Gateway

The National Monuments Service's description

St. James's Gate at E end of St. James's Street which formed the W gateway into the medieval city of Dublin. In 1485 Garret, the Earl of Kildare came to Dublin and 'sent part of his horsemen over the river against St. James's Gate to enter in the city; but, as God would, some of the city, being upon the walls, did see the horsemen coming and had the gates shut' (Cal. Carew MSS, 176). In 1556 the gateway heightened and converted into a gatehouse, in this year the Dublin Assembly Rolls recorded that; 'It is ordered and agreed, by the said auctoritie, that Walter Clynton shall have the void grounde by Sainct James gate for xli. yeres, paing therfore to the cittie yerelie sixe shillings eight pens, Irishe, at Easter and Michelmas, by equall porcions, and he to buyld a house upon the same' (CARD, Vol. 1, 454). In 1599 the Assembly Rolls recorded that; 'the master and wardens of the company of glovers shall have a lese for term of threskore and one yeares uppon the towre over St. James Gate, beginning at Eastir last, they payeing yerely twentie shillinges, sterling, with condicion that they shall repayre the same at theire costes, and be at chardges in keping the gate, and shutting and opening the same, as becometh, contynually; and, withall, to kepe a wachman every night, when occasion is, uppon the top of the gate, at theire chardges' (CARD, Vol. II, 330). The gateway and tower separated St. James Street from Thomas Street and led into the Liberty N. and St. Thomas Court (Bradley and King 1987, 1, 57). Shown on Speed's map (1610) as James Gate (Gillespie 1973, 33). A medieval well (DU018-020055-) called St. James's Well stood to the S of St. James's Gate. In 1620 the Dublin Assembly Rolls recorded that; 'James Veldon, tanner, shall have a lease for tearme of fourscore and nyneteene yeares uppon a voyd plott of ground without Saint James gate, on the north side thereof, bonding from the said gate to a howse which the said James houldeth neere thereunto, contayneing in breadth from the said gate in the east to the said howse in the west twentie three foote [7m], and in the sowth and north end twentie eight foote [8.5m], and in length from the said gate in the sowth to the well called Saint James well in the north fortie five foote [13.7m] at the yearelie rent of twentie shillinges, sterling current mony in England (CARD Vol. 3, 127). In 1625 the Dublin Assembly Rolls recorded that the; 'masters of the cittie workes shall furthwith cause Saint James gate to be repaired and amended at the charge of the citty, if the company of glovers be not tyed to it by theire lease' (ibid., 190).
A pattern and large fair was held at this well in front of the St James's Gate annually on the 25th of July, the feastday of Saint James the Apostle (Clarke 2002, 28). In 1610 Barnaby Rich wrote the following about a St. James' Well on the W side of Dublin City; 'On the west part of Dublin they have St. Jeames his well, and his feast is celebrated the 25. of Julie, and upon that day, a great Mart or faire is kept fast by the Well. The commoditie that is there to be vented, is nothing else but Ale, no other merchandize but only Ale: I thinke such another Faire was never heard of in any other place, where a man can not buy so much as a penniworth of pins, but what money hee hath to bestow, hee must lay it out for Ale, and yet it carries the name of S. James his faire. The multitude of rascall people that useth to frequent this faire, are first accustomed to perform certaine ceremonies at S. James his well, in casting the water, backward and forward, on the right side and on the left, and over their heads; then drinking a draught of the water, they go into the Faire, and there installing themselves in some Brothel-booth, they sit and drinke drunke all the day after' (Rich 1610, 52-3).

See attached Rocque's 1756 Map of Dublin City showing the location of St. James's Gate and Speed's 1610 map of Dublin City which shows St James's Gate as No. 56 and 1886 OSi City of Dublin: sheet XVIII.56 ("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:40905>)

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 21 April 2023

References

Bradley, J. & King, H. (1988) Urban Archaeological Survey, Dublin, Volume 4. A report commissioned by the Office of Public works (Unpublished).

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.

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

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 .

Rich, B. 1610 A new description of Ireland. London.

Gillespie, E. (ed.) 1973 The Liberties of Dublin. Dublin. O'Brien.

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

Cal. Carew MSS - Calendar of the Carew manuscripts preserved in the archiepiscopal library at Lambeth, 1515-74 [etc.] (6 vols, London, 1867-73)