Mural tower (Historic Town)

The National Monuments Service's description

Fitzsymon's Tower (Case’s/Casey’s Tower) a mural tower at Essex Quay located c. 40m E of Fyan’s Castle (DU018-020015-) on the N section of the Dublin City Walls which runs parallel to the S bank of the River Liffey. Annotated 'Case's Tower (Site of)' on 1863 ed. OSi 25-inch map where the site is depicted on Essex Quay. In 1471 the Dublin Assembly Roll recorded an agreement with ‘Robert Fitz Symon [who] shall have a towre, the wiche is betwix Isot is towre [Isolde’s Tower DU018-020017-] and the Fysshe Slypp, for terme of c. yeres, payng therfor yerly to the towne i.d., and he bylde hitt up with stones and lyme, and battayll hitt abowt, and put a roffe of oke tymber therupon, and hellet with sclates, and soo duryng the said terme kepe hit styff and staunche, and to bylde hit within two yeres’ (CARD Vol. 1, 347). This circular-shaped tower on the city walls was described in 1585 as follows; 'From Mr. Fians castell [DU018-020015-] to a towre in the pocession of Fitzsymon, of Balmadroght [Ballymadrough, Co. Dublin), is 144 foote [44m] distant, and the pavment from the channell agreing in height as the Key befor. The said towre in Fitzsymons pocession is a smale round towre withowt, and sqware within, one timber lofte, with towe rowmes, and 2 lowps [loops] in every rowme, 12 foote [3.6m] sqware one waye, and 14 foote [4.2m] the other waye, the wall 3 foott [0.9m] thick and 22 foote [6.7m] hie, and the earthe hie within the said towre 8 foote [2.4m] as befor. From Fitzsymons towre to Issoldes towre [DU018-020017-], is 174 foote [53m] distant, and the pavment from the chanell agreinge in height as befor' (CARD Vol. 2, 556). In 1605 the Dublin Assembly Roll recorded an agreement with; ‘Jacobe Newman shall have a lease for tearme of one hundreth and eighten yeares, beginning at Michalmas last past, uppon a voide pece of grownd at the west end of the tenement he holdeth of this cittie, scituate uppon the Wood Key, neare Isoldes tower [DU018-020017-], which plott lieth betwixt the said tennement and a littell tower called Casses tower, and contayneth from the tennement nowe buylded by the said Jacobe in the east to the said Casses tower, in the west, thirtie and six [yardes,] paieing therout yearly fouer shillinges and six pence, Iryshe, rent, with other covenantes and condicions to be incerted in his lease’ (CARD Vol. 2, 435).
Case’s [Casey’s] Tower described in the Urban Survey of Dublin City as; ‘This was situated 48 yards from Fyan’s Castle on Essex Quay, more or less opposite SS Michael & John’s church. In 1471 it was granted to Robert FitzSimon on condition that he repaired and re-roofed it. In 1585 it was still held by his descendants but in 1604 it is referred to as Cases’ tower (Healy 1973, 21)’ (Bradley and King 1987, Vol. 1, 52). No surface remains visible.
Essex Quay/Exchange Street Lower: Known as Casey's tower, after the occupier in 1604 (Healy 1973, 21). This was a small round tower, two storeys high, situated nearly opposite St Michael and John's church. It was granted in 1471 to Robert Fitzsymon on condition that he repaired it with stone and lime and roofed it with oak and slates. Perrots survey of 1585 described it as a small round tower with a timber loft and two rooms (L 3.75m, Wth 4.37m, wall T 0.93m, wall H 6.7m). In 1726 it was described as a ruin with its S side facing onto Blind Quay (De Courcy 1996, 160).

See attached section of Speed's 1610 Map of Dublin City showing Fian’s Castle (No. 7) with Fitzsimons Tower shown to the E of Fian’s Castle, accessible online at http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-ATLAS-00002-00061-00001/38 and 1847 OSi City of Dublin: sheet 57 "City of Dublin," held by Ordnance Survey Ireland. © Public domain. Digital content: © Ordnance Survey Ireland, published by UCD Library, University College Dublin http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ucdlib:40849

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 10 July

References

Rocque, J. 1756 An exact survey of the city and suburbs of Dublin. Available at https://libguides.ucd.ie/findingmaps/mapshistDublin Accessed on 5 January .

Speed, J. 1611-12 The theatre of the empire of Great Britaine: presenting an exact geography of the kingdomes of England, Scotland, Ireland. Atlas.2.61.1, Cambridge University Library.

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

Bradley, J. & King, H. (1987) Urban Archaeological Survey, Dublin. A report commissioned by the Office of Public works (Unpublished).

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

De Courcy, J. 1996 The Liffey in Dublin. Dublin. Gill and Macmillan.

Clarke, H.B. (ed.) 2002 Dublin, Part 1, to 1610. Irish Historic Towns Atlas, No. 11. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.

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