St Thomas’s Abbey and the City of Dublin in the late medieval period

Áine Foley

ST THOMAS’S ABBEY

The National Archives of the United KingdomSC 8/44/2183Petition from mayor and citizens of Dublinthat mentions disputewith St Thomas’s Abbey

Map of medieval Dublin

Calendar of Justiciary Rolls 1305-1307, pp 255-6

Alan the baker complains of the Abbot of the house of S. Thomas Dublin, brother Ric. Sweteman, and brother Martin le Bret, that they on Thursday before the feast of S. James a.r. xxviii (21 July 1300), in the highway (regia strata) in the city of Dublin, assaulted him, and took and imprisoned him and detained him in the abbot’s prison for four days, to his damage of £40, and against the peace.

The Abbot and the others come, and say that they never took him. But the Abbot acknowledged that he was taken by some of his servants, whom he avows in the deed. For he says that Alan, who was then a servant of Thomas de Snytreby, came many times by night to the Abbot’s mill by the said city, and opened the sluices (exclusas) of the mill, to make the water come to the mill of Thomas his lord. And one day when Alan came there to open the sluices as before, Hugh the Abbot’s miller went to him, to attach him, to answer to his lord for the trespass. Alan resisted him and would not permit himself to be attached, but with astone which he carried in a great glove (cyroteca) struck Hugh on the head, so that he fell to the ground half dead. Alan was forthwith taken by the servants of the Abbot, and committed to his prison, where the Abbot detained him for one day and one night, as he was entitled to do; and then he was delivered from the prison by writ of the King directed to the Sheriff of Dublin, to replevy him. Afterwards although the Abbot could avow the whole deed; for respect to Thomas, a justice of the Bench Dublin, the Abbot and Thomas, with assent of Alan, submitted themselves to the award of arbitrators chosen for this. By whose ordinance, theAbbot pledged to Thomas for said trespass, as well for himself as for Alan, hen present and giving his assent to this, £20, in the grace of Thomas, who pardoned £10, and received from the other £10. And so he says that Alan cannot advance any action against the Abbot or others for said taking and imprisonment. And he prays judgment. And Thomas de Snytreby, present in court, acknowledged this, and says that he satisfied Alan by one robe and 16s, which he received from him on this account.

Alan says the Abbot never made peace with him for said trespass, nor did he make himself a party in the arbitration, nor was anything done in it with his assent. But the arbitration was made between the Abbot and Thomas. And the Abbot and the others inflicted the imprisonment on him as complained, without his having done any trespass to them. He prays that it be enquired. Issue joined. Let the truth be enquired by the country. The Sheriff is commanded to have a jury at next coming in this county.

Irish Historical Towns Atlas

Hatched line depicts city watercourse, a grey line marks the abbey’s watercourse

The Tongue, Kimmage

Detail of Bernard de Gomme's map of Dublin, 1673 showing the watercourse flowing down Thomas Street

Irish Historical Towns Atlas

Hatched line depicts city watercourse, a grey line marks the abbey’s watercourse

The Riding of the Franchises

Austrian altarpiece depicting the rescue of a child who fell into a mill-pond

Tolboll - the proportion of ale manufactured in the city of Dublin that was granted to St Thomas Abbey

Charter of John, lord of Ireland

John the son of the Lord the King of England and Lord of Ireland to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justices, constables, and all his bailiffs of the whole of Ireland greeting; Know ye that I for the health of my soul and of my ancestors have given & granted & by this my present charter have confirmed to God and to the church of Saint Thomas of Dublin and to the canons there serving [God] in pure and perpetual alms the custom ale and mead which I have been accustomed to have in the taverns of Dublin, wherefore I will & firmly recommend that the aforesaid church & the aforesaid canons may have & hold the aforesaid custom in the aforesaid taverns well and in peace, freely & quietly, wholly and fully & honorably with all its appurtenances as I ever better held it. Witnesses John Mareschal, William Mareschal, Bertram de Verdun, William Pepard, G. de Constetin’, Roger de Hanes and Alexander Arsic.

The National Archives of the United Kingdom, SC 8/249/12448

Close Letter, 17 March 1391

To the mayor and bailiffs of the city of Dublin for the time being. Writ de intendendo, and order, upon petition of the abbot and convent of St Thomas the Martyr Dublin, in consideration of the travail, damage and loss by them borne in the time of the late king and of the king, and that the nearest and best of their kinsfolk were slain in the late king’s service while resisting his enemies, henceforward to pay them every year at the usual terms a tithe of the rent of the said city, according to a charter of John king of England, confirmed by the king and by divers others his forefathers, granting that tithe to the church of St Thomas aforesaid and to the canons regular there, to the maintenance of the canons; as their petition until 2 Richard II, after that time they might have no payment.

The 1392 attack on St Thomas’s Abbey by the citizens of Dublin

ST THOMAS’S ABBEY