House - 16th/17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

Probable location of the medieval house of the vicar of St Canice's cathedral in the SE of Irishtown, located between the manse house of the prebendary of Tascoffin, formerly Nos. 21-2 Vicar Street (KK019-026122-) and the medieval Bull Inn (KK019-026107-) on St Canice's Place. The N gable of the vicar's house is extant on the S side of the Central Access Scheme road which leads up to St Francis's Bridge and was formerly incorporated into the 19th century No. 22 Vicar Street, demolished to make way for the road in 2014 (Goodbody 2013). John Rocque's 1758 map of Kilkenny depicts a long N-S building extending S from the location of the gable, flanking a lane, known as King Street, that led to the River Breagagh to the S, which was no longer in use at the time of Rocque's survey (Bradley 2000, 11). The building is immediately to the E of the remains of the medieval Bull Inn (KK019-026107-), separated from it by a courtyard. Ledwich states ‘The manse house of the prebendary of Tascoffin meared on the E. with the chancellor’s orchard, on the W. with King-Street, on the N. with the chancellor’s orchard, and on the S. with the vicar’s house’ (Ledwich 1781, 487). The gable of the house is largely intact and contains a 16th/early 17th-century rectangular chamfered limestone window on the N elevation and a projecting chimney flue on its S elevation. Archaeological test excavations (17E0642) carried out on the S side of the gable by Jon Stirland uncovered the W wall foundations (Wth. 0.9m) of the building and a probable contemporary, 16th/17th-century cobbled surface corresponding with King Street/the courtyard shown on Rocque's map, running outside/W of the building (Stirland 2019, 7).

Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 16 November 2020

References

Ledwich, E. 1781 The history and antiquities of Irishtown and Kilkenny. In C. Vallancey (ed.), Collectanea de rebus hibernicis 2, no. 9, 349-562. Dublin.

Goodbody, R. 2013 Recording of buildings along Wolfe Tone Street and Vicar Street, Kilkenny for the Central Access Scheme, Rob Goodbody, Historic Buildings Consultant for Kilkenny County Council. unpublished report.

Stirland, J. 2019 Abbey Creative Quarter, Kilkenny, Archaeological Test Trenching of Urban Block 12. Unpublished report.

Bradley, J. 2000 Kilkenny. Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 10. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.