Prison

The National Monuments Service's description

The medieval City prison is thought to have been located S of St Werburgh's Church (DU018-020079-) at the E end of Hoey's Court, where in the 17th century the main guard was situated (Bradley and King 1987, 29; Gilbert 1854, vol. 1, 41-2; Clarke 2002, 23). In 1309 the mayor and citizens of Dublin claimed custody of the Gaol of Dublin City as their right under the charter from King John (CARD Vol. 1, 235). In 1481 the Dublin Assembly Roll made an order that Pers Cruys [Cruise] swordbearer of the city, should be discharged of the keeping of the Gaol of Dublin City (CARD Vol. 1, 360).
Prison site described by Gilbert (1854, 41-2) as follows; 'On the southern side of St. Werburgh's Church was located in the seventeenth century the "Main Guard" of the city, referred to in the following extracts from the official records of the proceedings of the courts-martial in Dublin during the Protectorate. The station of the Main Guard appears to have been afterwards used as a watch-house, but the vestiges of its original use were preserved in the name of "Gun-alley," situated next the watch-house, and in which, at the commencement of the present century, the parish engines were kept'. The Main Guard is shown as a public building to the N of the W end of Hoey's Court referred to in 1430 as prison lane (Clarke 2002, 14) on Rocque's 1756 Map of Dublin City rather than the E end of the street.

See attached section of Rocque's 1756 Map of Dublin City showing the Main Guard to the S of St. Werburgh's Church

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 4 July 2023

References

Gilbert, J.T. 1854-9 (Reprint 1978) A history of the city of Dublin, 3 vols. Dublin. Gill and Macmillan.

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 A report commissioned by the Office of Public works (Unpublished).

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.