Garristown — Garristown

The late 19th century church (1888) of Garristown stands within a walled graveyard (DU003-011003-) on an elevated position in the village of Garristown. It occupies the site of the medieval parish church (DU003-011001-) (Lewis 1837 1, 650; Walsh 1888, 245). The parish church stood adjacent to the historic settlement or Manor of Garristown which was described in 1654-56 Civil Survey of Dublin as follows; 'There is upon ye premisses one ruined Castle [DU003-010----] one stone house Thatcht comonly called the Colledge of Garestowne one garden plott twenty three tenements valued by ye Jury at one hundred poundes one Mill [DU003-007----] valued (as afores[ai]d) at three poundes p[er] annum a few Ashtrees & ye Parish Church' [DU003-011001-] (Simington 1945, 17). In 1318, King Edward II granted to 'Humphrey Wace, the king's clerk, for good service for long time, of the keeping of the manor of Balliagary [Garristown] in Ireland, late of Drew de Merlet [Merlawe], tenant in chief, to hold until the full age of the heir' (Calendar of Fine Rolls, 348). The settlement known as the Manor of Garristown which 'kept Court leet & Court Baron The Moyety of ye great tyth[e] belonged to the Lord Barnewall of Turvy the other Moyety thereof wth ye small tythes belonged to ye Vicar thereof wth a little stone house comonly called the Bartasse & another Tenement worth fourty shillings wth six acres of Arable land valued to be then worth one pound foure shillings' (ibid., 17). The 17th-century Down Survey map of Garristown parish shows a cluster of properties around the parish church site which may represent the remains of a clustered settlement at Garristown (NLI Ms. 714). A clustered settlement is depicted at Garristown on Rocque's 1760 Map of County Dublin. NLI, Ms. 714 National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Dublin by W. Petty (1657). Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 42 maps with accompanying terriers, copied in 1786-7. See attached section of Rocque's 1760 Map of County Dublin showing the 'Old Church' of Garristown Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 6 March 2023