Historic town

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the floor of the W-E Bride river valley, c. 1km S of the river. There are references to a church at Tallow, possibly a pre-Anglo-Norman foundation, in 1199 (Bradley et al. 1989, vol. 1, 115) and there was a significant settlement here in the 13th century, although it did not have the status of a town. 14th-century sources suggest that the town was part of Inchiquin manor which had been granted to the Fitzgeralds in the late 12th century. It is described as a 'decayed town' in 1587 (ibid., 116) when it was granted to Sir Walter Raleigh, who re-founded the town after it had been burned-out by the Irish in 1598. At this time it was described as consisting of about 60 households, all English.
In 1604 Tallow was granted to Sir Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork, who had established an iron works here by 1608. This was the source of the town's prosperity and growth in the early 17th century, and in 1613 Tallow was incorporated as a borough. Boyle built a courthouse, a prison and a market-house, and he probably laid out the town along two intersecting streets. According to Smith (1746, 64) Tallow was defended by earthen ramparts in 1641, but there is no other record of an enclosing feature. No monuments or structures predating 1700 are visible but there are records of two 17th-century graveslabs in the graveyard (Coleman 1913-14) and the ruins of a church are recorded by Power (1912, 199). (Bradley et al. 1989, vol. 1, 115-28)

Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H. (1989) Urban archaeology Survey of Waterford City and County, 2 vols. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works.
Coleman, J. C. (1913-14) Tallow churchyard. Mems. Dead, 9, 168-9.
Power, Rev. P. (1912) Parochial history of Waterford and Lismore during the 18th and 19th centuries. Harvey, Waterford.
Smith, C. (1746) The history of the town and county of Waterford. W. Wilson. Dublin.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 26 July 2011

References

Power, Rev. P. 1912 Parochial history of Waterford and Lismore during the 18th and 19th centuries. Waterford. Harvey.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H. 1989b Urban archaeological survey - Waterford City and County (2 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Coleman, J. 1913-14 Tallow churchyard. Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead in Ireland 9, 168-9.

Smith, C. 1746 The history of the town and county of Waterford. W. Wilson. Dublin.