Hospital in Unknown Townland

The former Mercers Hospital, occupied the site of St Stephens Leper Hospital, founded by the citizens of Dublin in the 13th century, and endowed with lands at Leopardstown (Bradley & King 1987, 2, 148). At the time of the dissolution it consisted of a church with three stone houses (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 350). In 1665 the churchyard was walled in and in 1682 the church went out of use (Wheeler and Craig 1948, 35). In 1724 Mercers Hospital was built on the site. Excavations on the S side of Lower Stephen Street in 1991, adjacent to the former Mercer's Hospital uncovered a wall believed to be part of the complex of buildings associated with the medieval hospital (Hayden 1992, 14-15). Subsequent excavations in 1992 on an adjoining plot exposed further skeletons that dated from the 13th-19th centuries and foundations of the medieval hospital (Buckley & Hayden 2002, 151-194; Clarke 2002, 28, H2). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Date of upload:14 August 2012