Stone
houses in the medieval Ormond Deeds
Niall
C.E.J. O’Brien
The medieval landscape
as we see it today can be misleading. The strong stone built castles of the
thirteenth century along with the stone tower houses of the fifteenth and
sixteenth century mixed with the stone churches and abbeys gives the idea that
the elite lived in stone structures and the ordinary people were in mud and
timber houses. But scattered across the medieval landscape are references to
stone houses that are not the homes of the elite. We may venture to call their
occupants upper middle class or lower upper class but they certainly were not
the great territorial lords.
The Ormond deeds
preserved at Kilkenny castle and now at the National Library of Ireland contain
references to stone houses across the Ormond lordship and not always in the land
of peace. This article recounts some of these stone houses that were built in
both urban and rural settings across the Earldom.
Kells,
Co. Kilkenny
The borough town of
Kells in Co. Kilkenny was of modest size compared to other medieval towns with
about 71 burgages. Early charters of William FitzGeoffrey allow the burgesses
to have timber from the lord’s woods to help build their houses of timber, mud,
clay and a sprinkling of stone.[1] Yet
in the midst of the Kells town was a substantial stone house that features in a
number of deeds. In March 1332 John Trumpour of Kells granted to William son of
Richard Coterel a great stone house in the midst of Kells together with an
empty tenement adjoining. This property had been granted to John Trumpour for
life by Arnold le Poer.[2]
Later in August 1332
John Trumpour issues a new grant to William Coterel of the great stone house in
the midst of the town of Kells together with the vacant plot adjacent to it.
This grant was for the life of William Coterel.[3] In
the following month (September 1332) Eustace son of Arnold le Poer granted to
William Coterel all his claim in a great stone house in the mid-street of Kells
together with the empty residence near adjoining.[4]
In November 1333
Eustace son of Arnold le Poer sealed a deed whereby he guaranteed that if
William Coterel was impleaded or disturbed in his possession of a stone house
with a tenement in Kells then Eustace would pay William one hundred pounds of
silver. The potential people who could disturb William Coterel were cited as
Eustace le Poer and his brother, John son of Arnold le Poer.[5]
In 1337 William son of
Richard Coterel granted to Perceval his son, the great stone house in the midst
of the town of Kells which William had by gift of Eustace son of Arnold le
Poer. Perceval Coterel was to hold the house for life by the yearly service of
forty shillings.[6]
A stone tower on the boundary wall of Kells priory
Callan,
Co. Kilkenny
A few miles down the
road from Kells is the medieval town of Callan. This town like many others had
its numerous timber houses yet it also had at least one stone building. In 1401
the Earl of Ormond received 2d in rent from Edward Perers, knight, for a stone
house in Callan that was formerly held by Adam Norragh.[7]
Carrickmacgriffin,
Co. Tipperary
South from Callan on
the lower banks of the River Suir was situated the medieval town of
Carrickmacgriffin which today is better known as Carrick-on-Suir. It had a
stone house which was owned by a woman of the Irish nation which in medieval
terms was a double usual occurrence. In June 1529 Katherine Casshyn, daughter
and heiress of William Casshyn, gave to William Maddan, and his wife Joan
Walch, a stone house in Carrickmacgriffin (Carrick-on-Suir) situated between
the main street on the north and the River Suir on the south and between
Katherine’s land on the east and Harry Neyll’s land on the east. William Maddan
was to have the stone house for forty years paying 6s 8d in annual rent. In
March 1530 Katherine Casshyn and her husband William Riordan renewed the forty
year lease to William Maddan of the stone house with garden but now at only 6s
rent per year. In January 1536 Katherine Casshyn gave full possession of the
stone house with garden to William Madan.[8]
Map of Carrickmacgriffin showing the stone house
Clonmel,
Co. Tipperary
Upriver from
Carrick-on-Suir was the important medieval town of Clonmel, headquarters of the
liberty of Tipperary. Here we have just a passing reference to a stone house in
the town of which there could have been other stone houses that didn’t make it
into the surviving documents. On 11th November 1388 John Baroun and
Alice Lowys his mother, gave a messuage in Clonmel to John Lowys lying between
their stone house on the north side and the River Suir on the south side.[9]
Slebogy
manor, Co. Tipperary
Having seen stone
houses in an urban environment, there are also a number of references to stone
houses in rural Co. Tipperary, some built and some proposed to be built. The
stone house at Slebogy falls into the latter category. In 1336 Robert son of
Henry Crok agreed with the Earl of Ormond that if Robert did not build and
inhabit the lands of Slebogy within five years then the Earl had the right to
distrain for the agreed rent of eight marks and twelve pence of royal service.
It was also agreed that if Robert didn’t build a stone house on the property
then the Earl could resume possession of the manor.[10]
A number of medieval
deeds relating to a land leases contain a provision for the tenant to build a
house upon the land within a specific time period. In April 1417 Archbishop
Thomas of Dublin made a lease for fifty years to Thomas Locum of land at Tany by
Dundrum. As part of the lease, Thomas Locum was to build a ‘sufficient’ house
of stone measuring 18 feet by 26 feet within the walls and 40 feet high below
the battlement. If Locum didn’t build the house within the four year period
then the Archbishop could re-enter the property and resume possession like at
Slbogy.[11]
Near
Thurles, Co. Tipperary
In July 1416 Richard
Walsh and Philip Walsh, chaplains, said that if John son of William Casse and
Hugh Cass gave them twenty-four marks then the chaplains would give them a
stone house along with all other messuages, lands, rents and tenements with a
rabbit warren, meadows and pastures in Rathsowagh and Lysdowf near Thurles.[12]
Unfortunately we are not told in which townland was the stone house situated
in.
Le
Norragh, Co. Kildare
Beyond the normal areas
of the Ormond earldom the surviving documents record other stone houses such as
at le Norragh in Co. Kildare. In November 1332 Walter de Veel appointed
Nicholas Barbedor his attorney for placing Henry le Veel in full seisin of a
stone messuage and twenty acres of land in Le Norragh, Co. Kildare.[13] A
stone messuage would suggest the occupant was a middle class person, certainly
above the vast majority of ordinary people.
Rosponte
Beyond these examples
of stone houses there are other references in the surviving documents to
important people who could have had a stone house or two. Sometime before April
1235 the bailiffs of Leinster had retained a plot in the town of the new bridge
of Ross with the intention of building a house there for use by Earl of
Pembroke. It seems the house was not built or not in the size the builders had
hoped for. In April 1235 Gilbert the Marshal, Earl of Pembroke granted to
William de Gloucester, burgess of Kilkenny, half the plot for 2 shillings per
year.[14]
It would be presumed that any house built for the Earl Marshal would be of
stone but as the document is silent as to the exact materials used, it would be
dangerous to speculate.
Conclusion
The above references
are not exclusive to the Ormond deeds. Other medieval archive collections also
have references to stone houses and stone messuages.[15]
That stone houses were
rare in the medieval landscape is seen by the specific reference to the house
been built of stone. For if stone houses were common then it would not make
much sense to mention a stone house in a deed when it could be confused with
other stone houses in the same area.
Bibliography
Clyne, M. (ed.), Kells Priory, Co. Kilkenny: archaeological
excavations by T. Fanning and M. Clyne (Dublin, 2007)
Curtis, E. (ed.),
Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume 1, 1172-1350 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin,
1932)
Curtis, E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume II,
1350-1413 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1934)
Curtis, E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume III,
1413-1509 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1935)
Curtis, E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume IV,
1509-1547 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1937)
McNeill, C. (ed.), Calendar of Archbishop Alen’s Register,
c.1172-1534 (Dublin, 1950)
Mills, J. &
McEnery, M.J. (eds.), Calendar of the Gormanston
Register (Dublin, 1916)
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[1]
Clyne, M. (ed.), Kells Priory, Co.
Kilkenny: archaeological excavations by T. Fanning and M. Clyne (Dublin,
2007), p. 26
[2] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume
1, 1172-1350 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1932), no. 637
[3] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 648
[4] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 649
[5] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 665
[6] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 697
[7] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume
II, 1350-1413 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1934), p. 255
[8] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume
IV, 1509-1547 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1937), pp. 132, 143, 166
[9] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. II,
1350-1413 A.D., p. 210
[10] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 679
[11] McNeill,
C. (ed.), Calendar of Archbishop Alen’s Register,
c.1172-1534 (Dublin, 1950), p. 237
[12] Curtis,
E. (ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, volume
III, 1413-1509 A.D. (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1935), p. 14
[13] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 650
[14] Curtis
(ed.), Calendar of Ormond Deeds, vol. 1, 1172-1350
A.D., no. 86
[15]
Mills, J. & McEnery, M.J. (eds.), Calendar
of the Gormanston Register (Dublin, 1916), pp. 85, 86, 113, 159; McNeill
(ed.), Calendar of Archbishop Alen’s Register,
c.1172-1534, pp. 80, 157, 170, 185, 189, 215, 237, 239, 254, 259
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