Riding the boundaries of the city.

**

CHAP. VI.**

Of the manner how the citizens of Dublin rode their franchises in antient and modern times.

We shall have little here to do but barely to transcribe the several forms used by the citizens in riding their franchises at different periods, as the same have been transmitted to posterity, either by authentic records or antient manuscripts, whose evidence is not to be controverted at this day; more especially by comparing each form, how little variance there has been therein from the beginning to the present times, except in the names of places, which yet are but few.

It would indeed be a difficult talk for the citizens to have at any time stretched their rights beyond the just limits within the city or suburbs, as they were surrounded on most parts by vigilant neighbours, namely, the ecclesiasticks of St. Mary’s-abbey, Kilmainham, Thomas-court and St. Sepulchre’s, or the liberties of the archbishop of Dublin; who were upon all occasions ready to procure papal anathemas and censures, against those who offended them in less momentous matters than the loss of their lands.

Several of the instruments we shall have occasion to cite are written in latin, but to shew our fidelity, we shall transcribe them verbatim [Here I part company with Mr. Harris as he really does go on to indulge himself. I’m giving the English translation only. KF], and for sake of the English reader translate them literally into our own language.

The earliest instrument that occurs, is one of John, earl of Morton and lord of Ireland, dated at London the 14th day of May in the 3rd year of the reign of his brother, king Richard I. (A. D. 1192) which refers to a former charter of local franchises granted by king Henry 11. now lost. The charter of king John is to be seen in the black book (f. 221) of the archbishops of Dublin, called Alan’s Register, being collected by arch-bishop Alan in the reign of Henry VIII. and as it containeth other liberties betides their metes and bounds, we shall here give only so much thereof as is pertinent to the subject in hand, reserving the remainder for another place.

The charter of John, lord of Ireland, concerning the bounds and franchises of the city of Dublin, and of the liberties granted thereto.

“John, lord of Ireland, earl of Morton, to all his subjects and friends, French, English, Irish and Welch, present and to come, greeting. Know ye, that I have given and granted, and by this my charter confirmed to my citizens of Dublin, as well those who inhabit without the walls, as to those who dwell within them, as far as the boundary of the town, that they may have their limits, as they were perambulated by the oaths of the honest men of the city itself, in pursuance of a precept sent to them by king Henry my father, namely, on the east and south sides of Dublin, by the pasture-grounds which lead as far as the port of St. .Keivin’s church, and so along the road as far as Kylmerekargan, and from thence as they are divided from the lands of Donenobroogi as far as the Doder, and from the Doder to the sea, namely to Clarade, close to the sea, and from Clarade as far as Ramynelan. And on the west side of Dublin from St Patrick’s church through the valley as far as Farnan-Clenegimethe, and from thence as they are divided from the lands of Kylmainam, and beyond the water of Kylmainam near Avenliffey, as far as the ford of Kilmastan [Kilmaftan?KF], and beyond the water of Avenliffey towards the north by Cnocknogannoc, and from thence as far as the barns of the Holy Trinity, and from those barns to the gallows, and so as the division runs between Clonlic and Crynan as far as Tolecan, and afterwards to the church of St. Mary of Ostmanby. These things we have also granted to them that their tenures and land be secure, who have any granted to them in our charter, from thence without the walls as far as the before-mentioned limits; that the city may not dispose of those lands as of other lands, but that they observe the common customs of the city as other citizens do.

But this, we declare, of those who have had our charter of certain lands, within the said limits, without the walls, before we had granted the aforesaid liberties and this charter.”

It will be readily perceived that the foregoing form is very general, and drawn up according to the simplicity of those early times, from whence it would be a difficult task to trace the limits of the city liberties step by step, and more especially as by its breaking off at the church of St. Mary of Ostmanby, it leaves a good part of them unsurrounded.

We shall therefore in some measure supply this deficit from an inspeximus of an inquisition, recited in the same book (Lib. Niger Arch. Dub. P222), and taken in the reign of Richard the second, intitled, De metis libertatum per novam inquisitionem, i.e. Concerning the bounds of the franchises of the city by a new inquisition; as follows, viz. [Here, too, I’ve left out the Latin. KF]]

In English thus,

“Richard, by the grace of God., king of England and France, and lord of Ireland, to all to whom these present letters shall come, greeting. We have viewed, &C.** It has been shewn unto us on the part of the mayor and community of the city of Dublin, &c. and the jurors upon their oaths say, that the bounds of the city of Dublin are on the east part of Dublin and on the south part thereof, namely, the pasture leading to the port of St. *Keivin, and so by the road as far as Kilmerecarigan, and from thence as they are divided from the lands of Donobrooge to the Doder, and from the Doder to the sea, namely, to Clarada near the sea, and from Clarada to Reymilan, and from the port of St. Keivin’s-church by the way northward to a stone-cross, where the eastern market antiently used to be kept towards the west, and from thence to a Jane near St. Sepulchre’s in the passage towards a barn as far as to a certain old lane closed up near to the commons of the vicars of St. Patrick’s-church, which extend to St. Patrick’s-street, and in the west part of Dublin, from St. Patrick’s-church, through the middle of the valley to the pool of the house of St. Thomas the martyr leaving the south gate of the monasteries of Witeschan and Conelan (Such monasteries as Witeschan and Conelan do not occur in any accounts to have lain within the liberties of the city of Dublin, and therefore it may be presumed they were either dissolved in early times, or united to other houses. Among the pleas of the crown in Birmingham-tower, an. *3 Edw. II (1309) Thomas Thonnyr was indicted the harbouring Adam the son of Robert de Caunteten, who burglariously robbed the church of the friers de paenitentia Jesu Christi of Dublin, and taking from them 40s **Perhaps this house de paenentia may be one of the monasteries here mentioned; at leaster we meet with no other account of it.) towards the north on the left hand, and exactly through the middle of the depth of all the said pool, and from the said pool through the middle of a meadow leading to a pasture called le Irendam towards the north, and from le Irendam to the cross of Kilmaynan by the bounds of the lands of Kilmaynan, and from the said cross along the bounds of the lands of Kilmaynan to a ford called Tyrrel’s-ford, and from that ford between the lands of the church of the Holy Trinity Dublin, and the land of Kilmaynan unto the water of Amliffy, and from thence along the said water as far as the ford of Kilmayhane, and beyond the water of Amliffy towards the north by Enolnegannocke, passing into a meadow, which leads towards the west as far as the high way, passing from Dublin towards Carberagh, and from thence to the barns of the Holy Trinity, and from those barns along a trench called Rugh-ditch to the high-way leading from Finglas to the city, leaving the said trench on the left hand towards the north, and from that high-way to the water of Glafteynock (Glasteynock?KF) and so to a hill towards the north where the gallows antiently stood, and from thence through the middle of the water of Glafteynock to the high-way leading from the said city towards Santreff, and beyond that high-way as far as the trench of the land of Clonclyffe, and so along that trench to a green lying on the north side of the abbatial house of St. Mary Dublin, and from thence between the green and the said trench to the middle of the high-way leading from Ostmanton to Tulgin, through the middle of the road of the village of Ballybough, unto an antient path of an old mill, leaving the abbey and land of Lexinam on the right hand towards the south, and the trench and path on the left hand towards the north, and so along the water of Amliffy to the abbey of the blessed virgin Mary of Ostmanby, &c.”

We shall now give the form* *of riding the franchises as the same was done on the 4th of September in the 4th year of Henry VII. (1488) (Thomas Meyler being then mayor, William English and Robert Boys, bailiffs) taken from the white book of Christ-church, Dublin.

“They proceeded well horsed, armed and in good array, taking their way out of Dame’s-gate, turning on the left hand to the Strond, and from thence straight forward to the long stone of the Stayne.” (which yet standeth on the west end of Lazer’s-hill) leaving All-hallowes on the right hand, keeping the Liffey side, until they came unto the Ring’s-end, and from thence they kept forward to Clare-road, alias Cleer-rode, for the shipping, (which is now Poolbeg) and from thence to Remelin (now called the Barr-foot) and so eastward upon the strong on the south side as far as a man might ride, and there cast a spear into the sea at low-water, thereby to shew the extent of trhe city franchises eastward. Then they rose backward till they came to the Black-stone by east Myrion, and leaving Myrion on the right hand, thence rode on a meer westward, until they came to our Lady’s well, and so continued their course till they came by the gate of Smothi’s-court; then surrounded the green, and passing the fords of Donnybrook, they left the town and the church on the left hand, and so kept on in the high way until they came to Kilmackargan on the west of Donnybrook; and thence continuing their march by the high-way-side, until they arrived at St. Keivin’s-gate, and from thence northward unto the lane wherein a cross of stone was then fixed; but the ditch of the lane being a strong fence, they broke their way through to the high-way by east St. Sepulchre’s, and so leaving St. Sepulchre’s and St. Patrick’s-close on the left hand, until they came to an old lane, adjoining to the north side of the chancellor’s orchard, or Huggar-place; and so passed though an orchard, which sometimes belonged to Thomas Swetickby, and also through the gardens until they came to the house of Anne Ahohone, on the north side, where John Arthur some time dwelled, making their way through the same into the street; through which they marched southward as far as William English his house, which they passed through, mounting over the roof of another house, and passing also through several gardens until they came to the Coomb, and from the Coomb-gate they proceeded to Cow-lane, and so forward to Carnaclogh-Imathe, (which is now Dolphin’s-barn) and thence returning backward left it on the right hand as you ride to the cross ditch in the lane deading from Dublin to Kilmainham, and so downward to Bow-bridge, passing under an arch of the same through the water of Cammock, unless for their more ease they sometimes rode through the prior of Christ-church his lands, which they left on the south, whence they rode over the water of Cammock westward, to the place whereunto the water of the Liffey sometimes reached, and so forwards towards the west, leaving the tilling land of Kilmainham on the left hand, and part of the meadow on the right hand, where is the narrowest place of the meadow, there being there a ditch of small thorns by the tilling land, whence they rode northward through the water of the Liffey as far as to the west end of Ellen Hore’s meadow, by the high-way, they made an halt, and there drew up together, and took counsel. On the north side of this place there was an arch said to be common, on the which the prior of Kilmainham received the rent. Some of them rode over the north side of the arch, and some over the south-side, meeting together in Gibbets-slade, leaving Knocknecoack (so named in their charter, and now called Hennock-mack-nack) on the right hand; and so continued a straight course to the prior of Christ-church his lessowe on the north side of the gallows; and so through the lessowe, leaving part of the tilling land on the right hand, and so proceeded through a part of Sharp’s park into the high-way, where they turned northward as far as to the prior of Christ-church his barn, and so came to Barnes-end, where the prior made a way for them into the same, and caused a ladder to by put up unto a window, wherein John Savage citizen, and Richard White, one of the mace-bearers to the mayor, were sent by him and his brethren to observe how the franchises went. They also put a man through the window by a ladder to the barn-floor, where they lay a stone, as a mark of distinction betwixt the liberties of the city and the prior, and so they proceeded from that stone eastward, over the Old-kill, and so eastward through the orchard belonging to the church of the Holy Trinity, leaving the gardens of the green on the right hand, and the tilling land on the left; and so continued their course to the high-way which leadeth to Glassen-even; and so to the place where the gallows stood in old time betwixt the abbot of St. Mary’s-abbey his lands on the east side, and the prior of Christ-church on the west, where the abbot of St. Mary’s-abbey, and his convent met with them, and prayed them, that they would do them no wrong; they then replying, that they would do nothing, but even as their predecessors informed and taught them how they should ride the franchises.

“Thence they rode northward upon the marches to Glafkeynock (Glaskeynock?KF), and so forth on the high-way which goeth to Dryshock, and leaving the stone well on the left-hand, they proceeded southward until they came into the high-way going to Ballyboght they came to the water ofTulkan by the bridge of Ballyboght, there passing over the water, keeping by the water-side southward, as far as they might ride, until they came unto St. Mary’s-abbey, leaving the abbey on the right hand. On the west of the abbey, on the water-side, there lyeth a stone, where the abbot and his monks met them again, where the abbot told them, that they should have ridden by west the abbey, and so forth to the sea: But the mayor and his brethren said, nay! For by our book when we did returned from the Tulkan, we should have ride to our lady church of Ostmanby. And so they departed, every man repairing homeward to his lodging. And thus the mayor and his brethren made an end of the riding their franchises the day and year aforesaid.”

The modern manner of surveying and perambulating the city liberties every third year is thus:

They draw up at the custom-house, then pass along Essex-street, Temple-bar, and to the east end of Lazer’s-hill, from thence to Ring’s-end, and so to the low water-mark, where the dart is cast. From thence they cross the strand to the Blackrock cross, and so westward to a Red-house on the east side of Merrion cross. From thence through the garden on the back of the Red-house, and across the fields to Simmons-court; from thence across the fields into the road to Bray, and then southwards along the said road to two little cabbins on the south side thereof. From thence they cross the fields into the road to Clanskiagh, opposite to a millon the river of Donnibrook; from whence they pass along the said road to the bridge of Clanskiagh, and under the east arch thereof, and then to and through the mill of Clanskiagh, and so to Clanskiagh-lane cross, and from thence along the said lane to Mill-town road, and then northward to Mr. Roberts’s house in the said road, which they passed through and the garden belonging to it, across the fields to Donnibrook road, near a cabbin on the right hand thereof; from whence they proceeded northward along Donnibrook road to the sign of the Curran-tree, on the west side of the said road, and from thence by the south end of the said house through the garden, and crossed the fields at the back of Mr. Leeson’s-house at Stephen’s-green, till they came to the corner house of St. Keivin’s-port, on the east side thereof, and through the said house. From thence, they passed by the west side of Keivin’s-port to and through Big-butter-lane to Bride-street, and along Bride-street to Bull-alley, and down it to the house formerly counsellor Swift’s, which, and the garden thereof they passed through into Patrick-street, and from thence to the sign of king William and queen Mary on the west side of the said street, and through the back-side thereof to the Coomb, at a great stone that stands in the street; and from thence along the Coomb by the water-course to Crooked-staff. From thence over the wall on the west side of Crooked-staff between the willow-trees, and along the water-course into the road to Dolphin’s-barn; from thence by the water-course to a malt-house at the west end of Dolphin’s-barn, including the said malt-house and garden westward of it. From thence they proceeded northward across he fields, and through the garden and Red-house, at the north end of Cut-throat-lane. From thence they made their way to Bow-bridge, and passed under the middle arch of the said bridge, and then into the hospital fields over the old Deer-park wall, near the old Slaughter-house. From thence through the Hospital-fields, and across the Liffey-strand to around stone by the Deer-park wall cross. From thence they passed over the Deer-park wall, and through a part of the park to a corner of the wall near the Dog-kennel, on the north-side thereof. From thence over the said wall northward, and passed along the same to the first half round or rising on the said wall. Thence they proceed eastward through Mr. Brownlow’s-fields, and several garden to Stonybatter on the south end of Mr. Addison’s-house, and from thence through a house at which hangs the sign of the Half-moon, on the eat side of Stonybatter, and through the gardens to Colonel Stanley’s-house, and through the said house to Grange-gorman-lane. From thence by the south end of the Half-moon on the east side of Grange-gorman-lane, and through the gardens into Finglass-road cross, and from thence northward to the Broad-stone. From thence through the water course that passes by the stones, and through the gardens into Drumcondra road cross; thence southward to a little cabbin at a well cross in a garden in a garden on the east side of road. From thence thro’ the gardens to the sign of the Coach and horses in Ballybough-lane, and then northward along Ballybough-lane to Ballybough-bridge. From thence across the river, and along the strand to Clontarf, and so to the shades of Clontarf, and from thence forward to the mill of Rahenny, and from the mill northward 130 perches to a little brook which is the end of the liberties of the city of Dublin.

Note. In this progress they took several stations, marked with a dagger, where they called courts.

It may not be though impertinent to the subject, to annex here a short account of the franchises of the liberties of St. Sepulchre’s, Dublin, as the same appear oin a controversy concerning the same, supported by Hugh Inge, archbishop of Dublin in the year 1524, against the citizens for their violation of the said liberties, which by a petition to the lord deputy, Gerald earl of Kildare, and the privy council, and a reference by them to the three chief judges, was by their report fully determined that year; the whole proceedings of which, word for word, may be found in the black book before cited (p. 210.)

To the noble lord Gerald earle of Kildare, the king’s deputye of Ireland, and the king’s councell of the same/

“In most grevious manner sheweth unto your discrete wisdomes Hugh archbusshop of Dublin, and primate of Ireland. That whereas hee and all his predecessors have bein peceably feifed out of tyme of minde to the contrary, of the mannor and lordshipp of St. Pulchre’s, with all the appurtenances, liberties, franchises and suites of court unto the said mannor belonginge in their demeane as of fee; as in the right of the said archbusshoppricke, by the graunts of our soveraigne lord’s the king’s most nobel progenitors; So it is, that one Nicholas Coitrotte merchant, late maire of the cittie of Dublin, Bartholomew Blanchfield and John Candelle, bayliffs of the same, accompanied 200 and more of fenfuall (?KF) persons in a riotous manners, contrary to our soveraigne lord the king’s peace, and all good order, envaded and entred within the said lordship, liberties, and franchises of St. Pulchre’s, and there then keste down ditches and hedges, otherwise riding their franchises than any of their predecessors did before this tyme, to the great hurte and prejudice of the said complainant, in the diminishing of his right liberties and franchises. The premisses considered, that it would please your moste discrete wisdomes to call before you the said Nicholas Coitrotte, and the foresaid bayliffs, and to take such direction in the premisses, that they may be punished for the said riote and wrongs, according to right and conscience, in avoyding of further inconveniences that may ensure in tyme cominge.”

“Hit is decreed by my lord deputye, and king’s councell, that the chief judges shall have the examination of this matter, and it to order decree and finish, and they to certifie my lord deputye and the king’s councell of the same.”

Decretum Judicum.

“Be it known unto all men, That whereas the most reverend father in God, Hugh archbusshopp of Dublin, complayned unto Gerald earle of Kildare, the king’s deputie of Ireland, and the king’s councell of the same, that whereas hee and all his predecessors, as in the ight of his cathedrall church, have bin peaceably feifed of all the chiefe rents and suits to his courts, as to his lordshipp and mannor or Sepulchre’s, of all the burgages on the east side of St. Patrick’s-street; that is to say, from the north side of the house where Nicholas Boyle tailour late dwelled, called the lady of Thamolyne’s house or ground unto St. Patrick’s-gate, which precinct is within the franchises, crosse and liberty of the said archbusshopp, and he and his predecessors out of tyme of mind of anie man to the contrary, have used their franchesses, crosse, and liberty there, till now of late that Nicholas Coitrotte, late maire of the said cittie, and the citizens of the same, in ryding and bounding their franchese of the said cittie, did enter and ride within the franchese and liberty of the said archbusshopp, which matter of complaint was by the said lord deputie and councell remitted to be ordered and redressed by us Patrick Birmingham, chief justice of the king’s chief place, Richard de la Hoyde, chief justice of the king’s common place, and Patrick Finglas, chief baron of the king’s exchequer in Ireland, and we hearing and examining the allegations, possessions, right, titles and evidences of either of the said parties, and walking the bounds and mears of the same, by good and mature deliberation doe order and decree the said precinct from the north syde of the said house where Nicholas Boyse late dwelled, called the lady of Thamolyne’s ground on the east syde of the said street unto St. Patrick’s-gate, to be with the franchess, crosse and liberty of the said archbishop, as pertaining to his mannor of Sepulchre’s; and that hee and his successors from hereforth shall have and enjoy their antient rents, suits, and franchesses there without lett, interruption, or grievance of the said maire of Dublin, or cittyzens of the same, or their successors for ever. In witness whereof we the aforesaid Patrick, Rochard and Patrick unto this our award and decree have subscribed our names.

To Chapter VII. Harris Contents.