Interesting discovery at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Interesting discovery at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

27 Jun 1901

HISTORIC SITE UNEARTHED BY MR. HARTY.

In a litter to the Dean of St. Patrick’s, Sir Thomas Drew draws attention to a very interesting discovery just made at St. Patrick’s Cathedral —namely, the finding of the undoubted site and record of the ancient well of St. Patrick, from were this most ancient church’s foundation had its origin.
It occurred on the 18th of June, and by the vigilante of Mr. Spencer Harty the City Survevyor. The occasion arose in the progress of the Corporation drainage works, and Mr. Harty, to quote Thomas Drew’s words, soon found the ancient causeway of Patrick street lower by 6ft. than the present ‘one—within a few feet of the spot instinctively indicated. The record of the well was at once verified by the finding of a very ancient cross, or, rather, two cross, inscribed in light relief on a great granite stone. The wall itself had disappeared Mr. Harty, with me, attribute this to a diversion of the Poddle by an arched culvert, which directed the waterpower along the west front of the Cathedral, turned a corn mill built against the west front of tho Cathedral itself, and gave its name to the Cross Poddle, and went on to grind at each other mills. This diversion and its great stone culvert were probably made in the time of Charles II. and eliminated the well itself, all could be no mere coincidence that this remarkable stone found by Mr. Harty built into the north wall of the Poddle culvert was on the exact spot where, St. Patrick’s Well was looked for. It has seen the light once more on June 18th, after centuries of oblivion

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