The recent discovery at St Patrick’s – an old drawing
27 Jul 1901ANCIENT DUBLIN
THE RECENT DISCOVERY AT ST. PATRICK’S – AN OLD DRAWING
In the inclosure of the Church of Saint Patrick, not far from the Tower we have seen that fount of Saint Patrick at which Dublin neophytes were baptized, lately enclosed among houses and choked up.”—Archbishop Usher , 1580.
The stone recently brought to light during the reconstruction of the old waterway of the Poddle River deserves more attention than it has yet received. Sir Thomas Drew’s report to the Dean is, I hope, the forerunner of interesting articles on this subject by students of old Irish remains.
Archaeology is a long word and ono that is apt to scare sway tie general reader, yet from tuno to time in the lives of many Irishmen opportunities occur of discovering or preserving long-sought records. Pay attention, then, to every stone in your neighbourhood that, bears strange markings. Many valuable stones have been broken up for building or road-making, or used aa gate-posts or rubbing-posts for cattle
A verv good idea can be obtained from figs. 1 and 2, the first being a portion of the drawing given by James Malton in his ” Picturesque and descriptive view of the city of Dublin,” pnblished in the year 1795. He states that the well was under the stall shown in the picture in front of the building. The second is from a plan by Kendrick, 1750. We have the steeple, the Poddle river, and a gateway. The stone was discovered six feet under ground on the old level of Patrick street, and a few feet to tie left of where tie gateway is marked, in the western wall (that nearest us). Sir Thomas Drew had already calculated that this should be the precise spot where the well was located, and the finding of the stone, is another — in the chain of evidence.
Malton says: – “The piece of rain, seen on the left of the Tower in. the view, was once attached to the Cathedral The street in the continuation is called Patrick street, which has been very irreverently made, and still continues, a butchers’ market, notwithstanding a (very convenient place has been fitted up on the opposite side of the street, with the express intention to take them from their present very improper station. Under tie stall contiguous to the ruin is the Well of St. Patrick before mentioned, wherein he baptised the people on his first coming to Dublin, and which was the origin of this cathedral.
“The well is still” choked up,” and has not been found.
OBUBCH OF ST. PATRICK IN INSULA.
“Saint Patrick,” writes Malton, “the great Irish Apostle, after breaking up the-Synod held at Armagh in the year 448, is said to have the velled towards Leinster and come to Dublin, then known by the name of Bally-aith-cliath_, where in a fountain of fine water he baptised the people, and Alpin, the son of Eochaid, King of the place, near which fountain be built a church, called after him, on the foundation of which this pile was erected by John Comyn, Archbishop of Dublin, in the year 1190.” Comyn’s predecessor was the celebrated Laurence O’ Toole.
PODDLE RIVER
The relation of the Poddle river to the Cathedral can be seen by a giance at Fig. 2. The plan is taken from a volume in (Marsh’s Library) that contains many ancient survey maps of properties of the Cathedral—their date is somewhere about 1750. On one of the maps the name of a person named Rotton appears as holding the lease of the plot of ground on which the houses seen on Fig. 1 are situated.
W. GREGORY HODSON.