Gatehouse

The National Monuments Service's description

Whitefriars' Gatehouse appears to have been located in the middle of the road at junction between Golden Lane, Ship Street and Whitefriar Street and is named after the friars of the Carmelite Priory (DU018-020049-) located 90m to the S. Whitefriars' Gate is depicted as a freestanding rectangular-shaped tower aligned on a N-S axis rising above a vaulted archway/gateway which traversed the W end of 'St. Stevens Street' (18) on Speed's 1610 map of Dublin. On this map it is shown standing on the W end of the street where it curves around at the junction with Ship Street, Golden Lane and White Friar Street. A building annotated W.H for Watch House and outlined as a rectangular-shaped structure aligned E-W standing in the centre of the street on Rocque's 1756 Map of Dublin is located in close proximity to the site of the medieval Whitefriars' Gate It is not clear whether this structure is built on the site of the medieval gate or at a short distance to the W of the site of the gatehouse.
Clarke (1978) shows the position of Whitefriars' Gate to the N of the junction between Ship Street and Stephens Street (Bradley and King 1987, 1, 58; FMD map 1978, B20). The Dublin City Assembly Roll of 1465 recorded that the city granted the prior and convent of the Carmelite's (DU018-020049-) of Dublin the lane that went from the church of Saint Stephen's (DU018-020593-) to the church of Saint Kevin's (DU018-020078-) with the right to build a gateway at both ends of the lane (CARD 1, 321). In 1502 the Dublin City Assembly Roll recorded that; 'Sir Nicholas Kenan, chaplyn of Seynt Patri[c]ks of Du[b]lyng [DU018-020086-], schall hawe the towre [tower] over the yatte [gate] by the White Frerys goyng to Seynt Stewnes [Stephen's] for xxxi yere terme next folowyng the dat[e] thereof, and he to pay yerly unto the citte xii d. ayer of godde lawfull money, and a c. of applys [apples] at every Cristymas to the May[o]r for the ye[a]r beying, and the said xii d. to be payd to hym that schall kepe the yatt [gate] to make it fast' (CARD 1, 388). No visible surface remains. There was a second gate on Whitefriars Street (Clarke 2002, 22) which may be the 15th century gate built by the Carmelite Friars (DU018-020049-) in the 15th century. It is not clear whether the above 1465 reference relates to this Whitefriars' gate or to a second unlocated gate which stood on Whitefriars' Street.

See attached Whitefriars' Gate marked E19 on the Map of Medieval Dublin (Clarke 2002, 22) and section of Speed's 1610 map of Dublin showing the tower at the W end of St Stephen's Street labelled 18 at the junction with the street leading down to the Carmelite Friary (DU018-020049-) known as the 'White Friers' which is labelled number 21 on the 1610 map. See attached section of Rocque's 1756 Map of Dublin showing the location of the Watch House annotated W.H.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 23 November 2022

References

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

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

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.

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 .

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