Gateway in Unknown Townland

St Patrick's Gate controlled entrance and exit of traffic at the S end of St Patrick Street (King’s highway) and is mentioned in 1250 and again in a deed of 1305 which stated that a ditch presumably the town ditch without the wall, near Bertram’s Court, was granted to Roger de Asheburn.  The deed stated that the ditch stretched from the tenements near the Newgate (DU018-020200-) as far as the ground near St Patrick’s Gates towards the south and lying in breadth between the place where the fairs are held and the wall of the city of Dublin (Gilbert 1854-9, 239). It probably indicated the S extent of the suburb outside St. Nicholas’ Gate (DU018-020022-), in Patrick Street (Bradley and King 1987, Vol. 1, 57; Clarke 2002, 21). The Dublin White Book recorded in 1250 a grant from the Citizens of Dublin to ‘Richard Du Chartris and Agnes, his wife: The tower next to St. Patrick’s Gate, on the western side, at the yearly rent of four shillings of silver; with reservation of free ingress and egress.  If the buildings on the tower should be ruined by fire, or otherwise, Richard and his wife are, at their own cost, to re-edify and maintain them’ (Gilbert 1889, Vol. 1, 86).  Another grant from c. 1252 in the Dublin White Book recorded a grant; 'To Reimund of Poitou: The entire Gate of St. Patrick's, with cellars and appurtenances, easements underneath and on each side, and the custody of the gate during life. Reservation of ingress and egress. Annual rent, half a mark of silver' (Gilbert 1889 Vol. 1, 90).  Gilbert (1854-9, Vol. 1, 257) recorded that the ancient laws of the city contain the following enactment : "The second watchman (vigilator) shall begin his patrole at the New-gate, and so through the High-street to the new Tholsel, and so far as St. Patrick's Gate, including Rochel-street (vicus Rupelle), and the three lanes (venellae), namely, St. Audoen's-lane, Gillamocholmog's-lane, and the other lane leading to the house of Thomas le Marechal."  In 1390 the Christ Church Deeds recorded that  the Mayor and community of Dublin granted to, ‘Thomas Mawereward, of Dublin, a messuage without the gate of St. Patrick's, extending on the east from the corner of the stone wall, without the said gate, beside the King's highway, as far as the arches of the old schools there, and from the said highway beyond the watercourse of the Mill del Poll up to the land of the said schools’ (Anon. 1888, No. 255). The Calendar of Archbishop Alen’s Register recorded that, ’the street (vicus) is two-fold, sc St Patrick’s church and St Patrick’s Street; similarly the gate is two-fold’ (RSAI Alen Register, 232). John Speed's map of Dublin from 1610 depicted a gateway standing at the S end of St. Patrick Street, to the W of St Patrick’s Cathedral with the Poddle river immediately to the E of the gateway.  The gateway is depicted as a freestanding crenellated gateway with tall arched entrance guarding the junction between the medieval roadway annotated on Speed’s map as ‘St Patricks Street’ to the N and New Street to the S.  The gateway stands between two rows of terraced houses flanking either side of New Street, one of these buildings on the W side may have been the tower mentioned in the grant of 1250.  The stream known as the Poddle flowed southwards in front of the row of houses to the E of the gateway. Exchequer Decree No. 33 in the year 1658 between Robert Bennett and the Attorney General decreed on behalf of the plaintiff  related to ‘1 castle & 6 messuages near St Patrick’s gate in Dublin suburbs in the Liberties of the Archbishop of Dublin’ (PRONI T808/15020).  Cross-reference with Dublin City Defences DU018-020001-. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien