Historic town

The National Monuments Service's description

In the twelfth century Tallaght formed part of the See lands of the Archbishop of Dublin and is listed among the lands confirmed to Archbishop Laurence O'Toole by Pope Alexander III in 1179 (Sheehy 1962, I, 27). The archbishops founded a borough here and an extent of 1326 mentions that there were then 15 burgesses rendering 15 shillings per annum (Mc Neill 1950, 181). Apart from the burgesses there were also free tenants, eighteen cottiers and four betaghs residing at Tallaght. It was one of the most important ecclesiastical manors in County Dublin throughout the Middle Ages. By the Sixteenth century it was the Archbishop's principal residence outside the city (Handcock 1899, 11). The street pattern of the medieval borough was linear and appears to have consisted simply of main street which expanded at its west end to form the market place, where the road forked N past St Mael Ruains church and south towards Oldbawn. The archbishop's palace lay on the N side of the road and the long plots on the S side are probably the remains of the medieval burgage plot pattern.

Compiled by Geraldine Stout

Date of upload: 25th April 2012

References

McNeill, C. (ed.) 1950 Calendar of Archbishop Alen's Register c. 1172-1534. Dublin. Royal Society of Antiquaries.

Handcock, W.D. 1877 (1991 ed.) The history and antiquities of Tallaght in the county of Dublin. Dublin. Anna Livia Press.