What is recorded here

Prickett's Tower rose thirty-four feet above Merchant's Quay in Dublin, guarding the junction with Winetavern Street and the churning water of the Liffey. John le Warre received the bankside stronghold in the thirteenth century, while William de Bristol later measured twenty feet of shadow beside its stone base. The rectangular fortress kept a timber loft and eastern turret until the gunpowder explosion of 1597 shattered its walls. Men probably watched that fire consume the quay, leaving only a missing outline where the tower once blocked the river light.

Prickett's Tower stood beside a medieval quay on the S bank of the Rive Liffey along Merchant's Quay, c. 250m to the E of Bridge Gate (DU018-020030-) which would place the tower at the junction between Winetavern Street and Merchant's Quay which is 250m to the E of Bridge Gate. In the late 13th century the Dublin White Book recorded a grant to; 'John la Warre : A tower, with appurtenances, on the bank, outside of and opposite to the King's Gate. In perpetuity. Reservation of ingress and egress. Annual rent, half a mark of silver. Under common seal; attested by commonalty' (CARD Vol. 1, 90). In 1285 the Dublin White Book recorded a grant to; 'To their fellow-citizen, William de Bristol:particle of ground on the bank, containing twenty feet, from the stone tower towards the west as far as the citizens' land on the east, and extending from the kay towards the south to the foot of the said tower on the water of Auenlif [Liffey] towards the north. Annual rent, three shillings of silver' (CARD Vol. 1, 105-6). In 1322 the Dublin White Book recorded; 'On Friday next after [November 30] the festival of St. Andrew the Apostle, in the sixteenth year of the reign of King Edward [II], Robert de Notyngham came into the full city Assembly and surrendered to the Mayor, commonalty, etc., a place on the water, contiguous to the tower towards the east, and formerly held by Wulfran of Bristol, who had it from the commonalty at the annual rent of three shillings. The commonalty accepted the surrender' (CARD Vol. 1, 118). This mural tower on the Dublin City walls was described in 1585 as follows; 'From the Bridge gate [DU018-020030-] along the Marchaunt Key to Prickettes towre is 843 foote [257m] distant, and the Key [Quay] 9 foote [2.7m] hie from the chanell to the pavment. The said towre in Prickettes pocession is a sqware towre, with a towret [turret] in the tope on the easte syde; the towre 30 foote [9m] sqware one waye, and 28 foote [8.5m] the other waye the wall three foote fowre inches [1m] thicke and 34 foote [10m] hie, and no heightes but one timber lofte in the sqware, and towe small vawtes [vaults] in the towret, and no lowps but a window to the easte syde. From Prickettes towre alonge the Woode Key to Mr Fianes castell [DU018-020015-] is 356 foote [108m] distant, and the Key agreing in height from the chanell to the pavment as befor' (CARD Vol. 2, 555). Mural Tower described in the Urban Survey of Dublin City as follows; 'From the Bridge Gate along Merchant's Quay to Pricketts's Tower was 281 yards. The wall seems to have been absent here. Prickett's Tower is probably to be identified with the tower "on the bank outside and opposite to the King's Gate granted to John le Warre in the thirteenth century. In 1585 it was occupied by a Mr. Prickett, and hence the name. The tower was situated at the foot of Winetavern Street; it was thirty-four feet high with a turret on top' (Bradley and King 1987, Vol. 1, 51-2). Merchant's Quay/ Winetavern Street/Wood Quay: In the 13th century a tower is mentioned here when it was granted to John le Warre (Clarke 2002, 21). Known as 'Prickett's tower' after the occupier in 1585 (Healy 1973, 21). At this time it was a rectangular tower (ext. dims. L 9m x Wth 8.4m x H 10.2m; wall T 1.02m). It had a timber loft and a turret on its E side. Probably damaged in the gunpowder explosion of March 1597 (De Courcy 1996, 314-15). No surface remains visible. See attached Speed's 1610 Map of Dublin City showing Merchant's Quay labelled No. 9 and the junction with Winetavern Street labelled No. 25, Wood Quay No. 8 and Fian's Castle No. 7 which was c. 110m to the E of Prickett's Tower. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 7 July 2023

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