Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

In 1940 human remains were discovered on the site of the Munster and Leinster Bank at No. 7 Dame Street (NMI). The bones were disturbed and no associated artefacts were retained In 1957 human remains were also found at No.12 Dame Street. The bones were unearthed during removal of a clay floor in a basement (Cahill & Sikora 2011, 468).
These burials probably belonged to the graveyard or cemetery attached to St Andrew's medieval parish church (DU018-020071-) which was located on the site of the Munster and Leinster Bank at No. 7 Dame Street (Clarke 2002, 17). On Speed's 1610 Map of Dublin City, St. Andrew's Church (labelled No. 16) and graveyard (DU018-296----) is shown standing on the S side of Dame Street (labelled No. 14) and to the E of Dame or Dam Gate (DU018-020028-) (labelled No. 15) which was the E gateway to the walled city of Dublin. On this map the church is depicted as a rectangular building aligned on an E-W axis with bell-tower on the W end of the church which stood in the N quadrant of a D-shaped enclosure which represented the burial ground or graveyard (DU018-296----) attached to St. Andrew's parish church. In 1549, John Ryan a merchant of Dublin was granted a 21 year lease of, 'the Rectory of St. Andrew the Apostle, and also the chapel of St. Andrew and the cemetery of the said chapel, a certain parcel of land adjoining the same on the west and a garden on the north of the said chapel, and also the tithes of three orchards in the parish of St. Andrew' (Mason 1820, 33-4). The Dublin Assembly Rolls of 1592-3 recorded that; 'Lucas Challener shall have a lease for tearme of three score and one yeares uppon St. Androwes churche [DU018-020071-] and churchyard (after our estate therin perfected) he payeing yearly to the cittie xl.s., Irysh' (CARD Vol. 2, 259).
St Andrew's medieval parish church and graveyard was described in the Urban Survey of Dublin City as follows; 'Known as St Andrew's de Thengmothe, because of its location close to the Viking Thingmount, the foundation of this church has been dated to the twelfth century (Gilbert 1854-9, ii, 258). This is based on the mention in Roger of Hoveden's chronicle that Henry II's palace was built in 1171 outside the city "near the church of St Andrew" (Stubbs 1868-71, ii, 32 ). Since Roger of Hoveden wrote of these events as a near contemporary, his evidence is fairly reliable (but see the comments in Warren 1973, 204 n. 1). The church was clearly in existence by 1219 when it was assigned to the precentor of St Patrick's cathedral. The cemetery of St. Andrew is referred to in a document of 1353 and it was here according to Gilbert that the election of the 'mayor of the bull-ring" took place until c. 1600. Speed's map shows this cemetery as a semi-circular enclosure, and this may have been part of an enclosure similar to those found around rural Early Christian church sites' (Bradley and King 1988, vol. 4, 95).
St Andrew's Church was described by Wheeler and Craig (1948, 9-10) as follows; 'The parish was founded probably in the the XIth century. The original church occupied the site of the present Munster and Leinster Bank in Dame Street, lying therefore just without the walls. At the Reformation the parish was united to St. Werburgh's, and the church used as a mint and as a vice-regal stable. Laud attempted to rescue it, but it was not till 1665 that the parish was re-created by Act of Parliament. The church was built 1670-74: it was 'round' (elliptical) in form, and the architect was William Dodson. A drawing which still exists, was made by Francis Place. It stood almost on the site of the present church, near the Danish Thingmote or assembly mound, which was not levelled till 1685. In 1690 it was for a time used as a prison'.

Stubbs, W. 1868-71 Chronica Rogeri de Houedene, 4 vols. London.

Warren, L. 1973 Henry II. London.

See attached section of Speed's 1610 Map of Dublin City showing Dame's Gate (No. 15) at the W end of Dame Street (No. 14) adjacent to St. Andrew's Church and graveyard (No. 16), Newman's Tower (No. 6) to N, accessible online at http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-ATLAS-00002-00061-00001/38

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 26 July 2023

References

Cahill, M. and Sikora, M. (eds) 2011 Breaking ground, finding graves - reports on the excavations of burials by the National Museum of Ireland, 1927-2006, 2 vols. Dublin. Wordwell Ltd. in association with the National Museum of Ireland.

Mason, W.M. 1820 The history and antiquities of the collegiate and cathedral church of St. Patrick, near Dublin. Dublin. Author.

Wheeler, H.A. and Craig, M.J. 1948 The Dublin City churches of the Church of Ireland. Dublin. A.P.C.K.

Cahill, M. and Sikora, M. (eds) (2011) Breaking ground, finding graves - reports on the excavations of burials by the National Museum of Ireland, 1927-2006. Two Volumes. Dublin, Wordwell Ltd. In association with the National Museum of Ireland.

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.

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

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