Tallaght Castle and Town

Tallaght Castle and Town.

In 1310 the bailiffs of Tamelag, or Tallaght, had a royal grant in aid of enclosing their town. In 1324 Archbishop Alexander de Bicknor built the Castle of Tallaght, on the site of the monastery that had existed there from St. Maelruain’s time. The altered state of affairs rendered it necessary to fortify such places, and this castle was frequently enlarged and altered during the disturbed and troubled years, that may be called the Dark Ages of Ireland-from 1300 to 1600. The frontspiece to this book, if a correct view, will give an idea of the stately edifice that once stood in the little village of Tallaght. It was probably in the form of a square, with a large court or bawn in the centre, surrounded by lofty buildings and walls. The many foundations that have been from time to time uncovered show how extensive these must have been. I have not been able to trace from what sketch this view was engraved, but have heard that in the salon of the old palace there were painted medallions on the walls, representing the different progressive stages of the castle and buildings. It may have been from some of these that the sketch was taken. The plate is now very rare.

[Sir William Wilde says that this engraving was made in** **1818, and was intended for Mason’s projected History of Christ Church Cathedral. (See *Journal of the R. H and A. A. of Ireland, *vol. i, l’t. I, p. 39.) The proof engraving is in the Monastery of Tallaght. It is dedicated to His Grace Euseby [Cleaver], Archbishop of Diblin, by W. Monck Mason, and hears the date January 1st, 1818.]

In 1332, O’Toole of Imaile, at the head of a numerous train of armed followers, plundered the Palace of Tallaght, carried away a prey of 300 sheep, slew many of the Archbishop’s servants, and defeated, in a pitched battle, Sir Philip Brett and a body of the citizens of Dublin, who came against him. Watch and ward were afterwards constantly kept here, and at Bray, to repel similar attacks.

In 1356, Walter Russell, being Constable of Tallaght Castle, the Lord Lieutenant entered into a compact with one of the O’Tooles, whereby the latter, with 40 hobillers, or horsemen, and 40 armed foot, was to defend the English marches, from Tallaght to Windgates, against the invasions of his countrymen. In the following year, the said Walter Russell was directed to levy from the vicinage reasonable pledges and subsidies for maintaining the wards stationed on these marches.

In 1378, Matthew, the son of Redmond de Bermingham, took his station here, with 120 hobillers, to resist the O’Byrnes; and, in the same year, John de Wade received £20** **from the King’s Exchequer, as a remuneration for two horses, and other goods of his, burned at Tallaght by the O’Nolans.

In 1448, by an Act of Parliament of that date, Tallaght, with other towns, was privileged to take custom.

In 1540, the O’Tooles invaded and devastated this and the adjacent Royal Manors, with deadly enmity and destruction. [In the reign of Henry VIII the O’Toole were only restrained by armed force. Lord Deputy Skeffington writes, in 1535, portion of his forces lie at Tallaght. Two years later Robert Cowley, a well-known official, writes to Lord Cromwell that Ballymore and Tallaght are the most important places for the defence of the counties of Dublin and of Kildare against the O’Tooles and the O’Byrnes, and that tenants should be placed there, who would prove “hardy warders,” able to defend the Pale. - State Papers of Henry VIII.] that In 1729, Archbishop Hoadly demolished the. castle, using the materials to build the palace, as previously mentioned; and the Archbishops of Dublin used it until 1821 as a country residence. [Gabriel Beranger made a sketch of the palace in 1771. Some of it was apparently dilapidated. He says: “The right wing is modern, and the steps still more) being new and being made of cut mountain stone.” Of the tower he says: “It seems to have been a gate of a much larger building of which this tower only remains. The arch is half stopped up and mended with brick. I was told it was intended to make a summer-house of it. “-Wilde’s Memoir of Gabriel Beranger.]

Handcock4.gif (18029 bytes)Brewer, in his Beauties of *Ireland, *describes the palace as a spacious, but long and narrow, building, composed of the grey stone of the country, and destitute of pretensions to architectural beauty. He says: “The interior contains many apartments of ample proportions, but none that are highly embellished. The hall, into which the visitor is conducted by a flight of stone steps, measures 21 feet square, and is lighted by two tiers of windows. The dining-room is 25 feet in length, by 21 in width, and is ornamented with the archiepiscopal arms, impaled with a shield, quarterly, charged in the first quarter with a pigeon. The date is 1729, and, above, is the crest, a hawk perched on a round ball.

Underneath the coat of arms is the following inscription:-” Johannes Hoadly, hanc domum refecit.” [The coat of arms and inscription were on the chimney-piece. This chimney-piece is now in Tubrid Church, in the Diocese of Lismore, where it was brought by the Rev.* *Henry Palmer, brother of Major Palmer, who was then Rector of that Parish. His son, also the Rev. Henry Palmer, in a letter to the Rev. C. T. M’Cready, D. D., dated 21st October 1885, says: “I perfectly remember, when quite a boy, some 60 years ago, being taken up to Tallaght.by my father to the handsome modern mansion, which my uncle, Major Palmer, Inspector-General of Prisons, built. having pulled down the fine old palace… My dear father saved, as *spolia opima *out of the ruins, the noble chimney-piece in question, and went to the expense of having it brought by sea to Waterford, and thence here, and erecting it in his church. I remember a mitre came with it; but it was not thought becoming to have it replaced on the summit of the apex after having fallen from its high estate!” (Information kindly given by Dr. M’Cready.)]

The great drawing-room, or salon, measures 33 feet by 21, and contains the only portrait in the palace, a full-length of Archbishop Hoadly, who was translated to the See of Dublin in January, 1729. The library is a small apartment, having a window of large dimensions, from which, as from all the windows of the reception-rooms, very fine views are obtained of Montpellier Hill, and the adjacent tract of captivating scenery. The gardens are disposed with unpleasing formality, but the antiquary will derive some gratification from finding here the remains of a tower, which constituted an integral part of the former palace. Archbishop Fowler, translated to Dublin in 1773, surrounded the demesne with a wall, and bestowed other improvements.”

Handcock5.gif (14666 bytes)One small tower, part of the old castle, was left standing, and still remains, though much altered. The accompanying sketch represents it in 1770. It was repaired in 1835 [In the same year, close to the site of the Palace, a bulla of Pope Leo X was discovered when a field was being ploughed. Sir John Lentaigne presented it to the Dominican Fathers, in whose possession it now is. The bulla is of lead, and about the size of the large penny of George IV. On one side is the inscription in large Damascene letters “Leo Papa X.” On the reverse are two vesica-shaped panels; in one of these is the traditional head of St. Peter, and in the other that of St. Paul. Between these panels is a Latin cross, over which are the letters “S.S. PE. PA.” There is no date, but it is in a state of perfect preservation. The bulla was attached by a silk or parchment band to the Papal Bulls, and served as a seal to guarantee the authenticity of the document.] by Mr. Lentaigne, who then had in it a great collection of curiosities, including a small brass coin found at Tallaght, having on one side an ecclesiastic holding a long staff, thus 'handcock7.gif (217 bytes)', with a Latin inscription round the margin, and on the reverse, “IVO” in two or three places; and a round stone, four inches in diameter, gradually sloping from the centre to the edge, which was found there, and which was probably one of those blessed stones which are still remembered and revered in different parts of Ireland.

In repairing the staircase, Mr. Lentaigne found a head carved in stone, which was firmly set in the wall, with the back part outwards. This fact shows that the builders made use of the materials of the ancient church or monastery which had stood there centuries before. The head is not of ordinary size, the nose is partially broken off, the chin low and retreating, the eyes prominent, and placed high up, with a very low forehead; the face is rather long, and the workmanship is rude. There was a long house, which is now the chapel, attached to the castle. Formerly part of it was used as a brewery, and the adjacent field was known as the hop garden, which proves that the archbishops brewed their own beer. Subsequently it was used as a granary and stables. It apparently was of the same age as the castle.

The archbishop’s palace has been now completely removed, excepting, as before stated, one large and strong vault, over which the archbishop’s dining-room was placed. This vault is now completely overgrown with trees, planted either by Major Palmer or Mr. Lentaigne. There is a fine raised walk within the garden, running from north to south, called the “Friars’ Walk,” with a round, moat-like eminence at the north end, called the “Bishop’s Seat.” This walk was planted on each side with large elm and yew trees, the best of which were recently cut down. To the right of the walk stands an immense walnut tree of great age, called St. Maelruain’s Tree.” It looks like two trees arising from one stem ; but it was originally one stem of about 10 feet high, dividing into two branches, which towards the end of the last century separated about five feet from the ground. It still remains healthy, and bears loads of fruit. Many of the branches rest on the ground, and, having taken root, serve to prop the tree. It is a wonderful tree, and must be many hundred years old. [A picture of this tree will be found in O’Hanlon’s *Lives of the Irish Saints, *vol. i, frontispiece.]

When a bath-house which had been built by Archbishop Fowler was being cleared by Mr. Lentaigne, the workmen found at the bottom a round lump of granite. It has a hole through the middle, remarkable for being cut in a screw form, which looks as if the pedestal of a cross had been screwed into it. This stone is now lying at the end of the “Friars’ Walk;” and there are also lying, about half-way up the walk, some fragments of the old cross of Tallaght, referred to under the year 1778.

In clearing out part of the fosse, which was said originally to have surrounded the castle, the workmen turned up another shapeless mass of stone, about 200 pounds weight, with a round cavity, about one foot deep, and one foot wide at the top, tapering to the bottom. It must have been one of the old holy water fonts; in workmanship it corresponds with the other stone and the font in the churchyard, all these being certainly older than the monastery. This stone is said to be foreign porphyry, and may have had a history in bygone times, like the celebrated Liafail, or stone of destiny. The moat was of great depth, and was supplied from the Jobstown stream, about a mile from Tallaght, from whence it was brought in an ancient watercourse. [In a note left by Mr. Handcock it is related that when Arch-bishop Hoadly was enclosing this stream, he attempted to build up some steps, but was compelled to desist by a man who proved a Cromwellian title to the ground. It appeared that he was the descendant of one Grumbly, a blacksmith in Tallaght in Cromwell’s time, who had bought the field from one of the Parliament soldiers for 5s. and a griddle of cakes that happened to be baking on his hearth at the time, and who had taken care to duly register the purchase.]

The foregoing account was written about 40 years ago, by Eugene O’Curry: since then there have been many changes. Mr. Lentaigue leased the principal part of the old manor of Tallaght to the Dominican Friars, who, as before stated, have built a large monastery there. In the garden lies the disjointed skeleton of an immense whale, taken on the coast of Mayo, about 1840, and brought here by Mr. Lentaigne at great expense. He made a lofty arch in the garden with the vertebrae strung on iron bars, the ends of which were embedded in two great millstones about four feet in diameter, and two feet thick, with large square holes for the axles. He brought these from the old powder-mills at Corkagh, near Clondalkin, where they had been used for crushing the powder until, in 1787, the mills were blown up. [At the right-hand side of the road coming from Dublin stands a small square tower, attached to some cottages, known locally as Bancroft’s Castle.” Mr. Dix thinks the name is derived from Irish words meaning the “Bawn of the Cattle Stealers.” - See *Irish Builder *for October 15th, 1898.

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