Religious house - Franciscan friars

The National Monuments Service's description

The present catholic church occupies the site of St. Francis friary founded founded by Ralph le Porter before c. 1233 when Henry III authorised a grant of 20 marks to the Friars Minor of Dublin for repairs to their church and houses (Cal. doc. Ire. 1. No. 2004). In 1270 the King ordered the escheator of Ireland to make immediate payment of 100 shillings to the Priors minor of Dublin for further repairs to their church (Cal. Liberate Rolls, No. 1105). In 1308, John le Decer, formerly Mayor of Dublin founded the construction of the chapel of St. Mary here (Gwynn and Hadcock, 1970, 248). An extent of the Friary in 1340 described the building as a church, cloister, cemetery and other buildings. Following the Dissolution, the friars abandoned the site and the buildings were put to secular use. In 1541 it was granted to Thomas Stephens (Bradley & King 1987, 2, 145).
A total of c. 30 skeletons were exposed during excavations in the 1980's (McMahon 1988, 276). Excavations outside the walled medieval town at the junction of Francis Street and Hanover revealed building debris associated with 13th-14th century material associated with the former precinct of the friary (Halpin 1993, 24) (18:20(574). Pre-development site assessment NW of the site in 1994, at 34-36 Francis Street produced disturbed burials and fragments of medieval mid 13th century tile fragments indicating the extent of the large associated graveyard (DU018-312----) (FMD map (1978) H2, Murtagh, D, 1995, 26, Clarke 2002, 19, B2). Medieval tiles extant (Eames & Fanning 1988, 276).
In 1994, at numbers 34-36 Francis Street, 84 burials were excavated by Alan Hayden. These were associated with medieval pottery and floor tiles, and the excavator suggested that the cemetery represented that of the Franciscan friary (Excavations 1994, 26, 94E0019). Excavations at Davis Place near the Franciscan friary site in 2000 revealed further human remains. Analysis of the human remains by Laureen Buckley has found that the burials consist of six juveniles, one adolescent, four young adults (17-25 years) and four middle adults (26-45 years). The adults included five males and two females (DU018-020939----).

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Date of upload: 2 August 2012

References

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

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Halpin, A. 1993a Dean St. Patrick St., Dublin. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1992: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 21. Bray. Wordwell.

Halpin, A. 1993b Francis St./ Hanover Lane., Dublin. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1992: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 24. Bray. Wordwell.

Halpin, E. 1994 St. Patricks Street, Dublin. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1993: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 25. Bray. Wordwell.

Eames, E.S. and Fanning, T. 1988 Irish medieval tiles: decorated medieval tiles in Ireland with an inventory of sites and designs and a visual index.

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

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).

Buckley, L. and Hayden, A. 2002 Excavations at St. Stephen's leper hospital, Dublin: a summary account and an analysis of burials. In S. Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin III, 151-194. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

Bradley, J. and King, H.A. 1988 Urban archaeological survey - county Dublin (4 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Hayden, A. 1995b Werburgh St. Dublin. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1994: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 31. Bray. Wordwell.

McMahon, M. 1988 Archaeological excavations at the site of the Four Courts extension, Inns Quay, Dublin 88. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 9-319.

Murtagh, D. 1995 34-36 Frances St. Dublin. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1994: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 26. Bray. Wordwell.