Mural tower (Historic Town)

The National Monuments Service's description

Sedgrave's Tower in Lamb Alley (Back Lane/Rochelle Street) located between St Nicholas' Gate and the New Gate on Dublin City Walls. In 1259 The Dublin White Book recorded a grant to; 'Master Hugh de Kyngesbury, during his life, their tower in Rochelle street, with all easements and appurtenances. Reservation of free entry and exit in time of war' (CARD Vol. 1, 101).
This mural tower on the Dublin City walls (DU018-020001-) was described in 1585 as follows; 'From the towre [DU018-0208008-] in Sir William Sarsfeldes pocession to the smale towre in the pocession of Mr. Christofer Sedgrave is 340 foote [103m] distant, and the wall and rampier with the buttris withowte the said wall, agreinge in licke height and thicknes as the other parte of the said wall, rampier, and buttris afor mencioned. savinge that there is no rampier within 80 foote [24m] next adjoyning to the said towre in Mr. Sedgraves pocession. The said towre in Mr. Sedgraves pocession is a demy rounde towre with twoe vawtes [vaults], one eqwall with the wall, with three lowps [loops] the other witha paire of stayres going upe unto it from the wall, and covered for a fewe to stand upon, with a garet abowt, and 11 foot [3.3m] long one waye, and 6 foott [1.8m] another waye, the towre 26 foot [8m] hie and fowre foote [1.2m] thicke. From the towre in Mr. Sedgraves pocession to the towre [DU018-020010-] in Mr. Richard Fagan his pocession is 90 foote [27.4m] distant, and the wall agreeing in like height and thicknis as aforsaid, and no rampier within the said parte of the wall, but the licke buttris withowt as befor' (CARD Vol. 2, 553).

Lamb Alley; Known as Sedgraves Tower as Christopher Sedgrave occupied the tower in 1585 (Healy 1973, 19). It was two storeys high and formerly accessible by a stairs which ran from the town wall (Clarke 2002, 21).

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 28 April 2023

References

Clarke, H.B. 1978 Dublin c. 840 - c. 1540: the medieval town in the modern city. Dublin.

Healy, P. 1973 The town walls of Dublin. In E. Gillespie (ed.), The Liberties of Dublin, 16-23. Dublin. O'Brien.

Calendar of Ancient Records of Dublin: In the Possession of the Municipal Corporation of that City.

Clarke, H.B. 2002 Irish Historic Towns Atlas No. 11: Dublin, part I, to 1610. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin.