.
Fi tzGerald of A llen , Gerald , 259
Maurice, 400.
of Ba llyshannon, S i r Jam es,
260;Pierce, 259, 260, 420.
of B lackwood , Gerald ,109
Rose, 109.
of Bu rn tchu rch , Co. K i l
kenny , S i r Roland. 9.
of Castletown K i ldrough t ,Edward , 362 Gera ld ,362 ; S ir John , 362 .
of Drinanstown , Cicely , 420;Jam es, 420.
of Gerald ine, Thomas, 21,264 .
of K i lmeed , Thomas, 20.
of Lackagh, Edward , 369 ;S ir Maurice , 259, 367,369 ; Thomas , 119, 367 ,369.
of M oret t, Queen
’
s County ,E li zabeth ,
177 ; Gerald ,16.
of Osberstown, James,109,
134,
Kath erine,134 ; Maurice , 140.
of Tecroghan,Co . Meath ,
Amy, 134, 145 ; S i r Ed
ward , 134, 146 ; George ,134 ; Mabel, 146.
of T imahoe, Redmond,259
Thom as, 260, 261 .
Fi tzHenry , Mei ler, 92 , 93 , 97 , 296,304 , 305 .
Fi tzPatrick. S ee MacGi llapatr ick .
Flatti sbury , Ph ilip; 127 , 128.
Flem ing , Baron of S laneMary , 278, 280.
William , 2 78, 280:
Footm arks of S aints , 273, 325 .
Fore ,Forenaugh ts , 183, 184 .
Foster , Joe, 156.
Margaret , 360.
Four Masters,th e, compi lers of th e
Annals of Ireland, 414 .
French Mill, th e ford of th e, 59, 60, 61.
Fuaran W el l , th e, 273 .
Funera l En tries , extracts from th e ,280, 371 .
Furness , 184, 317, 319, 320, 452 , 453.
Gailean (Leinster ) , 159.
Garbh Tam each ,161.
Garnenagh , 5, 7 .
Geraldine , town land of , 21 .
Gh erardini , th e, 128.
Gibbet Rath , th e, 440.
Gilltown, 325 .
Glendalough , 160.
Glenm alure, 15 .
Glounshod, 325 .
Gou l na graigue , 152 .
Grace, fam ily of, 187 ; Ham on,187
Raymond le Gros, 187.
Graney , 17
Grangem ellon , 174, 389.
Grange W il liam ,156.
Greese , th e river , 9, 24 , 129.
Grey , Lord Leonard , 11, 107 .
Gr i ffenrath , 369.
Guns , hand, 119.
Gurteen , 21.
Halverstown, 412 .
Harrington , fam ily of, A nn, 64 ; S i r
Henry , 64, 417 ; S ir John, 417 .
Harristown , 320, 453 .
Henchy, family of , 407-412 .
Herb idas or Tu rbeta s , 65 .
Hereford , de, fam ily of , Adam , 182,283 , 395 ;E leanora, 183 Eva , 183John ,
183 ; Richard , 183 ; Thom as,
183 .
Heriotts, a lord ’s due
,40.
H i gh Crosses , scu lptur ing on ex
plained , _443, 455 .
High S heriffs of th e County Kildare,253-267 .
Holinsh ed’s Chron i cles quoted, 120.
Holy Wel ls . S ee Wells .
Horn-book , a, 388.
Hortland, m oat at, 157.
B ovenden , Richard , 386.
Howth , Baron of . S ee S t . Lawrence .
Hurling, th e gam e of , forbidden,57.
Hu ssey , Meiler,14, 15 , 364 .
Hy Faelan. S ee Offelan .
Hy K insealla igh ,413
Hy Mu i readhaigh . See Omurethi .
IN DEX .
Imaal, 5 , 160.
Inch , _
158.
Inchacooly, 152 .
Inchaqu i re , 416 .
Inscriptions on —a ch imney-p iece , 13 ,124 ; m ural tab lets,
"137 , 138, 270,
377, 390, 424 ; pavem ent t i le, 124 ;pedestal, 287 a relic, 292 ; stone
tab le,124 .
I Regan , terri tory of , 451.
Iron imp lem ents , ancien t , 271.
Irry O’Kelly, di strict of , 449, 450.
Jacob, Richard , 381 .
Jake or Jaki s, Canon Maurrce,214 ,
437 .
Jenn ings , Robert , 19.
Jesu its, th e Order of , 17.
Jigginstown ,287 , 386, 387.
Johnstown,127 .
Johnstown Br idge , 138, 139.
Karn'
ekedach , 99, 104 .
Kavanagh ,fam i ly of , 50 Cah ir
owre ,” 172 .
Keat ing , fam ily of, 38, 143. (S ee H i ghS h eriff s) -Edmund
,143 ; Gerald,
143 ; Maur ice, 262 ; Thomas , 143 .
Keh oe,Donough ,
424 .
Farrell , 424 .
Kerd i ffstown, 183 .
K ighow . S ee Kehoe .
K i lberry , 389.
K ilbolane ,449.
Ki lcock, 50, 51, 89, 90.
Ki lero , 157 .
Ki lcu llen Bridge, 50, 212 , 214 , 427,
Old, 14 , 24 , 431-446.
Ki ldare , Earls of . S ee Fi tzGerald .
Town and Castle of , 95 , 132,212
,289-302 .
Cath edral , 145, 161, 217, 235 ,354 , 427 .
Ki ldrough t , 183 , 200, 279, 285 , 312 ,324 , 361-375 . (S ee Celbr idge .)
K i lgowan , 320.
Ki lkea Castle , 3-32, 419.
K i ll,181-185 .
K i lladoon,283 .
K i llash ee,433 .
K i lleen-corm ac, 4 , 206.
K i lleigh ,133 , 134 , 145 .
Killelan,158.
K i llesh in , 394 .
Kilm acredock,285
,368
,369, 376.
Ki lm eage , 298.
Kilm okide . S ee Ballyadam s .
Ki lmorony , 172;
463
Ki lnamanagh , 436.
Ki lshanchoe , 325 .
K ilsh anroe , 325 .
Kiltaghan , 369.
Ki lteel , 286, 363.
K innafad , 108.
Kinneagh , Co . Carlow, 158.
K i shogue Papers, The , 375 .
Ki stvaen , a , 113 , 114 .
Knockaulin , 190.
Knockcur, 61 .
Knockdoe , 128.
Knockpatr ick, 324 .
Lacy, Hugh de , 5 , 34 , 305 .
Laegh a i re, King , 89, 155 .
La igh en , 159.
Laragh bryan , 362 .
Latt in , fam i ly of — Patrick , 270
W i lliam,270.
Lea Castle,151.
Leadbeater Papers , The , 25 .
Leap Castle, 9, 129.
Leap of Allen,216, 273 .
Lee,Cap tain Thomas , 172 , 173.
Legends of Ardscu ll , 192 , 194 .
the B lack Pig , 383 .
Castletown , 373.
Ki lkea,29.
Pou l-gyleen, 389.
Leigh . S ee Lye .
Leigh lin ,
‘
11, 161, 214 .
Lein ster,159, 451.
Lodge, 21, 22 .
Leix, terr i tory of, 9, 167, 171, 172, 45 1.
Leixlip , 183 , 202, 393-406.
engravings of , 216.
Lemyvannan . S ee Leap Castle.
Lennox,fam ily of -Lady Em ily,
375 ; Lady ,Lou i sa
,203, 375 ; Lady
S arah ,203 , 375 .
Lesse , le, John , 184 .
Richard , 183.
W i llianr , 184 .
Li ff ey , th e River , 247, 403 ,439.
Limerick , Earls of, 370.
Little Bath , 45 , 46, 47 , 447 .
Lock , W i lliam , 390.
Longespeé , de , th e fam i ly of , Em elina ,
5 (see pedigree at p . 6) S teph en , 5 .
Longstones , 319-323, 453 .
Loretto , 17
Loth erwi te ,”a fine, 40.
Lough sewdy, 171.
Loundres , Archbishop Henry de, 246,293 .
Lou th ,Earl of . S ee Berm ingham .
Lucan ,Earl Of . S ee S arsfield .
Luggacurren, 15 .
464 IN DEX .
Lu ttrell , Ann , 270.
Robert,262 .
Lye, fam ily of . (S ee pedigrees,p . 354 ) —Amy , 134 , 146 ; Andrew,
134 , 145 ;Arthur, 134 , 146;Bridget ,134 , 146 ;Ellenor , 134 , 146;Em ery ,
134 , 140 ; Franci s, 133, 134 , 356,358 ; Henry , 134 , 146 ; John ,
133,
147, 354-359 ; Kath erine , 134 , 146 ;Mabel , 134
, 356 ; Margaret , 134 ,146 ; Mary , 134, 146 ; Robert , 356,
Lynch’s Knock , CO . Meath
,420.
MacBulby , fam ily of , 388, 389.
M acCostello,fam i ly of
, 54 .
MacFeora i s 0 1° MacPh eora i S , fam ily of,
MacGeogh egan , Murtagh , 119.
Bishop Rosse, 249.
MacGi llapatrick, the sept of , 161 ;Donough , 437 .
MacJordan ,fam ily of , 54 .
MacKenz ie, the clan ,268, 407 .
MacK eogh , Ferg ana im , 175 , 389.
Mackworth , Hum ph rey , 10.
MacLysach , 133. S ee Lye .
MacMah on s, th e sept of , 101, 102 .
MacManu s , Bryan , 178.
Cath erine , 178.
MacMu rrough , th e sept of , 10, 11
Art , 51 Cah ir m ac Enecrosse,10
King Derm ot , 92 , 94 , 161, 162 , 168,248, 295 ; Eva ,
168,175, 295 .
MacThom as . S ee Pierce Fi tzGerald
of Ballyshannon.
Macw ill iam . S ee De Burgh , Bou rke ,Bu rke .
M addenstown , 99.
Magh Li fe or Magh Liphé , 241, 431,434 .
Mainh am,183.
Maps of th e Ancient Boundaryb etweenK i ldare and Meath , 59.
Ardscu ll Moa t, 197 .
Ki lkea Castle dem esne,32 .
N aas d i str ict , 316.
Marsh , Deborah , 403 .
Dr . N arcissu s , 403 .
Marsh a l , th e Earl —Anselm e, 94
Gi lbert , 94 Isabel, 94 ; Richard ,93 , 94 ; Syb i l , 95 ; Wa lter , 94 ;W i ll i am ,
295,305 .
Maupas , S ir John de, 101 .
Maynooth , 19, 124 ,383 , 427.
Mayo , Ear ls of, 55 .
Mayor of Water ford , 41, 379, 380.
Meath , 59-63, 88.
Oakley Park (Celbridge) , 201, 202, 203 ,375 .
Obelisk , the , 377, 378,
Mei lerstown , 105 , 109.
Memor ials of the Dead , Col. V i gors’s
Report on the , 218.
Menh i rs , 322.
M eats , or Pagan sepu lch ral mounds ,3 Corr igenda .
Molyneux , S i r Daniel , 40, 280, 390.
Monasterevin , 151, 176, 212, 213 .
Monaster Oris or Ph eora i s,101.
fM onavu llagh Bog, th e , 21 .
Monecronock Common s, th e , 157 , 397.
Moone , 7 , 8, 191, 419.
Moore , Ear l of Drogh eda— S ir
Garrett , 397 ; Lady Ursu la , 397 .
M .P. of Clonm ines, 45 .
K ildare, 358.
N aas,46.
Moreton , Bi shop W i lliam , 9, 249.
Morett , 16.
Morrell river , th e , 181.
Mot toes , fam ily. S ee Coats-oi—Arm s .
Mullaghreelan , 3 , 190, 325 .
Mullagh rn ast , 190, 320, 416.
M ural tab let s,137 , 270, 377 , 390, 424 .
Murphy, S . J . , the Rev . Den is , 81.
Mu skerry , Ear l of, 449.
N aas , 46, 47 , 50, 157 , 158, 160, 190,212
, 315 , 319, 321 , 400, 418, 439.
N apier , fam ily of —Char les , 204 ;Col. th e Hon . George , 203,Lady S arah ,
203 ;W i lliam , 204 .
N arraghmore , 187 , 416, 419.
N au l , 36.
N ech tain,K ing, 88.
N ettervi ll, fam i ly of z—Alson,370 ;
John , 370 ; Ri chard , 37 , 397.
N evill, David , Baron of Rosegarland,357.
N evi lle , fam ily of . (S ee H igh
S h eriff s ) —Arthu r,263 ; Richard ,
263 .
N ew Abbey (Kilcu llen-bridge) , 125,126.
N ew Bridge ( S t . W olstan’s) . 214 , 288.
N ew Ross , th e walling of , 299.
N ewtown (Ki lberry ) , 389.
319, 320.
N ia ll of th e N ine Hostages , King, 89,90.
N orragh , Baron of , 415.
N ugen t , fam i ly of -E l i zabeth , 16,17 Ch r i stopher, Baron Delvin , 16,428 ; Robert , 17 , 104 .
Nuncio , the Pope ’s , 17 , 18, 401
N urney Cast le, 273 .
466
Proverbs, Jigginstown , 386.
Maynooth , 132 .
T imol in ,418.
Punch er’s Grange , 298, 363.
Punch estown , 317, 319.
Pypard . S ee Peppard .
Race of th e B lack Pi g. 158, 273, 383.
Rahan ,46.
Rah een , 381 .
Bath or Forts. 112, 113 , 317, 318, 457 .
Rath angan ,21
, 98, 99, 171, 187, 301,358, 369.
Rathbride,134 , 140, 145 , 298, 357 ,
358.
Rathcoffy , 51 , 183.
Rath jordan , 449.
Rathm ore (North N aas Barony) , 50,
112-115 , 301, 426, 457 . Corrigenda .
Ra th Righ , 113 .
Rath villy , 128.
Red Book , Ear l 127 .
Reli ceen (near Great Connell ) , the ,307 , 311.
Relick, a , 311.
Relics , 165 .
Rel i quary, a , 330.
Ren ta l Book , Ear l of K i ldare ’s , 127
Rev i ew of Books M iss S tokes ’s
H igh Crosses of Ireland, 454 Col.
Wood-Martin’
s Pagan Ireland , 66.
Reynolds , S i r Josh ua , 23.
Thomas; 13 , 20, 24 .
Rheban Cast le , 167-178 .
R ice , Jam es,379, 380.
R iddlesford, de, fam i ly of . (S ee thepedigree , p. Ela , 4 , 5 Em elina ,
5 ; Wa lter , 5 .
a awade, 377 .
Ring, th e ,
”318.
Rinuecin i , th e Pope’s N uncio , 17.
Robeck, th e Baron de, 405 . (S ee H ighS h eriffs . )Roch falyagh t ,
”65 .
Roch ford , de, Henry , 258 ; M i le , 183
Walter 183.
Rokeby , S i r Thom a s de , 8.
Roper , th e fam ily o f , V i scounts Baltinglass — Carey , 64 Thom as
,64 .
Res,the Baroness de , 125 .
Rosbery , 313 .
Rosegarland , Manor of, 357 .
Rosetown ch urchyard, 385 , 416.
Roslare , 33, 39, 47 .
Roth e,David , 41.
John ,41 .
Round Tower of Clonda lkin ,205 .
K ilcu llen,‘
437.
Kildare , 295 .
IN DEX .
Ru ssel ls town , 65 .
Rye-water r i ver , th e , 59, 393 .
S t . Leger , Bf
fi
ain ily Of :—S i r Anthony ,
12 John’
,263 .
S t . MacCa’
i lle of Croghan , 88.
S t . MacTa i l of K ilcu llen,434 , 435,
446.
S t . Maelduw of Cloncurry, 325,
S t . Aidan , 4 .
S t . Augnst ine’s Well
, 313.
S t . Barnabas , 439.
S t. Boyana of Gilltown , 325 .
S t . Br i gid , 88, 182 , 236, 237 , 289, 291.
h er falcon,295.
h er fire, 293.
h er oak , 289.
h er sh rine,243
,289, 291,
297 .
h er sl i pper , a relic , 292 .
relics of , 392 .
S t . Briec , 432 .
S t. Cao ide or Kay , of Kilkea and
Donadea , 4 .
S t . Cath erine’s , 397.
S t. Coagh ,434.
S t. Coca of K i lcock , 89.
S t . Colum bkill, 291.
h i s well , 395 .
S t . Con ingen ,als Coagh , 434 , 435 .
S t. Conlaeth ,. 241 2 42
,289, 291.
h i s shrine,242 , 289,
291, 297 .
S t . Cua igh . S ee S t . Coca .
S t . Dermott of Ca st ledermot,65 .
S t . Erc , 156.
S t Evin oe onasterevin, 152 .
h i s bell , 152 .
S t . Fechi n , 91 .
S t . Fiach , 4 .
S t . Fi th . S ee S t . Issern in .
S t . Francu s,452 , 453 .
S t . Fyn i an of Clonaugh , 135 .
S t . George , Fraternity of , 58.
S t . Germanu s , 432 , 433 .
S t . Id . S ee S t . Issern in .
S t . Issern in of K i lcu l len , 432 ,434 .
1
S t Katan‘
. S ee S t . Caoide .
S t . Kay . S ee St . Oao ide .
S t . Kevin ,
S t . Lau rence O’Toole , 3 , 159-166, 248.
h i s ped igree,166.
h i s sh rine and
relies ,165 .
S t . Lawrence , fam ily of , Barons of
Howth —Christoph er , 22nd Baron ,
IN DEX.
S t . Mary (The 452 .
Book of Hours of ,426-429.
Monastery of , a t
Leixl ip , 395 .
S t . M ichael , de , fam i ly of , Barons of
Rh eban : —Ch r i stopher , 172 , 173,175 ; Ma th ew
,175 ; N ich olas, 175 ;
Richard,168, 170, 175 , 192 Robert ,
170, 175 ; Roh esia,170 ; Wa lter -
g
172 . 175 .
S t . M i ch ael le Pole , Church of , in
Dublin , 435 .
S t . Mocatoc. S ee S t . Caoide .
S t . Mochua of Celbridge , 205 , 324 .
h i s well, 324 .
S t . Mogue , 4 .
S t . Moling of T inrolin,
414 .
S t . Patrick, 4 , 113 , 160, 236, 325, 431,433 .
h i s well and h i s footmarkson Knockpa trick , 324,325 .
h i s staff, the Bachal Jesu ,
165 .
S t . Pa trick ’s Cath edral , Dub l in ,
120,
160, 413,
S t . S echnall, als S ecund inu s , of Dun
sh aughlin, CO . Mea th , 432 , 433 .
S t. Thom as aBecket , 163 , 182 .
S t . Te iman als Maoinean , of Cloncu rry , 325 .
S t. V i ctor , Order of , 162 , 164, 182 ,283.
S t . Werburgh’s Church , Dubl in , 353 .
S t . Wolstan’s Abbey ,
204,214
,278,
283-288, 363 .
S alm on Leap . S ee Leixl ip .
S alt , th e Baron ies of , 394 .
S arsfield , th e fam i ly of,Ear ls of
Lu can , 313 . (S ee H igh S h er i ffs)John , 260, 394 ; Patri ck , 12 , 259.
S avage , the fam i ly of z— S i r Arthu r,173 , 174, 176 ; Douglas, 176 ;Francis , 176 Thomas , 176 ;W i lliam , 176.
S cu rlock . S ee S her lock.
S cu rlb ckstown , 34 , 37 .
S eix, Edmund, I4 .
S heelah -na-gig, 27 , 330.
Sh er i ff of Clare , 40.
K i ldare , 253-267, 405 , 415 .
Meath ,103 .
Tipperary . 37, 38.
Waterford , 37 , 38, 40, 43.
S h er lock, the fam i ly of , 33-47Barnaby, 36
, 37 ; Cather ine,“
1,381 ; Charles , 46 ; Christopher , 45,46, 447 ; Edward, 39, 45 Eustace.
467
Table , the Earl of Kilda‘
re’s stone, 124 .
Talbot , th e fam i ly of — Hen ry , 370 ;Joan; 362 ; John , 105 , 362 ; Mary,370 ; Rich ard , 64 ; S i r Robert, 18,370 ; S i r William , 370.
Tallon ,James , 379.
S herlock the fam i ly of -cont i nued .
447 ; S ir George, 38 ; Hester , 447 ,448 ; Jam es , 38, 42 , 43 , 46 ; John ,
33, 41 , 45, 46 ; Mau r ice , 35 , 45 ;O l i ver , 37 ; Pa t rick , 37 , 38 ; Pau l ,41
,44
,45 Pi erce or Peter , 38, 45 ;
Ph i lip ,45 , 46, 447 R ichard
, 35 ,40, 46 Rober t
,45 ; Roland , 39 ;
Th omas 33, 36, 39, 43, 44 , 45
Walter,36, 37, 43 , 45 Wi ll iam ,
33, 36, 46.
S herlockstown , 45 , 46, 47 .
S h inkeean stream , the , 277.
S idh N ech tain ,88, 89, 155 .
S idney . S ee Sydney .
S ignatures , Lord and Lady Edward’
s ,
349, 353 .
S im nel , Lam bert , 118, 119, 308.
S i rr, Major , 350, 352 .
S keletons scu lptured on tom bslabs,379, 381.
S kerr ies ( Co . Ki ldare) , 171, 187 , 416.
S k i lle t , ancien t bronze , 327 .
S l igo, 426.
S overeign of K i lkenny , 41.
N aas , 47 .
S ta ined-glass window , 452 , 453 .
S ta tu te of Ki lkenny , 56.
S tella ”(Miss Johnson ) , 199.
S toke , Batt le of , 119.
S tonebrook , 411 , 453 .
S trafford , Lord , 386, 387.
S trangford , m anor,of
'
,125 .
S trongbow , Richard de Clare , Ear l ofPem broke, 4 , 92 , 168, 187,248, 295 , 395 .
Isabel , h i s daugh ter , 92 ,93 , 175 .
Basilia , h i s sister, 187 .
S unday’s Wells , 158.
S u rnam es,first adopted ,
161.
S u tton , th e fam i ly of . (S ee ped igree,p . 366) —Garrett , 14
Gi lber t,258.
of Cast letown , Connell, andRathbr ide Dav id , 109,140, 302 , 312 , 367 ; Gera ld ,
of Rich ardstown z—Oliver,105.
Swi f t , Dean , 198-201.
S ydney , S i r Henry , 148, 149.
N icholas , 149.
W i lliam , 149.
IN DEX.
Tara , 159, 291.
Tea-lane ch urchyard , Celbridge, 201,272 , 324 , 371.
Tecrogh an , 52 .
Telh a , 90.
Ten in the Hundred ,
”near Calvers
town,274 .
Th etm oy , 98, 101. ( S ee Totemoy . )Th om as Court , Dub lin , 119.
T imahoe , Co . Kildare , 324 .
Queen’
s Co 324 .
T imo lin or T im olinbeg, 12 , 413-425 .
T intern , 358.
Tipper , 214 , 215 , 317 , 386, 388.
Toberara Well,32 .
Tobere’
endowney Well, 158, 272 .
Tober-m ochua Well , 324 .
Tobershawn Well,32 .
Togh er , a , 98.
Togh er Croghan ,98.
Tom b, Conolly , 371-373.
Earl of K i ldare’
s , 130-132 .
Tombstone inscriptions -Cadam s
town ,448, 449 ; Castledermot , 19 ;
Ce lbr idge, 371 ;Connell , Great , 305 ,3 10 ; Donacomper , 279, 281, 282 ;Donoughmore (Grange W i lliam ) ,156 ; Du leek , 110 ; Kildare , 145 ,
302 , 355, 358 ; Leixli p, 398, 403Rheban ,
Rosetown , 386 ;Timolin , 423 , 424 .
Totemoy, 99, 104 . (S ee Th etmoy. )Tower Trowan , 98, 99, 107.
Trade tokens of th e Co . Kildare, 17thcentury , 208
-213.
Trin ity Well,87, 89, 99.
Tr i stledermot . S ee Castledermot .
Tuathal Teachnar , K ing , 159, 321, 413.
Tubber S ee Tober
Tullaghard, 36.
Tu rbettas , 65 .
Tymolinbeg. S ee Timolin .
Tyrrell , George , 263 .
Robert , 103 .
Ua Ciardha . S ee O’Keary .
Ufford , Robert de, 5 .
Ugai re m or , King, 159.
U lster , Earls of . S ee De Burgo .
Uriel , 50.
Urn , sepu lch ral clay , 325 .
Valle, de , th e fami ly of, 414, 415 ;E li zabeth , 415 ; Lacelena, 414 ;Richard, 414 ; Robert , 414 , 415 , 421.
Vanessa,198-201.
Van Hom righ ,Bar tholomew , 198.
Esth er, 198-201.
Vesc i , de, th e fam i ly of,Agnes , 96,
295 W i lliam , 95 , 96, 295 , 296, 297 ,298, 299, 395 .
END OF VOEUME 11.
C.,W . GIBB S S O N ;Pr int ers , Dub lin ,
Wall , th e fam ily Of . S ee De Va lle .
Walsh , th e fam i ly O f , 143, 215 ;Jam es ,
143 John,14 ; N ich olas, 43 .
Warbeck,Perkin , 123.
War-cries,aboli sh ed by Act of Parliam ent
,123 .
Bu tler , 123.
Fi tzGerald ,123.
O’Bri en , 123.
Warrenstown , 99.
Waterford,10.
Mayors of , 41, 379, 380.
Weldon,the fam ily of . ( S ee H igh
S heriffs) , Captain , 174 ;Robert , 261 ;Wa lter , 16, 260 ;W i lliam , 261.
Wellesley , de, th e fam i ly of , 415 . ( S eeH igh S h eriffs ) , Garret t, 261 Jam es ,
415 ; S i r John ,258 ; S ir Richard ,
Robert , 311 Wa lter(Bish op of Kildare ) , 303, 308 311 °
W i ll iam, 96, 103, 258, 296, 297, 4 l5 .
Wells ,Holy or Blessed , 32 , 88, 158,273, 313, 324, 325 , 395 , 453.
Spa , 406.
Weston, R ichard , 285.
Wh it S unday, Pattern day at Sunday’s
Well , 158.
Wh i te Cast le of Athy , th e, 128.
Whyte of Leixlip , th e fam i ly of . S ee
H i gh S heriff s and ped igree ,Andrew, 397 Arthu r , 399 ;
‘
Char les ,John ,
400; N ich olas, 312 ,397 , 400, Lady Ursu la
,397 .
W i lls; copies of , or extracts from :
A len , 280 ; Conolly, 373 , 375 Lye ,145 ;Whyte , 399.
W indgates (near Taghadoe) 53.
W indsor , th e Treaty of , 1_63 .
Wogan , th e fam ily of (S ee H igh
S h eriffs ) , Anastacia , 7 ; S ir David ,
7 , 8 ; John , 7 , S i r
Thomas , 8 ; S ir William ,259.
Wolfe , Thom as , 10.
Wonderfu l Barn ,th e, 376, 377.
Woodstock Castle ,
