Dublin main drainage scheme : souvenir handbook ; published by the authority of the Municipal Council to mark the inauguration of the Dublin main drainage, September, 1906.

Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dublin main drainage scheme : souvenir handbook ; published by the authority of the Municipal Council to mark the inauguration of the Dublin main drainage, September, 1906. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    This may be - taken as a fair description of the other towers and the curtain-wall connecting them. It may be of interest to name them with the city gates in order, as well as the distance between, omitting the quaint verbiage of the old survey. From Stanihurst’s Tower to the Pole Gate, at the Southern end of Werburgh street, was 168 feet; thence to Genevel’s or Joinville’s Tower, 186 feet; thence to St. Nicholas Gate, which stood at the meeting of Nicholas street and Patrick street, was 252 feet. From this Gate, which was strongly defended by two towers that were customariR used for displaying the spiked heads of Wicklow rebels, to the Tower described as “ in Sir Wm. Sarsfelde’s1 pocession,” was 312 feet. Next was the small Tower in the possession of Mr. Christopher Sedgrave, 340 feet distant; after that a Tower in Mr. Richard Fagan’s possession 90 feet away; and, a further 120 feet distant was “ the Sowtheaste Towre of the Newe Gate .... the wall seventeen foote hie and fyve foote thicke and no rampier within the said wall, but howses joyning close to the said wall within .... The Newe Gatte have twoe Towres and every Towre is three heightes,” and there is a long description of the New Gate of the olden da} s. Whoever passes through the gate leading to Kilmainham from the old Priory, commonly known as the Old Man's Hospital—a rather curious perversion of title that still retains a meaning—will see a replica of the ancient Newgate or Newe Gate that stood where Francis street runs at an angle to meet Cornmarket. It was the strongest point in the City defences, and dated back to some time before 1188, for the old laws of the City enact at that time that the ancient watchman should thence “ begin his patrole at the New Gate and so through the High Street to the new Tholsel, and so far as St. Patrick’s Gate at the end of Bertram’s Court, including Rochel Street, and the three lanes (venelke), namely, St. Audoen’s Lane, Gillamocholomog’s Lane, and the other lane leading to the house of Thomas le Marechal.” That seems to have been the furthest range of the police regulations of Dublin in that remote era. Towards the river, the 22-ft. high wall ran to “ the Towre in Mr. Fitzsymons’ pocession,” a massive structure designed to protect the lower slope of the hill, and 140ft. lower down was Gormonde’s Gate, corruptly Ormonde Gate, and later Wormwood Gate. Then Harbarde’s Tower, Mr. Usher’s House, and the “ Bridge Gatte” brought the line of circumvallation down to the river—“ and the Liffie goethe hard by and at every full sea it floes upe against the said wall, being u springe tyde.” Being now on “ the Marchaunt Key ” one encounters in succession, facing 1 He was Mayor of Dublin in ]566, in which year he was Knighted for his services against Shane O’Neil (Shane the Proud). He died at Lucan in 1616, and was ancestor of the famous Irish soldier, Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan.