Mural tower (Historic Town) in Unknown Townland

Isolde’s Tower (Newman’s Tower\Baker's Tower) stood on the NE corner of Dublin City walls between Essex Quay and Lower Exchange Street. Annotated Newman’s Tower on Speed’s 1610 map of Dublin City. In 1993 during the demolition of four houses on Essex Quay the remains of Isolde’s Tower were uncovered. The ‘site of’ or location of this angle tower was shown on the 1863 ed. OSi 25-inch map 40m to the NE of the precise location of the monument. Around the year 1260 the Dublin White Book recorded a grant to William Picot, Clerk of the City which included the; 'tower which is called Butauant [Buttevant DU018-020018-], situated upon the bank near Isolda's Gate, together with all their land adjacent between the street through which the passage is from the gate of the aforesaid Ysolda's [Isolde] Tower towards the church of St. Olave [DU018-020087-], and extending from the street as far as the new wall, towards the water of Auenlyf [Liffey]. To be held, with the appurtenances and the easement of the wall of the city, both on the east and on the north. Reservation of ingress and egress. To render yearly to the Mayor of the city, for the time being, one pair of gilt spurs on Easter Day' (CARD Vol. 1, 93). This circular-shaped tower on the NE angle of the city walls was described in 1585 as follows; 'From Fitzsymons towre [DU018-020016-] to Issoldes towre, is 174 foote [53m] distant, and the pavment from the chanell agreinge in height as befor. The said Issoldes towre is a rounde towre, towe storie hie, 18 foote [5.5m] sqware within the wall, and the wall 9 foote [2.75m] thicke, and 40 foote [12.2m] hie from the channell, one timber lofte and a plate forme in the tope, with three lowps [loops] in every rowme. From Issoldes towre to an olde towre, caled Buttevantes towre [DU018-020018-] , is 106 foote [32m] distant, the wall 22 foote [6.7m] hie in the owtsyde, and 5 foote [1.5m] thicke, and firme grounde within the said wall 12 foote [3.65m] hie from the chanell with owt, so the grounde within is within 10 foote [3m] as hie as the said wall' (CARD Vol. 2, 556). In 1602 the Dublin Assembly Roll recorded that; 'Jacobe Newman made humble suyte to be remittid of a yeares rent of the tower at the Wood Key callid the Bakers tower, supposed by him to be helte by this cittie soe longe from him, and alsoe to have a letter of attornye to sue the bakers for wast, and to have the counterpaune of the bakers lease: it is therfore ordered and agreed, by the aucthoritie afforesaid, that notwithstanding he might have had the key of the tower at his caule, and that the cittie have reservid a free passadge and accesse to that tower for defens of this cittie, that he shalbe allowed the laste Easter tearmes rent, and the rest of his rent the next Michalmas he must paie, and take the key at his pleasure; and wee agree that he shall have a warrant under the cittie seale to prosecute the master and companye of bakers for the ruen [ruin] of the tower, and the counterpaune of their lease shalbe forthcoming for him' (CARD Vol. 2, 389). Three years later the Dublin Assembly Roll recorded that; 'Jacobe Newman shall have a lease for tearme of as menye yeares as he hath uppon the tower called Isoldes tower and the tennement therunto adioyning, uppon a voyde peace of ground in the north and east syde of the said tower and tennement, contayninge theis parcelles following, videlicet: firste, from the said tower to thend of the Hog lane, eastwarde, two hundreth fouer score and two yardes; from the loe water marke to thend of the Hog lane in breadth sowthwarde, fyftie eight yardes: from the loe water marke to the myddell of Fagans orchard wall, nowe in the occupacion of the constable of the Castell of Dublin, fortie three yardes; from the Buttevant tower to the corner of Fagans orchard wall, one hundreth fyftie and fouer yardes; from the loe water marke to the Dames mylles [mills] sowthward, one hundreth Dames twentye and five yardes; from the loe water marke throughe the smale iland unto the pavement of the Dames street sowthward, one hundreth thirtie and two yardes; the smale peace of grownd lyeing northward of the said tennement and tower, and being of the leingth of the said tennement and tower, and lyeing northward from the same, is in breadth fouer yardes; for which parcelles the said Jacobe Newman is to paie fouer shillinges, Iryshe, per annum, with other covenantes and condicions to be incerted in his lease. Provided alwaie that the same be nott preiudiciall in the watercourse from the said mylles, nor to the watercourse from the Castell dyche, nor that any housse be buylded uppon the premisses, and that the lease be taken out by the post assemblye' (CARD Vol. 2, 457-8). In the same year another agreement stated; 'that Jacobe Newman shall have a lease for tearme of one hundreth and eighten yeares, beginning at Michalmas last past, uppon a voide pece of grownd at the west end of the tenement he holdeth of this cittie, scituate uppon the Wood Key, neare Isoldes tower, which plott lieth betwixt the said tennement and a littell tower called Casses tower [DU018-020016-], and contayneth from the tennement nowe buylded by the said Jacobe in the east to the said Casses tower, in the west, thirtie and six [yardes,] paieing therout yearly fouer shillinges and six pence, Iryshe, rent, with other covenantes and condicions to be incerted in his lease' (CARD Vol. 2, 435). Isolde’s Tower was described in the Urban Survey of Dublin City as; ‘This was a round tower, some forty feet high, and was situated 58 yards from Case’s Tower, on Essex Quay near the corner of Parliament Street. It was granted in 1558 to the Corporation of Bakers and in 1602 to Jacob Newman with permission to sue the bakers for ruining the tower (Healy 1973, 21)’ (Bradley and King 1987, Vol. 1, 52-3). Excavations in 1993 exposed the base of a circular tower (int. dims. 4.68m, H 2.2m, Wall T 3.9m). This had been built on a plinth; the wall faced internally and externally with large blocks of mortared masonry (Simpson 1994, 21-2). This tower had been demolished in the late 17th century and a property built over it. The finds included medieval and post-medieval pottery, glass fragments, metal leather and human bones (Healy 1973, 21). Surviving remnants of the lower courses of Isolde's tower have been conserved. The lowest courses are extant below ground level (Clarke 2002, 21; Clarke, Dent and Johnson 2002, 33, 37). The results of the excavations carried out by Linzi Simpson in 1993 under licence No. 93E0099 was summarised as follows; 'The site is bounded by Lower Exchange St. on the south and Essex Quay on the north and lies along the known circuit of the medieval walls of Dublin. The excavation revealed a circular mural tower (below), identified as 'Isolde's Tower', which had been demolished to almost foundation level in the 17th century. The city wall was also located abutting the tower on the western and southern side and following the line of Lower Exchange St. The tower occupies the north-east angle of the city wall and projected into the river Liffey with the Poddle along the eastern side. It formed part of the re-vamp of the city defences, dated to c.1260, which resulted in an extension of the city walls to encompass reclaimed land stretching to the banks of the Liffey. The tower The tower, which is circular in plan, has an internal diameter of 4.5m and walls which were almost 4m thick. At its highest, at the western side, it survived to almost 2.5m while being less than half that height on the eastern side. It was built of regularly coursed limestone blocks and faced internally and externally with a strongly mortared rubble core. The start of a batter was visible on the western side. The tower sat directly on river gravels on a rough plinth and the interior had been back-filled almost immediately with deep deposits of silt, possibly to stabilize the base. The city wall The city wall was exposed on the western side, abut