Historic town

The National Monuments Service's description

St. Abban is said to have founded an early church at Ros Mhic Treoin (WX029-013012-) but the town was founded by William Marshall probably some time before c. 1200 when the first of many bridges was built. The town grew rapidly and became the port for the Marshall lands in south Leinster, which consisted of most of the counties of Wexford and Kilkenny with large portions of neighbouring territories. The building of the walls c. 1265 is described in a poem (Hore 1900, vol. 1, 58 60), but this probably involved just the digging of the fosse. According to a charter of 1374, it appears that the town was still unwalled (Hore 1900. vol. 1, 202 4). Murage was collected down to 1830, but the most intense period was 1374-1420 (Thomas 1992, vol. 2, 176).

New Ross was a great commercial rival of the Royal city of Waterford, and the customs returns 0f 1277-80 shows that it was the busiest port in Ireland (Orpen 1911, 10). However, by the middle of the 15th century it was so much in decline that in 1469 it was sacked by the Kavanaghs. The town was held by the Confederate Catholics in 1642, who destroyed the bridge, but the town was captured by the Earl of Ormond for the King soon afterwards. However, in 1649 the town surrendered without a fight to Cromwell who dismantled the fortifications.

The town is situated on a steep slope which runs down to the River Barrow/Nore on its W side. The walls (WX029-013005-) enclosed c. 105 acres running from the river at the N,. up Goat Lane to the Maiden Gate, along the back of properties to the W of Haughton Place, along Nunnery Lane to a mural tower and on to the junction with Neville St. It changed direction here and ran W down the N side of William St. where there is a portion of surviving wall. It crossed the junction with Priory St., and continued towards the river where another tower has been identified (Scully 2010). Rosbercon was an independent borough on the Kilkenny side of the River Barrow/Nore and was probably unwalled. There were gates at North St., the Maiden's Gate to the Irishtown, which still partly survives, Three Bullet Gate at Neville St. and William St., and the Priory or South Gate. Bunnion Gate, at the top of Mary St., is probably a late addition. A wall was provided on the riverside in the 16th or 17th century with may gates onto the quays. The river has been spanned by at least five bridges (WX029-013071-) since the 13th century, from which it derived its name – Ros Pontis villa nova (The new town of the bridge of Ros). There have also been lengthy periods when reliance was placed in ferries.

Within the town five church sites are known: St Mary's (WX029-013002-) with considerable remains, St Michael's (WX029-013010-), St Saviour's chapel (WX029-013011-) and the Franciscan (WX029-013008-) and Augustinian (WX029-013009-) friaries. In Rosbercon there was the Dominican friary (WX029-013007-) and the parish church (WX029-013001-). Outside the town is the site of St Stephen's Church (WX029-013006-) and the site of a monastery, possibly a leper hospital (WX029-015----) in the Maudlins. Trinity hospital (WX029-013074-) was established in the 16th century. (Hore 1900, vol. 1, 42 396; Bradley and King 1990, 99-146)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 1 August, 2012

References

Bradley, J. and King, H. 1990 Urban archaeological survey - county Wexford. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Orpen, G.H. 1911c New Ross in the thirteenth century. Dublin.

Thomas, A. 1992 The walled towns of Ireland, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.